See Part 1 for Disclaimer, Notes, etc.
Chapter 17
The sound of sirens brought the trio back to the reality of the situation they now faced.
"You two go back to the office and see what you can find out. I'll wait here with Butch and Sundance until the New York guys get up here." Francine pointed at the growing number of Agency vehicles below them.
"Thanks." Lee weakly smiled at Francine as he watched Amanda slowly walking back to the exit door.
Francine nodded towards Amanda. "She'll be all right, Lee."
Lee glanced at his friend and half-heartedly nodded. Turning to follow Amanda down the stairs, he said, "I hope you're right, Francine."
Amanda leaned against the wall as a rush of agents clambered up the steps up to the roof.
"Amanda! Are you all right?" Stan stopped and allowed his fellow agents to pass. "What happened to your head?" He reached out to inspect her wound.
"Yeah. I'm all right. Just a little tired," she tentatively touched her scalp, then continued, "and I guess a little bloody, too." Amanda weakly smiled as she felt Lee's hand rest on her shoulder.
Lee shook his head and narrowed his eyes. "We've got a big problem, Stan."
"What?" Stan looked from Lee to Amanda.
"Come with us. I need to have a word with Mr. Dobson," Lee hissed. Taking Amanda's hand, he headed down the steps.
Upon entering the room on the thirteenth floor, Lee noticed Dobson had been freed from the door and was now handcuffed behind his back. Two agents were reading him his rights as they started to escort him out of the room.
"I'll take it from here, guys." Lee looked to Amanda, assuring himself that she didn't need him by her side. Receiving a brief smile, he quickly closed the distance between himself and Mark.
"Where is the antidote!" Lee maintained his self -control as he grabbed Mark's shoulders and spun him around to face him.
"Go to hell, Stetson!" Mark met Lee's severe gaze.
Pulling Mark into a tighter grip, Lee's body began to shake as his anger reached its full height. "I just sent your boss there! Want to be next?"
"I know the rules. You can't harm an unarmed man!" the I.A. employee scoffed.
Lee narrowed his eyes at Mark. "I don't think that anyone here will mind." Turning to the two New York agents, he asked, "Do you guys see anything?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary," the two replied in unison.
An ominous calmness filled Lee's body as he watched the worthless man begin to sweat under his intense glare. "Tell me where it is, or you will die a slow and painful death."
Mark swallowed hard, realizing that Lee indeed intended to fulfill his promise. Lee's hazel eyes hadn't blinked when he spoke. Mustering his nerve, he decided it was time to pay Scarecrow back for all the misfortunes he'd endured in the past. "She deserves to die."
Watching the battle of the wits now forming between Lee and Mark, Amanda realized her body was quickly demanding rest. Closing her eyes she leaned against the wall for support. Her body was weak, not only from the emotional roller coaster she'd been on, but also from the acknowledgement that she could die within hours.
Stan remained by Amanda's side as he tried to understand what this 'new' situation involved. "What's going on, Amanda?" he asked, turning towards her, he took note of her shaky appearance.
Amanda could feel her body shutting down. She tried to answer Stan's question, but fell into his arms, instead.
"Lee!" Stan shouted as he caught her small frame.
Lee's head snapped towards the direction of Stan's deep voice. The sight of Amanda's limp body being carried by his friend sent a new blazing rage through his veins. He remained quiet as he turned his attention back to the squirming man before him.
"Go ahead do your worst, Scarecrow. I won't tell you a damn thing." Mark narrowed his eyes at the composed man before him.
Stan knew Lee was holding onto his control by a thread. He had only seen Lee this quiet and calm once before in his life. Images of that horrible night in Vietnam crept into his mind. Shaking off the memories, he placed Amanda on the couch. Motioning for Kevin to stay by Amanda's side, he went to try and diffuse the bomb that was about to explode.
"Lee." Stan placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. "There's no point in making things worse."
Lee looked into his associate's concerned sapphire eyes. "I'm in control, Stan."
