Truth Aftermath

Chapter 6

The three agents were in Billy's office, looking at the video monitor, having been alerted of a visitor for Lee.

Lee groaned, "Oh, my God! What's Joe King doing here?"

Billy shrugged answering, "Maybe to talk to you about the current events in your life?"

Lee sighed as he shook his head and commented, "No doubt...Well, I'd better get up there."

Francine asked guardedly, "Need backup, you think?"

Lee waved his hand responding lightly, "No, no thanks, but if Amanda calls, don't tell her Joe's here. She'll just worry, and then want to head over here. You know her-"

Billy nodded stating, " Alright...Your call from here on out, Scarecrow..."

As Lee headed to the office door to leave, he turned to look back at his colleagues and friends answering somberly, "Thanks for listening and wanting to help. I appreciate it. And after I talk to Joe, I think I'm just gonna head home. I'm kinda beat..."

Billy gave him an understanding smile and remarked, "Okay...See you tomorrow, Son."

So as Lee got into the elevator to head to the Agency foyer, he thought sullenly, If that jerk thinks he can muck up what Amanda and I have, he's got another thing coming!

Shaking his head, he thought, In hindsight, Joe's got some right to worry where the boys are concerned, but not with Amanda. She's proven time and time again just how resilient she can be! They were together now, and that's how it would stay!

He swallowed hard, hoping someday he'd be able to come to terms with what happened to Amanda, and forgive himself.

Chastising himself silently, he thought, Amanda doesn't blame you for the shooting! It was an accident, plain and simple!

Coming out of his reveries as the elevator door opened, he ducked under the coats to exit, and seeing Joe, shook the man's hand in greeting, stating politely, "Joe."

Joe, returning the handshake nodded answering as he looked around noticing the woman behind the desk near them, "Stetson...Uh, look, I wanted to talk to you, but not here. Would you maybe want to go to Dooley's and grab a beer?"

Lee nodded slowly, answering, "Sure..."

As Mrs. Marston observed the verbal exchange warily, Lee put up a hand to her answering quietly, "It's okay, Joe here is Amanda's ex-husband...We'll be heading out now."

Handing her his ID, Lee gestured to Joe to exit the building responding, "Lead the way. I'll follow in my car..."

Within 15 minutes, they had parked separately, and met at the entrance of Dooley's, then heading in silently, each with their own thoughts.

Stepping up to the bar, Joe ordered two mugs, and as Lee pulled out his wallet, Joe shook his head, answering, "I've got it...Why don't we find a booth?"

Paying the bartender after getting the jugs, Joe led them to the far wall where one of the booths was.

Lee inwardly groaned, thinking as he and Joe sat down across from one another, of course it's the same booth that Amanda and I first shared when Joe came back to town during the Prime Minister case a year ago!

But Joe didn't know it was that one, of course, as Lee cleared his throat then, asking, "Well, what can I do for you, Joe?"

Joe took a sip of his beer, and then reaching into his jacket pocket, pulled out two folded pieces of paper, forms of some kind from what Lee could tell, stating directly, "After talking with Amanda earlier, where she told me about the two of you, I did some thinking, and decided to help you both out of this situation you're in..."

Passing the paper to Lee, Joe remarked evenly, "Now, I've got some connections that would help get this expedited quickly, and you could get back to your normal lives..."

Lee thought, Situation?, and taking a sip of his beer, incredulously scanned the document before him! Looking back at Joe, he swallowed, and queried disbelievingly, "You can't be serious here?! Annulment papers?! On what grounds?!"

Joe, raising a hand, answered calmly, "It would be a no fault circumstance, whereas you both weren't thinking too clearly at the time, and this way, Amanda and the kids would still be protected-"

With that, Lee laughed uproariously, causing some customers to look over at their table, as Lee quickly ripped up the papers, and tossed them like confetti around them!

Calming down slightly then, Lee sighed and replied stonily with a gesture, looking at Joe's confused expression, "You aren't playing with a full deck here, King! Look...You have every right to worry about your kids...I can't replace you in their hearts. I could never do that! But let's be real here. You and Amanda were finished long before I entered the picture! And in what court do you think this would fly?! First of all, you abandoned your sons! Amanda has been the responsible one here, making sure they had a stable environment, and while you went traipsing all over the world, making sure other families got the help they needed, you lost sight of what was really important-your own family!"

As Joe opened his mouth to respond, Lee sighed as he got up, throwing a few bills on the table, gesturing as he answering softly,"Thanks for the drink...We're done here...But one more thing...Amanda and I married because we love each other. Our heads are on straight, and our hearts will be forever connected, job or no job! So, whatever custody arrangement you and Amanda decided on concerning Phillip and Jamie, is between the two of you. I have no say as far as that goes, anyway. But as for protection, I'm here as well, so you can stop worrying on that score where the kids are concerned...So long, Joe..."

He turned and left without looking back as he went to his car seething inside! He took a deep cleansing breath and let it out as he started the car and left the parking lot of Dooley's!

Looking at his watch, he was going to call Amanda to see how she was doing, but he decided to wait until getting home, so he could have a scotch and wind down from the day. And oh what a day it's been, he thought as he drove towards Georgetown. Then with a deep sigh, he muttered, "Let's hope the rest of our lives together run smoother than this, Amanda..."

TBC