9:00PM
Orphanage
Moscow
As she walked into the nursery, Amanda could see Lee standing in front of the window across the room, his head moving slightly up and down as if he was deep in discussion with someone. But there was no one around. The babies were all asleep, the other women gone to help the older children get ready for bed. As she approached him, her heart caught in her chest again, as she heard her husband's voice. "Your country really is amazing, you know. There are some very beautiful places here. I've been to so many of them, and I'll tell you all about them when you're older. But I can't wait until you see our home. We have a big house, horses, dogs, cats, lots of room to run and play, two wonderful big brothers . . . " Lee's voice broke and the sound tore at Amanda's heart. He was holding Nikolai with the baby's back to his own chest, one arm under his bottom and the other wrapped protectively around his torso so the baby was looking out the window with him. Lee had his chin resting gently on the baby's head. Amanda moved to stand behind him.
"How did we get ourselves into this one, Amanda?" he sighed. "Dr. Smyth is going to want my head on a platter." He turned slowly and handed Nikolai to her, kissing the top of his head before releasing him. Lee turned back toward the window. He could see St. Basil's Cathedral in the distance, the distinctive cupolas and spires magnificently lit up against the night sky. Just to the west, he knew, stood the Moscow Kremlin. "An American spy with a Russian son," he snorted, shaking his head and rubbing his temples roughly. He turned from the window, putting the images of Red Square out of his mind.
Nikolai snuggled into Amanda the minute she had taken him from Lee. An overwhelming feeling of love filled her heart and soul as he sighed and closed his eyes, his tiny hand gripping her blouse. "We'll figure it out, Lee."
"Amanda, we have a lot of talking to do." He had stopped pacing and turned to face her again, "We're not going anywhere tonight until we figure out what it is we want and what's best for him," he pointed at Nikolai as he finished. "Can we really even consider taking him home with us? Amanda, we're American Intelligence! Do we really think they'll let us have him? Can . . . no, will the Agency let us?" He looked at her, then started moving again as he continued, "I've done a lot of unorthodox things in my time with the Agency, but this one takes the cake. Smyth'll never allow this." He was desperately trying to stay calm for Amanda's sake.
"I'll quit," she whispered. "If that's what it takes, I'll resign from the Agency."
He stopped again and was quiet for a moment. A slow smile spread across his face and he took her hand, pulling her up from the chair into a loose hug. "I know you would. But I don't think we're going to need to go that far." He was starting to get excited as he ran down the possible benefits of the situation. "Amanda, the same reason we're going to have problems doing this is the same reason it'll be so much easier! We ARE the government! How many contacts do we have at the State Department? Most of them owe us favors. We have Billy," he ticked off a list on his fingers behind Amanda's back. "We have Harry, Pfaff, T.P., Francine, and the former President! Amanda, we have the former President of the United States on our side. How many times have we gotten a message from him about 'if there's ever anything you need . . .' Well, I'd say we *need* Nikolai." Lee pulled back from his wife and bent to kiss her forehead. "We can do this. I'm not leaving Moscow without him." He placed a kiss on the baby's head and wrapped his arms around them both.
"Thank you, Lee," Amanda whispered. "I came in here prepared to have you tell me there was no way we could pull this off, that we'd have to leave him here. I wasn't sure you'd feel the same way I do. I mean, I was pretty sure you did, but then I thought it might just be wishful thinking, you know, reading more into what I was seeing than was really there. And I wouldn't even think of doing anything like this without your agreement. I mean really, there'd be no way I . . . "
Lee smiled and shook his head. "Amanda, shhh. It's okay."
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me quite yet," Lee said grimly. "We may be here for a while."
"What did you find out from the embassy?" Amanda asked Lee quietly. She wasn't sure she wanted to know. She turned, sat down in the rocker, and watched as Lee paced.
"They said they'll get someone out to 'retrieve' us as soon as they can spare the manpower. Butsayev has been captured. Apparently André Mironov got cold feet, so to speak, and turned himself in to the KGB. Sang like a bird. I guess when we ran in here, André was certain that it was a sign. Told the *good* KGB about every one of their deals, plans, and colleagues. He just sat down and made a list. He said God was telling him that what he was doing was wrong, that he'd hurt too many innocent people in his life and it was time to stop and repent." Lee shook his head. "This just gets weirder by the minute."
Amanda was always impressed with how quickly and easily her husband could slip back into agent mode, no matter what else was going on. "So we're finished? We can go home? We're not in danger anymore?" Amanda's mind was running in overdrive as she tried to figure out how they were going to get through this.