"No." Stan shook his head. "She needs you with her, not in a jail cell." Stan looked at Amanda, engulfed in the velvet couch.
Lee nodded his understanding and walked away from Mark towards the woman who was his heart and soul. "Amanda." His voice was incredibly gentle as he knelt and brushed a stray curl from her forehead.
Amanda's eyes fluttered open as she managed a slight smile. "I'm all right, Lee. Just exhausted."
Lee smiled tenderly at her as her eyes drifted close again. "Damn it, Dobson." He turned back to the defiant man. "Do you really think she deserves this? This is between you and me!"
Kevin watched the tension quickly mounting in the room. He had thought that his "partner" was well in control of the situation, but by Stan's reaction, he was beginning to understand that Scarecrow apparently was most dangerous when his outward appearance was cool and unruffled. "Ya' know, Lee. He probably hid it in a safe or something. I was reading a Sherlock Holmes novel last week, and the villain stashed the incriminating evidence in a wall safe." Kevin squared his shoulders and began to look behind the paintings hanging on the wall.
Francine had entered the room in just time to hear Kevin's ramblings. "What in the hell is he talking about, Stan?" she asked rolling her eyes.
"He might have something there." Lee followed Kevin's lead, and began the search.
"Hey, I've got something over here!" Kevin pulled the large painting of the Caribbean from the wall.
Lee glanced at Mark trying to read the man's expression. Mark's face held a surprisingly blank appearance, but his eyes were aflame with the discovery. "That's where it is! Open that damn thing!" Lee slapped Kevin on the back. Kevin nodded and started working on opening the safe.
Lee ran his left hand through his hair as he impatiently watched the young man trying to open the safe. Kevin pressed his ear to the metal door as he turned the dial, desperately hoping to hear the click of success ring in his ears.
Glancing at the motionless form of his fiancée, Lee pushed Kevin aside. "We don't have time for this." Pulling out his gun, he shot the lock. "Now try."
Shaking his head, Kevin pulled the dial off the safe door, and opened the safe. His eyes widened at the sight of the prize inside. Reaching in, he pulled out a small metal box and placed in the shaking hands of his 'partner.'
Lee closed his eyes, saying a small prayer before he opened the box. His prayers were answered upon opening it and finding two full vials and a full syringe. "Which one is it?" he growled, turning towards Mark, who remained insolent and refused to look at Lee.
"It really doesn't matter. Let's get her to the hospital and have some tests run. I want this antidote in her within the next hour." Lee turned back to Amanda and slid his arms under her shoulders and knees. Shifting his stance, he gathered her to his chest and lifted her from the couch, careful not to jostle her too much. As he cradled her in his arms, he said softly, "We will meet again, Dobson."
Mark remained quiet as he watched Lee carry Amanda from the room. 'That we will, Scarecrow.' An evil smile crossed Mark's lips, as two agents escorted him out of the room.
Almost twelve hours later, Lee sat in Billy's office, rapping his fingers on the large oak desk in anticipation of his partner's return. Dr. Smyth had insisted that she be debriefed immediately after their arrival. At first, he was infuriated with Smyth for suggesting that she be put through the ordeal so soon after they had returned. The man had already put her through enough in the past three weeks. Billy had stepped in to assist Amanda in calming Lee down. He had assured Lee that he would stay by Amanda's side during the whole debriefing and promised make them take a break, or two, if he saw her start to appear worn down. Lee had conceded, but he still wasn't satisfied with just sitting back and twiddling his thumbs while she was being interrogated. He wanted to be with her.
Amanda had pulled him to the side and whispered a promise in his ear, one that hinged on his staying in Billy's office and not interfering. Lee stopped his protest and smiled at the reward she offered if he would stay away from the debriefing rooms. That had been two hours ago.
