Chapter 9

Francine looked up at Efraim, whose face had become instantly shuttered upon seeing Amanda. Francine and Amanda both sighed, knowing that Efraim could choose to be stubborn when the mood struck him.

"Going home?" Amanda asked.

"We thought we would, considering," Francine shrugged, knowing that Efraim usually responded well to the direct approach.

"Good idea. I am as well. Lee can work out his own way home tonight." Amanda told them, leaning up against the wall of the elevator.

Francine smiled at Amanda's posture, So much like Lee! I wonder if in the years to come I'll pick up Efraim's habits? She smiled, shaking her head at the looks that both Amanda and Efraim gave to her. The elevators opened and the three agents walked into the parking garage. Amanda stopped at her Land Rover, looking for a way to broach the subject with Francine and Efraim.

"I guess Lee and Geiger will be eating quite a bit of Chinese food themselves tonight," she finally said, hoping that Efraim, being Efraim, would ask her to join them for dinner, regardless of how angry he was with her husband.

Amanda was wrong. But Francine bailed her out, seeing what Amanda was trying to do. "Why don't you join us for dinner at home, Amanda? Just a salad and some pasta, maybe Efraim will build a fire in the fireplace. Please?"

"Thank you Francine," Amanda smiled gratefully. "I'd love to! Why don't I follow you home?"

"Sounds good, doesn't it Efraim?" Francine asked her husband, who up until then had been silent in Amanda's presence.

"Yeah, good. See you at the house, Amanda." Efraim opened the car door of the Miata for Francine and sighed at the look she gave him. He closed the door after she got in the car and walked over to Amanda's, taking the key and opening the car door for her. Amanda smiled brightly at Efraim and got in the Rover.

Climbing into the Mazda, Efraim looked over at Francine. "Did the two of you plan this?"

"No. But we still need to talk about this Efraim. And Amanda is mad at Lee for the way he behaved and she wants to make a point. I'm just helping her out on all fronts."

"Yeah, right. I'm still mad as hell. I don't know if I want to cool down." He said as he reversed the Mazda out of it's space and drove out of the parking garage. He saw Amanda's lights behind him and he slowed down. "I sure as hell don't want to talk about this with Amanda."

"Why?"

"Francine, I don't even want to talk with you about Jonathan Stone."

"Are you ashamed of me?"

Efraim slammed on the brakes and pulled the car to the curb, causing Amanda to careen around them through the light where she parked on the other side of the intersection.

"Don't ever ask me that again, Francine. I am not ashamed of you. I have never been ashamed of you and I will never be ashamed of you. I mean it, don't." His voice had been quiet, and Francine knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that her husband was angry.

"Sweetheart, then we have to talk about this. Who are you angry with? Me or Jonathan?"

"Myself. If I hadn't been such an ass when I joined the Agency. . .I don't know Francine. I'm mad at myself."

"You couldn't have changed anything Efraim. I had to change too. I was shallow back then and I would not have gone out with you, let alone allow myself to fall in love with you. I'm sorry, but that's the truth. That last time with Jonathan Stone gave me the push I needed to take a good, hard look at myself and make some changes. And because of that, I'm able to have the happiness and life that I have now with you. I love you, Efraim, the person you are, and I thank God everyday that I was lucky enough to have you fall in love with me."

Efraim smiled at her last words, he had said the same thing to her not long ago. He glanced over at her, surprised to see tears in her eyes. Reaching over, he ran his knuckles down her cheek, and leaned over and kissed her lightly. "Lets go home, eat and get rid of Amanda so I can apologize to my wife properly," his voice a husky whisper.

Francine smiled at him, letting him know she liked the way he was thinking. Efraim put the car in gear and pulled out at the light, flashing his lights at Amanda as he crossed the intersection. Amanda drove behind them all the way to the townhouse.

Amanda hadn't seen the townhouse since the wedding, so Efraim gave her a tour while Francine was getting dinner ready. They returned to the kitchen where Efraim pulled out a bottle of wine, opened it and poured a glass for each of them.

Over a simple dinner of pasta with sautéed vegetables and salad, Amanda asked about the townhouse. "How long has it been in your family, Efraim? I mean, this is an old home. It's beautiful!"

"Since it was built, it's an historic house on the National Register. It was built in 1787, about the same time that Halcyon House was built for Benjamin Stoddert, the first Secretary of the Navy. My father was born here, and I was brought home from the hospital to this house and all of my early memories are of my family right here. My two brothers were brought home here, but Lucy was raised at the Maryland house. We lived here, my uncles at one time or another have all lived here. Lucy and her husband were here until recently. In reality, it's mine as the eldest son, and will be handed on to my children, but I didn't want to live here alone."