"All we have to do is make our statements at the Embassy and we're free to leave." Lee stopped pacing and smiled at his wife. "Gives us plenty of time to concentrate on making Nikolai our son. As for danger, we're in Moscow. We still have to watch our backs." He sat in the rocker next to hers. "I'm gonna go give Billy a call, let him know what's going on and have him get the ball rolling over there." He reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. "You need to go get some sleep. Will you do that for me, Amanda? Go lay down and I'll be there right after I talk to Billy."
"Sure."
For some reason he didn't quite believe her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Lee had gone back to Nadya's office to use the phone, leaving Amanda and Nikolai rocking in the nursery. Nikolai had been asleep since she'd taken him from Lee, but she couldn't force herself to put him down quite yet. She had the feeling that if she put him down and left the room, he wouldn't be there when she returned. So she sat in the rocker while he slept, practically falling asleep herself. "This is ridiculous," she said after almost an hour, standing and heading out the door with Nikolai. She headed for the room Elena had taken her to earlier, passing Nadya's office on the way.
"Billy, you know I don't care what Smyth says," she heard Lee's voice through the partially opened door. Hesitating, Amanda leaned on the wall outside the office listening to Lee's strained conversation.
"No, I really don't think you *do* understand," Lee said softly, hesitating for only a moment. "We're not leaving Moscow without him. I don't care how long . . . "
Amanda desperately wished she could hear the other side of the conversation. Not only had she wanted to hear Billy's reaction to what Lee had told him but also, if it wasn't good news, she doubted that Lee would tell her every detail.
"So call in a few favors for me, man! Come on, there are enough people who 'owe' us to get us somewhere on this. We should have most of the paperwork and clearances already on file through work, we know everyone at the State Department, the U.S. Embassy . . . " Lee hesitated and Amanda knew Billy had cut him off. "Fine, you call me back here when you have everything we need. Francine knows where all my paperwork is and Amanda's is with it. She can fax it over here. I'll get our court appointment, call the Embassy, and wait for your call. If you have any problems, we can find a way to get you in touch with T.P." Lee was quiet again for what seemed like an eternity to Amanda.
"I know, Billy. We certainly didn't plan on this happening. We didn't even know where we were until it was too late." Silence again. "That's fine. She'll need to know if she's going to be getting our stuff together. But you make sure she keeps her mouth shut." Lee's voice softened and Amanda had to strain to hear what he said next. "Yeah, Billy, you should see him. He's . . . I don't know how to describe him. He's perfect." Lee cleared his throat and sounded more composed as he finished his conversation. "Thanks, I knew we could count on you, Billy. We're going to try to get some rest now; there's really nothing we can do here until morning. But I don't care what time it is here, you call if, or when, you have something. I'll talk to you later . . . Yeah . . . Bye." Lee hung up the phone and Amanda heard him sigh heavily. She turned to walk down the hall, stopping for a moment to shift Nikolai to a more comfortable position.
"I thought I told you to go to bed."
Amanda jumped at Lee's voice in her ear. "Lee, stop doing that!" She took a deep breath. "I was on my way there."
"But . . . " Lee looked questioningly at her.
"'But' nothing. I was just on my way to go lie down." Lee raised an eyebrow at her as he reached out to stroke Nikolai's head.
"How long ago, Amanda?"
"How long ago what, Lee?" She was avoiding his eyes. She was busted and she knew it.
He laughed, shaking his head. "How long ago did you manage to wrap me around your little finger so completely, without me even knowing it?"
Amanda smiled and decided to play along. "Oh, THAT. Well, let's see. There was that time you used my Junior Trailblazers map . . . no, maybe when you found and carried me out of Delano's house . . . no, wait! I know when it was. I think it was around the time that some Russians mistook me for the great Scarecrow . . . something about treason . . . " Her next thought was cut off as Lee pulled her into an embrace, careful not to wake the sleeping baby on her shoulder.
Lee chuckled, "I think you're right, Mrs. Stetson. On all counts." He ducked his head to plant a kiss on her lips. Nikolai wiggled between them and Lee smiled, resting his forehead on Amanda's. "We're going to get interrupted a whole lot more now, aren't we?"
"I sure hope so," Amanda answered quietly. Lee's comment brought her back to their current situation. "How long is this going to take, Lee?"
