TPWP ch5 Title: The Price We Pay

Disclosure: Warner Brothers Television Distribution and Shoot The Moon Productions owns these characters, as well as to the writers, and actors who created and portrayed them. Generous references to the past and the events of the 4th season… I don't make any money off of this – my only reward is my personal satisfaction at having written a decent story (and the story is all mine). Oh, and any new characters that you meet along the way - those are creations from my own twisted imagination, so hands off, unless you ask for permission to play with them.
Special thanks: to that lovely group that I chatted with one Sunday night when we talked about yogurt, words of the year from high school, and the best ways to torture information out of someone using peanut butter and a hungry doggie. You might see a couple of elements from that night pop up here and there in this chapter.

See Chapter 1 for more information on timing and all that other good stuff...

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Lee sat back against the couch, as he watched his youngest stepson place down the letters for zephyr on the board over a triple word score spot, using the 'R' off Lee's last word, rotary. That pretty much doomed Lee to taking last place behind Amanda. Jaime was running away with the points and the strange words.

"What do you do in your spare time, sport? Read the dictionary?" Lee was clearly teasing Jaime, and the boy loved every second of it. He then turned to Amanda. "Did they change something in school? Instead of spelling, they teach obscure words and how to use them to your advantage in Scrabble?"

Amanda and Jaime started laughing. Dotty wandered in to see what was so funny, and saw that Lee was being badly beaten at the game. "Didn't I tell you to read the dictionary, Lee? Why do you think that I don't play with them anymore?" Dotty sat down on the couch nearest to her son-in-law.

"Between Amanda being an literature major in college, and Jaime reading all the time, I don't stand a chance unless I've read the 'Z' section of Webster's."

Jaime had finally caught his breath and looked over at his stepfather. "You know how they always have the National Spelling Bee's and that kind of thing?" He waited until Lee nodded before continuing. "Well, our school always has that sort of thing, and so far, I've always managed to rank near the top of the competition. Two years ago I came in second, and the word I messed up on was 'zephyr'. I'll never forget how to spell that one again."

"But what about 'multifarious', 'juxtaposition', 'extraneous', 'sadistic' and 'quinq-' whatever that word was – it sounds like you're speaking an alien language or something. What *was* that word again…" Lee looked truly puzzled.

Amanda supplied the word for him. "Quinquagenary."

"Now you've got it too! Amanda, what's in that yogurt? Because if it's going to cause you to speak in tongues, I should toss it all down the sink."

"You're silly. The word was quinquagenary." Amanda said it with all the seriousness of Mrs. Marsten. She thought about suggesting that as the next password, just so Lee could struggle with it in the mornings. Considering that they all lived together now, Amanda didn't think that it would be the wisest thing to suggest, but it certainly would be fun.

"Quinqua- what your mother said. I've never heard a couple of those before; much less know how to spell them. That's not something you're learning for a spelling bee, buddy. What's the deal?" Lee looked suspiciously at Jaime and noticed he was sitting a little bit far away from the table. "You don't have a dictionary on your lap, do you?" Lee tried to peek around the table.

"No. And I don't read the dictionary – well, really. Grandma's right. I read a lot, and when I find a word that I don't know I always check the dictionary. And once I read the word, I seem to remember it. Most of the time."

"So what does that 'quinqua-' whatever that word was, mean?"

"It means a fiftieth anniversary." Jaime looked over at his mother, and then to Lee, who looked skeptical at the definition. "Go ahead, Lee, check the dictionary."

Lee started to get up, but Dotty put a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down. "Don't bother, Lee. You'll only find that he's right, and it won't make you feel any better about losing. I'd just stop the game now, and concede gracefully." With that, Dotty got up, and took her glass of milk up the stairs with her.

"She's right, Lee." Amanda smiled soothingly at him. Jaime was beaming.

"Fine. You win, sport. But be prepared, because next time I will be too." With that, Lee tossed his remaining word squares into the box. He got up, went to the bookshelves and grabbed the dictionary on his way upstairs, leaving Amanda and Jaime to clean up the rest of the game.

"Mom, did I make Lee mad?"

"No, but I'd be prepared for him to be using words he doesn't quite understand for the next couple of days." Amanda ruffled her son's hair, and picked up the Scrabble board to slide the tiles back into the box.

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The next couple of days passed relatively uneventfully in the house on Maplewood. No new appliance problems, no rematch at Scrabble, and the phone was suspiciously silent. Dotty wasn't in the house as often, as she was spending more time with Captain Kurt, but when she was home, she could often be found looking in closets and under tables for something she had lost.

Lee had just walked into the house on a warm Wednesday afternoon in July to find that the house was silent, except for the sound of a female someone muttering to herself. Lee tried to follow the sound of the voice he heard, which sounded a lot like Dotty, but was having a hard time because he didn't see anyone.

