Arlington Part 10

The next morning was very typical in the King household with one exception; Lee Stetson was about to be smack dab in the thick of it. He had woken up at five that morning after a relatively peaceful night of sleep completely unable to go back to sleep. He sat at the kitchen table drinking coffee as he saw Amanda running down the stairs in her night gown. She was in such a hurry to get the boys ready for school that she was half way through making their lunch when she realized he was even watching her.

"Was it you or another Federal agent that told me that sitting and watching someone was creepy?" She asked as she turned to face him.

"It was me; but that was when you were watching me. Do you need help with anything?" Lee asked as he started to stand before Amanda stopped him. Placing her hands on his shoulders she said, "Hey, sit back down. I am almost done with these and the boys and mother will be down for breakfast in a few minutes. I am going to get dressed and run into the office then to your place. I should only be gone a couple of hours at the most."

Lee took advantage and pulled her to him to hug her around her waist; seeing as she wouldn't let him stand. She kissed the top of his head and as he gazed up into her eyes she leaned in to kiss him just as Jamie walked in and seeing the situation cleared his throat.

"Rats, foiled again." Lee whispered, "Is it a conspiracy for me to get to kiss you?"

"Yuck, why would you want to kiss Mom or any girl for that matter?" Jamie asked.

Lee remembered Amanda telling him that Jamie was at the point in age where he got jealous over Philip and his girlfriends. She just thought it was because the girls were taking time away from the things they did together because Philip didn't want to hang out with him as much. Lee thought it might be a whole different reason. "I kiss your mom because she lets me and I like it. Those are two very important reasons to kiss someone."

"It isn't because you love me?" Amanda asked.

"Oh, did I leave that mushy part out?" Lee asked and Jamie laughed.

"Lee, good you are awake and up already. What do you want for breakfast? I am making the boys some pancakes and bacon." Dotty asked as she wandered the kitchen gathering items as Amanda went back upstairs to check on Philip and get ready to go.

"Dotty, I already had some coffee, thanks though, but I don't eat breakfast." Lee said.

"Don't be ridiculous, everyone eats breakfast." Dotty said as she cracked the eggs for the pancakes.

Lee just looked at her in bewilderment and said, "I don't."

"You will." She countered.

"I won't." Lee stated firmly as Jamie watched the verbal tennis match trying to decide who would win.

"You are." Placing bacon on the hot skillet Dotty finished the batter as Amanda and Philip came back in.

"No, really, I am not, but thank you for the gesture." Lee tried not to sound annoyed but Amanda caught the tone and asked, "Is everything all right in here? Will I be able to leave you two alone without putting you in separate corners?"

"Everything is fine." "She is trying to force me to eat breakfast." Amanda bent her head and pinched her nose.

"Okay, you two, I need to know that this house is going to still be standing when I get back. Lee, I know that you do not eat breakfast, we will talk about that later, but you need to eat it this morning for a number of reasons. One, you need to rebuild your strength from the lack of food for the last week. Two, the dosage of medication you are on, you need to take it with food or you are going to be extremely sick. So, yes, you are eating breakfast. Mother, I am sorry about this, I should have warned you that Lee does not eat breakfast on a regular basis. Still though you cannot force feed him. Now is everything okay here?"

Lee and Dotty looked from one to another. Dotty saw a man almost afraid and Lee saw more determination in her eyes than he had ever seen in Amanda's before. They both thought today is going to be fun, but they both nodded an unspoken truce; over breakfast anyway.

The boys finished breakfast with about two minutes to spare to catch their ride to school. "Remember, straight home this afternoon and homework before TV."

"Okay, Mom, love you."

"Love you too."

"Bye, Grandma, love you."

"Love you too boys. Have a great day."

"Bye, Lee. See you later."

"Yeah, good luck with Grandma." With the final goodbye they were flying out the door with Amanda following not far behind them. "Lee, take you medication. I will be back in a little while." She leaned over and gave him a kiss and he said, "Hurry back?"

"I can't get back if you don't let me leave." Releasing his hold on her; he watched her talking to her mother as he got up to go get completely dressed for the day. He had been struggling with his shirt for a few minutes when Dotty came in and said, "Amanda told me to change your bandage before you put on a clean shirt."

"Oh, yeah, I forgot about that. Dotty, I am sorry about earlier. You were only being nice and my morning rudeness was uncalled for."

"Thank you, Lee. Try to remember my kindness as I take that tape off of your side." She said as she went to get the supplies. As Lee followed her, he thought she wasn't going to go easy on him like Amanda. This must be when he would need that body armor his uncle was telling him about.

Dotty didn't say a word while she took the old bandage off and applied the new one. When she had it fully cleaned and done she helped Lee with his shirt.

"Did you take you medicine, Lee?"

"Yes, just after I went into change."

"How is your pain this morning?" She asked as she busied herself in the kitchen clearing the breakfast dishes and starting the dishwasher. Dotty then made some water for tea and while it was starting to heat she sat in the living room across from Lee and said, "Who in the hell do you think you are dragging my daughter into this lifestyle of yours with guns and terrorists."

"I didn't drag her for the record. Amanda doesn't use guns."

"So you are telling me she has never been shot at?"

