Scarecrow and Mrs. King: Glimpse of the Future 2
Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own 'em.
Okay everyone, here's the rest. Thanks for your support. I hope you like it.
Part 2
"Amanda, have you seen Maggie's bottle?" Lee shouted from the kitchen, he held his newborn girl in his arm.
"I put it in the microwave, can you get Adam's shirt I left it in the wash basket!" Amanda yelled from upstairs.
"Daddy! Eric took my Barbie!" Jennie yelled as she came into the kitchen to her father.
"Did not!" Eric yelled back following his little sister.
Lee awoke quickly, sitting up and brushing his hair back. "What was that? I must be sick. I need a drink." Lee stood up from the couch and shook his head as he walked to the bar and poured himself a drink. He felt the cool amber liquid burn down his throat. "Ah." He said as he looked up to the ceiling. "I have to be going crazy." He looked down at his watch, 2:30. "Good, I can go back to the agency. Maybe get some work done, that oughtta take my mind off of this Amanda Stetson garbage." Lee walked toward the door. "Not a bad ring to i…" Lee shook his head. "Damn it Lee, you've gotta stop that."
"Well, look who came back!" Billy said as he watched Lee come back into the bullpen.
"Yeah, got bored at home, so, what's my new assignment." Lee said lifting a miscellaneous folder off of Francine's desk.
"Excuse me." Francine snapped taking the file back.
"Scarecrow, were you not here this morning, we still don't know who killed the Senator. That is your assignment. Get with it man!" Billy shook his head and went back into his office. "Get Amanda to help you."
"Hey, why do I always have to work with Amanda? I think that maybe I should broaden my horizons." Lee said walking into Billy's office.
"Not this again, I thought you'd moved passed this, you're working with Amanda, you two work good together. Now go find her, I think she was headed down to see Leatherneck, might want to try that." Billy told him.
"Billy…" Lee began to argue.
"Don't make me tell you again Scarecrow, find your partner and solve the case." Billy said diving into some paperwork.
Lee left the office slightly upset. "Lee, can you sign this?" Francine asked trying to catch him.
"Later Francine." Lee said as he left the office. Down the elevator, and passed Mrs. Marsten.
"Oh, Mr. Stetson, Amanda's looking for you." She tried to finish before the door shut.
"Yeah, later." Lee said as he turned and left the office. He put his hands in his pockets and looked up to the sky. 'Cloudy, lovely.' He continued walking 'Clear your mind, think of, other things. Great rain, even better!' Lee said as the drops started coming down. He brushed his hair again. "What the hell?!" Lee exclaimed as his arm was yanked from the street side into an alley. Chloroform quickly placed over his mouth and he fell onto the sidewalk.
"Strike!" the umpire, yelled from behind home plate. He stood and looked at Jamie who hung his head low. "Better luck next time Jamie." The umpire stood and faced the boy who lately hadn't had much vocal support from parents at his practices or games.
"Yeah." Jamie sighed and drug the bat back into the dug out.
"Nice try Jamie." Philip said as he left the dug out and patted his brothers' shoulder on the way out.
Jamie sat on the bench with the other boys and watched his brother take stance next to the plate. It almost seemed to be perfect, or at least for a ten-year-old. One pitch, not bad, close to right down the middle, but nice enough for Philip to swing and hit it passed the second baseman. It sailed through the air, a perfect glide. And it seemed perfect timing that as the ball landed on the grass, the rain poured down.
Caring mothers yelled to their sons, and children darted toward their cars. Practice was over, the coaches were caught up in the sudden rush, and didn't check to make sure everyone had left before they to abandoned the field, and Philip and Jamie.
"Jamie, why isn't Mom here?" Philip asked as his brother joined him at home plate.
"She said she'd be here after practice. It wasn't supposed to end for another half hour." Jamie said.
"Yeah." Philip sighed. "Well, lets go sit over there." Philip pointed to a picnic table that was covered by an open building. "Mom should be here soon." Philip took Jamie's hand and began to lead him.
"I can walk on my own to feet Philip." Jamie said as he yanked his hand out of Philips'.
The two walked over the picnic table and lay down on each side. "Where do you think Mom is all the time?"
"I don't care." Jamie said as he turned away from his brother, trying to hide his tears.
