Disclaimer: These wonderful characters are not mine, they belong to Shoot the Moon. I do not intend any copyright infringements, I just enjoy their company.
Summary: What should be a happy day turns tragic...almost.
WHEN: August 1988. Marriage is common knowledge.
Notes: Feedback is welcome. Please make criticism constructive. This is my first attempt at taking Lee and Amanda out for a spin and I don't want to loose my nerve!!
Lee Stetson gazed down at his wife's sleeping form. How peaceful she looked.... and beautiful. Amanda Stetson was wearing one of her husband's work shirts. She often wore the old shirts but this was the one that Lee had worn to the Agency yesterday. It hadn't even been washed yet and carried his scent and that of his aftershave. Is that why she wore it?
Amanda had not expected her husband home tonight, but the case he had been working on wrapped up early. The paperwork could wait until morning. Lee looked at the bedside clock, 3:08 AM, Thursday morning...OK, first light. Although he was relieved that she wasn't out in the field with him tonight, he missed working with his wife. Despite this, Lee felt it was a good thing that she was at home, her obstetrician did order bed-rest. Something about her blood pressure being high.
Agent Lee Stetson, A.K.A. Scarecrow, laid his hand on his wife's swollen abdomen. As if by cue, their baby moved. This had not been an easy pregnancy for Amanda. The "morning sickness" had never really let up and now bed-rest for the remaining weeks. He was worried about them. Lee kissed his wife's belly gently, then her forehead before drifting into a deep but uneasy sleep.
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Forty-two-forty-seven Maplewood Drive, Arlington, Virginia woke up at six AM. Amanda felt frustrated as her agent-husband-partner got up, showered and dressed for the office. She wanted to join him at work, but the doctor wouldn't allow it. They could hear Philip and Jamie, their sons, fighting over who would get the bathroom first. Lee, straightening his tie, stuck his head out of their bedroom door, "Boys, your mother is trying to sleep!" Silence. She marveled at the way he could do that. They respected her but almost worshiped him. Jaime's opinion of Lee had really changed in the past year and a half and they all enjoyed having Lee living with them.
"Good morning, Sweetheart." She said and returned his good morning kiss passionately.
"Mmmm, Good morning, I didn't mean to wake you up."
"You didn't. I didn't hear you come in last night either."
"Good, because I got in at three. You were sleeping so well. Do you know that you are beautiful when you snore?"
With a laugh, Amanda threw a pillow at Lee, and he dodged it.
"I thought that you and Francine would be out all night on that case."
"We did, too. Sometimes the bad guys slip up sooner than you expect."
"What's wrong, Lee." Amanda Stetson knew there was something wrong with her husband.
Lee's voice was full of pent-up emotion. How did she do that, read him so easily? "The case was blown, they found out we were there. They shot Francine."
"Oh, God...Is she..." Amanda and Francine had never been close but Amanda considered them to be friends, sort of, and couldn't bring herself to finish.
"No. I stayed at the hospital until after she was out of surgery. The wound wasn't too bad. She'll be out of the hospital in a few days. Amanda, what if she had been you..."
" Lee, we know the hazards and the risks."
"I know, Amanda, I know," Lee said with a resigned sigh. "I've got to go in for the debriefing. I'll stop by the hospital today and see how she is. I'll let her know that you were asking about her. I love you."
"I love you, too, Scarecrow," Lee turned to his wife as she used his code name, "Watch out for the Wicked Witch." She had occasionally teased him with this non-existent enemy.
Lee laughed as he left the bedroom they shared and entered the world of international intrigue.
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Dotty West brought her daughter some breakfast and sat down on the bed. She had recently moved into a small cottage of her own but was staying at the King-Stetson house until after the baby was born. "Amanda, what is wrong with Lee? He didn't even have a cup of coffee this morning. That is not like him." Dotty loved her handsome son-in law. It bothered her to see him that way. Of course, if he was bothered, her daughter was bothered and she needed as little stress as possible right now.