Lee looked at the clock and noted that it was now seven-thirty in the evening. He had been true to his word and headed straight to Billy's office, after making a detour to the Q-Bureau in order to get some things ready for his partner's return. He'd been waiting in Billy's office for over an hour, albeit not patiently. Lee had paced the floor non-stop for the better part of an hour before wearing himself down to the point where he had to sit down and rest.
Trying to keep his thoughts from dwelling on the image of her being raked over the coals by Dr. Smyth, his mind wandered back to the day before. How she had reacted to his touch, and the feel of her skin. His features relaxed as he stretched his legs before him. His eyes closed at the vision of her naked body under his. His name on her lips, the expression on her face, as they consummated their love.
Lost completely in thought, he hadn't heard the door open, nor the woman enter. She looked down at the mischievous smile that crossed his lips.
"Lee."
He jumped out of his chair expecting to see Amanda before him. A broad smile crossed his face at the gentle use of his name, but it quickly turned to a frown when his hazel eyes meet the intense blue eyes of Francine.
"Gee, thanks. I would think that after the hell we went through for you, I'd get a better reception than that, Lee," Francine stated, flipping her hair out of her face and walking over to place a few files on Billy's desk.
"Sorry, Francine. It's just that I would've thought Amanda would have been done with her debriefing by now," Lee apologized, turning to slump back into the chair he had just risen from.
"You know, Lee. She does have three weeks worth of information to go over. You also have to realize that she had access to a lot of classified Internal Affairs information. I'm sure a representative from I.A. is in there, too, making sure she doesn't divulge too much of her knowledge of their operations." Francine tried her best to put him at ease.
"Damn! I never thought about I.A. needing to be there, as well. She's had to deal with a lot by herself over the past three weeks." His agitated expression turned to Francine.
Francine nodded. "You know, she even said some choice things about Dr. Smyth. She sure surprised me on this one."
Lee stood and walked over to his friend. "I don't think I've gotten the chance to thank you for all you did on this case either, have I?"
Francine folded her hands across her chest. "As a matter of fact, you haven't."
"Well, I want to officially say thank you. Not only for me, but for being Amanda's backup as well. It means more than you could ever know." Lee reached out and pulled her into a hug.
Francine stood there for a minute, a little stunned by this display of affection from Lee. Returning the hug, she said, "You're welcome…I think."
They pulled apart just as the door to Billy's office opened. Lee spun around and saw Billy entering. "Where's Amanda?" he asked, a little concerned that she hadn't accompanied his boss.
"Relax, Lee. She said something about needing to make a quick phone call. She's up in the Q-Bureau. Go on up. Just make sure you're back here in fifteen minutes," Billy ordered.
"Fifteen minutes. You got it!" Lee called out as he practically sprinted from the office.
Billy just shook his head and laughed to himself.
Francine looked at her boss. 'First he hugs me, then he rushes to see Amanda. That certainly isn't the same Lee Stetson I knew four years ago.' Shaking her head, she headed out to the bullpen to wrap up a few things before heading home.
Lee reached the Bureau in record time. He paused just outside as he heard Amanda's voice echoing through the room. He smiled as he realized that things were beginning to get back to normal, and then quietly opened the door.
"Joe, I know I told you that I'd left the Agency. I had to. Trust me, I didn't like lying to you or anyone else for that matter," Amanda rambled into the phone. Lee could hear the frustration in her voice. She turned to smile at him as he put a comforting hand on her shoulder. He moved behind her and sat down on the edge of her desk.
"Joe, you know I can't go into details. Please tell the boys I love them. I appreciate you letting them stay with you for another night. You could bring them home in time for dinner tomorrow night. That'll give me plenty of time to get the house back in shape. Tell them I miss them and I'll see them then. Bye, Sweetheart." Amanda sighed as she hung up the phone.
"Joe giving you a hard time?" Lee touched her cheek with the tips of his fingers.
She looked up into his shining hazel eyes. "You could say that. He wasn't thrilled that I'm still with the Agency, but he'll get over it."
"How did your debriefing go?" Lee decided to change the subject.