He rounded the corner into the kitchen, noting that the voice was getting louder and clearer (and making deprecating remarks about her capability at remembering things), and suddenly found himself face flat on the kitchen floor, with a newly found ache in his head.

"Oh Lee, are you all right?" Lee slowly raised his head and turned slightly to find that he had tripped over Dotty, who was lying down on the kitchen floor, near an open cabinet. Obviously she was looking for her lost item, and thought that it had made its way into the cabinet where all the baking sheets were kept.

"I'm fine, Dotty. Just – oooOO." Lee winced slightly. "Ok, I take that back. I have a little bit of a headache now." He pulled himself into a sitting position, rubbing the top of his head gingerly. "I'll be fine in a few minutes. Look, do you need help looking for something. I'm really good at finding lost things and solving puzzles. It wouldn't be an imposition, really." Lee looked hopefully at his mother-in-law that she would take him up on his offer so that she wouldn't surprise him again. The other day when she thought the house was empty and walked in on him getting dressed was a little more than he could handle. Thankfully, he wasn't facing the door.

"No, Lee. Thank you, but I'll find it eventually. It's just one of those things. I think I know where it is, but I have to retrace my steps carefully." She got up from her position on the floor, and started to use the counter to pull herself up. Lee quickly got up, and grabbed her hands to help her up.

Just then, the phone rang. Lee and Dotty narrowly missed bumping heads as they both reached for the phone. Lee had the advantage with longer arms, and reached the phone before Dotty. "Hello. This is Lee." They still hadn't figured out what to call the house. Dotty lived there, and she was a West. Amanda's last name had been King for so long, that people were accustomed to hearing her name as part of the greeting, but now there was the new element of Lee being there. They had toyed with the idea of calling it the 'King-Stetson' household, but everyone agreed that it sounded pretentious and didn't include Dotty. 'West-King-Stetson' was a mouthful. Each individual last name didn't account for too many people in the house, so they had started answering the phone by naming who they were.

"Lee, we need to talk."

"Hi, Billy. It's nice to hear from you too." Dotty had been waiting for a sign as to who it was, and hearing Billy's name had her turning away from the phone and heading for the den. Lee supposed that she was going to try and turn that room upside down next.

"We've got to talk, Lee. I took a little stroll the other day, and a few birdies let me in on some information."

"Good news, or bad?"

"Both. Meet me at Monk's in an hour?"

"Sure. I'll leave a note for Amanda, and get going." Lee hung up the phone and pulled out a pad of paper. Dotty wandered back into the living room area, still looking around. She looked up and saw Lee, and noticed that he was writing a note. He felt like he was being watched, and raised his head. "Dotty, I'm going to be a little late for dinner. That was my old boss, and he's trying to work Amanda and I back into IFF, so I'm going to go join him for a drink."

"That's fine, Lee. I'll make sure Amanda knows." Dotty waved her hand distractedly as Lee finished up his note, and headed for the front door. Before he got there, he immediately turned around, went back into the kitchen and grabbed the keys for the 'Vette off the hook that Amanda had labeled with his name. Someday he'd get used to people moving his keys around. Maybe.

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Lee walked into Monk's, moving his eyes around the room quickly. All the usual people from The Agency were there, but many had gone a little silent when they saw Lee. He stepped down from the entryway, and started moving towards the back where he knew that Billy would be waiting for him. A few people greeted him as he made his way through the bar, but it all seemed like it was out of politeness rather than any real emotion. Once you were out of The Agency, no matter what the reason, you were basically poisonous for anyone who was still there. Lee knew this from first hand experience being under cover twice in the past as having either left The Agency or coming down like a burn out, but this time it was real, and everyone knew it. Both he and Amanda were out, and from everyone else's perspective, there was no way for them to come back in.

If Lee had never felt alone before, he certainly felt it now.

Lee sat down at the booth were Billy had a soda in front of him. "Jeannie will kill me if I keep going out for drinks after work, so I decided to keep it light tonight. Care for a beer, Lee?" The waitress had come by their booth and was waiting on an order.

"No thanks. I think I'll just have a soda too. I keep coming out for 'drinks' with you often enough that Amanda's mother might start to worry about me having a drinking problem. That would be the last thing that I would need after the whole mess with Sarah."

"So, what's Amanda been up to these days with all this free time?"

"She's been keeping busy. Donating time to a few charities. Helping out at the school. Household chores here and there." Lee looked up to see the waitress, a delicate looking blond with a nametag that said 'Cindi', deliver his soda with a wink and a smile. Lee just slid the soda over and nodded his thanks. Cindi's smile faded into a slightly sad look and she walked away.

"How is she sleeping these days?" Billy looked rather concerned about Amanda and the report that she had been having nightmares over that last case they had.