"Come on, let's go." A man snapped at Lee and Terry pushing them out of the white van. "I hope this will be a lesson to you two." The man told them as he led them out to the middle an empty baseball field.
"And what would you like as to learn?" Lee asked as he trudged along in the mud.
"That you shouldn't squeal on the Debt Payer." The large man said continuing to drag the men by their collars. "Good luck getting out of this place in the next few hours, most people tend to go inside when the cats and dogs come out!" The man joked and handcuffed Lee and Terry to the fence surrounding the field.
"Ah, can I get a few allergy pills? My allergies tend to act up in the rain." Terry asked while the man walked away.
"What do I look like, a pharmacy?" The man shouted as he entered the van. "Remember, you squeal, you die!"
Lee looked over at Terry. Shook his head and tried to pry his lock pick from his cuff. "Look, Lee." Terry began. "I hope I didn't scare you earlier, telling you who you were going to marry." Lee tried to ignore him. "Look, trust me, just don't worry about what I said. If it's meant to happen it will. I shouldn't have told you."
"No kidding." Lee said finally achieving his goal of having the lock pick in his fingers.
"I'm sorry. I hope I didn't ruin anything." Terry said turning to face Lee, but bumping his arm instead, causing him to drop the lock pick into the mud. Lee clenched his jaw. "Sorry."
"You are the biggest idiot I have ever met!" Lee began to yell. "You're worse than Amanda! How could you be so stupid! Our only chance to get out of these cuffs is lying in the mud." Lee told him, looking down at the small piece of metal that was starting to disappear. "What's worse, is that I'm locked to a fence, with a man who says he can predict the future, who scared the crap out of me not twelve hours ago, who talks like a squirrel, and who is perhaps the most annoying person I've ever met. Possibly, second only to Amanda King, who he claims I will one day marry."
"Possibly?" Terry asked shyly.
"Yeah, the jury's still out." Lee said starting to calm down and look away. "Amanda definitely looks better, and while, when it comes to style, she's no Francine, she definitely has her own charm." Lee began to smile, and unbeknownst to him, so was Terry.
"I'm really sorry Mr. Stetson." Terry apologized.
"Yeah." Lee sighed and looked back at Terry. "I'm sorry for what I said about you. Maybe you aren't that bad."
"No, I think I am. But I accept it anyway." Terry told him.
Lee nodded. "Look, can you tell me who the Debt Payer is?" Lee asked deciding to take the opportunity to possibly solve the case.
"Clarence Michaels. I only met him a few times, the Senator was helping him with a few things, and Clarence would pay him for it. Then, when Vern married Delilah, he didn't need the money anymore and refused to help Clarence. Clarence got a little mad, and killed him. I recognized Clarence almost immediately."
"Vern?" Lee asked.
"That was the Senator's first name, he hated it. It's short for Vernon." Terry informed him.
"At least the case is solved." Lee said, trying to be optimistic. "Unfortunately, the only two people that know it are locked to a fence."
"Yeah, kind of funny huh?" Terry asked.
Philip sat up and looked over at the empty field, hoping to see his mother. "Jamie, who do you think they are?" Philip asked as he sat up on his elbows.
Jamie wiped his face and looked over. "I don't know, why are the standing in the middle of the field in the pouring rain."
"Who knows?" Philip said standing and walking to the edge of the cement. "Maybe they need help?"
"Philip, get a grip, you're ten, the only thing you could do is run and tell Mom, who, if you haven't noticed, isn't here." Jamie said sitting all the way up on the bench.
"Shut up. I know the number to 911." Philip said turning to see his mother. "There's Mom." Philip started walking toward her.
"Oh, 911, that'll help." Jamie whispered to himself as he got off the bench and headed toward his mother.
"Hey fellas. Where'd everybody go?" Amanda asked her sons, she stood underneath an umbrella.
"They left about 30 minutes ago when it started to rain." Jamie said as he walked up to her.
"So, I missed another practice, huh guys?" Amanda inquired hugging the two of them.
"Yeah." Jamie said quietly.
"I'll make it up this weekend, I promise." Amanda said taking Jamie's glove. "Philip, where's yours?" She asked her eldest son.
"Oh, I forgot it in the dug out!" Philip said turning to go back and get it.
"Here, take my keys, get in the car, I'll go get it and be back in a few minutes." Amanda said handing the boys the umbrella and moving her jacket over her head to shield her from the rain.