"Okay, really. I feel like I signed my life away, though. James Miller from I.A. was there to make sure that I wouldn't repeat anything I was privy to during my three weeks with them. He must've had me sign close to twenty documents. Dr. Smyth was there the whole time, too, but he didn't say a word until the end." Amanda stood to walk over to the window.
"Oh! What did Mr. Personality have to say?" Lee asked, raising his eyebrows in curiosity as he went over and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Mother Hubbard found a bone in the cupboard after all." She turned around to face him. A small grin crossed her lips as she placed her hands around his neck.
"What do you suppose he meant by that?" Lee asked, as he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her sweet lips.
"I think, in his own way, he was saying 'Good job.'" Amanda chuckled as she drew his head down to capture his mouth with hers for a more promising kiss. Pulling away from him, she said, "Come on, I told Billy I'd be back down right after I made my phone call. Let's go see what he wants."
Lee reluctantly released her from their embrace but took her left hand in his right as they headed for the door. Noticing that her ring wasn't there, he lifted her hand to his lips and placed a kiss on her finger. "You know, one of these days you will be able to wear your ring in public."
Turning to look into his eyes once more, she said, "Until that day, I guess I'll have to get by with wearing it around my neck. It'll be best to let the boys get to know you better."
Seeing Lee nod his head in understanding, she squeezed his hand, and they headed back to the bullpen.
Billy closed the file before him, thankful that the month from hell was over. He glanced at the three agents before him as he picked up the phone to request Francine's presence in his office. "Francine, can you come in here for a minute?"
"On my way." Francine stood up from her desk and walked towards Billy's office.
A sly smile crossed Billy lips as he watched two of his best agents remain completely oblivious to their surroundings. Lee held Amanda's hand in his absently stroking her palm with his thumb. Amanda laughed as Kevin told his account of his brief partnership with Lee, while Lee protested each and every one of Kevin's comments.
The look Lee held in his eyes when he looked at Amanda was the same that Billy held for his own wife. Even after a month of lies and cover-ups, they looked very happy and content with each other. He had been correct on his spur-of-the-moment decision four years ago to team his hotheaded agent with the young housewife. They made a perfect match. He swallowed the chuckle that formed in his throat as Francine entered the office. "Take a seat Francine." He motioned towards the empty chair in front of his desk.
"Dr. Smyth asked me to pass on a word of congratulations to all of you." Billy glanced around at each of the agents before him. His gaze fell on Lee, who was rolling his eyes and shaking his head. "Something the matter, Scarecrow?"
"It'll never stop amazing me how the man will pay us a compliment through someone else, but never directly," Lee huffed.
"Well, at least we can be sure that some things—some people—will never change," Francine said, turning her head to look at Lee.
Billy let out a small chuckle. He was pretty sure of the true meaning behind her words. "Anyway, I thought I would also let you know that Rupert helped us find the mole."
"Rupert did? Really?" Amanda asked, a little pride in her voice for the man who had helped her get through this past week's ordeals.
Billy smiled widely at Amanda. "Yeah. Seems he just happened to over hear Rag Mop on the phone with Andre."
"Rag Mop was our mole?" Lee turned his shocked face towards Amanda then Billy.
"Yes. After a brief interrogation, Rag Mop admitted to everything. Apparently, Andre had convinced him that he was being taken for granted, and Rag Mop decided to show us what he was truly capable of doing for the world of espionage. Andre really messed with his mind." Billy shook his head, as a sorrowful look crossed his face.
"Too bad he couldn't have used his talents to work for the Agency rather than against it." Kevin ran his hand through his hair.
"Why did he take up with a man like Andre, or more importantly, why would Andre seek out someone as quiet and kind as Rag Mop?" Amanda looked curiously at her boss.
"It turns out that Andre was really Andre Krutiov." Billy looked directly at Lee. "I guess he figured a custodian was an easy person to prey upon."
