Lee and Amanda were now tied up in the back of the van, squeezed in between the two other men. Amanda and Lee glanced from one another as the driver of the vehicle continued along the road. Amanda's eyes were questioning as she saw the look Lee had.

Fortunately, their mouths had not been covered.

"You know what; this whole damn thing is your fault!" Lee said as his eyes sparkled at Amanda.

"My fault?" Amanda questioned back.

"Yes, if you had only listened to me, we would have just went on our way, but no, you wanted to follow them."

"Well, if you had listened to me, we wouldn't have been on that dirt road to begin with."

"Since when do you listen to me?"

"Since I found myself in love with you."

Amanda blinked at the shift in the conversation. "Well, you sure took your own sweet time to tell me."

"Is that why you went away with Alan?" Lee questioned softly.

"Is that what has been bothering you this whole time?
"Well, wouldn't you be bothered?"

"Of course, I would! How do you think I felt when you were seeing Leslie?"

"We talked about that already!"

"Did we? After the fact and not til I was seeing Alan."

"Will you two pipe down back there?" Andrew shouted.

Lee and Amanda became quiet, but then Lee asked more quietly: "What happened, really when you went away?"

"Do you really want to talk about this now?"

"Why not? We might not get ourselves out of this one—I might as well know what really happened."

"Do you really want to know?"

"I guess not! Well, maybe I do!"

"I couldn't stop thinking about you for one," Amanda said quietly, "for two, you know I don't take these things likely—I don't have casual affairs-I've only been with a few men in my life, Joe mostly. I guess I thought I had something to prove, thought it was what I really wanted but I realized it wasn't.

"Have you realized just how long I've sat back and watched as other men have flirted with and watched as they have had an interest in you and then there was Alan who seemed really harmless, but apparently was more to it than I had thought…"

"So, I kind of wonder who or what could be next? Joe?"

"Joe?"

"Yes, your ex!"

"Well, I wouldn't worry too much about him or any of those other guys you mentioned."

"But you see, I don't know that—you haven't actually been forthcoming in telling me how you feel."

"I—"

"Enough talking back there," snapped Andrew.

"Leave them alone Andrew," Lauren said. "I think that they are cute."

"You would!"

"And just what is that supposed to mean?"

"Just what it sounds like, you are so weak."

Lee looked towards Amanda.

"Why didn't you gag them like you did the other two?"

"I told you that I didn't have any more kerchiefs; besides can't we just let them go anyway?"

"Are you crazy?"

"We are far enough away that we should be able to get away."

"Because we have a real problem-remember when I searched the man's pockets, there was some sort of government I.D.?"

"Oh, I forgot about that!"

"Oh he's right, you are so far ahead, and we would probably not be able to catch you even if we wanted to." Lee said. "Besides you better figure something out soon, my partner is getting sick."

As if on cue, Amanda moaned, and grunted and fell down to Lee's side as she griped her stomach.

"I will pull over; you go back there and see what's going on." Andrew barked to Lauren.

Lee, who had been working fiercely on the knots of his rope, was now almost free from them. Just another tug and he was out.

When Lauren opened the door, Lee said, "See how bad off she is, but be careful."

Andrew stepped into the back of the truck and leaned down and looked at Amanda who by now was doubled over in Lee's lap.

"Andrew, he is right, she does look rather poorly."

"Let me come back there, I can't trust you to do anything."

That did it! When Andrew walked back to the doors and stepped in, Lee pulled his hands free, and gave Andrew a punch to his jaw, then another few punches to his gut until he doubled over. Amanda in the meantime, kicked forward towards Lauren knocking him against the side of the van. Lee had grabbed Andrew's gun and pointed it at both of them. "Amanda, here tie Andrew up, then I will take care of Lauren."

/

"Billy, don't blow a gasket, but we didn't make it to the courier assignment." Lee said as he and Amanda sat in Billy's office for their debriefing after getting help from the back up team who arrived just as Amanda and Lee had gotten themselves untied.

"What do you mean; you didn't make the courier assignment?" Billy started, as he caught the laugh that threatened to come out as he stood up and looked point blank at the two of them. He had been out in a meeting with Dr. Smyth when the call had come in that they were headed back to the office and that they had stopped the transport of nuclear weapons.

"Well, Sir, what happened is—" Amanda started.

"While we were out, we ran into—"Lee continued as he and Amanda looked from one another.

"Scarecrow, I know—"Billy said as his face broke out into a full fledge smile. "Considering the fact that you and Amanda single handedly stopped the nuclear weapons from being transported across the country..." He chuckled. "Leave it up to you two to run into something like this, all while going out on a simple milk run."

"Oh, you know?" Questioned Lee.

"Yes, I got back in the office shortly after you made contact with Francine. She filled me in. I must admit you two had me worried when we could not locate you."

"We were worried ourselves!" Lee said as he smiled at Amanda as he reached out and touched Amanda's hand.

"I'm glad you two are alright." In more ways than one. Billy added to himself.

"Is it too late to take care of it?" Lee looked to Amanda. "Amanda and I can still go—we would have gone on anyway, but we had to get those two clowns locked up and then have our debriefings."

"Yes, Sir, if you need us to."

"Actually, I can get someone else to handle that for me. You two have had quite a day, why don't you knock off and take tomorrow off and enjoy yourselves a long weekend."

"Thank you Sir!"

"Yes, thanks Billy."

They looked at each other as if to say you don't have to tell us twice. And, with Lee's customary hand in Amanda's back, the two left Billy's office. As the door closed, Billy picked up his phone and dialed a number. "Okay, no need to go back up there now; things are fine on this end again." Things are fine between my two best agents again."

"But, sir, what about the money you paid me and what about the amenities you had set up in the room?"

"You have a wife or a girlfriend?"

"Yes, I do Mr. Melvin!"

"Well, you enjoy the suite; it's on me."

"Thank you, thank you very much!"

"Have a great weekend!"

"You too!" The hotel concierge was elated. First, this crazy call had come a few days ago, asking him to do a huge favor for one of the guest that were going to arrive the night before, they hadn't showed up at all. But now, he was able to enjoy the suite and the amenities himself. His wife would be so happy; it was just what they needed this weekend. Thank God his mother-in-law had offered to watch the children that weekend, but he hadn't had the funds to take her out for their anniversary, now he had the perfect place.

/

In the meantime, Amanda and Lee stepped out into the bright sunlight like a couple of high school sweethearts on their first date.

Outside, Lee stood by Amanda's car, "when was your mother expecting you back?"

"Not til tomorrow, why?"

"How about we spend that time together anyway?"

"Wanna get something to eat for starters? I'm starving….."

"That's right, we haven't had anything to eat since this morning."

"And, Lee, I think we should continue our conversation from earlier, I have something I think you need to know."

"I would like that," Lee agreed as he opened the door to his car and Amanda stepped in.

8