"Mother, its just work." Amanda replied with that 'you don't need to know' look. Dotty now knew what they did for a living and the less she knew the better.
"I can take a hint. I'll do some grocery shopping this morning. It's amazing how much food this family eats."
"Thank you, Mother."
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Dotty did not see the black van parked across the street from her daughter's home as she left to get some groceries for her family.
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Lee left the hospital even more uneasy than he was this morning. No matter how hard he tried; Amanda could always read right through him. She had been the first in a long time to put a chink in that armor he had built up around himself. She taught him to love again, taught him to live again. For that alone he owed her his life. Then she had given him her heart, now a child. Sometimes it overwhelmed him.
Francine was fine. She would be sore for a while and none too easy to live with (was she ever). It was what she said that tore Lee in two. Just before they had shot her, one of the assailants said, "She's not Mrs. King". Lee grimaced at the sound of Amanda's former name. They were after his Amanda, or was it him? Whoever it was, they probably didn't know about their marriage. Hopefully, that may help to keep their family safe from whoever these people were that were after them.
When he got to his silver 'Vette he picked up his car phone and dialed their home number. "Hello?" He heard Amanda sleepily on the other end. He was relieved to hear her voice, but annoyed at himself for waking her up. He simply said, "Hi."
"Hi, sweetheart, is everything all right?"
How did he explain that he just needed to hear her voice?
"I was going to ask you the same question. I'm sorry that I woke you up." Lee said, sweet tenderness in his voice.
"It's OK. I fell asleep out of boredom. Mother has gone shopping and the boys are playing basketball at Bobby Barlow's. Are you all right?" She felt herself getting more nervous at her husband's tone of voice.
"Yeah." Much better now, he thought. "Have you eaten lunch yet? I could pick something up."
"Mother made me a sandwich before she left. But I need you to come home," Amanda said breathlessly...that one hurt. She really wanted him here not doing paperwork that could wait.
"Amanda, are you OK? Why didn't you call me before?" A new kind of worry had crept into his voice.
"Yea, Lee, fine. There was no need to call you before. I've had a few contractions this morning and we will need to get to the hospital soon. I've already called Dr. Clemens. She told me to come in when you get home."
"I'll be home as soon as I can. Have I told you today that I love you?"
"I love you, too, Lee," Amanda replied tenderly. She couldn't wait for her husband to come home. It wasn't just the boredom of being confined to bed. She liked having Lee around. She needed him now that labor was starting. And besides, something was bothering her about this case he was working on.
The soon-to-be mother again lay in bed and thought a minute - she had to get up. The couch in the family room should be OK. Slowly she lumbered down the staircase. Just as she got to the last stair, the doorbell rang. The man on the other side had a courier's uniform on. Amanda saw a black van on the street.
"Mrs. Amanda King?" He asked.
"Yes," Amanda replied, after all this time she would still answer to her former name.
He took some sort of spray can out of his pocket, pointed it at her face, and Amanda Stetson's world went dark.
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Lee turned his car around. The flowers were going to have to wait. Dammit, something wasn't right. The black van turned right off of Maplewood Drive as the Corvette turned onto the road where he lived with his family.
Why was the front door open? It was a warm day, but they never left the front door open. Something was very wrong. Lee barely remembered to turn off the car's ignition. He could feel the fear beginning to rise in his chest. When he got to the front door of the house after what seemed like an eternity, Lee stopped cold.
His wife of 1 1/2 years and 9 months pregnant was crumpled on the floor of the foyer. There was a note beside her:
The Wicked Witch is Back!
Lee felt a chill that shook him to the core. He didn't remember the 911 call or the ambulance trip to the hospital or the call to Billy when they arrived at the hospital. All he remembered was a repeated prayer to a God he didn't believe existed until he met her. "Let them be OK...Let them be OK..."
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Finally he had his revenge on Scarecrow. She would die a painful death and his child along with her. He had thought about killing his stepsons, too but had decided that he did have a heart, unlike Tinman. Anyway, the more people that suffered over Scarecrow's loss, the better.