"Better. She still has nightmares, but I'm right there when she wakes up so she has someone to talk to."

"She hasn't called in to see Pfaff at all. You both know that where this case was concerned, Agency resources are still there to assist you - or Pfaff can recommend someone trustworthy - and there's always Sarah."

"I know. She hasn't wanted to talk to anyone but me. But the nightmares aren't coming frequently, and last night she actually slept all the way through." Lee smiled and took a sip of his soda. "Really, Billy, we're ok."

"So, Scarecrow, what have you been doing to keep busy? I know that household chores aren't your forte." Billy smiled widely at Lee.

"Oh, a little of this and a little of that. I helped out Amanda by cleaning up the garage a bit. I've been unpacking some things and putting them here and there in the house. Been out taking some long walks and visiting a few family members." Lee's light stress on the word 'family' was not lost on Billy, but before he could ask Lee answered his question. "They're good, Billy, but not that good. They have no idea what's going on with Smyth and his little internal crusade. Did you find out anything interesting?"

"You could say that. Which do you want first, the good news or the bad news?"

"Doesn't matter. Either way Amanda and I are still locked out."

"I took a little stroll up Pennsylvania Avenue, and the bad news is that Smyth was already there when I showed up, so I couldn't make any great inroads. The good news is that the President was not happy to hear that I was there on yours and Amanda's behalf to have your jobs reinstated. He was unaware that you two had been terminated, and when he found out the reason from Smyth, he was even less pleased. They were still talking when I left earlier, so it's possible that you may be back in the loop by tomorrow afternoon at the latest." Billy stopped to take a sip of his soda, and was distracted by the noise coming from the front of the bar.

Lee turned in his seat to see what had caught his attention. Becca Dobson had just walked in wearing a bright red dress and a big smile. The other Agency members that were in the bar were greeting her loudly. Lee turned back to Billy. "Is this a case of the party-girl being back in town, or she bring down a big case today?"

"Party-girl. Was there any real question about that, Lee?" Billy chuckled.

"No, I suppose not. I guess some things never change, huh?" Lee took a deep sip of his soda, and almost choked when an arm slid around his shoulders and a sultry voice spoke in his ear.

"That's right, Scarecrow. Some things never do." Becca had slid right up next to Lee in the booth, effectively trapping him until she got up. Both men greeted her in a flat tone of voice. "Am I interrupting something, gentlemen? It can't be business, not with Lee being locked out."

"No. Just two friends having a drink."

"Right, Lee. In the quietest booth in the back of the bar. Now, why don't I believe you?"

"Believe what you want to believe, Becca. We're just having a drink together."

"It doesn't look like anyone's doing any drinking right now. Come on, Lee, but me a drink for old times sake?" Becca looked pointedly at Lee, who was alternating between staring at his soda, and shooting looks at Billy that clearly said 'help me out of this'.

Billy stood up to leave. "Sorry, kids, Jeannie's going to kill me if I'm late for dinner one more time this month." He paused, trying to think of a way to get Lee out of there. Couldn't offer him a ride… "Lee, Jeannie would love to have you and Amanda over for dinner. Why don't you come along?"

"Sounds great. Becca, could you please excuse me?" Lee turned towards the woman, hoping that she'd make her way out of the booth. She made no motion to leave, until Billy put his hand on her shoulder, putting a little pressure on to convince her to move. Becca reluctantly got up to leave, allowing Lee to slide around her and have a clear path to the door. "I'll just give Amanda a call to meet us at your place."

"Sounds great, Lee. I'll settle our bill." Billy wandered over to the bar, pulling out his wallet along the way.

Becca grabbed Lee's arm before he could move completely out of reach. "Lee, I meant what I said. Buy me a drink for old times sake. You can always have dinner with Billy. Let's reminisce for a bit." Becca moved in closer, placing both hands on Lee's arms and moving up towards his shoulders. She lowered her voice seductively. "We could go over to your place?"

"My place is Amanda's place, and I don't think she'd be too pleased with the reminiscing that you seem to have in mind, Becca." Lee plucked her hands from his arms and dropped them, while taking a step back to move out of her reach. Becca instantly started to pout.

"Lee. I've been lonely. And the only person who could ever make me not feel so lonely was you. We used to have so much fun together." Becca smiled at him and arched one eyebrow to make her point.

"Well, I think that was because I was lonely then, and if you put two lonely people together, Becca, they're usually not lonely anymore. But I'm not lonely anymore." To make his point, Lee lifted his left hand to show his wedding band.

Becca kept the smile on her face as he showed his ring to her. "Very pretty, Lee. But some people never change, and somehow I doubt that a little housewife-turned-spy could really make you *that* happy." She stepped closer and looked him in the eye meaningfully, before she swept her eyes down toward his crotch. "Or as well-fulfilled as *I* used to make you."

