Chapter 7 - The Morning After
**Q Bureau Saturday Morning - 7:12AM**
Amanda curled her body into the leather cushions of the sofa in their office, exhaustion leaving her limbs heavy and aching. She shifted on the cushion, the cowhide squeaking with the movement, and groaned softly with the discomfort that shot up her spine. It had been a very long time since Amanda's body hurt this much.
She blinked against the light shining through the twin windows, sleep leaving her with each new ache and pain. Moving slowly and stiffly, Amanda swung her legs of the couch and sat up. A quick glance around the office told her she was alone.
Last she remembered, Lee had helped her into the Q Bureau and had her lie down while he finished his debriefing with Billy. She had already completed hers at that point, and as Lee and Billy spoke, she had fought to keep her eyes open. But that had to be hours ago. A glance at her wristwatch confirmed it. She had been asleep over three hours.
Amanda ran a hand over her face to try and clear the fuzziness in her brain, feeling the bandage over her eye. She felt muzzy, probably from the painkillers given to her after returning to the Agency. But one thought pushed its way through.
"I've got to call Mother," she mumbled and tried to push herself up off the couch.
The door opened and Lee poked his head inside, obviously checking to see if she was still asleep. When he saw her trying to stand, he pushed the door open and crossed the room in three long strides.
"Hey," he said in a soft voice, easing her back onto cushions with his hands on her shoulders. "Where do you think you're going?" Lee sat down beside her, his hand still on her back.
"I need to call Mother. She must be worried." Even to herself, Amanda didn't sound right. She heard the slight slur in her words. A flashback of candlelight, a baseball and Lee saying something about 'a hill of chicken salad' hit her, but she blinked her eyes and shook it off. What a weird dream!
"I'll call Dotty. You just stay put."
Amanda smiled and arched her brows. "You still try that line on me, huh?"
Lee laughed. "This time I mean it." He pushed off his knees with the palms of his hand and crossed the office to his desk. "We can leave as soon as you're up to moving."
Amanda leaned back into the couch, folding her hands between her knees. "That might not be for awhile."
Lee's glance was sympathetic as he picked up the phone and dialed her home number. It couldn't have rung more than twice before her mother answered.
"Um, hi Dotty. It's Lee." He paused and glanced at Amanda, a silent chuckle pulling up one corner of his lips. A deep dimple formed in his cheek. "No, I'm not calling because something is wrong. Amanda is fine. She just didn't want you to worry."
Amanda watched Lee's eyes close and he pinched the bridge of his nose as he listened to Dotty West on the other end of the line. She must have been going on and on, because he wasn't even trying to get a word in. A smile tugged at her lips, knowing full well how her mother could go on.
"Yes, Dotty, I - well, no. To be honest, last night wasn't very typical - - - Yes, yes. I agree, but - Okay. Okay, Dotty. We'll be there soon." With an exasperated expression, Lee hung up the phone and shook his head slowly.
"Sounds like she had a lot to say," Amanda commented.
"Yah, you could say that," he said with a sigh. Lee took a deep breath and came back to sit beside her, gingerly and gently touching the bandage on her brow. "She wants us to sit down and talk when we get there."
Amanda rounded her lips and let out a slow "Oooh."
"But, she didn't sound angry. Just," he seemed to hunt for the right word, tapping the tips of his fingers together as he looked down at them. "Concerned."
Amanda reached out to slip her hand between his two. "Are you ready for this?"
Lee looked at her, and the genuine love that shined from his beautiful hazel eyes made her body light and seemed to ease some of the discomfort. He smiled wide, flashing white teeth and forming those adorably sweet dimples in his cheeks, and squeezed her fingers.
"With you, I'm ready for anything, Amanda."
They both moved at the same time, and their lips met in a tender kiss. As they separated, Amanda shook her head so the tips of their noses brushed each other. Lee chuckled, but almost immediately his expression sombered.
"How are you feeling? You took a lot tonight. More than I ever imagined you'd have to."
Amanda smiled and tried to put on her best face. "Oh, I'll be all right," she said with a nonchalant toss of her hand. The movement pulled at the tense muscles in her shoulder and back and she did her best to hide the wince.
"No, you're not all right. I want to get you out of here and home to bed. You need a hot bath and several hours of solid sleep."
Amanda closed her eyes and hummed softly. "That sounds glorious."
His fingers brushed the hair at her temple and Amanda leaned into the touch.
"I'm sorry about tonight, Amanda. I should have gotten to you faster."
