Disclaimer: I own Scarecrow and Mrs. King! It's all mine! Bwahaha! Seriously though, I don't own it. Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon do. Some dialogue was taken directly from the episode "The Mole" written by Cliff Gould, and all copyrights remain intact.
Author: MargravineMaKaM (MargravineMaKaM@juno.com)
Rated: G
Title: Taking the Plunge (sequel to One Toe in the Water)
Thanks to Cheryl who kept bugging me to write this!
"Phillip! Jamie!" Lee called up the stairs. "Breakfast is ready!" Lee went back into the kitchen to stir the concoction on the stove. It felt strange to be on this side of the kitchen window, looking out at the beginning day. Usually he was crouched in the bushes, peering in, trying to get Amanda's attention. He kind of liked the change. He could get used to it. He was dishing the food onto the plates, musing about the oddities of the world, when the house began to shake and tremble. Immediately his hand went to his gun before he realized that he didn't have it with him. What was going on? When he had told Billy and Dr. Smythe that he wouldn't do the job they had for them last night, he didn't honestly believe that it would mean the end of the world, but now... The shaking and noise were getting louder, as though an earthquake were approaching. Lee knew that that was silly—earthquakes didn't approach. Phillip and Jamie stormed into the room, and Lee mentally edited his last thought. King earthquakes did approach.
"What's for breakfast?" Jamie asked as he took his seat.
"It smells funny," Phillip added, always his tactful self.
"Secret family recipe. It's from an old Chinese tradition. Anyone who eats this food for breakfast will have good luck throughout the day."
"I didn't know you were Chinese," Jamie said puzzled.
"I'm not," Lee was confused.
"Then how can it be an old family recipe?" Phillip asked.
Lee smiled mischievously at him. "I didn't say it was from my family, now did I?" He handed the boys their plates and picked up his coffee. They both just stared at it suspiciously, moving the food around their plates as though different views would help them identify it. "Go on," Lee urged, "try it." Phillip, being the more daring of the two slowly picked up his fork. "Look," Lee said, "I wouldn't try to poison you for kicking my butt last night at Monopoly because I know I'll get you in the rematch."
Jamie deciding that the food didn't look like it was going to bite back nibbled on his. Finding it not too bad, he took a bigger bite. "Hey," he said surprised, "this isn't too bad!"
"Don't sound so surprised," Lee said, pretending to be hurt. "Although, your mother couldn't believe I could cook either."
"Where's yours?" Phillip asked, also digging in.
"I don't usually eat breakfast—just grab a cup of coffee."
"Don't let mom or grandma hear you say that," Jamie cautioned.
"Lee, really—" Phillip did a devastatingly accurate imitation of his grandmother, "—breakfast is the most important meal of the day!"
"I'll remember that," Lee said. He looked at his watch and said, "You guys'd better hurry. We don't want to be late for the game."
"I'm done!" Phillip said, rocketing up from his chair. Lee's eyes widened, he hadn't even seen all the food disappear—the kid had practically inhaled it.
"Me, too!" Jamie put in. Together they disappeared back up the stairs to change.
Lee shook his head. He didn't know where they got all that energy. He had more respect for Amanda now than ever before. Chasing after terrorists must have seemed like a vacation compared to chasing after the two balls of energy she had given birth to.
***
An hour later, Lee pulled the Corvette up to the ballpark. It was a tight fit getting all three of them into the small sports car. Lee smiled to himself, thinking he never would have thought of himself as able to give up his Corvette; he had always considered it perfect for him and Amanda. But if he were going to be constantly chauffeuring the boys around, he was going to need a bigger car. They got out, Phillip and Jamie running over to their team, Lee going more slowly, unsure of himself. He was more used to diplomatic balls and international summits than Little League baseball. They were there a little early so the boys could warm up, but already the stands were filling with parents and siblings. The happy laughing families made Lee feel even more out of place. He had never had a normal childhood, never had a normal family, and even now he didn't have those things. His marriage to Amanda was practically a national secret and his stepsons didn't even know they were now related to him. He was just their mom's new boyfriend. He sighed about how confused all their lives were as he walked over to the stands.
"Lee!" a voice called to him.
He turned around to see Jamie rushing toward him. Lee hurried over to meet him halfway, thinking something was wrong. The look on Jamie's face confirmed it. "What's wrong?" Lee asked anxiously.