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Dotty turned onto Maplewood Drive expecting to put the groceries away and share a quiet cup of tea with her very pregnant daughter. What she expected soon dissolved when she saw a strange car and Mr. Melrose in front of Amanda and Lee's home. It was as if he were waiting for someone.
"Mrs. West...." Billy started.
Dotty felt panic. This man was rarely the bearer of good news. "Mr. Melrose, where is Amanda, Lee, the boys. What's going on?"
"Mrs. West, can we go inside?" Billy really didn't want to brief Amanda's mother on what had happened on the lawn.
Dotty escorted Billy in the house and Billy wasted no time. "Mrs. West, something terrible has happened. Amanda's been poisoned. We're not sure with what or how. Lee had no details. She is being treated at Georgetown General. Let me take you there."
"What about the boys?" she asked. The groceries now forgotten.
"Agents are picking them up at the Barlow's as we speak. Until we have an answer, and we are sure that it is safe, the King-Stetson family is under Agency protection."
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Billy Melrose and Dotty West met Lee at the hospital. "How is she?" Dotty and Billy asked a very distraught Lee.
"She is in surgery now. The doctors determined that both Amanda and the baby were in extreme danger. They are afraid that Amanda is going to have a stroke, her blood pressure is so high. They hope that if they do a cesarean they both have a better chance. I talked to her less than 10 minutes before I got home. I was going to the florist to get her some flowers. She was starting to have contractions and I thought that flowers would cheer her up. If I had just gone right home... Dotty, what will I do without them?" Lee began sobbing into his mother-in-law's shoulder.
"The doctors are good here, Lee. Amanda and the baby will be fine. If you'd been home you would probably be in the next bed. This wasn't your fault. " Billy hated the false optimism, but his friend needed to hear something positive.
"I'm supposed to protect her and when she needed me and I let her down. Billy, whoever did this, left this note. I want them, Billy, I want them." Billy shuddered at the coldness in Lee's voice. He handed Billy the note that had been found next to Amanda.
"I know, Scarecrow." Billy sat in silence with his friend, thinking of everyone that Scarecrow and Mrs. King - now Mrs. Stetson- may have crossed since their partnership and many that Scarecrow may have crossed on his own. Though no way near complete, he knew where to start.
After what seemed like forever the surgeon approached them, "Mr. Stetson?"
Lee looked up through red, puffy eyes, "Yes."
"Your daughter is fine and in the nursery. Someone will take you to meet her soon. Whatever
Mrs. Stetson was exposed to did not cross the placental barrier like we had feared but it did cause her blood pressure to skyrocket. The drugs are beginning to help. Mrs. Stetson..."
"Is she OK?" Lee asked, eyes wide, not wanting to hear his worst fears.
"She is stable, but still unconscious. She will be brought into ICU soon. What was she exposed to, anyway? Her blood work didn't show us much with an exception of very early pre-ecalmpsia."
Dotty was still in shock from all of this and didn't speak.
At this point Billy stepped in and brought out his Agency ID. "Mrs. Stetson is a 'bird in the NEST' and we don't know."
All the DC area hospitals recognized this code and Dr. Atwater knew that he would never know what had gotten to Amanda Stetson. NEST team doctors would be taking over her care soon. "OK. But if you can find out, it will help."
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The new father marveled at his tiny daughter for a while. 'This is what we waited for, Amanda' he thought 'She can't even share in this, this euphoria.' Then he got angry.
Most of the Agency's cases had been lightweight lately, milk runs, really. The world hadn't been that noisy these past few months anyway. Who was this 'Wicked Witch'? Who would want to hurt his wife? Worse yet, their unborn child.
This baby, his child was sleeping in his arms, trusting his unsure touch. Lee really didn't have experience with babies. He was amazed at how much she looked like his Amanda. They had discussed names for a while. They had agreed on Jennifer Emily for a daughter, Matthew Lee for a son. Here in the hospital nursery, Lee Stetson decided that he would name their daughter Amanda Jennifer if her mother didn't.... well he really didn't want to think of that now.