"Okay!" The boys shouted and headed for the car.
"Don't start the engine!" Amanda yelled back at them. "And lock the doors!"
As Amanda approached the field she noticed the two men standing by the fence. As she came closer to them, she also noticed that one was Lee, and she recognized the other as that annoying man she met in the Agency this morning. Amanda chuckled to herself as she approached the two.
"All tied up?" She asked them.
"Amanda, what are you doing here?" Lee asked as he turned at the recognition of her voice.
"I'm picking up the boys. You're standing on their practice field. Philip left his glove." Amanda said walking into the dugout and picking up the familiar brown glove.
"Ah." Lee nodded. "Look, Amanda, do you think you could help me out?" Lee asked her.
"You, want my help?" Amanda asked walking closer. "I guess that could be arranged, if you'll ask one more time."
"What?"
"Yeah, I never get to hear you say you need my help, and it sounded, well, it had a bit of a ring to it."
"Amanda." Lee pleaded, she stood face to face with him, on the opposite side of the fence. "Will you please just pick up my lock pick."
"Lee, I just had my nails done!" Amanda shouted.
"Since when do you get your nails done."
"Since when is that any of your business?"
"Alright, I'll make you a deal, you bend down, and pick up the lock pick, I'll pay for your next manicure." Lee told her, flashing his best smile.
"Hm." Amanda smirked as she bent down and lifted the lock pick up, then stood and placed it in Lee's fingers. "Anything else monsieur?" She teased.
"Just wait until I get my handcuffs off, in case it falls again?" Lee told her fiddling with the locks.
"You want to hurry with that, the boys are waiting in the car." Amanda said starting to get annoyed.
"I'm done." Lee said showing off the now empty cuffs. Amanda began to walk away. "Ah, Amanda, am I gonna see you tomorrow?" Lee asked.
"Yeah, I should roll in about 9." Amanda answered him going back to the car.
Terry chuckled to himself. Occasionally, his father was wrong, but he had a feeling, that in this case, his father was dead on.
"Amanda, can we go for a walk?" Lee asked her almost the second he saw her.
"Yeah, I guess." Amanda agreed suspiciously. Lee started the other way, and Amanda turned to meet up with him. When he realized she was right next to him, he moved his hand to the small of her back so she could keep up. "Lee, stop." Amanda said when he feet began to hurt. "Lee." Amanda said stopping in the hall.
"What?"
"What are we running from?"
"Nothing. I just…" Lee realized maybe he was over reacting and settled down. "Yeah." They began walking again, this time much slower. "So, did you hear I wrapped up that case?" Lee asked.
"No. That was fast."
"It was easy. They kidnapped me and I figured everything out. Terry told me the guys' name, we picked Clarence Michaels up this morning. Piece of cake." Lee said proudly.
"Great." Amanda told him, still very suspicious about this walk.
"Oh, before I forget, you have an appointment for your nails at Don Pierre's at one today." Lee said handing her the slip. "Bring me the receipt and I'll pay you back."
"Lee, I was joking when I told you I'd just gotten my nails done. You didn't have to do this."
"Well, that's okay, do something nice for yourself." Lee told her, not really that mad that she had told him she'd gotten her nails done. They continued walking in silence.
"So, who are you going to marry?" Amanda asked breaking the silence.
"I don't know." Lee said smiling.
"I thought someone told you."
"Oh, yeah, I guess someone did say something along those lines, well, maybe two people, and they agreed on the same person, but I decided, that it doesn't matter. Because while they could be right, they could also be wrong, and I think my life will be much more exciting if I find out about when everyone else does."
"So what are you going to do with the information they gave you, it's not like you can give it back."
"Stuff it in the back corners of my mind. It'll be a piece of a puzzle that, if someday I decide fits, maybe I'll pull it back out, but until then, I'm just going to leave it alone like it doesn't exist. It's like when someone you know is planning a surprise birthday party for you, and you know all about it, you still have to act surprised when the party comes around, but until then, it's best not to worry about it, and try not to change a thing. Sleep better at night that way, trust me."
"Sounds like you figured all of this out."
"Well, kind of. I mean, I probably won't forget what they told me, but I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise." Lee told her as he laughed, and changed his direction, disappearing down the hall and giggling to himself. Yes, the future would be allowed it's secrecy, and everything would play out the way it should.