"Well..." Jamie said, sounding very unsure, "I know it's a lot to ask...but.... would you wear mom's lucky hat? She always wears it when she comes to the games and....it's kind of a tradition."
"What hat?" Lee asked curious.
Slowly, Jamie held out a battered baseball cap. It was well worn, but obviously well loved. It had a big "B" on it. "We aren't on the Bombers anymore," he explained, "but mom always wears it to cheer us on."
Lee just looked at the hat, remembering...
The day was hot and the sun was shining. It was a perfect day for a baseball game—even Lee, a man who had never played team sports in his life, knew that. He had gotten a phone call from Amanda that had asked him to meet her here. Amanda King had only been with the agency for a short time but already he trusted her to help him on a very important assignment. Someone from the Agency was leaking information and it was up to him to find out who it was. Amanda was helping him investigate. All around him were happy kids enjoying a normal part of kid life. He walked over to the refreshment tent, hoping to find Amanda doing her usual duty to the neighborhood. He wasn't disappointed. "Hi," he said, walking up.
"Hi," she replied. She said uncertainly, "I wasn't sure whether you wanted me to keep on, after what happened to Ronny."
"Well, sure, I want you to keep on," Lee reassured her, "that's why I came when you called."
Amanda reached into her pocket and pulled out a Bombers baseball cap. "Okay, good," she said. "Here, look, would you mind putting this on, then?" She handed him the hat.
Lee took the cap from her hand and stared at it as though it were a snake or a nuclear weapon. "It's a baseball cap," he said, confused.
"Yes, I know it's a baseball cap," Amanda said, wondering if she were going to step over the line here, "most of the Bomber fathers wear them."
"Bombers fathers?" Lee asked incredulously. Amanda nodded, and he continued indignantly, "No! Amanda, I am sorry, I pass." He gave her back the cap, continuing, "I am not, nor do I ever intend to be a Bomber father." The very idea of him—Lee Stetson, federal agent—a parent was ridiculous.
"All right," Amanda sighed, " well, do you think you could maybe just loosen your tie a little bit, then, please, you look a little stuffy."
"My tie?" Lee was lost.
"I'll tell you what you really need, you need something to eat. So here, why don't you try a nice brownie? Mrs. Scott makes them." Amanda offered Lee a brownie and he hesitantly picked up one. "Seventy-five cents, please," she said.
Lee sighed and began to dig through his pocket. Amanda never missed an opportunity to help her community.
"Is this why you brought me, huh?" he asked. "To have me chip my tooth on one of Mrs. Scott's brownies?" He plunked the money down on the table and looked at her for an explanation.
"Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no. I don't want you to think that I don't trust David."
"Mm."
"Not for a minute. But, um. . . ."
"Amanda, come on, what have you got?"
"All right. I have been checking into the bank statements and the tax returns, like you told me to, and I think maybe I found something strange."
"Strange, how?"
"About six months ago," Amanda began reading through a notepad, "David started making out checks to Monica Benson, right?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Now, I assume they have to be alimony checks, because they had no children—gee, that's sad, isn't it? You know, children can really make the difference in a marriage—"
"Checks, come on, come on, checks, you were mentioning checks," Lee interrupted rolling his eyes and trying to get Amanda back on track. Some times she
frustrated him so."Right. Okay, sorry, okay, the checks. The first check was on June first, you see?"
"Yeah."
"Second check, July sixth, right?
"Mm-hmm," Lee was not seeing anything incriminating here.
"The third check, August fourteenth. Do you see a pattern here?"
"I see it, I see it, and . . . ?" he asked impatiently.
"And then they stop."
Lee looked up.
"Even after he stopped paying the alimony," Amanda continued, "he continued to take a full tax credit for the entire amount, over and over and over and over again. Now, don't you think that's pretty strange?" She looked up to see how he reacted to what she had found.
"Yeah," Lee nodded, seeing what she was getting at, "that is pretty strange. Unless . . . unless he was paying her in cash. But if he was paying her in cash, why? And where did it come from?"
Amanda grinned proudly. She had done something good. "Exactly," she said with pride.