He handed his sleeping baby back to the nurse. Young, pretty. He noticed the rings on her hand and wondered if she had any children of her own. "Thank you," He said.
She just nodded with sadness in her eyes, "I'll be praying for her mother."
Lee held back the tears that threatened just at the surface. He managed a choked, "Thank You" before going to his wife's side. He nodded to the Agency guard that Billy had ordered posted outside the nursery and to the guard posted outside Amanda's room. Standard procedure, Billy said, but it seemed strange to have to guard a helpless baby.
He had seen his wife hooked up to IV lines and monitors before. That didn't make it easier for Lee to see her attached to machines that spelled out every aspect of her physical being now. He would have given anything to take her place. He sat with her silently, holding her hand. Nurses and doctors came in frequently, writing things down on her chart and smiling encouragingly. After hours in silence Lee spoke to his wife not knowing if she could hear him or not. "Amanda, I've got to go to work for awhile. Our daughter is safe and absolutely beautiful, just like her mother," His voice felt strained with the anguish and tears that he was holding back. "I have to go find who and why, honey. I'll be back as soon as I can. I love you." Lee kissed his beloved wife tenderly and turned to leave.
He didn't hear her whisper his name as the door closed behind him.
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Mrs. Marsden greeted Lee at the entrance to the Agency. "Mr. Stetson, Mr. Melrose wants to see you. How are they?" There was uncharacteristic concern and tenderness in her voice. 'News travels fast in the intelligence community, ' Lee thought. 'Yeah, especially when it's one of your own.'
"Our daughter is fine, and Amanda is stable for the moment. Thank you. I'd better go right down to see Billy." Lee had been hoping to have some quiet time to think before working. How long had it been since he slept, anyway. Looking at his watch as a yawn escaped, he learned that it was 7:00AM on Friday. He had been awake for over 24 hours. The gnawing in his stomach told him that it had been a while since his last meal. A muffin and coffee from the donut shop on his way in yesterday. He'd have to eat something soon. He collected his ID badge and got into the elevator/closet and went to see Billy.
The Bullpen was quiet this morning. Billy had put all people with high enough security clearances to work on this case. Despite the determination to solve this one, all eyes turned to watch a haggard Scarecrow as he entered William Melrose's office. All agents accepted the dangers of their jobs, but both Francine and Amanda within 24 hours, that was a little hard to take. Francine was OK and would be back to work soon. There wasn't any news yet on Amanda.
Billy looked up from his phone-call and quietly indicated to Lee to sit down. Lee dozed as Billy finished talking to the Accounting Department. Lee gathered that Billy was defending him and his expense report. How often did Billy have to stand up for him? Lee thought that ever since Amanda had taken over the Q Bureau's financial reports, things had been OK. Just one more thing that Amanda had done for him.
When Billy hung up the phone, Lee thanked him.... and apologized.
"All in a day's work, Lee. Now, how are Amanda and the baby?"
"The baby is fine. She is beautiful, Billy. Amanda...well, she is still unconscious but stable. I've got to get back to the hospital. I just came in to clear my calendar. I'll be out for a few days." The tension and fatigue were beginning to show.
"When was the last time you ate a decent meal and got some sleep? You can't take care of your family if you don't take care of yourself. Don't make me make this an order, Lee. Your calendar is clear as of now, I'm heading the team investigating the attacks on Francine and Amanda myself. The paperwork on the Reinhold case can wait. Go home, get yourself a good meal and get some sleep." Lee was too tired to let Billy's fatherly attitude bug him.
"Ok. Keep me posted on the investigation, Billy. I need to know."
"There's nothing yet, Lee. But when we know something, I'll pass it on."
"Thanks, Billy." Lee left his boss's...no, his friend's office and went home.
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The house was quiet, too quiet. Dotty and the boys were in an Agency safe hose until this one was solved. Taking a shower and putting on clean clothes, he thought about everything he and Amanda had been through, what he had put her through to get to this point in their lives. How foolish he had been to deny his feelings for so long. They could have had three more years together if he hadn't fought against his true feelings for her and now he may lose her for good. And Dotty and the boys. What would they do without her? If they allowed it, he would like to live with the family, his family. He would need help to raise the baby, he couldn't do it alone and he knew it.