Amanda opened her eyes and looked at her husband and partner. "Oh, Lee. No one expected things to happen the way they did. But I'm fine, and you're fine, and we have Mancini. **And** we stopped the shipment of guns to Iraq. Everything ended just fine. Oh! Did they begin interrogating anyone yet?"
Lee smiled and shook his head, and Amanda knew she was successful in diverting the conversation.
"We've been questioning several of them, including Mancini, for the last couple of hours."
"Any luck?"
Lee shook his head. "Not yet. Mancini is being a hard-nosed SOB, and his men are as faithful as I've ever seen. No one is talking."
"So, no one gave us any leads as to who the Mole is?"
Lee shook his head and stood. "Nope. But I'm not going to worry about it any more today. Today you are my number one concern, pretty lady. Let's get out of here, go talk to your mother, then you can get some rest."
He offered Amanda his hand, and she took it as he helped her stand. Muscle spasms gripped her back, and a sharp hiss escaped her lips as she pressed her palm against the small of her back. Lee closed the space between them and pressed his lips to her forehead. She saw the flash of regret in his eyes before the kiss. His arm slipped behind her shoulders and they walked out of the Q Bureau and down the stairs to the Georgetown Foyer.
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**Georgetown Garage Saturday Morning - 7:53AM**
Scarecrow and his partner walked through the lower level of the parking garage, their soft-soled shoes making only muffled sounds against the concrete floor. His arm was around her shoulders, and hers behind his back. She looked like she had been through a session with Dr. Pain. There was a hesitant limp to her walk and a dark bruise formed on her forehead.
**What am I going to do now? They tricked me. How could they have done this? I'm dead. If Mancini doesn't hand me to them on a silver platter, he'll send someone after me and I'm dead. Prison doesn't stop a man like Mancini.**
Thoughts ran through their watchers head at a fevered, chaotic rate - bouncing erratically like a tennis ball in a closed court. Terror and panic made blood run cold and desperation nearly forced their saboteur to play their hand too soon.
**No. Now is not the time. Soon. So soon. So very, very soon. Then it will be over. I will take down Scarecrow and Mrs. King myself!**
SMK ~~~ SMK ~~~ SMK ~~~ SMK ~~~ SMK
**4247 Maplewood Saturday Morning - 8:34AM**
As Lee and Amanda drove down the Maplewood toward number 4247, Lee saw the late model blue sedan parked along the curb. He didn't even attempt to hide the groan as he pulled into the driveway along the side of the house.
"What is Joe doing here this early?" he mumbled.
"I'm sure he came to check on Jamie," Amanda said with a shrug. "I told him we all need to talk."
"As much as I hate to admit it, Amanda, Joe is a smart man. Not all of our secrets are going to surprise him. I'm willing to bet he figured out all, or at least part, of it years ago."
Amanda sighed, a deep breath tinged slightly with a soft laugh, and shrugged one shoulder. "Maybe you're right. At least about part of it. When I spoke to Mother earlier, she asked how much she should say to him."
"And?"
"Well, like you said, I'm not so sure the Agency is going to be much of a surprise to him. So, I told her she could tell him that. She doesn't know much, so we'll still have to fill in the holes for him."
"And our marriage?"
Amanda shook her head, her chocolate-brown eyes looking at him sideways. "I asked her not to say anything. I think that is something we need to tell him face to face."
"That's a moment I can't wait for," Lee mumbled. Amanda shot him a look and he shrugged, giving his best forgive-me-but-I-can't-help-it look. Amanda just sighed, chuckled, and shook her head.
Lee reached across the small space between them in the car and took her hand. He ran his thumb across her knuckles and scrutinized the purple hint of a bruise forming there. Although the doctor at the Agency had warned Lee about the types of bruises she would probably end up with, he dreaded seeing them on the rest of her body. That would be when the intensity and seriousness of last night's events would sink in.
With one last gentle squeeze and wink, Lee released her fingers and extricated himself from the 'Vette. As he walked around the front of the car, he heard the sound of the boys running through the upstairs hall coming through the open windows. He came around the side of the sports car and opened Amanda's door. Offering both hands and his body as support, Lee helped her out of the car. Her small groan did not go unnoticed.
They walked together toward the back entrance of the house, and the voices of Dotty West and Joe King came through the windows.
"I just don't understand it, Joe. Why on **earth** would Amanda and Lee feel like they had to hide so much from us? Did they really think we couldn't handle this?"
"I think its more than that, Dotty," Joe said. "Lee and Amanda are involved in a very dangerous business. Now, I'm not saying I like it, or that I agree, but I think I can understand."
