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.
I apologize for formatting issues that appear... I'm really beginning
to hate my computer...
See Chapter
1 for more information on timing and all that other good stuff...
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With
her schedule clear for the afternoon, except to wait on the repairman for
the dishwasher, no charities to support, or rummage sales to keep her occupied,
Amanda decided that the best way to avoid any boredom would be to bake
some bread.She had just set upon
the task of kneading, her hands and forearms covered in flour and sticky
dough, when someone chose that moment to call.Cursing
herself for not turning on the answering machine, she grabbed a towel and
quickly rubbed the dough and flour off her hands, and grabbed the phone
on its 5th ring.
"Hello?"A
split second of silence, a click and a dial tone.Amanda
sighed and hung up the phone.Whoever
it was must have decided that it wasn't important.Hoping
that it wasn't Billy, she went back to her dough.Seconds
later, the phone rang again.Deciding
that it would be easier to clean the towel, she wrapped it around her hand
to pick up the phone.
"Hello?"Again,
she was greeted with silence, a click and then the dial tone.Thinking
to herself that it was a wrong number, she hung up the receiver, and started
to clean off her hands.When they
were sufficiently clean, she turned on the answering machine, and then
turned back to the dough.'If this
keeps up, I'm going to have to toss this and start over, or else it's going
to be as hard as a rock,' she thought to herself, waiting just a few seconds
before touching to dough to see if there was going to be another phone
call, a deliveryman, or a nuclear disaster.When
nothing came, she turned back to the dough.
Then the doorbell and the
phone sounded at the same time.Amanda
groaned, picked up the ball of dough, and threw the mess into the trash
before heading for the front door.Upon
opening it, she found Lee just about to insert his key in the lock, his
arms juggling a load of mail, papers, and assorted books, and an amused
repairman behind him.Saying nothing,
she grabs the books on the top of the pile and moves back into the house
with a smile, before turning to the repairman."Thank
you so much for coming quickly.Follow
me, it's back this way."Her voice
faded as she led the repairman towards the kitchen, leaving Lee behind
with his armload and an open front door.
"Hi honey,
it's nice to see you, honey, can I help you with anything?"Lee
whispered to himself as he managed to kick the front door closed with his
foot.He headed for the den to put
down his load, and then thought better of it.He
followed his wife's voice to the kitchen, where he put everything down
on the table, and started to sort things into various piles.The
papers that he'd had hidden away and information from his network went
into one pile, the books into another, and the day's mail into another.He
heard Amanda and the repairmen go silent, and chose that moment to put
himself into a precarious position."Amanda?Do
I see the makings for some homemade bread on the counter?"He
instantly regretted those words when he heard the growl and saw the look
on his wife's face as she approached."I
said something wrong, didn't I?"
"You bet
you – oh, it's not your fault.I
just got frustrated with so many interruptions while I was working on the
bread that I just threw it out when the doorbell rang."She
looked rather sheepish at this admission.
"Yeah,
I saw the repairman as I was pulling into the drive and I guess he didn't
hear me say that I could let him in.I
shouldn't have grabbed all that stuff before heading in, but I didn't want
to make the trip back out.Look,
he's busy with the machine, and you've got enough supplies to start again.Why
don't I run interference, and you get busy with more bread?"
"Maybe
later.What's all this?"Amanda
started looking over the books and papers that were spread out over the
table.She picked up the mail and
started flipping through it, pulling out an envelope here and there.
"Just some
notes and papers that our friends were keeping for me.And
a few things left in storage that I wanted to take a closer look at.Social
registry and all."
"Social
registry?Looking for a debutante?"Amanda
arched an eyebrow at Lee.
"No.Looking
for some history.Smyth runs in
some pretty prominent circles, and he's never been one to miss a society
party.So I thought I would do some
digging on our favorite mess-maker and see if there's something that leads
to why we're out of our jobs."
"You know
that's a long shot.Even if there's
something in there, it's going to take time to find it."
"Yes, I
do, but all we seem to have now is time."He
swept his arm around to show the repairman and the bread makings on the
counter.Amanda slowly nodded her
agreement as she realized the truth in Lee's statement.She
was still going through the mail, when an envelope caught her eye.She
pulled it out of the pile and looked at it carefully."Amanda,
something wrong?"
"I don't
know, Lee.This is odd.It's
addressed to me as Mrs. Lee Stetson, and there's no return address."She
held up the plain white cardstock envelope for her husband's inspection.Lee
took the envelope, looked it over, and handed it back to Amanda.
"Only one
way to find out what's in it?Open
it up, Amanda."She had been turning
the envelope around in her hands, and was currently holding it up to the
sunlight coming in the window to see if there were any identifying marks
that would show from the inside of the envelope.She
slid her finger under the flap, and pulled out a single sheet of folded
paper.She unfolded the paper, read
it, and a concerned look came upon her face."Amanda,
what is it?"
