A Shimmering Light Within the Darkness

Co-Authored by Tracey Arcieri and Karen LaManna

A/N: Story is set after All the World's a Stage but before Stemwinder Pt. 1

Chapter 1

"Damn, what the hell happened?" Lee swore, confused. He disoriented with no concept of where he was. He shook his head, tried to shake the cobwebs loose from his brain, but all the while he clamped his eyes closed tightly. When he finally opened his eyes, he blinked several times as he tried to adjust to the dark space. To his right he heard the steady sound of water dripping; and a musty, damp, earthy smell filled his sinuses. He was laid out on some type of metal cot that squeaked each time he moved. He stood quickly, but when his head connected with the low ceiling with a resounding thud, the impact knocked him back down onto the cot.

"Where am I?" he asked aloud, but his only reply was the continuous sound of dripping water.

While he leaned forward, with his elbows on his knees, and his head rested in his hands, he tried to remember what happened that led him to wake up there. When he rubbed his forehead gently, his hands felt gritty against his skin.

"Amanda," he whispered loudly. "I was on my way to meet Amanda. We were going hiking."

Taking a deep breath, he coughed loudly in the seemingly small space as the musty smell invaded his lungs. He tried to stand again, only this time he slowly straightened himself to his full height, stopping when his head brushed the ceiling. He was almost upright, so he estimated the room to be just under six feet high.

With his arms outstretched, he shuffled his feet forward until he felt a wall of sorts with his hands. The wall was damp and rough and as he explored the area, he could feel dirt crumble off his fingertips. "It's got to be an old cellar or something," he thought as he moved to the left, feeling around as best as he could. The ground beneath him was hard packed, but as he shuffled his feet, he could hear the dirt and gravel move around.

For nearly an hour, he meticulously felt each wall for any kind of opening or door to no avail. He found where the dripping sound was coming from when he stepped directly into the stream of water that trickled in. He quickly moved away once he determined there was no escape route hidden nearby.

His neck was stiff from hunching forward and his shoulders were beginning to ache. Slowly, he aimed for the middle of the small room, and looked for the cot. He swore again loudly when his shin made contact with a sharp metal edge. Feeling his way along the edge, he sat down and rubbed his leg, thankful he was wearing jeans and hiking boots. He massaged his neck and shoulders as best he could as he whispered, "Come on, Amanda, I know you'll figure out where I am."

Meanwhile, Amanda was in Billy's office. "Sir, I'm worried about Lee," Amanda sat across from Billy, wringing her hands nervously.

"I'm sure he's fine, Amanda," Billy replied reassuringly, "He probably got a call from one of his contacts and lost track of time."

"But, Sir, that's not like him. He and I were supposed to meet on Old Post Road to hike the old trails up there, but he never showed up. Don't you think that sounds suspicious?" Amanda questioned her boss.

Billy shuffled the stack of papers on his desk and turned up the bottom corners to initial each one as he said, "Amanda, this is Lee we're talking about here. Sometimes things come up at the last minute and plans get cancelled."

"Who's plans got cancelled?" Francine asked as she opened the door and stepped into Billy's office.

"Our plans didn't get cancelled!" Amanda insisted. "Lee just…" she paused, then finished with an exasperated sigh, "he just never showed up!" She looked from Billy's face to Francine's hoping for some sign either one understood her concern.

Francine sat on the edge of Billy's desk as she sorted the stack of files in her arms into two piles before him. "What plans did you have that didn't get cancelled?" she asked, glancing up at Amanda between folders.

Amanda sighed, completely frustrated, "Lee and I were supposed to go hiking. There's an old trail we used to hike as kids down off —"

"He cancelled them," Francine stated matter-of-factly as she stood up and moved toward the door again. "Ah, Billy, Beamon is looking for you. Something about the new copy machine in the Steno Pool isn't working correctly."

"How is the copy machine my problem? Tell him to call Maintenance," Billy shook his head as he threw his hands in the air.

"He said he did but Maintenance told him to call you. Now, if you need me I'll be at my desk. And, Amanda, I'm sure Lee's fine. He's probably down at the Turkish Bath's getting a massage. I know that's what I'd be doing if someone asked me to go hiking." Francine said with a smile as she backed out of the office.

Amanda stood quickly. "He's not fine! And, he's not getting a massage! Something, something happened to him. I just..." Amanda said indignantly.

Billy placed his hands on his desk and raised his body up and forward slowly, as he leaned toward Amanda, "You just what, Amanda?" he asked softly, trying to calm her down.

Amanda dropped her chin as she said quietly, "I just know it."

"Amanda, this is Scarecrow we're talking about. I'm sure whatever hung him up, he's completely fine," Billy said softly. "Now, why don't you head home and get some rest? He'll probably call you first thing in the morning with an apology and an explanation."

"Yes, Sir," she muttered, as she moved toward the door. Once in the bullpen, Amanda set her jaw defiantly as she marched toward the elevator. In the Q Bureau, she searched the files on his desk for any clue to what Lee could have been working on. "There has to be something here," she whispered, as she scanned each folder.