Amanda took in a deep, shaky breath and Lee felt the shudder that moved through her body. Just short of rounding the corner to a point in the back yard that they would be visible to the two in the kitchen, Lee stopped and turned to his wife to wrap her in his arms. She leaned into him without hesitation and pressed her cheek against his chest. Lee stroked her hair.
After several moments, Amanda pulled back and smiled up at him. "Thank you, Lee. I needed that."
"Yah," he said as he touched her cheek. "So did I."
Hand in hand, they crossed the back yard and went through the back door into the kitchen. As soon as the door closed behind them, Dotty and Joe's conversation stopped abruptly. The four of them stared at each other in a painful silence. Finally, Amanda cleared her throat.
"Good morning," she said simply.
The one phrase seemed to bring everyone to life. Dotty stepped forward and her eyes widened as Lee assumed she saw the bandage on Amanda's forehead.
"Amanda, darling, are you all right? Oh, my goodness. What happened?" As quickly as she said it, she rushed on. "Oh, never mind. After so many years, I don't expect an answer. Do you want some tea? Something to eat?"
"Yes, Mother. Some tea would be nice."
"Amanda, sit down at the table," Lee instructed softly and led her toward the small table in the breakfast nook. Amanda sank heavily onto the bench seat and rested her forehead in her hand. Lee rubbed his hand across her shoulders before moving back to the kitchen to help Dotty.
As Amanda's mother filled the tea kettle, Lee retrieved a loaf of wheat bread from the bread box and pulled out two slices to make her some toast. She needed to get something in her stomach, and then she needed some rest.
Once the kettle was on, and Lee dropped the bread into the toaster, Dotty slipped up beside him and leaned in to whisper conspiratorially.
"Is she all right, Lee? She looks terrible!"
Lee looked over his shoulder to where Amanda sat. She had her hands folded on the tabletop and her head down. Joe had taken up post in the doorway nearest her, his shoulder against the jamb, and silently watched her.
"She needs to go to bed for about eighteen hours," Lee explained. "We had a rough night. Especially Amanda."
"Were you on a sting or something? A stakeout? I don't know all your spy jargon, but you know what I mean."
Lee had to suppress the chuckle that threatened to escape as his mother-in- law jammered on, her hands flipping in the air and her blonde curls bobbing against her cheek.
"Something like that," Lee said.
Dotty turned and leaned her hips into the edge of the counter, wiping her fingers on a hand towel. She stared at Amanda and Lee saw the concern that squinted at the corner of her eyes and drew her lips down in a near-frown. He laid his hand on her shoulder and squeezed.
"I'm sorry we make you worry, Dotty. And I'm sorry that the worrying will only get worse, now that you know more of the truth. And some days I am more sorry than I can explain how much I hate that I'm the one that brought Amanda into this business."
Dotty looked up at him, and he immediately recognized the forgiveness and acceptance in her eyes. She reached up and patted his hand. "But you love her, don't you, Lee?"
"More than anything."
The toaster popped up and Lee turned to put the slices on a small place. In silence, Dotty retrieved butter and jelly from the refrigerator and Lee finished preparing the scant breakfast as the teakettle whistled. He carried the plate and cup back to the table and set them down, crouching down beside his wife.
"Amanda," he said softly. "Amanda, try to eat something."
She lifted her head, exhaustion making her eyelids heavy as she looked at him, and smiled. "Thank you, sweetheart."
Lee sat down beside her on the bench and stroked her back as she picked up the cup of tea and took a sip. He felt Joe's hot stare boring into him as the man took a combatant stance in the doorway. Finally, Lee looked up.
"You have something to say, Joe?"
Amanda touched his arm immediately. "Lee --."
"Yes, I do. I have some questions I want answers for."
The demanding tone in Joe King's voice immediately got Lee's ire up, and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle as he sat up straighter. Here is where the trouble would be.
"Joe --." Amanda quietly appealed to her ex-husband the same way she appealed to Lee, with just about the same response.
Joe pushed off the doorjamb with a jerk and stepped forward, his arms crossed over his chest. He pointed at them, and Lee did his best to contain his annoyance. Lee hated being pointed at.
"Who the hell do you think you are, Stetson, to take a woman like Amanda and drag her into --."
"A woman like Amanda?" Amanda asked with shock in her voice, but Joe just continued."
"-- The kind of life that she has absolutely no idea about? She is a mother and a housewife. She can't --!"
"No idea about?" Lee heard Amanda, but his attention was intent on Joe King.
"That's where you're wrong, Joe. She can. She **does**. Amanda is the best partner I have ever had, and one of the best agents the Agency has ever seen. She has saved your backside, even this entire country, more than you or anyone else will ever know."