Back on the field a baseball bat cracked, and Amanda looked up. Phillip had just hit the ball and was rounding the bases one by one. "Go, Phillip! Slide!" Amanda shrieked, startling Lee. He dropped the brownie on his toe. It made a thunking noise, and Lee grabbed his foot in pain. Amanda didn't notice, still yelling encouragements to her son. "Slide, Phillip! Slide!" she screamed. On the field, Phillip seemed to have heard her advice as he slid into home base just ahead of the ball. "Atta boy!" Amanda called. She whacked Lee on the back in her excitement, not even noticing that he was doubled over in pain.
"Ow!" he exclaimed, holding his foot.
"Look at him!" she cried. She then noticed Lee not even looking in the direction of the field. "You didn't see!" she accused.
Phillip, meanwhile, was jumping up and down in joy while everyone in the stands and dugout cheered.
"Yes! Good boy, Phillip!" Amanda continued to cheer.
Lee straightened up, holding the offending brownie. "Sure, it was wonderful," he said to appease her. "I just dropped this brownie on my toe, I think it's broken," he complained, wiggling his foot. "The brownie is just fine," he continued, tossing it on the table. It landed with a bang.
"I'm sorry," Amanda apologized, sounding sincerely sorry, " is there anything I can do?"
"Well, it's funny you asked," Lee said, deciding to make her do some of the footwork now that his foot was out of business, " yes, there is something you can do. But you're going to need some identification, you know, one of those funny little badge things that people wear when they come to your door?"
"Badge things?"
"Yeah," Lee said nodding.
"Lee?" Jamie asked, still holding out the cap.
Lee shook his head coming out of his reverie. He couldn't believe how far he and Amanda had come from that summer day.
Jamie misinterpreted his headshake. "I guess you don't want to wear it," Jamie said, trying not to sound as disappointed as he felt.
"No," Lee said. "No wait. I want to wear it. I'd be happy to wear it." He smiled at his younger stepson.
Jamie's face broke out in a radiant smile, much like his mother's when she was very happy, and Lee couldn't help smiling back. Jamie ran off to rejoin his teammates leaving Lee with the cap.
Lee smiled down at the cap in his hands, surprised that an article of clothing could bring back so many memories. He remembered all the times he had seen Amanda in her Bombers shirt. How she had disarmed a dangerous nuclear warhead with a Bombers pin. And how she had broken her foot helping out the team. With a feeling of pride and that Amanda was very close to him, he put on the cap and headed over to where all the other parents were sitting.
He felt a little self-concious joining the group, but at least he wasn't in a stuffy suit. One of the ladies smiled at him.
"Are you new?" she asked.
"Uh..." Lee wasn't sure how to answer that. No, I've secretly been spying on all of you for the past four years?
"Wait," one of the other ladies interrupted him, "I think I recognize you. Mr. Sampson? Didn't you live on Maplewood for a short while?"
Lee's eyes widened, he had forgotten that half of the men and women here had met him as Lee Sampson when he had been investigating a chemical plant leak. "No," he hastily corrected her. "I'm Lee Stetson. I'm here with Jamie and Phillip King."
"Oh?" the second woman asked, "are you a friend of the Kings?" She didn't honestly believe that mousy Amanda King could snatch a fish like this. He was far too handsome and self-confident; he certainly didn't frequent the same circles the King family did.
"You could say that," Lee said, thinking you could say that and quite a bit more.
"Where's Amanda?" the first woman questioned.
Lee tried to keep his cool. He had been interrogated by professionals—these were only neighborhood housewives. "She and Mrs. West were called out of town on a family emergency. I'm watching the boys," Lee explained.
"Oh.." the two women looked at each other knowingly.
Lee knew he had to change the subject to keep Amanda's reputation intact. "So, Mrs..." he looked inquiringly at the first woman.
"Scott," she filled in.
Lee's eyes widened again. The Brownie Woman. "Oh, yes, Amanda speaks very highly of your brownies," he said, trying to keep a straight face.
"Does she now?" the woman looked extremely pleased. "Well, I always knew she had good taste." Her voice included Lee in with the things Amanda had good taste in.
"So, Mrs. Scott," Lee continued, "Who are we playing?" He gave her a smile that had melted dozens of hearts.
"The Alexandria Sharks," the woman replied, warming up to her topic. "They beat us last year, but since then they've lost their star hitter, and..."
Lee just smiled and began to enjoy this day at the ballpark.