"Come on, let's go where we can sit and relax. I'll tell you what Billy said . . . since you've only heard my end of the conversation," Lee said with a wink.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Orphanage
Moscow
As she walked into the nursery, Amanda could see Lee standing in front of the window across the room, his head moving slightly up and down as if he was deep in discussion with someone. But there was no one around. The babies were all asleep, the other women gone to help the older children get ready for bed. As she approached him, her heart caught in her chest again, as she heard her husband's voice. "Your country really is amazing, you know. There are some very beautiful places here. I've been to so many of them, and I'll tell you all about them when you're older. But I can't wait until you see our home. We have a big house, horses, dogs, cats, lots of room to run and play, two wonderful big brothers . . . " Lee's voice broke and the sound tore at Amanda's heart. He was holding Nikolai with the baby's back to his own chest, one arm under his bottom and the other wrapped protectively around his torso so the baby was looking out the window with him. Lee had his chin resting gently on the baby's head. Amanda moved to stand behind him.
"How did we get ourselves into this one, Amanda?" he sighed. "Dr. Smyth is going to want my head on a platter." He turned slowly and handed Nikolai to her, kissing the top of his head before releasing him. Lee turned back toward the window. He could see St. Basil's Cathedral in the distance, the distinctive cupolas and spires magnificently lit up against the night sky. Just to the west, he knew, stood the Moscow Kremlin. "An American spy with a Russian son," he snorted, shaking his head and rubbing his temples roughly. He turned from the window, putting the images of Red Square out of his mind.
Nikolai snuggled into Amanda the minute she had taken him from Lee. An overwhelming feeling of love filled her heart and soul as he sighed and closed his eyes, his tiny hand gripping her blouse. "We'll figure it out, Lee."
"Amanda, we have a lot of talking to do." He had stopped pacing and turned to face her again, "We're not going anywhere tonight until we figure out what it is we want and what's best for him," he pointed at Nikolai as he finished. "Can we really even consider taking him home with us? Amanda, we're American Intelligence! Do we really think they'll let us have him? Can . . . no, will the Agency let us?" He looked at her, then started moving again as he continued, "I've done a lot of unorthodox things in my time with the Agency, but this one takes the cake. Smyth'll never allow this." He was desperately trying to stay calm for Amanda's sake.
"I'll quit," she whispered. "If that's what it takes, I'll resign from the Agency."
He stopped again and was quiet for a moment. A slow smile spread across his face and he took her hand, pulling her up from the chair into a loose hug. "I know you would. But I don't think we're going to need to go that far." He was starting to get excited as he ran down the possible benefits of the situation. "Amanda, the same reason we're going to have problems doing this is the same reason it'll be so much easier! We ARE the government! How many contacts do we have at the State Department? Most of them owe us favors. We have Billy," he ticked off a list on his fingers behind Amanda's back. "We have Harry, Pfaff, T.P., Francine, and the former President! Amanda, we have the former President of the United States on our side. How many times have we gotten a message from him about 'if there's ever anything you need . . .' Well, I'd say we *need* Nikolai." Lee pulled back from his wife and bent to kiss her forehead. "We can do this. I'm not leaving Moscow without him." He placed a kiss on the baby's head and wrapped his arms around them both.
"Thank you, Lee," Amanda whispered. "I came in here prepared to have you tell me there was no way we could pull this off, that we'd have to leave him here. I wasn't sure you'd feel the same way I do. I mean, I was pretty sure you did, but then I thought it might just be wishful thinking, you know, reading more into what I was seeing than was really there. And I wouldn't even think of doing anything like this without your agreement. I mean really, there'd be no way I . . . "
Lee smiled and shook his head. "Amanda, shhh. It's okay."
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me quite yet," Lee said grimly. "We may be here for a while."
"What did you find out from the embassy?" Amanda asked Lee quietly. She wasn't sure she wanted to know. She turned, sat down in the rocker, and watched as Lee paced.
"They said they'll get someone out to 'retrieve' us as soon as they can spare the manpower. Butsayev has been captured. Apparently André Mironov got cold feet, so to speak, and turned himself in to the KGB. Sang like a bird. I guess when we ran in here, André was certain that it was a sign. Told the *good* KGB about every one of their deals, plans, and colleagues. He just sat down and made a list. He said God was telling him that what he was doing was wrong, that he'd hurt too many innocent people in his life and it was time to stop and repent." Lee shook his head. "This just gets weirder by the minute."
Amanda was always impressed with how quickly and easily her husband could slip back into agent mode, no matter what else was going on. "So we're finished? We can go home? We're not in danger anymore?" Amanda's mind was running in overdrive as she tried to figure out how they were going to get through this.
