Looking over his sleeping features, she thought about why. Watching his eyes move as he dreamed, she realized what she found so much more attractive now. It was his eyes. Gone was the cynicism, the coldness. Lee's eyes today were relaxed, showing the inner peace that he had found years ago. They were often alive with laughter and joy, and Amanda would not have it any other way.
"We need to do this more often," she whispered to her sleeping husband. Placing her head on his chest, she looked over at the clock. When Lee had dragged her out of the office earlier, he had told his assistant that he would be back in three hours. That gave them forty-five minutes before they needed to be back, and Amanda planned to take advantage of it. It had been too many years since they had snuck away from the agency and played hooky. Getting married before their friends and family had given them the opportunity to spend time together, ending their frequent runs to Lee's apartment. She had forgotten how much fun it could be.
As her eyes closed, she prayed that Philip and Sarah would be able to find some time alone. They both needed each other right now. That's why Amanda had pushed Lee to let her partner see Philip, even though normally Sarah wouldn't have the chance. Lee had been reluctant, but Sam's offer to take her had finally persuaded him.
Over at the safe house, Sarah was disappointed that she was getting to spend any time alone with Philip. She had known that she wouldn't, but an illogical hope that Sam would let her see him without the silent guard posted at the door had been in her heart. Hugging Philip close, she was happy that she was getting to see him at all.
She wanted to tell him about her break down yesterday. She wanted to tell him about the stories she had shared with Amanda, and the stories Amanda had shared with her. She wanted. . .
Sarah sighed, digging deeper into Philip's arms. She wanted to tell Philip everything. Now that the door had been open, she found herself struggling to keep it closed. Philip was no longer innocent about her life, no longer believed that she worked for a bank. She wanted to let him know about her life, about what she had shared for the first time yesterday with her partner. Amanda had been right. Being a spy, and having your family know, changed everything. She wondered how it would change Lee and Amanda's relationship with Philip. There was no question that it would, just one on how.
"I love you, Sarah," Philip whispered in her hair. She kept her eyes closed, hoping that the tears would stay hidden behind her eyelids. A few escaped, and Philip apparently felt them. Pulling back a little, he reached up a hesitant hand and wiped one of the away.
Turning to look at Sam, Philip said, "We are going to the bathroom."
"Philip--"
"You said it yourself, Sam. It's the safest room in the house. No window, one door. I'll be safe there." Philip began to drag her from the room.
"If something happens, at least he'll have the Lioness with him," the guard said jokingly to Sam. Sarah flinched at the name, but doubted anyone noticed.
Shutting the bathroom door behind them, Philip looked around the little room. To Sarah's amusement, he turned on the bathtub's faucet. Reaching over, he poured in some bathgel. He quickly undressed himself and then her. "Philip," Sarah began hesitantly. "I'm not sure--"
Philip shook his head as he picked her up into his arms. "I'm not wanting sex, Sarah. I'm just wanting to hold you."
Sighing, as the warm water surrounded her, she again wondered how she managed to find such a wonderful man. She remembered Amanda once jokingly offering to introduce Sarah to her son's. She had laughing replied that one "King" was enough. She should have jumped on the offer, knowing how wonderful Amanda and Lee both were should have clued her in on perfect their children would be.
"What are smiling about?" Philip's voice was low. He would often tell her that she always knew exactly what he needed. She didn't think it was true, but Philip truly did know exactly what she needed, even before she did, and he always made sure to see to it that she got it. Most of the men that she had dated over the years, for personal and for work, wouldn't have thought about her needed time alone with them, and then they would have never thought of taking a bubble bath with her in the afternoon.
Sarah pushed herself up and looked at the man she would soon marry. He was the most handsome man, and his soul was even more beautiful. "I was just thinking about the time your mom offered to introduce me to you or Jamie. I told her one "King" was enough for anybody."
Philip smiled back at her. "I'm so glad I found you anyway."
