6
Window Reflections
Our Man in Tegernsee
It was such a relief to finally be on the plane heading back to Arlington and Mother and the boys. The upgrade to first class was definitely an added bonus; she really hadn't slept well the past few nights and she was glad to be in such a comfortable seat. It was her first time ever flying in first class, but glancing to her left she could see that Lee took it as a matter of course. He had immediately ordered a drink, stretched out his long legs in front of him and reclined his seat. She on the other hand had declined a drink and had turned her head so that she could watch Munich disappear away under her. Breathing deeply she tried to relax and closed her eyes. It didn't take her long to recognize that sleep would be elusive during this flight. Her mind was too keyed up after the experiences of the last few days. She might as well just gaze out the window and let her thoughts wander.
She had been so excited on the flight over. It seemed as if her aspirations of working independently in her own right as an operative may have been coming true. She had been chosen for a courier job. It was a low level job, but you had to start someplace. It had seemed so simple, just drop off a letter and return home. She never would have expected that stopping to buy a few gifts would have landed her in jail. That first night while she sat there hoping that someone would come for her had been miserable; she shuddered thinking about it even now. Then Lee had come and he had made her feel even more miserable, if that could have been possible. Why had he behaved like that? She knew that the situation had caused complications, but really, Lee couldn't have believed that she had passed counterfeit money knowingly? She could understand a bit why he would have been frustrated about having to cancel his weekend plans, but honestly, he never really seemed to care too much for the women that he spent social time with. Well at least he had calmed down quickly enough.
While she watched the German countryside spread out beneath the plane, her thoughts shifted to the days spent in Tegernsee and Harry. She had enjoyed watching Lee greet his old friend. Other than the moments in Salzburg with Emily, she had rarely seen Lee so happy with another person, and she had felt glad that he had such a friendship. How awful it must have been for him as he began to realize that his friend had betrayed not only the Agency and his country, but their friendship as well. Harry had even lured Lee into a trap to kill him. No wonder it was so hard for Lee to be comfortable with a personal friendship. They had made some progress in their own friendship over the past year, but often there were times when it felt that she had hit a wall with him, and she could easily understand why. Trusting another was not something that Lee Stetson would easily do.
No wonder he had been a bit taken aback when she had mentioned that she wouldn't leave Germany if Lee was left in disgrace. No wonder yesterday, as he had complimented her by telling her that she was a good mother, loved her family and was a responsible person, he had sounded like a little boy trying to say something nice for the first time. It also would explain why he had sounded like he was trying to be manipulative as well. She had the sneaking suspicion that he was trying to pacify her need to be honest with her mother and allay her fears. She really didn't want her mother to worry and telling her the truth would have been the best thing. Obviously Lee didn't think that the truth was as important as she did. In hindsight it occurred to her that maybe he was struggling with acknowledging the truth about Harry.
Maybe Lee didn't like to worry about anybody. Maybe that was why he had been so angry when he had shown up at the police station. It sure would explain a lot. Lee considered her his responsibility. He had made that clear as they sat in the café in Munich as they tried to figure out what to do.She didn't want to be anybody's responsibility, especially Lee's – she knew that beyond a shadow of a doubt. She wanted to be an asset and a friend, and a reliable partner, someone Lee could count on, just like she could count on him. Even though he had been a bit rough with her when he had first shown up, he had come through for her. She turned to look towards Lee. He was looking at her with the enigmatic look he sometimes had when they were together. It made her smile. Here was this complicated and talented man who could save the integrity of world economies and yet couldn't figure out how to communicate a simple compliment, looking at her like she was the greatest puzzle in the world. Well, it really wasn't that complicated. "Thanks for coming to get me, Lee." She smiled then turned back to the window and closed her eyes. Maybe she could sleep now?