When Lee reached the den, Jamie was just pulling out the volume of the encyclopedia that he needed."Hey," Lee said to his stepson. "I just thought of a better idea. Instead of reading about it, how about we go witness the process first-hand?"

"How can we do that?"Jamie asked putting the encyclopedia back.

"Well, I have a friend in the agency photo lab who works second shift. We could take a run down there and I'll bet she'd be willing to help you out, give you a tour of the darkroom and let you watch the development process. We have to get your pictures developed tonight so you can turn them in tomorrow anyway, right?"

"But isn't The Agency top-secret? How can I even get in?"

"As long as you're with me, you'll be fine. What do you say?"

"Cool!"

"Good. After dinner, we'll go," Lee said. "I promised you a ride in my car months ago and we never did get around to it, so this way we'll kill two birds with one stone."

"Hey, I wanna see where you guys work too," Phillip said.

"Another time, Phillip. Maybe when you have a school project that warrants it, you'll get your chance. Tonight, it's just going to be me and Jamie."

"That's so not fair," Phillip grumbled.

"Come on, Guys," Amanda called from the dining room. "Dinner's on the table."

They all filed into the dining room taking their normal places at the table and began to dig in, passing dishes around the table and filling their plates.

"So, did you guys wrap up that case you were working on?"Phillip asked.

"Yes, we did," Amanda said.

"What was it about?"Phillip inquired burning with curiosity.

"Now, Phillip, we talked about this. You know Lee and I can't discuss the details of our cases."

"But you caught the bad guys, right?"

"Yep, we sure did. Your mom took out three of them all by herself," he said beaming with pride in his partner and how far she'd come as an agent.

"Now, Sweetheart, don't exaggerate," Amanda said knowing how he could be with telling his stories.

"I'm not," Lee said. "There was the guy you left with in that cell with the broken nose, the guy in the security room with the shattered kneecap and that Hobart guy that you arrested before he could steal my car.

"What were you doing during all that?"Dotty inquired.

"Well, part of the time I was strapped down to a gurney being interrogated, but then when Amanda and the people she rescued got me out of that, I went after the main guy before he could set off an explosion that would have taken out the whole place. By the way, Partner, I figured out that the guy you kneecapped you did with nightstick you stole from the first guy. But what the hell did you hit the first guy with that broke his nose to steal his nightstick in the first place?"

"The door," She replied.

"Seriously? You broke his nose with a door?" Lee chuckled.

"Well, Sweetheart, It wasn't my intention to break his nose. I just wanted to incapacitate him enough to steal his keys so I could let all those people that had been kidnapped out of their cells. The nightstick was just an added bonus. You're making it sound like I was some kind of superwoman. Truthfully, I couldn't have done it without Mr. Mayfield's help. I told him to pretend to be sick to get the guard's attention which he did brilliantly. He pretended he was having a heart attack so that's all the guy was paying attention to and as soon as he got close enough, I slammed the door into his face."

"Brilliant strategy," he said with a chuckle. "You always do know how to improvise."

"Well, when you're unarmed, you use what's available. I learned that early on when we first started working together. long before I learned to handle a gun."

"I don't understand," Jamie said a little worriedly. "You told me you have a gun, so why wee you unarmed? Didn't you take your gun with you to be safe?"

"We both did, Jamie," Amanda said. "The problem is we were caught and disarmed about 3 seconds after we got there and they stuck us in a cell like the people they had kidnapped."

"Now, who's exaggerating?" Lee teased. "It was more than three seconds. More like ten minutes. Speaking of you learning how to shoot, we should get back out to the firing range again sometime. See if we can't improve your distance."

"Hey, I've been improving. I can at least hit the target at seventy-five feet now. I couldn't have done that six months ago."

"Now, I'm really confused, Amanda," Dotty said. "Didn't you say you've been working there for four years?"

"Yes, Mother, but I also told you that I've only been a full-time agent for about 6 months. I'm technically still a trainee agent. In fact I've got a new class starting tomorrow."

"What class is it," Lee said.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you about it, with so much going on. Infiltration," Amanda said.

"You're gonna get a big kick out of that class."

"You think?"

"Knowing you the way I do and how sneaky you can be, You're gonna love it and I have no doubt you'll ace it. Beaman teaching it?"