Lee realized that **this** was why he didn't like Joe King. Joe had known Amanda in a lifetime that Lee would never know and only got a glimpse of those first few months he knew her. But she had changed, right before his eyes, with every case she worked on and every assignment she took on. Within months there was nothing left of the old Amanda King. The one Joe left behind. And even though Lee knew that, Joe wanted to hang on to the Amanda he once knew. He wanted her to still be that woman, even though he had moved on himself. She could never be that woman again.
"I don't believe it."
"You can believe whatever you want, but it's the truth," Lee ground out through clenched teeth.
"Okay, now come on!" Amanda interrupted, using the same tone of voice Lee had heard her use many times with the boys. "Arguing about it isn't going to change anything." She pressed her palms to the table and looked to Joe. "Joe, I am an Agent. I have been with the Agency for six years. Whether you believe it or not, that is the truth. Lee did not drag me into it, as you put it. It's true that I probably would not have become involved with the Agency if I hadn't met Lee, but after our first meeting, every decision was mine. Lee even tried to steer me away."
"He obviously didn't try hard enough," Joe interrupted.
"Stop it, Joe." Amanda's tone said she meant business. Lee had heard it enough to know not to push her when she sounded like that.
"Amanda, since I came back from Estocia you've been hunted down and on the run because of this guy, you've been shot, you've disappeared for days at a time. Am I supposed to believe this is the life you want? For our children?"
"Joe, I do what I do to make things **better** for our children."
Joe shook his head and pressed his knuckles into the table top. "No. No. You are my wife and the mother of my children. I can't --."
Something snapped in Lee's chest and he jumped to his feet. Joe straightened and they stood chest to chest, Lee glaring down at his personal emissary.
"That's where you're dead wrong, Joe. She may be the mother of your children, but she is MY wife."
The shock registered immediately on Joe's face and a flash of regret hit Lee. He knew he would pay later for bursting out the truth like that. It wasn't the way Amanda wanted Joe to find out. But the man just pushed him too far.
"Oh, my gosh," Amanda whispered and dropped her head into her hands.
"Amanda?" Joe said, the question in his voice.
Dotty came out of the kitchen and stood beside the two men, a hand on each of them. "Lee. Joe. Can't we please just calm down?"
"Did you know about this, Dotty?" Joe demanded.
"Well, yes," Dotty answered with a quick nod of her head. "I did. But Amana thought she should tell you herself. I don't think this was the way she intended."
"No, it wasn't" Amanda mumbled in a small voice.
Lee stepped back and took a deep breath, raking his fingers through his hair. He took several steps away from Joe before turning back. No matter how much he wanted to put this jerk in his place, Lee knew he had to calm down. For Amanda's sake. Whether he liked it or not, Joe would always be around.
"How long have you two been married?"
Lee looked to Amanda and their eyes met. She nodded once, gave him a small smile, and turned back to her ex-husband. With painful slowness, Amanda stood up from the bench. He needed to get her upstairs and into bed. She needed the rest. And she **didn't** need the stress. He stepped forward and linked hands with her.
"Just over two years," Amanda said, continuing on and cutting off Joe's argument. "Now, don't say we should have said something before now. We know that. But we had our reasons, and they were good ones."
"Don't you think I should have had some say about who became step-father to my sons?" Joe snapped out.
"Joe," Dotty pleaded.
Lee stepped forward, but Amanda's jerk on his arm stopped him. Amanda stepped around him and approached Joe.
"You had just as much say about Lee as I had about Carrie. Now, Joe, I know you're not going to like this but I think we should just take some time for everyone to calm down and then talk about this again. Things have changed, and we can talk about what it's going to be like in the future."
Joe looked from Amanda to Lee, his lips forming a tight line. Lee didn't know the man real well, but he recognized the anger in his eyes. He had never seen Joe angry, but he knew he didn't like that anger being focused on Amanda.
"Doesn't that sound like a good idea, Joe?" Dotty asked. "Why don't you and Carrie come for dinner tonight? We'll all talk then." Ever the peacemaker, Dotty did her best to soothe the raging emotions taking over her kitchen.
Without answer or saying anything further, Joe snatched his coat of the back of a nearby chair and stormed through the kitchen to the front door. It slammed shut with a resounding thunder. Silence settled in the kitchen again.
Dotty sighed. "Well, that could have gone better."
Amanda sighed and seemed to sag, her shoulder coming against Lee's side. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her hair. "Come on, Amanda. Let's get you upstairs and into a hot tub. Work those aches out."
"Do you need some help, darling?" Dotty asked, then looked at Lee. A mischievious sparkle lit up her eyes. "No, I don't suppose you do."