***
Two hours and a slight sunburn later, Lee shepherded his two winning sons off the field. Phillip may have hit two base runs, but it was Jamie's catch in the bottom of the ninth that saved the game.
"I guess your mom's lucky cap really works," Lee said, grinning as much as his stepsons.
"Sometimes," Jamie said. "I think she just wears it for the memories and calls it lucky to have a reason to wear it."
"I bet your right, knowing you mother," Lee agreed. The cap certainly brought back memories for him, although he figured Amanda's were different. "Come on," Lee said, herding them to the Corvette, "let's go get some ice cream."
Both boys smiled up at him, and he could feel them warming to him. This parenting thing was getting easier by the moment.
***
As the Corvette rounded the corner where the ice cream shop was located, Lee was surprised by the volume of cars outside. "I guess this must be a very popular place," he said to the boys.
"Sure!" Phillip said. "We always come here after games."
"Well," Lee said, "I'm going to have to park across the street. I don't want to squeeze my car into one of those tiny spaces."
"That's okay," Phillip said. He looked a little uncertain before adding, "Could you make sure all our friends see us getting out of the car?"
Knowing all about pre-teen pride, Lee nodded. He made as much of a show as he could, slowly easing the car into a spot and letting the boys get out first. He could see as he too got out all the boys from the baseball team looking at the car with thinly disguised envy. If anything, he was going to be good for Phillip and Jamie's reputation.
Together, the three men of the hidden family made their way across the busy street to the ice cream store. Waiting in line took a long time but Lee didn't mind because it gave him a chance to hang around some more with his stepsons. Finally they got their ice cream—Lee sticking to a boring waffle cone, the boys both going for a gooey, sticky, concoction that was the shop's specialty.
"Hey, Lee," Jamie said, suddenly, "hold this for a second." He shoved his treat at Lee, saying, "I see my friend over there," he waved across the street, "and I want to show him your car."
"All right," Lee said, taking the sweet as Jamie pelted off across the street. He was so busy trying to keep it from dripping all over the place that he almost missed it. But some instinct made him look up just in time to see Jamie crossing the street, and a car rounding the corner at fifty miles an hour. Not even thinking, Lee dropped the ice cream and sprinted into the middle of the street. He grabbed Jamie, tucking him close to his body to protect him, and rolled across the street. Lee could feel the side of the car brush the bottoms of his shoe as they hit the street, just barely out of the car's way. As they came to a stop, Lee rolled into a crouch, still shielding the boy with his body. He was so scared for Jamie that he didn't even notice the screams from across the street where the baseball team and their mothers had witnessed the near miss.
Once he was certain that nothing else was coming, he turned back to the boy who was still crumpled on the ground where they had landed. "Jamie!" Lee cried. "Are you all right?" All he could think about was what would he do if the boy didn't answer. "Jamie!" he cried again, "Answer me!"
Jamie groaned, and Lee breathed a small sigh of relief.
"Are you all right?" he asked again, no less anxiously.
"Yeah," Jamie said quietly. He couldn't believe that his mother's boyfriend had thrown himself in front of a speeding car to save him. "Are you all right?" he asked Lee in a small voice.
"I'm fine," Lee said, "but don't you ever, ever do anything like that to me again. Do you hear?!" He swallowed, trying to get his heartbeat back to normal, muttering, "Arabian terrorists are less scary."
"What?" Jamie asked, not hearing that last bit.
"Nothing," Lee assured him, getting up. He held out his hand to his stepson and pulled him to his feet. "No broken bones?"
"No just a few scrapes," Jamie said. He was embarrassed. He knew how to look before crossing the street, but the sign had said walk.
"That driver must have disobeyed the signal," Lee said, furious that some clumsy driver had almost deprived him of his son. "If anyone got his plates..." he left the threat hanging.
Phillip hurried across the street, being careful to watch for traffic. Lee could see that he too was scared, but as he realized his brother was all right, his expression turned to a sneer. "Nice going, bozo," he said, trying to cover up his fright.
"I'm not a bozo!" Jamie defended himself automatically.
"No you aren't," Lee agreed. He turned to Phillip asking, "Did you happen to notice the car or the plates? I was a little busy."
Phillip nodded, "Periwinkle hatchback, plates 89338."