STOP IT. STOP IT. STOP IT. Lee screamed to himself. 'Amanda is going to be fine, and she will help you raise our daughter'. He didn't realize that he had been crying until he walked by the mirror in the hallway and saw that his face was wet.
In the kitchen, Lee made himself some coffee and sandwiches. He put the TV on and ate, intending to leave for the hospital once he had finished....
The phone brought him back to consciousness. He was disoriented at first but one thought screamed through his head....AMANDA. Something was wrong with his Amanda. Lee yelled at himself for falling asleep and picked up the phone on the third ring, "Hello. Stetson."
"Mr. Stetson, Dr. Clauson, NEST team. Mrs. Stetson is awake and asking for you. Please come down to the hospital."
Lee felt as if he could run the distance, "I'll be there as soon as I can, Doctor."
'She's awake, my Amanda's awake.' He barely remembered to turn off the TV as he ran out to his car.
He got to the hospital in record time. Lee didn't know the 'Vette could go so fast. When he got to her room, he saw the most beautiful sight that he had ever seen. His wife, his Amanda, was in a seated position holding their infant daughter. This time, tears of joy threatened and he didn't fight them. He walked to his wife's bedside in silence and said in a near whisper, " Amanda Stetson, I would like you to meet Jennifer Emily Stetson. Jenny, meet your mommy." Love and pride exploded in his chest as the tears flowed down his face.
"Sweetheart, what's the matter?", Amanda asked.
"When I realized how close I came to losing you and Jenny," the name that they had chosen sounded so right now, "the only thing that stopped me from killing the SOB that did this to you two was not knowing who he was."
"Lee, what did happen. I answer the door and the next thing I know is that I'm waking up here." Amanda's eyes went wide with fear, "Mother and the boys, where are they? Why is there a guard?" The panic was rising in her voice.
"Shhh.....," Lee calmed his frightened wife. He told her all he knew about the attack, the ride to the hospital, and the safe house for the rest of their family. He couldn't tell her anything about the attacker, he didn't know anything.
"What does Billy say?" She asked her husband.
"Well, I'm off the case....Too close. As of 3 hours ago we don't know anything yet."
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His source in the hospital called him and told him the bad news; Stetson's wife and child were alive and expected to make a full recovery. Ten minutes later, he set to cleaning up his apartment after his tantrum.
He knew now what he needed to do.
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Billy paced in his office. Amanda had made a few enemies in her career, though not as many as Lee. You didn't get to be the best team in the agency without making some enemies. Fortunately, most of them were either dead or in prison. Billy was almost at the end of the list and was at the end of his latest bottle of Rolaids. Who else then? Anderson. He had been an informant for the OZ network. Before Dorothy had been killed at the airstrip, Serdayich had tried to kill him but instead killed Anderson's family. Tinman, Serdayich, had no heart. Anderson managed to survive and vowed revenge against the entire OZ network. With only Scarecrow and the Wizard left, it didn't take much to figure out that Anderson was a very likely suspect in the attacks on Francine and Amanda.
"Francine....," Billy yelled out his office door forgetting that Francine was still in the hospital. "Fielder."
"Yes, sir," Fred Fielder said.
"Contact Paul Barnes, call him in. Priority alpha."
Fred swallowed hard. Priority alpha. No agent, active or retired could ignore a Priority alpha. "Yes, sir. Right away."
Within an hour Paul Barnes, the Wizard (retired), was sitting in Billy's office. He hadn't heard about Francine and Amanda until now and was visibly shaken. "Why Francine, Billy? She was never part of OZ. How is Scarecrow taking all of this?"
"Typical, Paul. Scarecrow is Scarecrow no matter how much Amanda has changed him. And Francine, wrong place at the wrong time. Any ideas, Paul?"