**Q Bureau Saturday Morning - 7:12AM**
Amanda curled her body into the leather cushions of the sofa in their office, exhaustion leaving her limbs heavy and aching. She shifted on the cushion, the cowhide squeaking with the movement, and groaned softly with the discomfort that shot up her spine. It had been a very long time since Amanda's body hurt this much.
She blinked against the light shining through the twin windows, sleep leaving her with each new ache and pain. Moving slowly and stiffly, Amanda swung her legs of the couch and sat up. A quick glance around the office told her she was alone.
Last she remembered, Lee had helped her into the Q Bureau and had her lie down while he finished his debriefing with Billy. She had already completed hers at that point, and as Lee and Billy spoke, she had fought to keep her eyes open. But that had to be hours ago. A glance at her wristwatch confirmed it. She had been asleep over three hours.
Amanda ran a hand over her face to try and clear the fuzziness in her brain, feeling the bandage over her eye. She felt muzzy, probably from the painkillers given to her after returning to the Agency. But one thought pushed its way through.
"I've got to call Mother," she mumbled and tried to push herself up off the couch.
The door opened and Lee poked his head inside, obviously checking to see if she was still asleep. When he saw her trying to stand, he pushed the door open and crossed the room in three long strides.
"Hey," he said in a soft voice, easing her back onto cushions with his hands on her shoulders. "Where do you think you're going?" Lee sat down beside her, his hand still on her back.
"I need to call Mother. She must be worried." Even to herself, Amanda didn't sound right. She heard the slight slur in her words. A flashback of candlelight, a baseball and Lee saying something about 'a hill of chicken salad' hit her, but she blinked her eyes and shook it off. What a weird dream!
"I'll call Dotty. You just stay put."
Amanda smiled and arched her brows. "You still try that line on me, huh?"
Lee laughed. "This time I mean it." He pushed off his knees with the palms of his hand and crossed the office to his desk. "We can leave as soon as you're up to moving."
Amanda leaned back into the couch, folding her hands between her knees. "That might not be for awhile."
Lee's glance was sympathetic as he picked up the phone and dialed her home number. It couldn't have rung more than twice before her mother answered.
"Um, hi Dotty. It's Lee." He paused and glanced at Amanda, a silent chuckle pulling up one corner of his lips. A deep dimple formed in his cheek. "No, I'm not calling because something is wrong. Amanda is fine. She just didn't want you to worry."
Amanda watched Lee's eyes close and he pinched the bridge of his nose as he listened to Dotty West on the other end of the line. She must have been going on and on, because he wasn't even trying to get a word in. A smile tugged at her lips, knowing full well how her mother could go on.
"Yes, Dotty, I - well, no. To be honest, last night wasn't very typical - - - Yes, yes. I agree, but - Okay. Okay, Dotty. We'll be there soon." With an exasperated expression, Lee hung up the phone and shook his head slowly.
"Sounds like she had a lot to say," Amanda commented.
"Yah, you could say that," he said with a sigh. Lee took a deep breath and came back to sit beside her, gingerly and gently touching the bandage on her brow. "She wants us to sit down and talk when we get there."
Amanda rounded her lips and let out a slow "Oooh."
"But, she didn't sound angry. Just," he seemed to hunt for the right word, tapping the tips of his fingers together as he looked down at them. "Concerned."
Amanda reached out to slip her hand between his two. "Are you ready for this?"
Lee looked at her, and the genuine love that shined from his beautiful hazel eyes made her body light and seemed to ease some of the discomfort. He smiled wide, flashing white teeth and forming those adorably sweet dimples in his cheeks, and squeezed her fingers.
"With you, I'm ready for anything, Amanda."
They both moved at the same time, and their lips met in a tender kiss. As they separated, Amanda shook her head so the tips of their noses brushed each other. Lee chuckled, but almost immediately his expression sombered.
"How are you feeling? You took a lot tonight. More than I ever imagined you'd have to."
Amanda smiled and tried to put on her best face. "Oh, I'll be all right," she said with a nonchalant toss of her hand. The movement pulled at the tense muscles in her shoulder and back and she did her best to hide the wince.
"No, you're not all right. I want to get you out of here and home to bed. You need a hot bath and several hours of solid sleep."
Amanda closed her eyes and hummed softly. "That sounds glorious."
His fingers brushed the hair at her temple and Amanda leaned into the touch.
"I'm sorry about tonight, Amanda. I should have gotten to you faster."
