Early August, 1986

"Well, Leatherneck, what's the damage?"

The Agency's Quartermaster just shook his head whistling before taking another walk around what used to be the ultimate suburban grocery-getter. Even his boys wouldn't be able to resurrect this ghost. "Ace, my best advice would be to start sleeping with one eye open. Sureshot is gonna string you up by your toes, boy."

Lee winced, shot another glance at Amanda's station wagon, then shuddered. She was going to kill him. He glanced around the garage, hoping to find something to at least soften the blow of having to get a new car. Per her orders, the purple Gremlin was not an option; unless, of course, he was going to be the one driving it. This was not going to be a fun afternoon in the Q, that was certain.

After scoping out what was available, he knew there was no choice. He was going to have to bite the bullet. Lee was definitely taking Amanda car shopping.

The men walked towards the elevator, one of the many in the rabbit's warren known to the civilized world as the International Film Federation. For a moment, Lee had the impossible fantasy of hiding out with Leatherneck but knew it was in vain. She would find him... she always found him.

"Car shopping, huh? That's serious stuff, Ace. You know those car jockeys are gonna try to eat her alive, right? Yep, sure gonna be a shame to miss out on this trip." Mischief danced in the retired Marine's blue eyes at the thought of the havoc sweet lovely Mrs. King could manage to find at the local dealerships. From the corner of his eye, he watched Lee's jaw flex with irritation, grinning to himself. Not that it was a secret, of course. Anyone with two eyes in their head could see which way the wind blew on that count. He whistled softly.

'Sureshot was a good egg, even though her marksmanship left much to be desired. Ace sure had settled down a bunch in the last year to boot. It was time,' he mused to himself.

"Yeah, there's no way I can let her go by herself, Leatherneck. Everyone knows car salesmen are out for themselves. Not to mention, my luck she'll uncover a new KGB plot to take over the world ... get herself kidnapped in the process. You sure you don't have a spare tank hidden back there somewhere? Something Amanda-proof, maybe?"

"Nope, but considering the amount of damage she manages to get, it's not a bad idea. Speaking of, you never did tell me exactly what happened... this time."

Lee flushed and coughed to clear his throat. Not all of the damage was Amanda's fault; he'd done a number on the Olds more than once. Including this last time. They'd been driving back from the marina after a weekend of sailing the Mata Hari. Not business this time, merely a maintenance cruise around the Chesapeake. Billy's logic for the trip made sense. You never knew when it would come in handy to be established amongst the yachting community as one of their own, particularly after that mess with the reporters a few months back. The contacts there would likely be just as invaluable as Amanda's own network of volunteering housewives. Her ability to blend seamlessly into their ranks had been useful more than once. She'd even taught him a thing or two about hiding in plain sight over the years.

No, this time it definitely wasn't Amanda's fault. No one was chasing her, shooting at her, or even trying to run away with his housewife cum spy. Mr. Hotshot Stetson was completely to blame, and she wasn't about to let him forget it! At least he hadn't driven through a bus stop again...

Standing in the elevator, Lee quietly relayed the tale of oblivious children on bicycles with headphones dangling from their ears. Of course, he neglected to put in the part about being distracted by his drowsing partner in the seat next to him. He wasn't about to share the adorable way her nose wrinkled in her sleep, or how his fascinated gaze had followed a single bead of perspiration along her incredibly appetizing collarbone. Or how, when he dragged his attention back at the road, the kid was right in front of him and he'd had no other choice than hit the light pole. At 45 miles an hour. In downtown Arlington. Right in front of Marvelous Marvin's.

Leatherneck commiserated, happily oblivious to the missing parts of the tale. Kids just don't pay attention, they were a menace on the roads.

"Ya know, it's kinda too bad we can't get hold of one of those new HMMWVs the Army just got, Ace. Those babies will roll through a war zone and keep on tickin'. Every single time."

