Dotty West woke earlier than anyone else in the house. She made a pot of coffee and gathered the ingredients to make her family breakfast. Because it was Saturday, the boys didn't have to go to school and spies didn't always have to work on the weekends, did they? At least on the weekends, they had managed to get Lee to eat breakfast. How could that man be so active and not eat a good breakfast? Dotty didn't think she would ever figure it out. The coffee was soon done and she moved into the family room to read the morning paper. As Dotty started to spread the paper on the coffee table she noticed the small mess of pink paper and blue ribbon. Then she saw the small box that held the nursing bottle. So, that's why Amanda has been so tired and hasn't been feeling well lately. Dotty's heart leapt in her chest. Another baby to love and cherish! Just then she heard footsteps on the stairs. She quickly gathered the gift and its wrappings and, lacking a good place to hide it, shoved it all behind a sofa cushion.

She looked into the eyes of her overly handsome son-in-law and smiled. This was too important to wait to talk to her daughter first. "Congratulations, Lee!" and hugged him

"Thanks, Dotty.... Uhhh what is this about?" Lee had forgotten the bottle and wrappings on the table, focusing on the message it gave him.... until now. When he realized what his mother-in-law was talking about, Lee beamed.

"You must be so happy! When is the baby due?"

"Sometime in August, I guess." He calculated the time in his head, this was definitely a guess. He shook off most of the last fuzziness of sleep and a huge grin came across his face "I see you found Amanda's announcement."

"Yes such wonderful news, Lee. I am so happy for both of you." Dotty was gushing happiness.

"Thanks. You know, I finally feel like I'm home." Lee said.

"It's a great feeling, isn't it?"

"Yeah. It is."

Philip and Jamie King could be heard arguing upstairs and then tearing down the stairs. Dotty spoke up, "Philip, Jaime... your mother is trying to sleep."

"OK, Grandma," they called back in unison.

Lee had to laugh, if Amanda could sleep through the boys, she could sleep through anything. Lee knew that she didn't sleep that well last night despite the fatigue that she felt.

But, within minutes of the boys hitting the stairs, Amanda stood at the top of the stairs. She still looked sleepy, but there was peacefulness about her. Here was her family, safe. They had new scars, especially Lee after his car accident last summer, but everyone in this house was healthy and whole. Of course, Amanda didn't know that her mother knew of their impending arrival. She spoke up cheerfully, "Good morning" and embraced her husband warmly.

"Amanda, dear, how are you feeling," Dotty asked with concern.

"Fine, Mother. Why?"

"Just asking, Amanda, just asking." But, by her mother's tone, Amanda knew that Dotty knew about the life growing inside her.

Lee looked at Amanda, Amanda looked at Lee. They both nodded. They had stopped trying to understand the silent communication that they had.

Amanda spoke first. " Philip, Jamie, Mother come and sit down. Lee and I have something very important to talk to you about." Lee decided to let his wife do most of the talking.

Philip and Jamie King looked at each other with a look that said, "we are in for it now". The problem was that they didn't remember doing anything that wrong in a while. Whatever they had done, it had to be pretty bad to get a family meeting before breakfast.

Lee held Amanda's hand as she continued, "We just wanted to tell you that this summer there will be a new member of this family."

Their responses to this news could not have been different. Dotty sat quietly, beaming and deep in thought. Philip and Jamie both yelled simultaneously, but with very different sentiments.

"All Right!!" Philip yelled. Not only were babies cool, they were real "babe magnets". His friend's mother had a baby last summer and now girls seemed to find an excuse to hang out at Bobby's house, and come to think of it, so did Phillip.

"Gross!!" Jamie yelled. Amanda had given them "the talk" some time ago and the thought of their parents, well... it grossed him out.

Dotty left the group to prepare breakfast for her growing family while the boys debated the pros and cons of a baby, late night feedings, diapers, and so on. They had questions, too. Boy or girl? Could they get a bigger house so they could have their own rooms? By the time breakfast was ready Philip calmed down and Jamie grew more comfortable with the whole idea.

Breakfasts in the King-Stetson household were animated affairs. They all complimented Dotty on the delicious meal. After everyone was finished eating, Lee got the boys to wash the dishes. Of course, it took a promise that Lee would take them out to the test track with his car, but Dotty and Amanda needed some peace and quiet.

Amanda led her mother into the dining room. "What's the matter, Mother? I thought that you would be happy Lee and I are pregnant."

"I am, Amanda. I have never seen you so happy than I have seen you with Lee. I'm being a little selfish, I guess. I haven't lived on my own in a long time. I think that I will like the quiet for a change." Dotty looked Amanda in the eye.

Amanda was confused. "Mother, what so you mean? No one is moving anywhere."

"Amanda, dear, there isn't enough room in this house as it is for all of us, and now a baby..."

"Mother, as long as I live, and Lee too, you will have a place to live with us."

"Thank you, that's sweet. But I think that it's time I lived on my own again." Dotty was adamant.

"MOTHER! I meant what I said." Amanda was upset at this point. "We don't have to really worry about this for a little while yet." The thought of Mother not living with them upset her.

Dotty was firm. She would look for her own place, starting Monday.

The morning passed by like most other Saturdays. Joe called mid-morning. He wanted to take the boys to a movie and keep them for the rest of the weekend. He would pick them up in time for lunch. While Lee was talking to Joe, he couldn't stop himself from telling his wife's ex-husband his good news. Lee had expected some sort of negative reaction; he and Joe had never gotten along. Instead, Joe seemed to be rather happy for them. With the boys out of the house until Sunday night, and Dotty had another date, Lee decided to take Amanda out for an early dinner.

They sat at Emilio's, talking about the baby and the boys. Lee saw a glow in his wife that he hadn't seen before. Amanda saw love and concern that she hadn't seen in him before. He was also scared to death. August wasn't that far off. He didn't have all that much time to learn about babies. On the drive home, Lee stopped at the bookstore. Amanda chose to wait in the car. When Lee came out twenty minutes later, he had 6 books on pregnancy and child growth and development. Amanda stifled a laugh and actually felt glad that he got the books. After all, it had been a long time since Jamie had been born and a lot had changed.

The rest of the ride home was spent in companionable silence with the radio on low. Lee wanted to get his wife home and get her into bed. After all, she needed her rest. Lee still desired his wife but, well, he couldn't put it into words, but he was terrified of hurting Amanda or the baby. Maybe August was a long way off.

Amanda wanted to get into bed with her husband and not for immediate sleep. She put on her sexiest nightgown and refreshed her cologne. She came out of the bathroom to find her husband nervously flipping through a book on pregnancy. Again, she stifled a laugh. She walked over to their bed where her boxer clad husband was reading a section on sex during pregnancy. As she took the book from his hands, he saw him visibly relax. "Learn anything?" she asked him.

"Yes, maybe more than I needed to know." Lee took his wife's hand and gently pulled her down onto the bed and into his lap. They made love slowly and gently, expressing the joy they felt and the love they shared.

They never heard Dotty come in. She heard the muffled sounds coming from the bedroom and smiled. She felt better than ever about her decision to get a place of her own. It was time.

On Sunday, Dotty found one excuse after the other to stay out of the house; lunch date with Kurt, one day sales at the mall, dinner with friends. Lee and Amanda spent the day in each other's arms. They spent a lot of time talking about the future, their future. On Monday, the world would come back. They talked about how to make the announcement at work. Amanda needed to be out of the field now and they couldn't keep a pregnancy secret forever. Billy was easy, he understood family. They knew that he would be happy for his agents and friends. They knew that the rest of the Agency might see things differently.

To be continued.........