"Uh-huh, That's how I found out about it I ran into him in the security office when I was getting my new ID. He was there getting ID badges for his newbies."

"So," Dotty said. "If you're still in training how is that you're allowed to go out on these dangerous missions. Isn't The Agency being reckless letting you do that before you've completed all your training?" She was becoming increasingly worried about this job, sometimes wishing she hadn't been told the whole truth.

"You never fully complete training in this job," Lee said. "I've been there for fourteen years and there are still new courses that come up as procedures and technologies change. As for allowing a freshman agent like Amanda out on field assignments, it's standard operating procedure to pair a freshman with a more seasoned agent out in the field. Classroom training only gets a new agent so far. It doesn't really prepare you for the real life-and-death situations and split-second decisions to be made that you encounter on the job. An agent has to have hands-on experience. It would be reckless of The Agency not to let new agents get that experience and instead just send them in the field blind."

"Well put," Amanda said with a smile at her husband.

"Besides, Amanda's not your typical freshman agent. She had three years of field experience as civilian auxiliary running around with me. She was acting as my partner long before it was ever official by agency standards." He turned back to his wife and said, "Now as for your target practice. While you can hit the target at seventy-five feet now, which is a definite improvement, you're still not hitting it with any consistent accuracy and we really need to get you up to hitting a hundred feet accurately."

"Ok, ok, We'll go next weekend," she conceded with a grumble.

"Can I go with you?"Phillip said. "Watch you practice?"

"Absolutely not, Phillip. Don't be ridiculous," Dotty said.

"Actually, that's not a bad idea," Amanda said thoughtfully.

"What?"Dotty said incredulously.

"Think about it, Mother, How many horrible stories do you hear in the news about kids hurting themselves or others with their parents' guns. And mostly those are because the parents don't teach their kids how to act responsibly around guns or how dangerous they are."

"Amanda makes a good point, Dotty," Lee said. "We're going to have guns in the house because of what we do. We should actually take both of the boys with us and teach them about them, maybe even let them get in a little target practice."

"Really?"Phillip said. "That would be so cool."

"Are you both completely crazy?"Dotty exclaimed.

"No, Mother, we're not. It would be crazy not to now that they know what we do for a living. What would happen if one of the enemies we've made over the years would attack here at the house. Wouldn't it be better for the boys to know how to defend themselves?"

"You're not seriously thinking about arming your children?"

"No, Mother, not in the way you mean anyway. I'm just thinking of arming them with knowledge. That knowledge may save their lives someday." They phone rang as they were debating.

"I'll get it," Lee said as he rose from the table.

"It might even be better to have them take a self=defense or martial arts class. What do you think, Fellas?"

"I think it's cool," Phillip said.

"Of course you do, Moon head," Jamie said having been quiet through this whole exchange.

"Jamie," Amanda said in a warning tone.

"Sorry, Mom," Jamie said sheepishly before turning to his brother. "Don't you get it, Phillip," he said to his brother. "This is not about teaching us something cool. It's about teaching us how to protect ourselves. Don't understand that Mom and Lee's jobs are not cool? They're dangerous! One of them could die! Mom almost did!"

"Yeah, I understand that, Doofus! But I also understand that they're heroes! Weren't you listening earlier? They saved a bunch of people today! That's what makes it cool. They're like Superman and Lois Lane!"

"Except Superman's impervious to bullets," Lee said from the doorway of the dining room. "We're not. It's important for you guys to remember that." He turned to his wife. "Uh...Joe's on the phone for you."

Crap! Amanda thought. She'd forgotten to call him and to bring up the idea to the family of him taking the boys the next weekend. "Ok."Amanda said leaving the room as Lee returned to his seat to finish his dinner.

"Phillip, Jamie's right," Lee said. "What we do is extremely dangerous and one of us could die. It does happen, but your mom and I look out for each other when we're in the field to do the best we can to make sure that that doesn't happen. We want to make sure we come home to you guys." He paused then turned to Jamie "Jamie, Phillip's also right. We are heroes in a way. and it is kinda cool. What we do helps people and like today, sometimes even saves people's lives. As cool as it is, though, this is something that you can't talk about to your friends, either of you. We already told you our work has to stay a secret to protect the country we live in. Because of that, we're not the kind of heroes you'll ever see in the paper or on the news and it has to stay that way. Not just to protect our country, but to protect our family here too. If too many people know who we really are and what we really do for a living, that could put all of us in danger. You guys, your grandma here, even me and your mom."

