Note:  First off, thank you once again for the great reviews.  They are very inspiring.  I'm using my ability to hold your interest here as a dry run type exercise for writing a "real" story – one where I actually make up my own characters and storyline, etc.  So any constructive criticism would be appreciated.  And of course, simple praise goes a long way towards stroking my ego, and I love it.

Second, I had this really detailed outline of precisely where I wanted this series to go, what the topic of each chapter was going to be, etc.  And it's gone.  I'm not sure where it is, how it got deleted from my computer, but it's simply gone.  And for some reason I guess I didn't back it up.  This may delay updates even further.  I'm sorry.  Please be patient with me.

Chapter 9: When It's Over, It's Over

March 11, 1985 – later (early evening)

Lee sat on the couch – a couch he'd sat on so many times in the past, and looked around.  The room had this eerie feeling to it now.  It was so familiar and yet so different than the last time he'd seen it.  Pictures of Philip and Jamie adorned the walls, the mantle, every free place in the room.  Pictures of two little boys he didn't even know.

Placing the tea on the coffee table, Amanda sat down, shaking slightly.  Lee took in her small frame, looking into her eyes.  As Billy had done, he saw the inner strength there.  He saw pain and worry.  Only far beneath these things did he see the young woman he had known eleven years ago.  Something in him hurt at this realization.  She was still the best friend he had ever had, and he didn't even know her anymore.

His voice soft and gruff, he asked, "What happened, Amanda?"

Amanda took a deep breath and told her story again.  She didn't tell him any more than she had told Billy – there wasn't much more to tell.  She ignored the fact that the person she was talking to was Lee, she ignored the remnants of a long ago friendship that made her want to move closer to him on the couch, bury her head in his chest, and cry.  Cry for the father her sons had never known, the husband she really didn't have despite the existence of her marriage license, and the loss of the man sitting across the couch from her who she barely knew anymore.  Looking into his eyes, she could see that the intervening years hadn't been any kinder on him than on her and she wished she'd been there for him.  She wished he'd been there for her.  She wished … she wished that life was different, that the last eleven years hadn't happened.

The door opened and shut in one motion, two small blurs moving past them and into the kitchen. "Hi, Mom," two voices called out.  Amanda immediately amended her last thought.  There were lots of things about the last eleven years that she would like to change, but the two boys in the kitchen were her reminder that the years had not been all bad, and that the things she had done without – Joe and Lee and all that they represented, had been completely worth it.

"Boys, come in here," she called and Lee was impressed.  Amanda sounded like a mom.  It was a strange sound.

Coming to either side of her on the couch, the boys each planted a kiss on her cheek, and she rubbed their heads affectionately.  "I want you to meet an old friend of mine.  Philip, Jamie, this is Mr. Stetson."

The boys both looked at Lee, smiling at him openly and warmly.  Lee found himself smiling back, unable to help it.  The light-haired boys with bright eyes that echoed Amanda's love of life were too endearing for him to reply in any other way.  "Hi Philip, hi Jamie."  He could hardly believe the boy standing in front of him was the same small baby he had held years ago.  It was like his entire life had changed somehow.  How had they gotten to this point?  How could Amanda's life revolve completely around these two children he didn't even know?

"Hi, Mr. Stetson," Philip and Jamie said, then turning around they took off for the backyard.

Lee leaned over slightly, taking Amanda's hand in his own.  "It's going to be okay," he whispered, although her eyes had followed the boys outside.  "We'll find Joe and sort this all out."

Amanda turned back to him, her eyes burning bright, "You know he didn't do anything wrong, don't you, Lee?  Joe couldn't have done anything wrong."

While over the years, Lee had learned that it often was those you expected to be innocent who were the most skilled at being devious, he knew that was hardly what Amanda was looking to hear.  Not wanting to lie to her, though, he simply squeezed her hand a little tighter.

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The sounds in the otherwise still house startled Amanda although she wasn't asleep.  Lee had left before dinner, and perhaps noticing the tension in the air, the boys and Mother had chosen to go to bed hours ago, leaving Amanda in the otherwise silent house.  She'd gotten into bed herself about midnight, but lay awake staring at the ceiling trying to sort out all that was happening.  It was now 2am, and there was a noise below her window.  Getting out of bed, she cautiously looked outside.

Suddenly, Amanda felt like a four-year-old child.  There was a strange man climbing her trellis.  Quickly closing the shade before she was seen, she ran downstairs.  Finding the number Lee had given her before he left, she dialed with shaking hands.  The phone rang on the other hand for only a moment before Lee's voice, gruff with sleep, came over the line.

Her voice stronger than she felt she whispered, "Sorry to wake you, Lee, but there's someone trying to break into the house."

Her voice was so calm that at first Lee was unsure why she would even call at this hour.  But as he awoke, realization hit.  "What!" he screamed into the phone.