Lee shook his head in wonder. Amanda's kids had their heads screwed on right. Suddenly, he was surrounded by a crowd of anxious mothers and team members, all clamoring to know if Jamie and Lee were all right. Lee assured them that Jamie was just shaken up and slightly scratched. Lee didn't mention how shaken up he himself was. Finally he was able to calm the women down, and they all went back to their ice cream. Lee had to buy him and Jamie new cones as he had dropped theirs when he had run into the street.
***
Returning to the house on Maplewood, Lee was surprised to see Amanda's car parked in the driveway. He hadn't been expecting her until later that day. He pulled his car into the driveway just behind hers, indulging in a fantasy that they were just a normal family. That he was coming home to his wife after taking his sons to a baseball game. He sighed regretfully about the things that couldn't be. Phillip and Jamie, however didn't notice his sadness. Jamie had been quiet the entire ride, still shaken from the close call. Phillip on the other hand was suffering from an overdose of adrenaline causing him to chatter the whole time. As Lee pulled the car to a stop, Phillip threw himself out and into the house, calling, "Mom! Mom! Jamie almost killed himself!"
Oh, boy
, Lee thought to himself, I'm in for it now.Jamie in another sharp contrast to his brother, slowly climbed out of the car and trudged into the house. Lee too decided he had better go in and face the music. Some how he had to explain to Amanda how he had almost let her youngest son be run over by a car.
He hurried after Jamie, intercepting him before he could get in the door. He put his arm around the boy's shoulders and they walked in together.
"...and then, Lee flew across the street," Phillip was saying excitedly, story complete with arm waving and sound effects. "He grabbed Jamie and they rolled out of the way! The car went whoosh and didn't even stop, not for a second! I though they both had been hit, 'cause I was on the other side of the street, but then I saw them on the other side. Lee was still in front of Jamie—who was on the ground still. Then they both got up and I went across the street. It was awesome!"
"It was not awesome!" Dotty exclaimed, her face paler than usual. "That's horrible! You brother and Lee might have been killed!"
Amanda hadn't said anything, but Lee could see how upset she was by the way she was gripping the back of the kitchen chair. Her knuckles were white, and Lee swore he could see the wood buckling under the pressure she was putting on it. She then saw Lee and Jamie in the doorway, looking like scolded puppies. She hurried over to her youngest.
"Are you all right?" she asked anxiously.
"Yeah, just a couple of scrapes," Jamie muttered. "I did look, I swear I did. The car came out of nowhere. Lee save me."
Amanda took a shaky breath, still not looking at Lee. She nodded at her son and said, "Why don't you and brother and your grandmother go to the bathroom and get them cleaned up?"
Dotty opened her mouth to protest but even she could see that Amanda wanted to speak to Lee in private.
As the family cleared the room, Lee kept his head down. He couldn't bear to see the look of pain in Amanda's eyes and know he let her down. He could sense her moving closer to him but still couldn't bring himself to look her in the eyes. He was caught totally off guard then when she fastened her lips upon his. He broke the kiss off in confusion. "What was that for?" he asked.
"That," Amanda said, "was for saving my...our...son's life."
Lee finally looked her in the eye, searching to find that she was not kidding him. Her eyes weren't full of reproach but love. Slowly, he relaxed his tense shoulders. She wasn't going to throw him out or hate him forever. His face broke out in a grin as he realized just how much he loved this woman and her entire family.
"Don't do that," Amanda ordered sternly, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
"Do what?" Lee asked confused again.
"Don't smile at me like that," she said, her eyes full of tears.
"Why?"
"You know I have no defense against that Stetson smile," she said, eyes running over.
Lee pulled her into his arms and asked, "Why are you crying?"
"Because I almost lost two of the most precious men in my life," she said into his chest. "And because I love you." She gave him a squeeze of such strength, Lee felt the breath explode out of him. He hugged her back.
"I love you too," Lee said, surprised once again how easy those words were to say to this woman.
"Come on," she said, pulling away and grabbing his hand. "Let's go get your scratches cleaned up, too."
Lee smiled and said, quietly, "I think I could get used to this family stuff."
Amanda knew how hard it was for him to admit that. She grinned at him and kissed him on the nose. "Come on, Scarecrow," she said, "let's see if you've lost any of your stuffing." They walked out of the kitchen, hand in hand, a family for at least one day.
The End