"You mean he was the son of Serge Krutiov, the Puppet Master?" Lee asked as his mind began putting the pieces together.
Amanda turned to look at Lee. She remembered that case very well. It was when they had shared their first kiss. She shuddered remembering how messed up Tony Martine had been after having to turn against his love. "I guess history does have a way of repeating itself, doesn't it?"
"Yes, it does," Francine responded. Kevin looked at the blonde agent, wondering what exactly she meant by that. She turned to look at the rookie. "It has to do with a case we wrapped up a few months ago. Andre's father was the mastermind behind turning a neo-classical play into a plan to steal top government secrets."
Billy chimed in, finishing his explanations, "It turns out that Andre held a group of agents responsible for putting his father away. Krutiov died in prison right before Thanksgiving. Rag Mop supplied Krutiov with a list of those agents. He used his ease of moving around the Agency and overhearing conversations to pinpoint where the agents would be. He then fed the information to Andre, who then arranged for their demises."
"I guess it just goes to show you that in this business you have to be careful who you trust?" Kevin shrugged his shoulders and turned to look at Lee. He didn't know this Rag Mop, but from the looks of his fellow agents, he was someone they paid little attention to because, in some fashion, they trusted him.
Lee smiled broadly at this young rookie. For someone who hadn't been in the business long, it was a profound statement. "Billy, I wonder why Amanda's name wasn't on that list. She was just as important in putting Krutiov away as I was." Seeing Amanda's eyebrows furrow in confusion, he added, "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad she wasn't a target. I just wonder why Rag Mop didn't include her name."
Billy looked at his friend. "I don't know, I really don't. Perhaps it's because she isn't considered a full agent, and therefore never made it onto the list. I would say, in some way or another, in the end, it worked in our favor." He looked Amanda and then back to Lee, a hint of gratitude on his face that things had turned out well, after all.
"So what now, Sir?" Amanda asked.
"Well, Rag Mop will be spending some time in jail for treason--" Billy began.
Amanda face creased with worry. "Sir, I hope he gets some help. It wasn't really all his fault. Andre had control over him."
Shaking his head, Billy explained. "Yes, Amanda. He'll receive therapy for what Andre did to his mental state, but he did commit treason, and he'll have to face the penalties that come with that crime."
Amanda nodded her understanding, gently squeezing Lee's hand.
Billy leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "You'll be happy to know, that the Krutiov line appears to have ended when Andre fell from the rooftop."
"We can hope, anyway." Francine mumbled.
Billy smiled at his assistance's lack of belief that the family was truly gone from their lives. Looking at Amanda, he said, "In thanks for your hard work on this case, I'm giving you, Lee and Francine an extended holiday leave, starting right now. I expect to see you all on Monday for the Holiday festivities. Go on and get out of here."
Francine stood and started to walk towards the door. Turning to look at Billy.
"I'm looking forward to spending some time locked in my apartment, not having to fly all over the place."
Amanda laughed. "Francine, I want to say how glad I was to have you working with me on this one. It meant a lot."
"You're welcome. I'm just glad that we don't have to hide anything else from Lee." Francine replied. She turned to Lee. "You really need to work on that temper of yours, Stetson. One of these days, it's going to get you in trouble." With that she headed out of the office.
Amanda glanced at Lee to see his mouth hanging open. She knew he was about to say something back, but Francine was gone before he had a chance. Standing to leave as well, she turned her attention back to her boss. "Thank you, Sir." She smiled, realizing that the extra time off meant that she would be able to spend today and tomorrow getting her life back in order and spending some quality time with Lee. It also meant that Lee would have no excuse not to spend some extra time getting to know the boys.
Lee smiled too, when he saw Amanda's face. He rose to follow her out into the bullpen and paused when he realized Kevin was still sitting before the now standing Section Chief.
Noticing Lee's gaze, Billy stated, "I need Kevin to stick around for few minutes." He motioned for Kevin to remain seated where he was. Turning his attention back to his senior agent, he remarked, "I don't suppose you'll be signing the roster sheet this year for Christmas Day, will you?"