Amanda opened her eyes and looked at her husband and partner. "Oh, Lee. No one expected things to happen the way they did. But I'm fine, and you're fine, and we have Mancini. **And** we stopped the shipment of guns to Iraq. Everything ended just fine. Oh! Did they begin interrogating anyone yet?"
Lee smiled and shook his head, and Amanda knew she was successful in diverting the conversation.
"We've been questioning several of them, including Mancini, for the last couple of hours."
"Any luck?"
Lee shook his head. "Not yet. Mancini is being a hard-nosed SOB, and his men are as faithful as I've ever seen. No one is talking."
"So, no one gave us any leads as to who the Mole is?"
Lee shook his head and stood. "Nope. But I'm not going to worry about it any more today. Today you are my number one concern, pretty lady. Let's get out of here, go talk to your mother, then you can get some rest."
He offered Amanda his hand, and she took it as he helped her stand. Muscle spasms gripped her back, and a sharp hiss escaped her lips as she pressed her palm against the small of her back. Lee closed the space between them and pressed his lips to her forehead. She saw the flash of regret in his eyes before the kiss. His arm slipped behind her shoulders and they walked out of the Q Bureau and down the stairs to the Georgetown Foyer.
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**Georgetown Garage Saturday Morning - 7:53AM**
Scarecrow and his partner walked through the lower level of the parking garage, their soft-soled shoes making only muffled sounds against the concrete floor. His arm was around her shoulders, and hers behind his back. She looked like she had been through a session with Dr. Pain. There was a hesitant limp to her walk and a dark bruise formed on her forehead.
**What am I going to do now? They tricked me. How could they have done this? I'm dead. If Mancini doesn't hand me to them on a silver platter, he'll send someone after me and I'm dead. Prison doesn't stop a man like Mancini.**
Thoughts ran through their watchers head at a fevered, chaotic rate - bouncing erratically like a tennis ball in a closed court. Terror and panic made blood run cold and desperation nearly forced their saboteur to play their hand too soon.
**No. Now is not the time. Soon. So soon. So very, very soon. Then it will be over. I will take down Scarecrow and Mrs. King myself!**
SMK ~~~ SMK ~~~ SMK ~~~ SMK ~~~ SMK
**4247 Maplewood Saturday Morning - 8:34AM**
As Lee and Amanda drove down the Maplewood toward number 4247, Lee saw the late model blue sedan parked along the curb. He didn't even attempt to hide the groan as he pulled into the driveway along the side of the house.
"What is Joe doing here this early?" he mumbled.
"I'm sure he came to check on Jamie," Amanda said with a shrug. "I told him we all need to talk."
"As much as I hate to admit it, Amanda, Joe is a smart man. Not all of our secrets are going to surprise him. I'm willing to bet he figured out all, or at least part, of it years ago."
Amanda sighed, a deep breath tinged slightly with a soft laugh, and shrugged one shoulder. "Maybe you're right. At least about part of it. When I spoke to Mother earlier, she asked how much she should say to him."
"And?"
"Well, like you said, I'm not so sure the Agency is going to be much of a surprise to him. So, I told her she could tell him that. She doesn't know much, so we'll still have to fill in the holes for him."
"And our marriage?"
Amanda shook her head, her chocolate-brown eyes looking at him sideways. "I asked her not to say anything. I think that is something we need to tell him face to face."
"That's a moment I can't wait for," Lee mumbled. Amanda shot him a look and he shrugged, giving his best forgive-me-but-I-can't-help-it look. Amanda just sighed, chuckled, and shook her head.
Lee reached across the small space between them in the car and took her hand. He ran his thumb across her knuckles and scrutinized the purple hint of a bruise forming there. Although the doctor at the Agency had warned Lee about the types of bruises she would probably end up with, he dreaded seeing them on the rest of her body. That would be when the intensity and seriousness of last night's events would sink in.
With one last gentle squeeze and wink, Lee released her fingers and extricated himself from the 'Vette. As he walked around the front of the car, he heard the sound of the boys running through the upstairs hall coming through the open windows. He came around the side of the sports car and opened Amanda's door. Offering both hands and his body as support, Lee helped her out of the car. Her small groan did not go unnoticed.
They walked together toward the back entrance of the house, and the voices of Dotty West and Joe King came through the windows.
"I just don't understand it, Joe. Why on **earth** would Amanda and Lee feel like they had to hide so much from us? Did they really think we couldn't handle this?"
"I think its more than that, Dotty," Joe said. "Lee and Amanda are involved in a very dangerous business. Now, I'm not saying I like it, or that I agree, but I think I can understand."