Amanda looked out the Q Bureau's window, watching the sticky haze of humidity coating the capitol city. It sure would be nice to be back out on the boat, rather than cooped up in the office. It was always so much cooler on the water. The weekend had been lovely, just the two of them sailing towards the horizon. She'd missed her family, but it had been so nice to just get away from the city for the weekend. Right up until that light pole.

She sighed with resignation, mentally going over the balance of her checkbook again. Now that Joe was back in the country, support was more regular; and the raise had definitely come at a good time. That wasn't the point, however. She certainly hadn't planned on shopping for a new car when she'd figured the budget last week. Nor had she considered the insurance hike which was sure to follow. Well, maybe Leatherneck could pull another rabbit out of his hat. What was she going to tell her mother?

Picking up the files on her desk, she firmly pushed her problems out of her head. There was nothing she could do about it right now, and worrying certainly wouldn't get these reports delivered. She would figure out something, she always did. But boy did she hate car shopping!

She moved down the stairs quickly, her blue skirt swirling flirtatiously about her calves. Exchanging a friendly greeting with Mrs. Marsden, she slid the jackets aside, slipping into the secret elevator which would take her to the bowels of the building. Hopefully it would be cooler down there. This heatwave was just miserable. Maybe she should take the boys swimming tonight... providing Leatherneck was able to save her car. They'd sure like that, maybe she could even convince Lee to come along for a nice picnic dinner on the beach. She just knew the boys would adore him.

Lost in thought, she stepped out running nose to chest into her partner, and sometimes nemesis. The slim brunette bounced back clutching the files to her chest in surprise just as Lee reached out to catch her by the shoulders. Rueful amusement curved both of their mouths at the same time, while the famed Scarecrow and his infamous Mrs. King gave mutual apologies. Shaking his head, Leatherneck just watched as they untangled themselves. Yep, they weren't fooling anyone.

"Slow down there, Sureshot! Where's the fire?"

"Hello Leatherneck! I'm almost afraid to ask, but what's the verdict on my car? I need to stop by the market tonight on my way home... it will be just terrible if I don't have my car. My boys will want to go practice at the park with their skateboards. They have a big competition coming up in a few months, you know. Not that you would know, of course, because how could you know? Mother said something about needing to go to a meeting at the library tonight too. So, as you can tell, I really need to have my car back... it simply can't be that awful purple Gremlin I used the last time, although I do appreciate the loan. Can you help me?"

Lee placed his hand under Amanda's elbow steering her along the hall, mid-ramble, while Leatherneck listened in amazement. He could swear she never took a single breath. Shaking his head to clear the confusion, the Quartermaster looked at her and gave the sad news. "I'm really sorry, Mrs. King. It's a total loss. Fixing it this time will cost far more than it's worth."

The crestfallen look on her face just made Lee feel all the more guilty. "Listen Amanda, I'll work it out with Billy. We'll take the afternoon to go pick out a new car. After all, wasn't it about time for a new one?"

She blinked at him in surprise for a moment, her face completely blank before her own words of a few years ago registered. They both laughed and turned to Leatherneck while saying "Maybe you can salvage some parts!"

"Yeah, Ace. At least this one didn't blow up." With that, Leatherneck left them at the door to the bullpen heading towards his own magic workshop. Laughter floated behind him while Lee winced in remembered agony for his beloved Porsche and Amanda patted his shoulder comfortingly. Nope, they weren't fooling anyone.

Lee poked his head into Billy's office while Amanda delivered her files. The humidity outside had managed to even penetrate down to this level and everyone was cranky. Particularly the section chief as he was again battling with the Senate committee over the expense account budget.

"Hey Billy, Leatherneck says Amanda's car is a lost cause, there's nothing available in the motor pool. If you don't mind, I'm going to take her up to the dealership to see what her options are."

Glaring over the rim of his glasses, brow furrowed from the reams of paperwork which seemed to multiply every time he turned his back, Billy merely grunted then waved the man away brusquely. It had to be done, he knew it had to be done. He just didn't want to know about it! "Fine whatever, Scarecrow. Just get it taken care of. And quit expensing your contacts' lingerie!"