"All we have to do is make our statements at the Embassy and we're free to leave." Lee stopped pacing and smiled at his wife. "Gives us plenty of time to concentrate on making Nikolai our son. As for danger, we're in Moscow. We still have to watch our backs." He sat in the rocker next to hers. "I'm gonna go give Billy a call, let him know what's going on and have him get the ball rolling over there." He reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. "You need to go get some sleep. Will you do that for me, Amanda? Go lay down and I'll be there right after I talk to Billy."
"Sure."
For some reason he didn't quite believe her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Lee had gone back to Nadya's office to use the phone, leaving Amanda and Nikolai rocking in the nursery. Nikolai had been asleep since she'd taken him from Lee, but she couldn't force herself to put him down quite yet. She had the feeling that if she put him down and left the room, he wouldn't be there when she returned. So she sat in the rocker while he slept, practically falling asleep herself. "This is ridiculous," she said after almost an hour, standing and heading out the door with Nikolai. She headed for the room Elena had taken her to earlier, passing Nadya's office on the way.
"Billy, you know I don't care what Smyth says," she heard Lee's voice through the partially opened door. Hesitating, Amanda leaned on the wall outside the office listening to Lee's strained conversation.
"No, I really don't think you *do* understand," Lee said softly, hesitating for only a moment. "We're not leaving Moscow without him. I don't care how long . . . "
Amanda desperately wished she could hear the other side of the conversation. Not only had she wanted to hear Billy's reaction to what Lee had told him but also, if it wasn't good news, she doubted that Lee would tell her every detail.
"So call in a few favors for me, man! Come on, there are enough people who 'owe' us to get us somewhere on this. We should have most of the paperwork and clearances already on file through work, we know everyone at the State Department, the U.S. Embassy . . . " Lee hesitated and Amanda knew Billy had cut him off. "Fine, you call me back here when you have everything we need. Francine knows where all my paperwork is and Amanda's is with it. She can fax it over here. I'll get our court appointment, call the Embassy, and wait for your call. If you have any problems, we can find a way to get you in touch with T.P." Lee was quiet again for what seemed like an eternity to Amanda.
"I know, Billy. We certainly didn't plan on this happening. We didn't even know where we were until it was too late." Silence again. "That's fine. She'll need to know if she's going to be getting our stuff together. But you make sure she keeps her mouth shut." Lee's voice softened and Amanda had to strain to hear what he said next. "Yeah, Billy, you should see him. He's . . . I don't know how to describe him. He's perfect." Lee cleared his throat and sounded more composed as he finished his conversation. "Thanks, I knew we could count on you, Billy. We're going to try to get some rest now; there's really nothing we can do here until morning. But I don't care what time it is here, you call if, or when, you have something. I'll talk to you later . . . Yeah . . . Bye." Lee hung up the phone and Amanda heard him sigh heavily. She turned to walk down the hall, stopping for a moment to shift Nikolai to a more comfortable position.
"I thought I told you to go to bed."
Amanda jumped at Lee's voice in her ear. "Lee, stop doing that!" She took a deep breath. "I was on my way there."
"But . . . " Lee looked questioningly at her.
"'But' nothing. I was just on my way to go lie down." Lee raised an eyebrow at her as he reached out to stroke Nikolai's head.
"How long ago, Amanda?"
"How long ago what, Lee?" She was avoiding his eyes. She was busted and she knew it.
He laughed, shaking his head. "How long ago did you manage to wrap me around your little finger so completely, without me even knowing it?"
Amanda smiled and decided to play along. "Oh, THAT. Well, let's see. There was that time you used my Junior Trailblazers map . . . no, maybe when you found and carried me out of Delano's house . . . no, wait! I know when it was. I think it was around the time that some Russians mistook me for the great Scarecrow . . . something about treason . . . " Her next thought was cut off as Lee pulled her into an embrace, careful not to wake the sleeping baby on her shoulder.
Lee chuckled, "I think you're right, Mrs. Stetson. On all counts." He ducked his head to plant a kiss on her lips. Nikolai wiggled between them and Lee smiled, resting his forehead on Amanda's. "We're going to get interrupted a whole lot more now, aren't we?"
"I sure hope so," Amanda answered quietly. Lee's comment brought her back to their current situation. "How long is this going to take, Lee?"
"Come on, let's go where we can sit and relax. I'll tell you what Billy said . . . since you've only heard my end of the conversation," Lee said with a wink.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*