"I can understand why. This is a happy home, and it needs to be filled with love." Amanda said, smiling at both Francine and Efraim. Efraim was still angry, but had cooled off to a very low simmer. Amanda watched as Francine would reach out and touch Efraim to gain his attention just to smile at him, or take his hand and hold it. She admitted to herself that she had a momentary flash of fear for their marriage when she had found Jonathan Stone back in the picture, but now after watching the two of them together, she was sure that they would weather this storm, whatever the outcome in their professional lives.

"Amanda. We know we have to talk about what needs to be done with Jonathan Stone. Why don't we go into the living room by the fire and relax and talk this out. We can work this out together, can't we B?" Francine looked at her husband, who nodded and gave her a half hearted smile.

Efraim pulled back Amanda and Francine's chairs and they went into the living room. The room was warm from the fire, which cast shadows that danced and weaved on the walls. Francine choose her normal corner on the couch, her shoes off and her feet underneath her. She reached out her hand to Efraim, who took it and was pulled to sit next to his her. Amanda chose the chair across from the couch and got comfortable, watching as Efraim draped his arm over Francine's shoulders, leaning down and giving her a quick kiss.

"We know that Francine has to meet with Stone, but I think how will be important. And I think it will be important that Efraim is with you Francine."

"I just want to say up front, I'm not thrilled with this idea," Efraim said, his voice harsh.

"We know you aren't B, we aren't either. But this has to be done. How do you think I'd feel if I ran into Rhonda from accounting?"

"That would be hard, hon, since you had her transferred to Juno."

Francine had the grace to blush, but she grinned wickedly. "Yes, I did! Didn't I? That was so long ago, I forgot!" She laughed as did Amanda and Efraim. "Oh Efraim! I can't believe that I did that!"

"It gave me hope hon, it gave me hope," Efraim lifted her hand and kissed it. "Okay. So he's still interested in Francine. How do we engineer a meet without Carlson getting wind of it?"

"How about following him to dinner?" Amanda suggested.

"If we're being followed, it will fall apart. No, we need another way." Efraim replied, thinking about the situation.

"How about if we have Mrs. Lang make a date with Stone, and we show up instead? She makes the contact and tells us the place. She never shows, and I walk in as he's leaving. You come in a moment later. It would give us a face to face, maybe he would see the difference, realize what he's doing. I don't know." Francine shrugged, the idea sounding weak to her.

"No! That's a good idea Francine. If he sees how happy you and Efraim are, how do you think that will effect him?" Amanda asked, trying to think this through.

"I don't know. I'm not sure I know anything anymore."

"Hon, that's not doing you any good. Remember, we stick together through this." He watched as Francine nodded, the sadness in her eyes tearing through him. "We're worth fighting for, right?"

"Oh Efraim, of course we are."

"Then where's the woman who sent 4 of the 5 women I was seeing at different times to the vast reaches and outposts of the Agency? Come on! Let's fight this!"

"Four out of five? Who did I miss?" Francine asked, concerned that she had fallen down on her job of keeping Efraim to herself over the years.

"You. The first woman has always been you, my love." He grinned at her as she laughed and shook her head at him.

"Francine, I'm glad you came to your senses and married this man, because I would have considered leaving Lee for him."

"You're stuck with the Scarecrow, Amanda. Sorry." Francine laughed, feeling for the first time today since Efraim told her about Jonathan Stone, a lightness in her heart. "Alright. I think Jonathan is probably obsessed, and seeing me up close and talking to me and seeing me with Efraim may put things into perspective. If not, we'll have to come up with something else, but for now, lets see what we get from this."

"How do we set this up?" Amanda wasn't sure how to proceed.

"We have Dr. Smyth contact Senator Lang and make the arrangements. We get someone in whatever restaurant they choose to let us know when he looks like he's going to leave. It looks random. Easy enough," Efraim nodded, thinking the plan could work.

"Well, I think I should probably go home and face Lee. He's not going to be very happy with me this evening. Thank you for dinner, even though I rather did force myself on your hospitality. And the tour of your beautiful home." Amanda stood and watched as Efraim got up and held out his hand to Francine. She smiled as she watched the couple together, knowing that they would make it through this bump in the road.

Efraim slipped his arm around Francine's waist, pulling her close to him. "I'm sorry for my temper tonight Amanda, and you know you're welcome here anytime. Thanks for helping us get this off the ground."

They walked to the door, Efraim holding it open for Amanda. Lee was leaning against the side of Amanda's car, looking a little cold and somewhat sheepish.