Amanda took in a deep, shaky breath and Lee felt the shudder that moved through her body. Just short of rounding the corner to a point in the back yard that they would be visible to the two in the kitchen, Lee stopped and turned to his wife to wrap her in his arms. She leaned into him without hesitation and pressed her cheek against his chest. Lee stroked her hair.
After several moments, Amanda pulled back and smiled up at him. "Thank you, Lee. I needed that."
"Yah," he said as he touched her cheek. "So did I."
Hand in hand, they crossed the back yard and went through the back door into the kitchen. As soon as the door closed behind them, Dotty and Joe's conversation stopped abruptly. The four of them stared at each other in a painful silence. Finally, Amanda cleared her throat.
"Good morning," she said simply.
The one phrase seemed to bring everyone to life. Dotty stepped forward and her eyes widened as Lee assumed she saw the bandage on Amanda's forehead.
"Amanda, darling, are you all right? Oh, my goodness. What happened?" As quickly as she said it, she rushed on. "Oh, never mind. After so many years, I don't expect an answer. Do you want some tea? Something to eat?"
"Yes, Mother. Some tea would be nice."
"Amanda, sit down at the table," Lee instructed softly and led her toward the small table in the breakfast nook. Amanda sank heavily onto the bench seat and rested her forehead in her hand. Lee rubbed his hand across her shoulders before moving back to the kitchen to help Dotty.
As Amanda's mother filled the tea kettle, Lee retrieved a loaf of wheat bread from the bread box and pulled out two slices to make her some toast. She needed to get something in her stomach, and then she needed some rest.
Once the kettle was on, and Lee dropped the bread into the toaster, Dotty slipped up beside him and leaned in to whisper conspiratorially.
"Is she all right, Lee? She looks terrible!"
Lee looked over his shoulder to where Amanda sat. She had her hands folded on the tabletop and her head down. Joe had taken up post in the doorway nearest her, his shoulder against the jamb, and silently watched her.
"She needs to go to bed for about eighteen hours," Lee explained. "We had a rough night. Especially Amanda."
"Were you on a sting or something? A stakeout? I don't know all your spy jargon, but you know what I mean."
Lee had to suppress the chuckle that threatened to escape as his mother-in- law jammered on, her hands flipping in the air and her blonde curls bobbing against her cheek.
"Something like that," Lee said.
Dotty turned and leaned her hips into the edge of the counter, wiping her fingers on a hand towel. She stared at Amanda and Lee saw the concern that squinted at the corner of her eyes and drew her lips down in a near-frown. He laid his hand on her shoulder and squeezed.
"I'm sorry we make you worry, Dotty. And I'm sorry that the worrying will only get worse, now that you know more of the truth. And some days I am more sorry than I can explain how much I hate that I'm the one that brought Amanda into this business."
Dotty looked up at him, and he immediately recognized the forgiveness and acceptance in her eyes. She reached up and patted his hand. "But you love her, don't you, Lee?"
"More than anything."
The toaster popped up and Lee turned to put the slices on a small place. In silence, Dotty retrieved butter and jelly from the refrigerator and Lee finished preparing the scant breakfast as the teakettle whistled. He carried the plate and cup back to the table and set them down, crouching down beside his wife.
"Amanda," he said softly. "Amanda, try to eat something."
She lifted her head, exhaustion making her eyelids heavy as she looked at him, and smiled. "Thank you, sweetheart."
Lee sat down beside her on the bench and stroked her back as she picked up the cup of tea and took a sip. He felt Joe's hot stare boring into him as the man took a combatant stance in the doorway. Finally, Lee looked up.
"You have something to say, Joe?"
Amanda touched his arm immediately. "Lee --."
"Yes, I do. I have some questions I want answers for."
The demanding tone in Joe King's voice immediately got Lee's ire up, and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle as he sat up straighter. Here is where the trouble would be.
"Joe --." Amanda quietly appealed to her ex-husband the same way she appealed to Lee, with just about the same response.
Joe pushed off the doorjamb with a jerk and stepped forward, his arms crossed over his chest. He pointed at them, and Lee did his best to contain his annoyance. Lee hated being pointed at.
"Who the hell do you think you are, Stetson, to take a woman like Amanda and drag her into --."
"A woman like Amanda?" Amanda asked with shock in her voice, but Joe just continued."
"-- The kind of life that she has absolutely no idea about? She is a mother and a housewife. She can't --!"
"No idea about?" Lee heard Amanda, but his attention was intent on Joe King.
"That's where you're wrong, Joe. She can. She **does**. Amanda is the best partner I have ever had, and one of the best agents the Agency has ever seen. She has saved your backside, even this entire country, more than you or anyone else will ever know."