Her voice still calm, Amanda replied, "There's a man climbing up the trellis that leads to my bedroom window.  I've gone downstairs, but the boys and Mother…" A hand clamped over her mouth, Amanda was cut off.

Dropping the phone, she threw her elbow back, catching her attacker right in the gut.  His hand dropped from her mouth, Amanda ran forward, grabbing the first thing she could find – a broom handle.  Turning around, ready to hit her attacked over the head, she took in the form of the man slumped over her kitchen counter and the broom dropped to the ground with a loud clatter.

Tears falling from her eyes, mostly from fear, she moved toward the phone.  All calm in her voice gone, she cried into the phone.  "It's okay, Lee.  I'm okay."

But there was no answer on the other end.  It was only then that Amanda registered the beeping in her ear.

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Lee banged open the backdoor, ignoring the late hour, or the sleeping inhabitants upstairs.  "Amanda!" he called out, panic in his voice, before he realized she was right in front of him.  Tear tracks still on her cheeks, she was starting to get a hold of herself.  Not two feet away was a slumped form, breathing heavily, staring at Amanda in amazement.

No one said anything for a moment, and then turning to Lee, Amanda asked, "How did you get here so fast?"

Lee was trying to focus on what was going on and the question took him by surprise.  Finally, he realized he was a little unclear as to what had happened in the last half hour or so of his life.  He'd been asleep, then Amanda had been on the phone, and then he heard the clear sounds of an attack.  And now he was in her kitchen with no idea of how he got there or how long it took.  Not knowing what to say, he shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.

Turning away from him, her maternal instincts on in full, Amanda made her way over to the man still trying to catch his breath and placed a warm hand on his back.  "Are you okay, Joe?"

"Where did you learn to do that?" he replied, breathlessly.

With a pained expression on her face, Amanda spoke softly, "I'm so sorry.  I took a self-defense class last year.  I didn't know who you were and …"

Placing a hand on her arm, Joe smiled up at her warmly from his crouch over the counter.  "I'm glad.  Well, not so much right this minute, but I'm glad."

The three adults laughed and Joe gingerly straightened his torso.  Groaning slightly, he smiled at Amanda in amazement again.

Turning to Lee, Joe smiled, "Glad to see you're still around to watch over my Amanda, Lee."

Something in Lee snapped and he had to bite his tongue in order not to point out that she was not Joe's Amanda.  Joe hadn't even been around, Amanda could not be Joe's.  But emotions rolling over him like a rollercoaster tonight, he then realized that she wasn't his Amanda either.  He had not been around any more than Joe had.  Until tonight he hadn't even realized that they were living half a world apart.  She had two pre-teen boys he'd never met.  She was much more capable of taking care of herself than he ever would have known.  Turning to look at her, Lee realized for the second time that day that Amanda King was a woman he did not know.

"I think we should sit down," Amanda said softly, choosing to take charge of the situation.  Both men looked at her in surprise, this one statement once again bringing to light how much she had changed since they had last seen her.  Eleven years ago, Amanda was spirited but muted.  She spoke her mind, but quietly.  And she rarely took charge of a situation.  Clearly spending over a decade raising two children on her own had had an impact.

The three adults moved to the living room and sat down.  Amanda looked at Lee meaningfully, clearly expecting him to explain to Joe why he was here.  At a loss of what else to do, Lee did as she wished, explaining his job and why he was there.

March 12, 1985 (early morning)

Placing a hand on Amanda's arm, Lee spoke to her softly.  "Stay here.  I'm going to take Joe to the agency so we can meet with Billy.  Just do me a favor.  Do you work?" 

"Yes.  I run a program that distributes necessities – food, books, and things like that, to some of the more seriously disabled people in the D.C. area, Necessities for Life."  Her tone implied she had a job as a gasoline station attendant and Lee shook his head in amazement.  What had happened to Amanda!  She'd always been caring, but never this in control.

"Take the day off, okay?" he asked her, his voice warm.  "Just stick around here?" Amanda smiled, and then walked Lee and Joe to the door.

Joe stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to say.  Finally reaching down, he placed a soft kiss on Amanda's cheek, and followed Lee out the door.

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The timid knock on the backdoor roused Amanda from her musings.  The boys had long since left for school and her mother had gone to spend the day shopping with friends.  Amanda had spent most of the morning on the phone with other employees of the charity, but now was sitting on the couch staring into space, still feeling overwhelmed by the events of the last day.

Going over to the door, she opened it and let Lee inside.  His eyes were filled with concern and Amanda immediately felt herself tense up.  Without a word she moved toward the couch, sitting down.  Lee sat next to her, his body turned slightly so he could see her face.

"Have you seen Joe since this morning?" he asked.

Amanda looked at him oddly, "Of course not.  He's with you."  At the look on Lee's face, she got up.  "Isn't he?" she asked, panic coming through over the otherwise calmness of her voice.