"Don't you get scared?" Jamie said.

"Of course he doesn't," Phillip said. "He's a spy. Do you ever see James Bond get scared?"

"That's where you're wrong, Phillip. I do get scared. I get scared a whole lot. It's not like you see in James Bond movies. We don't have cool gadgets like gondolas that turn into hovercrafts and watches that set off bombs."

"No cool gadgets?" Phillip said with disappointment.

Lee thought back to Amanda's surprised look at the acid ink in her pen earlier "Well, there are a few cool gadgets, but not stuff like you see in the movies. It's mostly me and your mom and our wits, like today when we got disarmed and captured. Your mom was the one who thought of a way to get us out and it wasn't with any cool gadget. It was a single piece of tape that saved our lives."

"Was it like explosive tape or acid tape?" Philip said.

Lee laughed and said, "Nope, just plain tape like you'd use to wrap a birthday present. When they came to drag me out of there for questioning, she stuck this single piece of tape over the door lock to keep it from latching behind us and the rest is what she already told you about. She used the door as a weapon. She's clever like that. I'll never forget one time that she used a can of hairspray as a weapon. When we're in trouble, she thinks of things that they don't teach at The Agency. That's what makes her such a great agent even though she doesn't like to shoot. I'm damn lucky to have your mom as my partner, watching my tail."

"One of my favorite things to do," Amanda quipped as she re-entered the room. "Fellas, your dad's still on the phone. Why don't you go say hi?" Both boys left the room.

"So, how's...uh...Joe?"Lee asked as his wife sat next to him.

"He and Carrie made up."

"Good, that's good."

"Apparently, they're going away next weekend to try to spend some time together to deal with things. Makes me glad that I had forgotten to ask the boys if they wanted to spend the weekend with him. They would have just been disappointed again," she said with a sigh.

"Well, it wasn't his regularly scheduled weekend anyway. Maybe it'll be better this way. Seems like maybe he's trying to figure things out, you know, where his priorities are."

"That'd be a first," Dotty grumbled as she picked up her dishes and began to clear the table, the family having finished their dinner. Lee and Amanda rose to help her with carrying the remnants of their dinner to the kitchen.

Lee set the pile of plates he was carrying in the sink and said, "Phillip, when you get off the phone, don't forget you're on dish detail tonight." Phillip nodded in response with a thumbs up. "Jamie, You about ready to go visit the photo lab?"

"Yeah," Jamie replied.

"Go grab your stuff and we'll go. Make sure you grab both cameras since you took pictures with both of them."

"Are you really going to take him to The Agency?"Dotty inquired. "Don't you think that's a little risky?"

"Not a bit," Lee said. "The Agency is one of the most secure buildings in the DC area. With the IFF cover, you'd never know from looking at the building that that's what it is."

"Even our personal office has a cover as the film library," Amanda said.

"So, you actually have an office?"

"Of course we do," Amanda said with a laugh at her mother.

"Oh, I just thought when you said you were going to "the office" that was a euphemism for your covert missions."

"This job's not all car chases and gun fights. There's a lot of mind-numbing paperwork that goes along with it."

"Yes, there is," Lee said. "Come to think of it, something you have a talent for," he added as he slid his arms around her from behind planting a tender kiss to her neck.

"Don't you try to suck up to me! I'm not writing your report on this case. I have my own to write."

"How about I make it worth your while?" he said as he nuzzled her neck.

Amanda wriggled our of his arms, turned to face him and jabbed a finger into his chest. "Uh-uh. No way! It would do you some good to do it yourself for once. Besides, If I did your report for you, you know that means I'd feel compelled to straighten up your desk in the process," she said with a grin as she disappeared into the dining room to finish clearing the table.

"Ok, now that's just playing dirty," he said with a laugh as he followed her into the dining room to help.

"I'll make you a deal," Amanda said as they re-entered the kitchen carrying the serving dishes. Amanda emptied her arms into the sink.

"Oh? What kind of deal?"He said his eyes lighting up as he set down his load..