Lee realized that **this** was why he didn't like Joe King. Joe had known Amanda in a lifetime that Lee would never know and only got a glimpse of those first few months he knew her. But she had changed, right before his eyes, with every case she worked on and every assignment she took on. Within months there was nothing left of the old Amanda King. The one Joe left behind. And even though Lee knew that, Joe wanted to hang on to the Amanda he once knew. He wanted her to still be that woman, even though he had moved on himself. She could never be that woman again.
"I don't believe it."
"You can believe whatever you want, but it's the truth," Lee ground out through clenched teeth.
"Okay, now come on!" Amanda interrupted, using the same tone of voice Lee had heard her use many times with the boys. "Arguing about it isn't going to change anything." She pressed her palms to the table and looked to Joe. "Joe, I am an Agent. I have been with the Agency for six years. Whether you believe it or not, that is the truth. Lee did not drag me into it, as you put it. It's true that I probably would not have become involved with the Agency if I hadn't met Lee, but after our first meeting, every decision was mine. Lee even tried to steer me away."
"He obviously didn't try hard enough," Joe interrupted.
"Stop it, Joe." Amanda's tone said she meant business. Lee had heard it enough to know not to push her when she sounded like that.
"Amanda, since I came back from Estocia you've been hunted down and on the run because of this guy, you've been shot, you've disappeared for days at a time. Am I supposed to believe this is the life you want? For our children?"
"Joe, I do what I do to make things **better** for our children."
Joe shook his head and pressed his knuckles into the table top. "No. No. You are my wife and the mother of my children. I can't --."
Something snapped in Lee's chest and he jumped to his feet. Joe straightened and they stood chest to chest, Lee glaring down at his personal emissary.
"That's where you're dead wrong, Joe. She may be the mother of your children, but she is MY wife."
The shock registered immediately on Joe's face and a flash of regret hit Lee. He knew he would pay later for bursting out the truth like that. It wasn't the way Amanda wanted Joe to find out. But the man just pushed him too far.
"Oh, my gosh," Amanda whispered and dropped her head into her hands.
"Amanda?" Joe said, the question in his voice.
Dotty came out of the kitchen and stood beside the two men, a hand on each of them. "Lee. Joe. Can't we please just calm down?"
"Did you know about this, Dotty?" Joe demanded.
"Well, yes," Dotty answered with a quick nod of her head. "I did. But Amana thought she should tell you herself. I don't think this was the way she intended."
"No, it wasn't" Amanda mumbled in a small voice.
Lee stepped back and took a deep breath, raking his fingers through his hair. He took several steps away from Joe before turning back. No matter how much he wanted to put this jerk in his place, Lee knew he had to calm down. For Amanda's sake. Whether he liked it or not, Joe would always be around.
"How long have you two been married?"
Lee looked to Amanda and their eyes met. She nodded once, gave him a small smile, and turned back to her ex-husband. With painful slowness, Amanda stood up from the bench. He needed to get her upstairs and into bed. She needed the rest. And she **didn't** need the stress. He stepped forward and linked hands with her.
"Just over two years," Amanda said, continuing on and cutting off Joe's argument. "Now, don't say we should have said something before now. We know that. But we had our reasons, and they were good ones."
"Don't you think I should have had some say about who became step-father to my sons?" Joe snapped out.
"Joe," Dotty pleaded.
Lee stepped forward, but Amanda's jerk on his arm stopped him. Amanda stepped around him and approached Joe.
"You had just as much say about Lee as I had about Carrie. Now, Joe, I know you're not going to like this but I think we should just take some time for everyone to calm down and then talk about this again. Things have changed, and we can talk about what it's going to be like in the future."
Joe looked from Amanda to Lee, his lips forming a tight line. Lee didn't know the man real well, but he recognized the anger in his eyes. He had never seen Joe angry, but he knew he didn't like that anger being focused on Amanda.
"Doesn't that sound like a good idea, Joe?" Dotty asked. "Why don't you and Carrie come for dinner tonight? We'll all talk then." Ever the peacemaker, Dotty did her best to soothe the raging emotions taking over her kitchen.
Without answer or saying anything further, Joe snatched his coat of the back of a nearby chair and stormed through the kitchen to the front door. It slammed shut with a resounding thunder. Silence settled in the kitchen again.
Dotty sighed. "Well, that could have gone better."
Amanda sighed and seemed to sag, her shoulder coming against Lee's side. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her hair. "Come on, Amanda. Let's get you upstairs and into a hot tub. Work those aches out."
"Do you need some help, darling?" Dotty asked, then looked at Lee. A mischievious sparkle lit up her eyes. "No, I don't suppose you do."