Lee immediately went into Agency mode. He shot Becca a cold look that almost threw the female agent off balance. "Amanda Stetson has made me happier and more fulfilled than anyone ever could. Especially you, Dobson." Lee turned and almost ran right into Billy, who had finally finished sorting out the finances with the barkeep, after the waitress had mixed up their tab with someone else's.

"Is there a problem here?" There clearly was something going on between the two agents – Lee looked like he was not quite finished hurting something, and Becca was obviously his intended target from the hurt look that she had in her eyes.

Billy's comment brought Lee out of the mood he had dropped into. "No, Billy. No problem at all. Let's go get some dinner." He turned and headed for the exit. Billy followed.

Becca sat down in the seat previously occupied by Billy and fought the angry tears that were rapidly trying to come to her eyes. She remembered years earlier when she and Lee had spent many a restless night in one apartment or the other, keeping the loneliness at bay. They had been the best things that happened to one another, so she thought. And he was the only person she thought of the whole time she was out of the country – she was looking forward to a reunion with Lee, and the only thing she figured that would have kept her from that would be if he had died while she was gone. After all, he *always* had a night free for Becca in the past, no matter who he had a date with in the past. She'd never figured on marriage and the Scarecrow meeting at any time. 'Who does he think he is, treating me that way? I just wanted to have a good time. That's all he ever wanted in the past, too.' Becca was getting increasingly angry as she sat there and thought about how he had turned her down twice so far. 'I want to find out more about that woman he married, too. What's she got that's so 'special'?'

Becca got up from the booth and walked out of the bar, heading for her car. She decided to put in a late night in the Q, since there was nothing else worthwhile to distract her, and find out more about this 'Mrs. King' that had wound Scarecrow up so tightly. Agency records would undoubtedly have everything she needed to know about her – her record, her skills, and most importantly, where she lived with Lee Stetson.

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Two hours later she had all the information she could ever want. The specific details about the Mrs. Welch case, how Lee came to recruit Amanda King at the train station, the fact that Amanda King had two sons, was previously divorced, and had managed to be accepted as a civilian partner to the best agent they had. Becca knew where she lived, what she looked like, where she shopped, what kind of breakfast cereal she bought, how often she bought marshmallows, and how much she received in child support from her ex-husband. That she had only used deadly force for the first time in their last case before Smyth cut them both loose. That she hadn't been made part of the 'Barnstorm' list until she had been working with Lee for 3 years. *That* certainly spoke volumes, but in which direction, Becca couldn't figure. Either Lee had thought that she wasn't worthy enough to put on the list for that period of time, or he had been trying to protect her by keeping her off of it.

Becca's mind started working overtime. If Amanda King hadn't been trustworthy enough to be put on Lee's list of civilian eyes and ears, then she couldn't have been a good contact. She wouldn't be in a position to give him any valuable information about goings-on in the espionage community, but then, what single mom would be in such a position? If Amanda King hadn't been skilled enough to be put on the list, then why did Lee keep working with her – why did Billy Melrose keep suggesting, as the reports stated, that she be brought along to work with as part of the cover? There had to be some sort of skill there, shouldn't there be?

Many of Lee's older reports from 4 years ago had Amanda King listed as being a royal pain in the rear, and that she was only being brought along as per the order from Billy Melrose. That tone changed about 3 years ago. Lee had even noted in one report that he had intercepted Amanda's resignation because it would be a 'small but significant loss to The Agency'. What was *that* supposed to mean? She figured that Lee didn't know either, but that it had sounded good at the time. Reports from as recent as a year ago listed Amanda as his partner, that she had made significant contributions to the cases, that without her he couldn't have wrapped the case up so quickly. The reports for the last 8 months had been issued from the both of them – put together as a team and co-signed by the both of them. Amanda had even worked a couple of cases with Francine Desmond and a couple of solo cases. Francine had had nice comments to make about Amanda's abilities, much to Becca's surprise. Francine didn't make nice comments about anyone who worked cases with her – even when Becca had worked with her, Francine didn't have anything complimentary to state in the reports. Amanda's solo reports lacked the ego that most Agency reports did – they were filled with straightforward facts and very little opinion on the situation, other than what was called for in their closing statements. This was a lady who took her job seriously, and Becca had to grudgingly respect that.

Becca picked up the black and white photo she had found in the vault of Amanda King. She was an attractive looking woman, with an honest face, big dark colored eyes, but wasn't anything spectacular as far as Becca was concerned. 'What was Lee thinking when he got involved with *her*?' Treating this as if it were her latest case, and surmising that Lee wasn't thinking, Becca picked up a piece of paper and put it into the typewriter to put down the facts that she did indeed know.