"The ambassador of Eustocia came to help us on the case.  They've both disappeared."

At a lack of what else to do, Amanda began to pace.  Then just as suddenly, she sank down onto the couch.  "I don't know what's going on.  I haven't even heard from Joe in years and now…" she began to cry – the emotional turmoil of the last few days too much to take.

Lee moved closer to her on the couch and took her in his arms.  She leaned against him gratefully as he rubbed her back with slow, comforting motions.

As she got a hold of herself, Amanda backed away, smiling at Lee gratefully.  Precisely what happened next, neither would be able to tell.  Without warning or thought, they found themselves leaning closer together until their lips met in a gentle kiss.  Lee's hands still on Amanda's back tightened, bringing her even closer to him and the kiss deepened.  Long ago emotions, forgotten and ignored, rushed to the surface.

Then just as suddenly, Amanda pulled back.  Trying to get some semblance of control over her emotions and her heartbeat, she leapt for the phone when it rang.  "Hello?" she said breathlessly into the receiver.  "But I didn't… Ms. Pierce, I didn't…Where are they? I'll be right there."  Hanging up the phone she turned to look at Lee, panic clear in her eyes.  "Someone is at the school saying they are a private detective I hired to keep Joe away, but Lee, I didn't hire anyone."

Without another word, or a thought about what had transpired moments ago on the couch, Amanda and Lee were out the door and running to Lee's car.

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Entering the school gymnasium, Amanda stopped short.  Philip and Jamie were on the trampoline, although neither was jumping.  A man stood in front of them with a gun pointed at Jamie.  His eyes, however, were a few feet behind him where Joe stood next to a tall, thin, dark-skinned man Amanda did not know.

Before she knew what was happening, Lee had run forward, crashing into the man with the gun sending it sprawling.  The man next to Joe leaned forward to pick it up as Philip and Jamie ran forward into Amanda's waiting arms.

Turning around, the three watched the scuffle on the floor as the man who had held them hostage tried to get away.  But Lee held him down, albeit with some difficulty, finally pinning him to the ground on his stomach.  The man who had been with Joe helped Lee to drag the would-be-kidnapper to the climbing rope where they made a rough make-shift knot around his wrists.  Lee took the gun and trained it on him lest he should try to get out of his loose bonds.

Sounds seemed to come from everywhere at once, then, as reinforcements arrived.  Amid the confusion, Amanda felt Philip stiffen in her arms and looking up from her perch crouched on the ground beside her sons, she saw Joe approaching them.

"Dad?" Philip asked in a quiet voice that held equal parts hope and hopelessness. 

Reaching out a hand to jostle the boy's head lightly, Joe replied, "Philip" almost in awe.  Leaning down, he took Jamie's face in his own, smiling brightly.  "It's so good to see you boys again!" he exclaimed.

While Philip and Jamie had virtually no recollection of their father apart from what Amanda and Dotty had told them, as young boys they had often wondered about their father, and so without hesitation, launched themselves into his arms.  Joe laughed heartedly, for the first time understanding why Amanda had wanted children so much all along.

March 15, 1985

Sitting in the veranda outside, Amanda and Joe chatted in the early evening twilight.  After the Prime Minister revealed himself, the charges against Joe had been dropped.  Joe had decided to spend the next several days with Amanda and the boys.  He was struggling with the desire to go back to Eustocia and try once again to make things right and to stay here and get to know his family.

He smiled as Amanda told him about her day.  Shaking his head slightly he realized how little he knew his wife.  While he had of course always held her in the highest regard, he had never imagined her coming so far or doing so much.  She had amazed him over and over again in the past few days, first with her ability to defend herself, then with the business acumen she had gathered in running her own charity, then with her ability to bounce back and accept all of the changes in her life, and now with her latest announcement.  She was explaining to him now that while she enjoyed her work, she thought it might be time to move on.  She wasn't sure what to, but she had a very capable vice president at Necessities for Life, and thought she might want to do something else.

Smiling at her warmly, Joe whispered, "You're not the same woman I married, Amanda King."

Amanda smiled back at him, "Nor are you the man I married, Sweetheart."

Leaning back slightly, Joe took Amanda's hands in his.  His voice soft, he nearly whispered, "I was thinking of moving back to the states.  Get to know the boys."

"They'd like that," Amanda told him.

"I think," Joe began, and then stopped just as suddenly, trying to find the right words, "I think considering everything, that as much as this may seem a foolish thing to do…" he trailed off again staring Amanda straight in the eyes, "we should have done this a long time ago."

"We should have done what, Joe?" Amanda asked, sincerely confused.

"Amanda,… Sweetheart, I think… I think we should get a divorce," Joe whispered.

Amanda laughed, a sweet laugh that filled the air.  Moving closer to him, she removed her hands from Joe's, placing her arms around him and bringing him into a warm hug.

"All things considered, I think that's a wonderful idea."

To Be Continued…