"Nope, not this year. I think I'll be taking a few more holidays off from now on." Lee winked at his boss as he started out the door.
"Have a great Christmas, Lee." Billy shook his head acknowledging the reasoning behind it.
"I plan on it, Billy." He left the office, closing the door behind him as he heard Billy's chuckling. Smiling he joined Amanda, who was waiting for him in the hallway.
Lee knew that Amanda probably hadn't paid too much attention to the appearance of her house last night. He had tried to forewarn her about the condition of her house, but she wasn't prepared for what she saw.
"Lee…" She knelt by her beloved Christmas tree and picked up the pieces of the broken ornaments. "I know you tried to warn me…it so was dark in here last night, I paid no attention to anything and just ran in the front and out the back. It's all ruined."
"Amanda, why don't we wait till tomorrow to clean this up?" Lee knelt beside her, taking her free hand in his.
Amanda shook her head as she rose to her feet and stepped over the mauled packages to the other side of the tree. She gently picked up the broken tree topper.
Lee watched the emotions play across her face. After four years and all they had been through together, there were still a few brief times he couldn't read her. "What is it, Amanda?"
Amanda eyes glistened with tears as she caressed the Angel's wings that had been torn by the Puppet Master's thugs. "It's...just that this was important to me." She leaned back into Lee's waiting arms.
"It looks like an antique." Lee wrapped his arms around her waist, supporting her weight.
"It's been in the family a long time. Daddy gave it to me for Christmas when I was five. It was the one thing that I could look at each Christmas that made me feel like he was still with us." A single tear caressed her cheek.
Lee gently rocked her in his arms. He had never experienced the joys of a family Christmas after his parents died. He truly didn't understand the sentimental value some objects had for people, not until now. He wanted to be part of the King household family for everything: holidays, birthdays, picnics, snowball fights, and every other day of their lives. "Amanda, he's still with you in here." Lee placed his hand over her chest.
"I know. I'm just being emotional." Amanda turned to look at his glistening eyes.
"Amanda, you're being true to your feelings. One of the many things I love about you."
"I just wish you could've met him. He would have loved you." Amanda traced his jaw with her fingertips.
"I wish I could have, too." Lee took her palm to his lips and gently kissed it.
"I love you, Lee Stetson." Amanda placed a soft kiss on his lips.
"I love you too, Amanda King." Lee swept her off her feet and carried her up the steps. "I think you need to take a long hot bubble bath and let the new man in your life fix you some dinner." Lee huskily laughed as he reached the top of the stairs.
"Want to join me?" Amanda
"That's a very tempting offer, but I think maybe you could use some quality alone time. You go take care of yourself, and I'll take care of some things downstairs." Lee gently placed her on her bed.
"Well, maybe I'll just lie down and take a nap. Can I convince you to join me here?" she asked, patting the bed.
"Why don't you let me be your caretaker for once?" Lee's body warmed at the sight of her teasing eyes.
"You're just as tired as I am." Amanda pulled at his tie for him to join her.
He started to protest but realized that he really couldn't think of anything he'd rather do than spend some quiet time with his Amanda.
She watched as his determination started to fade. "Please, I don't think I could sleep all by myself." Amanda successfully pulled him beside her.
Giving in to her request, Lee kissed her forehead and pulled her into his arms. "I'll stay with you until you fall asleep." He continued to stroke her hair, until exhaustion quickly took over his own body.
Amanda slipped her hand inside his shirt and reveled in his warmth. She could hear the even breathing of her beloved and realized he was peacefully resting. She gently pulled away from his side and stood. Looking down at the man who held her heart in the palm of his hands, she smiled as she carefully removed his shoes and then undressed herself.
Pulling the covers that were draped over the edge back onto the bed, she covered their bodies as she once again snuggled close to him. She let her mind focus on their happy future together before joining him in dreamland.
To Be Concluded….