"Not as happy as I am. I'm so glad that I took that job for Ham that day. I was grumbling the whole time until you walked up to me." Both of them were silent for a few minutes. "I miss him," she admitted.
"I do, too, sweatheart. I do, too." Philip drew her close to his heart, just where she wanted to be. She lay there silently listening to his heartbeat. He was alive, and he loved her more than she had believed anyone could. Love use to be a fairytale to her. Thanks to the King-Stetson household, she had learned that it was a wonderful reality.
Moaning, Sam answered the phone. A laughing voice greeted him. "Sounds like you are working hard."
"Hello, Lee. I've just been sitting looking over Hamilton's code. It's crazy."
"I know. Crypto has had a fit trying to figure it out, but they haven't even come up with the first possible solution." Lee sighed. "I'm afraid this one is going to get away."
"The murder?" Sam thought he detected something different in Lee's voice.
"Yeah, we think we know what Hamilton was working on before he died at least. A couple of other agents have been going around talking to his known contacts. Rumor has it that there is a leak at the Agency."
Sam's jaw dropped. "What?"
"The terrorist are getting some inside information from somebody, and apparently Hamilton had found out who." Lee's voice was showing his fatigue.
Sam whistled softly. "That means we can't let this get away, Lee. If we don't capture the leak now, we may never get another chance."
"I know, Sam. I know, but we really don't have a clue on where to begin on this one. Not until Hamilton's strange message is decoded."
Sam looked down at the cryptic message Hamilton had given to Philip the night before his death. It was as confusing as "Peach Pie" or "Peach Cream Tart" or whatever Lee had said yesterday. "I don't suppose food has anything to do with this."
Lee was silent for a second, and then he busted out laughing when he realized to what Sam was referring. "No, Amanda, hasn't noticed any connection between it, and any program on our local stations." Sam tried to figure out what Lee was meaning. "Don't worry," Lee said, still laughing. "I will explain it one day. How's the visit going?" Lee switched the subject.
Glancing over at the closed door, Sam grinned. "Okay, I reckon. They are taking a bath, I think."
"A bath?"
Sam's grin broadened at Lee's surprise. "Yeah, he grabbed up Sarah, said he would be safe in the bathroom, and then I head the bathtub running."
Lee's pleasure was obvious in his voice, as was his pride. "Every time I think that boy has outdone himself, he turns around and surprises me again."
"A quickie in the afternoon?" Sam wasn't sure what Lee was referring to exactly.
"No, I doubt that, Sam. He's taking care of Sarah right now."
Sam thought about his wife, Lisa, after her mother had died. He had taken her home from the hospital, drawn her bath, fixed her a light dinner, and carried her to bed where he had just held her. It had been years since he had thought of a woman that way. "Yeah, I say he is."
It wasn't long after the two of them hung up that two water rats walked out of the bathroom. Sam had to grin at how water logged they look, and he doubted that many people had ever had the chance to see the great Sarah Green so vulnerable. Her wet hair lay limply around her freshly scrubbed face. She looked more like a child than a lioness.
Standing, Sam smiled at them. "We've got some vegetable soup on the stove for you two. I figured you would be hungry when you got out of your bath." To his amazement, Sarah blushed. Walking towards the kitchen, he called over his shoulder. "After you eat, our replacements should be here, so we'll be heading home soon."
In a few minutes, carefully balancing a tray, he walked back into the living room. He quickly spotted the two sitting next to each other on the couch. Sarah's attention was entirely focused on the paper in her hand. "Where did you get this?" she asked him as he sat down the tray on the coffee table.
Sam and Philip looked at one another, but Sam answered the question. "It was Philip's last drop for your father. He was given it the night before, and he hadn't dropped it off, yet, which is why he called the emergency number."
"I knew that, but. . .I hadn't seen it. I--I never worked with Ham on his encryptions, so I focused on what I knew, like his contacts and friends." She looked up at the two men, confusion written on her face. "This isn't a code," she said, moving the paper. "It's a fairy tale."