"You could have knocked on the door, Lee," Francine told him, shaking her head at her friend.

"I didn't want your husband to punch me out, and I haven't been here that long. Dave dropped me off just a few minutes ago." Lee held out his arm to Amanda, who gave him a hug and a slap on the chest. "Beaman? I'm sorry, I was being that ass you so often accuse me of being."

Efraim nodded. "Forget it. This is bound to be a hard subject for all of us. Amanda will fill you in on what we've decided. Will we still see you for dinner tomorrow night?"

Lee grinned. "Yeah. Geiger was hoping that this little argument tonight would cancel out tomorrow night. Can I call him and tell him dinner is still on?"

"No, I get that pleasure." Francine announced, laughing along with her friends. Lee opened the car door for his wife, then got in and pulled away. Efraim and Francine waved until the Rover turned the corner and was out of sight.

Turning back towards the inviting warmth of their home, Efraim took Francine in his arms and kissed her. "I love you Francine. Thanks."

"For what, B?" She tip-toed, holding onto his shoulders, his hands at her waist, and kissed him back.

"For knowing how to get around my bad moods."

Francine laughed, her eyes sparkling in the reflected light. "Oh B, that's what being a wife is all about! Come on, I'm getting cold. Know any sure fire ways to warm me up?" She slipped her arm around his waist, his settling on her shoulder as they walked back into the house. Efraim closed the front door, locking it and began to bank the fire. Francine headed to the kitchen, putting things away and turning on the dishwasher.

The couple headed upstairs, Francine taking her nightgown and changing. Efraim checked the windows as he usually did. He watched the few cars as they passed the townhouse, seeing the lights in the other homes on the street turn off for the night. Francine came up behind him, slipping her arms around his waist, kissing his back. He turned in her arms, bringing her close to him, leaning down and kissing her the way he had wanted to all evening. Francine slipped her hands underneath his sweater, pulling him closer to her.

His own hands roamed over her body, skimming over the silk of her nightgown. "I think we should take this away from the window, don't you?" His voice with low and thick with desire. He picked her up, and carried her into their bedroom, sitting her down on the bed. He pulled off his clothes, tossing them in the chair, chuckling as Francine tsk-ed at him. He climbed in their bed after turning the light off and pulled his wife into his arms.

"I think you said something earlier about being cold. Let me see what I can teach you about shared body heat." He pulled her nightgown off, tossing it in the direction of the chair, knowing it hit the floor where it always did. Francine laughed, snuggling into him, kissing his jaw, his throat and collarbone. He pinned her beneath him, nuzzling her neck, whispering his need of her, running his hand possessively over her body, bringing sighs and moans of desire from his wife.

Neither had noticed the light blue Plymouth mini-van with the heavily tinted windows, parked across the street from their front door. The driver cursed and threw the car into gear and pulled away,

Efraim awoke the next morning and rolled over to hug his wife. The bed was empty and he leaned up on his elbow to look around the room. He heard clattering down in the kitchen and the smell of freshly brewed coffee reached him. He stretched and grinned, thinking of their night together. They only got better together.

He put his hands behind his head, thinking about the day ahead. Their first dinner party as husband and wife was tonight. They still hadn't decided what to serve, which he knew would send his wife into overdrive with worry. He didn't care himself, pizza would be fine, he just wanted to have people over to the house and act like a married couple. However married couples acted. Hmmmm, how do married couples act? He'd have to give some thought to that.

"What has you smiling this morning, B?" Francine asked as she sat on the side of the bed with two cups of coffee in her hands.

"Sneaking up on me, huh?" He sat up, taking a cup from her and leaning over to kiss her cheek. She smiled at him, her face fresh from her shower, her hair pulled back into a pony tail. "You look all of 18 this morning, Francine," he lifted his hand to stroke her cheek.

She laughed, a sound that made him smile all the more. "I think 21 would be more appropriate, don't you think? At least legal!" They both laughed. "We have a lot to do today B, starting with what we're having for dinner tonight. What are we having for dinner tonight?"

He could hear the threads of panic in her voice, he knew this was important to her. "Okay, how about something easy but nice. Remember that chicken jambalaya I made for you? You loved it. A nice salad, some decent bread and I'll make you poached pears for dessert. How's that sound to you?"

"Poached pears? Oh B, I love poached pears!"

"I know you do, that's why I'll make them for you! What time is it anyway?" He looked at the windows, noticing for the first time the thin morning light slipping into the room. He reached for his wrist watch on the night stand, it was 6 in the morning. "Francine? It's 6 o'clock on a Saturday morning! What are you doing up at this hour?"