"Deal is this," Amanda wrapped her arms around his neck. "You do your own report and I just might make it worth your while," she said with her eyes dancing as she kissed him.

"Gross," Phillip teased as he approached the sink having finished his conversation with his dad. Lee and Amanda broke apart.

"Gross or not, You're going to have to get used to it, Phillip. I'm not going anywhere," Lee said.

"I know," Phillip said as he dutifully began running water to do the dinner dishes. "I'm glad you make mom happy."

"She makes me pretty happy too.

"I'm ready to go, Lee," Jamie said with Lee's camera bag slung over one shoulder and his mother's over the other.

"Ok, Let's go," Lee said.

"Seeya later, Guys," Amanda said as he kissed her husband lightly before he exited with her younger son.

"Huh," Dotty said as having watched the interaction between Lee and Amanda.

"What is it, Mother?"

"I don't know. I just feel like the more I learn about your job, about you and Lee as a couple, the more you two become a mystery to me," Dotty said as she stepped into the den and sat on the couch, Amanda following behind her. "The way you so easily shift from talking about kneecapping bad guys to flirting with each other is just unreal."

"That's just part of being both partners and a couple," she said as she sat next to her mother. "Honestly, with the stress of the job, it's nice that we can share that with each other."

"You know, I once thought that if I knew what it was you'd been hiding all this time, I would feel some sense of relief. I thought it would give me peace of mind. Now I find that it just makes me worry more than when I wondered what your secrets were. When I saw you expertly handling that revolver this morning, it sent chills up my spine. It scares me Amanda, especially since I just came so close to losing you. Don't get me wrong, Amanda, I'm glad that things are more open between us and that you're sharing things with me again. And I'm happy that it's helping us to rebuild our mother-daughter relationship, but sometimes I wish I didn't know about your job. Then there are times that I wished I knew more about it so I didn't feel so worried about you."

"That's a bit of a contradiction, isn't it?"Amanda said with a chuckle.

"I guess, but do you understand it all?"

"I do," Amanda said. "Listen, Mother, I'm going to tell you just like I did the boys, if you have questions, just ask. I will tell you anything that I can, but just understand there are going to be some questions that I just can't answer."

"Ok."

"You know, it might do you some good to pay a visit to The Agency some time too. There are some areas that are going to be off-limits, but they do have support programs for family members of agents. Maybe that would help you deal with it. They've got a very skilled psychiatric staff there."

"You think I need a shrink? You think I'm crazy for feeling this way?"

"No, Mother. I don't think that you're crazy," Amanda said. "I'd think you more crazy if you weren't worried. This is part of the reason that I kept this from you for so long. I knew you would worry. I think it might help for you to talk to a professional who specifically deals with the stressful lives of agents. It might help calm your fears." Dotty shook her head. "What?"

"I guess I'm just surprised that a covert government agency has psychiatrists on staff."

"Not everybody who works there is an agent. There are also have doctors, lab technicians, forensic scientists, receptionists, accountants, mechanics, even janitors. It's like we were saying earlier, there's more to the job than car chases and gun fights and excitement. There are parts of it that are downright boring. In fact, tomorrow morning, we have a staff meeting that promises to be pretty tedious since Billy's boss is going to be there."

"Wait, I thought he was the boss."

"He's our immediate supervisor, but he has a boss too." The two women were silent for a moment while Dotty pondered all the new information.

Dotty was the first one to break the silence. "Maybe, you're right. Maybe it would help to talk to someone who's more objective."

"Good, you just let me know when you're ready and I'll set it up for you, ok?"

"Ok, Thank you, Darling." she said as she kissed her daughter on the cheek.

"Absolutely," Amanda said as she hugged her mother. "I don't want you to be afraid anymore." She released her then stepped into the kitchen going to the regenerator for a bottle of water. "Phillip, when you're done with those dishes, I want you to bring me your English paper so I can look it over."

"Mo-om," Phillip whined.

"No arguments, Young Man. I'm not going to let you turn it in tomorrow unless I know you've done your best on it."

Dotty turned toward the kitchen to watch the interaction between mother and son and wondered how her daughter did it. How did she balance her roles as mother, wife and federal agent and make it all work without going crazy?

.