She handed
the typed sheet of paper over to Lee.He
read the single paragraph.
'Why would he bother to be with you?He
was made for thoroughbred racing stock, not glue stock.'
Lee look
up at Amanda to issue an apology, expecting her to be upset.Instead,
she looked angry with the letter."Well,
at least the phone calls from the steno pool stopped."She
looked up at Lee, and the anger previously evident had changed to resignation."How
long are we going to have to prove to everyone that this isn't a joke?"She
turned away and headed back towards the sink, where the repairman was still
working and asked about his progress.
Lee looked
after her and said softly for no one but himself to hear, "Probably until
we celebrate our 50th anniversary."
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Now that
they had the dishwasher and the washing machine repaired in the same week,
the King-Stetson-West household was looking at a couple of days of leftovers
and eating whatever they had on hand.The
phone had started to ring at odd times of day and night, each one a hang-up
to whoever answered the phone.The
answering machine was on all the time now, but that didn't seem to deter
the mystery caller.Amanda had already
written off the caller as a persistent individual with the wrong number,
but that didn't explain the continuing letter.
A couple
more anonymous letters addressed to 'Mrs. Lee Stetson' had come through
in the previous couple of days.The
latest one had a signature to the letter – 'Lee's next bedmate' – and this
didn't make Amanda feel any better.She
had no doubts about Lee's fidelity, but it wasn't sitting well with her
or Lee that someone was harassing them this way.She
became sure that the hang-ups were related.
Amanda
hadn't had any outside activities to keep her busy, and she was starting
to feel a little confined.She'd
been doing some gardening and yard work with Lee; this was helping stave
off cabin fever, but it wasn't doing anything for a change of scenery.Lee
had spent the day with one of his old physical trainers (and informants),
and was planning to meet Billy at Randy's.He'd
asked Amanda to meet them both there, so that she'd have a break from the
house, the leftovers, and to see Billy again about their jobs.Just
before she was to leave, a deliveryman arrived at the house with a dozen
white roses.She smiled as she signed
for them, happy that Lee had gotten over his aversion to roses to be able
to give them to her as a surprise once in a while.The
smile faded as she read the card.
'My condolences on the loss of your marriage.'
This message, like the others, was typed, and didn't make
Amanda any more comfortable with the situation.Whoever
this was, and Amanda had some suspicions, was getting bolder about their
anonymous contact.Amanda took the
card with her, as it had the name of the florist, and threw the roses in
the trash.
She drove
to Randy's, and showed up just as the waitress had stopped to pick up the
order from the table.Amanda declined
ordering anything for herself; she and Lee usually shared dishes when they
ate out together.This night would
be no different than any other, so she hoped.
"So, Billy,
make any inroads?"Lee looked up
from where Amanda's hand and his were entwined on the tabletop.Billy
had noticed this too, and smiled.They
weren't his favorite team for nothing.
"Yes, actually
I did.I have good news and bad news."
Lee groaned."Not
again, Billy.What now?The
President wants to invite *us* to tea, but Smyth has to be there too, right?"
"Lee, settle
down.The good news is that all the
clearances are under way to reinstate you and Amanda within the next 48
hours.So you'd better spend those
hours wisely, because once you're gainfully re-employed, you're going to
be busy."Billy stopped to take a
drink of his soda.As he did so,
he stole a look at Lee and Amanda who had reacted in shock, and now were
busy hugging each other and smiling.'If
ever there was a pair that were made to be together, it's these two.'Knowing
that his statement didn't only mean togetherness in a personal sense, but
on professional, mental, and emotional levels as well would lessen the
impact of what he had to say next.Lee
and Amanda were congratulating each other, and had just turned to chatter
at Billy, when they noticed the serious look on his face.
"Sir?"Amanda
spoke softly. "The bad news?"
"The bad
news is that you're going to have to rotate assignments for awhile, until
your partnership is reinstated."He
held up a hand before they could protest. "I know I said you're on your
way back, but as agents *not* as partners.Not
yet, anyway.There's still some sort
of problem with Smyth, and I'm still trying to crack that particular nut-"
He was interrupted by Lee muttering something about 'nut is an understatement'
and a sharp 'OW' when Amanda elbowed him for it."Smyth's
motivation isn't going to be easy to find out, but with the both of you
back on the inside, we should be able to figure it out.By
the way, you two should work out who's going to work in the Q, considering
I can't put the both of you up there."
Amanda
quickly spoke up."Sir, there's enough
work in the Q Bureau that Lee and I could split it up easily and not cross
paths.It's happened before."
"I know,
Amanda, but-" Billy faltered.