"Well, there's Serdayich, but he's still in prison......isn't he?" Billy nodded. "There's only Scarecrow and myself alive and free...wait, there's Anderson. After Tinman killed his family, he vowed revenge. Why surface now? It's been what, 15 years, there was plenty of time before now to go after me or Stetson?"
"I don't know, Paul, but I will find out," said Billy confidently.
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Fred Fielder didn't like looking through autopsy reports. Why did Billy make him do this anyway? The reports weren't classified, a rookie could go through these. Although he didn't like it, Fielder stuck to it hoping to find out something to target their only suspect in Francine and Amanda's assaults. Anderson, Emily age 2 years. Anderson, Robert Jr., age 8 years. Anderson, Rebecca, age 29 years. So far everything looked like the standard autopsy reports of execution style murders. Wait..."fetus appears to be between 28 and 30 weeks".....so Rebecca Anderson was pregnant when Tinman killed her.
Fielder forgot to knock on the section chief's door. "Billy, oh, sorry, Rebecca Anderson was pregnant when she was killed. Does that help?"
"You might be onto something, Fielder. Find Anderson, bring him in for questioning," Billy said. "And Fred, good work."
"Thank you, Sir," Fielder stammered. Billy rarely complimented his work, and it made him anxious to find this guy and arrest him.
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"Sorry, Scarecrow," Fred said nervously in Billy's office later on that day. "When we got there all we found was this note and, well, you've read the police reports."
"It's OK Fred. There was nothing you could do," Lee replied and almost didn't believe that he meant it. Just another change that Amanda had brought out in him.
They all would have preferred to keep this an Agency matter, but neighbors had called DC police to Anderson's apartment building to investigate gunshots. The walls in Anderson's small studio apartment were papered with pictures of Paul Barnes and the King-Stetson family, the photographs had been used for target practice. Canisters of what would later prove to be an experimental drug to treat asthma were found on the table. A side effect was that it caused blood pressure to skyrocket; it also caused pregnant women to abort. It had killed many of the animals it had been tested on, and where Anderson had gotten it they would never know. Anderson's body was found in the bathroom, a single gunshot wound to the head. A letter was found on the bed:
I cannot expect you to forgive me for what I have done. I guess that I am not like Tinman, without a heart. I cannot bring myself to destroy Scarecrow's family completely. I wanted to, I wanted revenge for the loss of mine and Serdayich is in prison, unreachable. Maybe they will understand someday. I am sorry about the first woman. I thought that she was Mrs. King at first and then figured that she is just someone that Scarecrow cares about. I am sorry for trying to kill Scarecrow's wife and child. It was the only thing I could do, and then not very well. I cannot bring myself to call her Mrs. Stetson, then I could not have gotten my revenge................
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"Poor man. But, Lee, this happened 3 days ago why didn't you tell me sooner?," Amanda said. Lee had just finished telling her what was found at Anderson's apartment.
"'Poor man'??? Amanda, he almost killed you and Jenny. Anyway, you needed to rest and you didn't need stories like this one staring at you in your dreams." Lee stared at her still not understanding the compassion she had for everyone and at the same time knowing that this was one reason that he loved her so much.
"Lee, he was trying to make this world a better place when all that he loved was taken from him brutally. It took him over 15 years to get up the courage do what he did and then the guilt overcame him. Can you imagine what a miserable man he was?"
"I guess I can. Let's get you two home. The doctors tell me that there are no traces of that drug in your system and that you and Jenny can leave."
"Lead on, Scarecrow, lead on."
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The homecoming was exhausting with Mother , Philip, Jaime, Billy and Francine there to welcome them home. Still, it felt wonderful to have many of the people that she cared about to welcome them home. The party broke up early and Amanda enjoyed the chaos that was the King-Stetson family. Later that night, Amanda woke up to find herself alone in their bed. She crept down the hall to the nursery and saw Daddy sleeping in the rocking chair holding their newborn daughter. Tomorrow he would help to keep her country safe, but now seemed content to hold her in his arms.