"Of course she has, she is my partner. Mostly they are shooting at me."

"That doesn't make it any better, why her; why did you pick her?"

Lee sat there in silence not knowing how to answer the one question he knew she would ask him. To this day he still didn't know how to answer that; not without anyone thinking her was completely bat shit crazy.

"Lee, did you hear me?" Dotty snapped at him.

"Of course I did. I just don't have an answer for that." Lee snapped back. This was getting them nowhere. She was pissed at him and he wasn't a morning person, even with the three cups of coffee he already had.

"Dotty, I am sorry."

"You sure do seem to say that a lot, but are you really sorry that Amanda is your partner?"

Without thinking Lee said, "No, no I am not. I am glad that she has my back. She has been the best partner I have ever had and the only one that stuck it out with me after Andy."

"Who is Andy?" She asked as she stood to make her tea.

"He was the last official partner I ever had before Amanda."

"What happened to him; was he transferred?"

"You could say that; he died about a year before I met Amanda."

"Your partner died; how?"

Lee shook his head and said, "The how and why are not important. It happens in this business as you witnessed the other day. Agents are injured, shot, stabbed, tortured, and some die."

Dotty sat thinking about the gate Lee just opened feeling the sting and burning of tears in her eyes as she saw that Lee was being truthful with her. His eyes were not expressionless as he spoke of those things.

"I don't want to frighten you and I can see I have, but I will not lie about the facts of this job."

"All the times that she was in the hospital, the car accidents, not to mention the state of her clothes when she would get home sometimes; what is the worst thing that has ever happened to my daughter?"

"I would be lying if I told you that the worst thing that ever has happened to her was meeting me; but she has almost died. She has been injured, usually not to badly, but she is the toughest lady I know. Let me tell you I know some women that would scare Godzilla."

"Yet you take her with you anyway? Why is that, Lee?"

"She won't stay in the damn car. She doesn't listen to my advice. She is stubborn beyond recognition at times. She is bound and determined to prove something to someone; not sure who anymore. I know for the longest time it was me; not so sure any longer that is the case."

"Did you ever try to stop her?"

"Every chance I could get. Our boss, Mr. Melrose, thought that after that first time we worked together that we would make a great team."

"Why is that?"

"I am sure it was a number of reasons I can see now, but didn't then. I was reckless, she was calming. I was wild, she was logical. I was hard headed, she was stubborn. I gave up on me a long time ago, she never did. Even when I gave her reasons to; I was drowning, she was my life preserver. She has talents in this business you cannot learn or teach in books in our classrooms. Your daughter is a natural at this."

Dotty sat and listened to everything Lee had told her. She needed time to process the information but she still had more questions for him. "Lee, I want to know more about you."

"Me; what do you want to know?"

"Start at the beginning please; tell me about your parents." Sitting she thought if he talked more about himself she could get an insight into Bob as well. Kill two birds with one stone.

"Uh, well, I really don't have that many memories of them. My father was American, my mother was British. My father was in the military and then after meeting my mother and upon them marrying, they moved back here to Washington and worked in the government. I remember my mother loved to sing while she cooked. My father would come home and she would be making dinner and singing. He would pull her into his arms and dance her around and around. I do remember my father once telling me that if you could dance; the women would too. I was five when they were killed. The Colonel was able to come for their services, but I wasn't able to go back with him until filed the proper paper work and his mission was finished. I think I was around seven when everything finally finished up. From then on it was base after base, military up-bringing, school after school, not many friends my age. Then I went to college, a few of them, finished a degree criminal justice, with a political background. About a year and a half after college, I was recruited to the Agency by the founder and the rest is history so to speak."

"Wow, that is some legacy you have had to live up to, isn't it? Seems like a lot for a small boy to grow into."

"What do you mean?" Lee asked in confusion.

"Your parents being who they were only to lose them at such a young age, tragic; then to go and be raised by a man whose only background in child rearing was turning snot nose smart asses into responsible and reliable men that others could trust their life with. Not the easiest of life I would imagine."

"No one ever said life was easy and in spite of it all I feel I turned out okay."

"How many people do you trust, Lee?"

"What?" He asked knowing he looked like a deer in the headlights of oncoming traffic. He looked at her and shyly said, "Only about a handful; why?"

"That is simple, Lee, if you are going to be a part of this family; and I assume one day you will be a part of this family, you need to trust more."

Lee sat contemplating her words and finally said, "My parents."

Dotty looked to Lee and then said, "What about your parents, Lee?"

"I know that what I am about to say is going to make me sound completely insane, but you said to trust more. I think my parents helped me select Amanda that day. When I was in the hospital and still unconscious I had a conversation with them. They said that they had always been near me, sending the people I would need to me. I think they sent me to her because they knew that if they didn't I would have been dead three years ago. If it had not been for her, I would have died that day at the train station or shortly thereafter."

Dotty looked at him and smiled and knew that he had just trusted her with something that she didn't think he had shared with anyone. "I'm sure they did. What parent doesn't protect their child? Oh, Lee just one more thing; what can you tell me about your uncle?"

Lee knew exactly the expression he had on his face but the smile on Dotty's as she ask him about his uncle was priceless. He laughed out loud before getting into a whole new interrogation.