"Amanda,
Becca Dobson is handling the Q while we're out."Amanda's
forehead creased in concentration, and then realization hit her face.
"I know
you could feel uncomfortable with either of you working with Becca in the
Q, which is why I wanted to make it your decision.Either
way, you're going to run into Becca, Amanda – there's no avoiding it.With
you back on board, I could move Francine up there, and you could help take
over some of her duties."
"Billy,
you know that would overload Francine's case load.She's
the best at the foreign dignitary and embassy row scene.Amanda
and I will figure out what to do."Lee
smiled at Billy, and looked to Amanda who was deep in concentration again.He
nudged his wife, and she startled but smiled once she realized the conversation
had taken a turn."Where've you been
all night?"
"Amanda,
is something wrong?"Billy always
could tell when something was weighing down on Amanda's mind; this time
there was clearly something important on the lady's mind tonight.
Amanda
pulled one of her hands out of Lee's and reached into her pocket to pull
out the card."I received a delivery
today before I came here, and this was the card enclosed."
She pushed
the card across the table to the center, where either Lee or Billy could
pick it up.Both men reached out
for it, Billy was faster.He read
the card, his brow creasing and then handed it over to Lee.Lee
read the card and started turning it, tapping each edge on the table as
it turned in his long fingers.He
spoke in a calm, determined tone of voice. "Amanda, what was delivered?"
"A dozen
white long-stemmed roses."
"Amanda,"
Billy spoke, "Is this the first time you received anything like this?"His
concern was evident in his voice and face.
"No, Billy,
it's not.Amanda's been getting letters.And
I think the phone calls are related too."
"Letters?Phone
calls?Scarecrow, how come I haven't
heard about this before?"Billy's
voice rose.
"I wasn't
concerned about them, sir.I figured
it was probably someone who heard about Lee and I and was just jealous."Amanda
looked down at the table.She quickly
outlined the last few days worth of hang-ups and letters."They're
all typed, and they're probably clean.There's
no return address, and no signature.I've
got them all, but I don't think you're going to get much from them.They're
on plain white paper, no special marks or anything else to identify them."
"Amanda,
there *was* a signature on one of them."
"Lee, that's
not import-"
"Amanda,
anything's important when someone is harassing one of my agents.What
was the signature?"
Amanda
mumbled something as she looked down into the table.Billy
looked quizzically at Lee who translated."It
was signed, 'Lee's next bedmate', Billy."
"I'm sorry
I asked."Billy knew Lee's restless
past as well as any of them sitting at that table, and it wasn't an easy
thing to bring up.Amanda tended
to either tease Lee about it or look away from the conversation; Lee was
usually embarrassed about it.It
was something, however, that needed to be addressed."Lee,
is there anyone in your past who was a little, er, unstable about their
relationship with you?"
"No."Lee
looked up, clearly uncomfortable and starting to turn red around the collar."There
was always someone around.There
were a couple of times at Embassy assignments where Amanda was with me,
and at least one or two people from my past came a little too close.But
no one had ever gotten obsessive about it.I
think the closest I ever got to someone coming on too strong was Elisa
Danton after Amanda and I had gotten married."He
looked over at Amanda, and squeezed her hand, which he had been holding
the entire time."I know this isn't
Elisa at work – she and Amanda actually became friends after I brought
them to meet each other."
"Elisa's
too sweet to be behind this, sir."Amanda
finally looked up and made eye contact with her boss."But
I wonder if it's someone who's always wanted to get involved with Lee,
and didn't get the chance?"
"Amanda,
I haven't met any new women lately.You
won't let me prowl the nightclubs anymore."His
voice whined, but his eyes twinkled with the tease, which made Amanda smile.
"Yes, I
know.The old ball and chain, right?"Amanda's
face changed slightly after finishing the statement."Sir,
I wonder if there's someone at The Agency who's related to this?"
"Why do
you think that, Amanda?"
"Because
how many of the women in Lee's past would know that he's moved in with
me?Lee moved into that last apartment
after he and I got involved, and didn't leave a forwarding address.It
isn't likely that it's someone from his distant past, unless it's someone
he worked with."
"Amanda,
there aren't that many people in the steno pool who would have access to
our personal information."Lee looked
over at Amanda, wondering what she was thinking.
"That's
why I think it might be an agent."Amanda
looked around as the thought settled in with the two men at the table.Lee
squeezed her hand gently – it felt to Amanda that it was almost as much
as for himself as it was for her.Billy
was clearly disturbed by the thought.
Just then,
the waitress arrived with their food, and the three agents started to eat,
the weight of Amanda's idea hanging over them.If
there had been anyone watching the group, they probably would have thought
their behavior odd.The previously
chattering group fell to almost complete silence during the meal, and when
they broke up for the night, it was with few words exchanged.