"We have so much to do for tonight! Come on! We need to get moving," she yanked on the blankets, trying to pull her husband out of bed. He didn't budge.

He took her coffee cup and set it down beside his on the night stand and pulled her onto the bed. "Francine, nothing is open at this time of day. The house is spotless. I refuse to allow you to obsess about this all day long." He kissed her, his hand making it's way under her sweatshirt to caress her bare breast. "Come back to bed hon, and get some rest. That will do more for you than tiring yourself out with worry all day." He kissed her, trying to convince her to stay with him.

"B, this is our first dinner party."

"Honey, this is my sister and her husband, my sister's college roommate, Lee, Amanda and Dave Geiger. These are friends. Come back to bed. Come on, I'm tired. You kept me up half the night with your wicked demands on my body." He winked at her surprised look.

"I beg your pardon, Efraim Beaman. I did not keep you up half the night!"

"Baby, I beg to differ with you, but you did a damn good job of keeping me up!" He kissed her, laughing at her shocked expression.

"You know, Beaman, I was right about you all those years ago. You really are a letch!" She laced her hands behind his neck and pulled him down so she could kiss him.

Efraim laughed at his wife. "You were right, but I'm only lecherous for you, hon!" He pulled her into his arms and settled back down in bed, using his feet to kick off her slippers which caused her to laugh. He pulled the blankets up and over the two of them, only to have Francine push them back, sit up and pull off the US Navy sweatshirt of his that she had been wearing. She tossed it in his traditional spot on the floor in front of the chair, pulled off her sweat pants, tossing them too, then she snuggled back into her husbands arms.

"Better, B?" She kissed his chin, smiling as his arms tightened about her.

"Much better, hon." He sighed, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply, letting sleep reclaim him as he held Francine close to his heart.

The alarm was playing music at 9:00 o'clock. Efraim rolled onto his back, moving carefully so as not to awaken Francine. He gently pulled his arm out from under her head, stretched and reached over to turn off the alarm. He climbed out of bed, making sure Francine was covered because the morning was cold, and he went to shave and take a shower. He had just rinsed the shampoo from his hair when the door to the shower opened and his wife climbed in with him.

"You know, if we keep this up hon, it's going to be 11:00 by the time we get out of the shower and I'll have to mop the ceiling. And then I'll have to take a nap to recharge my batteries because keeping up with you tires me out!"

"You are doing your best to tweak my temper, B. But you are right, you will have to mop the ceiling! B?"

"Hmmmm?" He had taken the shampoo and was washing his wife's hair, smiling as her eyes were closed, a smile on her face.

"What are you doing?"

"Washing your hair my love."

"Okay. I love this B."

"Me too, hon." He took the hand held shower head and rinsed her hair, shielding her eyes. He kissed her forehead as he put the shower head back and reached for the soap. She giggled as he began to soap her back, taking the soap from him and lathering him up.

They finished their shower by rubbing each other down with towels and getting dressed. Francine dried her hair and cleaned up in the bathroom, calling out to Efraim that the ceiling was wet. He came in and took the blow dryer from her and aimed it at the ceiling. She laughed at him, shaking her head as she went to find her shoes, thinking about the joy Efraim had brought into her life.

The grocery store was crowded but they made their way up and down the aisles, Efraim bringing laughter from Francine as he personally inspected each pear in the Produce department for twelve perfect pears, saying that anything less would not be good enough for his special gal.

They decided on an early lunch, spending a little more than an hour over a bowl of soup for each and a large shared salad. They talked about the headlines, their dinner, what ever crossed their minds - enjoying the company of each other. Over coffee, Francine ordered chocolate mousse for dessert, feeding Efraim bite for bite. He looked around the restaurant, then leaned over and kissed her top lip where he claimed a tiny speck of mousse had taken refuge. Francine just rolled her eyes at him, putting the spoon in her mouth and slowly pulling it through her lips.

She grinned as he put his head down and gave a low moan and took another bite, this time closing her eyes as she let the spoon slip between her lips. She opened them quickly, surprised when he pulled the spoon away from her and started to feed her the rest of the mousse, his eyes glinting, and a smile on his lips. She winked at him, letting the tip of her tongue slide over her lips. Efraim shook his head at her and decided to finish the mousse himself, causing Francine to gasp at him.

Efraim paid the bill, left a tip and taking Francine's hand, they left the restaurant. Opening her car door for her, she reached up and kissed him, winked at him and climbed in the Explorer. He shut the door, shaking his head.

"It's gonna be a damn long day." He said to no one in particular.