See Part 1 for Disclaimer, Notes, etc.

Epilogue

Billy stood over at the punch bowl with his wife Jeannie. He hadn't been able to keep the secret of Scarecrow and Mrs. King's engagement all to himself. His wife stood beside him scanning the crowded ballroom. She was very anxious to bestow congratulations on the happy couple.

"Where are they, Billy?" Jeannie asked her husband for the fifteenth time in the last half-hour. Billy had told her that he was pretty sure Lee and Amanda weren't ready to broadcast the news right now, and had made her promise not to do more than congratulate them on the renewal of their partnership. She had agreed, but she couldn't hold back the excitement of seeing the great Scarecrow finally in love.

"They'll be here. Amanda called to tell me that they were running behind. Lee had taken her boys to a park near her house to go sledding, and lost track of time." Billy laughed at the thought of Lee as a family man. His attention was pulled away from his wife when he heard Francine calling his name.

"Billy, there you are. I've been looking all over for you," Francine said as she got closer to the refreshment table.

Billy turned to see the pleading look on his assistant's face. He tried his best to hold back a smile until he saw Beaman trailing behind her like a little lost puppy dog. The sight sent him into a fit of laughter.

Jeannie, familiar with to this scene from past Christmas parties, turned to scold her husband. "Be nice, Billy." Walking over to meet Francine, she put an arm around the woman and led her to the other side of the room. Glancing once at her husband, she let him know that the younger man was his responsibility. Still laughing, Billy walked over to intercept Beaman.

Putting an arm around the man, Billy stated, "Come on, Beaman. I think its time to send you home."

"But I haven't had a chance to dance with Francine yet," he slurred in response.

Chuckling, Billy led him out of the room and towards the hotel entrance. "I think Francine is heading home herself. Let me call you a cab. I believe you need to go home and get some sleep, Beaman."

Walking out into the night air, Billy held a tight grasp on the faltering man while he hailed a cab. No sooner had he put Beaman in a cab than he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He was pleasantly surprised to see Lee and Amanda.

"Francine have enough of Beaman's fondling already?" Lee huskily laughed.

A huge grin crossed Billy's face. "It's about time you two showed up. Let's get in out of the cold. Shall we?"

The couple nodded their agreement and followed their boss into the hotel.

"So what prompted the Agency to go all out this year for the holiday party?" Lee looked around at the lavish decorations.

"Scarecrow, the Agency does a big thing every year, you just never bother to show your face," Billy replied, giving Amanda a quick wink. "I'm so glad he decided to join us this year."

"I am, too, Sir." Amanda squeezed Lee's arm lightly and looked into the hazel eyes of her fiancé.

Ignoring the banter at his expense, Lee decided to change the subject. "Billy, is there a coat check around, or do we wear our coats into the ballroom?"

Amanda shook her head knowing full what Lee's intentions were. Removing her arm from Lee's, she took off her coat and started walking towards the counter marked 'Coat Check.' Smiling she turned around. "I believe this is what you were looking for, Lee." Lee rolled his eyes and followed her over.

Billy watched the two and let a satisfied smile cross his lips. He wondered if they realized just how well they really did fit together. "I'll meet you two inside. I should probably inform Francine that Beaman is no longer a threat." He resumed his laughter as he walked back into the ballroom.

"Do you think we should walk in separately?" Amanda asked. Even after that what had transpired in the last weeks, the memory of what had happened to Khai and his family were still a constant reminder of the dangers that Amanda's family might be placed in. They had decided that their engagement and marriage should still be kept a secret, with only a few select people knowing the truth.

Lee shook his head. "No way. You're my partner and I want to show everyone how proud I am of you. Who cares what people say?" he replied, bending his arm to allow her to slip hers through his. Smiling, Amanda accepted the offer and they headed to join their co-workers.

Entering the huge ballroom, Amanda looked around at the couples dancing. She stopped abruptly at the sight of one particular pairing. Lee looked at her curiously. "Lee, I don't believe it. Look who Uncle Rupert is dancing with." She covered her mouth to stifle a giggle.

Lee scanned the dancers and his eyes fell on the old man dancing with Mrs. Marston. "Well…I'll be. If that isn't the funniest thing I ever saw," he chortled.

"I think it's kind of sweet. It's nice to see a more feminine side of Mrs. Marston." Amanda whispered, still staring in the direction of the happy couple.

As the song finished, Rupert broke apart from his partner. He saw Lee and Amanda standing off to the side. "Thank you very much, Gail, for the lovely dance. Now, if you'll excuse me, I believe I see my next dance partner." Taking Mrs. Marston's hand in his, he kissed it lightly, before heading over to greet them.

"Evening, Nephew. Would you mind if I stole this lovely niece of mine?" Rupert asked Lee, when he had reached them. "I want to collect that dance she promised me." Lee smiled and nodded.

Rupert turned to Amanda. "May I have the pleasure of this dance, my dear?" he asked, bowing ever so slightly.

Amanda grinned and removed her arm from Lee's. "Yes, you may, Uncle." Smiling at Lee, she accepted Rupert's waiting arm.

"Shall we?" the elder gentleman asked with a twinkle in his eye. He winked at Lee and led Amanda onto the dance floor.

Lee watched with loving eyes as Amanda gracefully waltzed in Rupert's arms. He planned on dancing quite a few dances with her tonight, and he didn't care what the rumor mill had to say about that. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his name.

"Scarecrow," the young man said a second time.

Lee looked to his side to see Kevin standing there with two drinks in his hand. "Good evening, Kevin."

"I was beginning to wonder if you were going to show. There was a bet going that you weren't going to make an appearance this year. Something about you always finding work to do over the holidays." The rookie smiled at his former partner. "Looks like there are going to be quite a few losers tonight."

Lee realized that his absence from all past holiday events was going to be a hot topic tonight. He might as well make the best of it. Letting out a small laugh, he replied, "Yeah, well, I'm hoping that my presence here tonight will start to put an end to my name in all the Agency gossip."

"I've heard you've got a pretty large reputation, Lee. I think you're stuck being mentioned around every corner for a long time to come."

Lee rolled his eyes. "Why me?" Shaking his head, he looked once more at the younger image of himself. "I'd be careful, my boy. Some say you're giving me a run for my money around the water cooler."

Kevin turned a confused look at Lee. "I'm afraid I'm not catching your meaning, Lee."

"One of these days you will. For now, maybe I should be happy that you're around. I'm not so sure I enjoy being known as a 'ladies man' anymore." He glanced over at Amanda and Rupert on the dance floor. "I think I'll hand that title over to you. It'll take some of the attention off of me at the Agency."

"Afraid not for long, Lee."

Lee brought his attention back to Kevin. Raising his eyebrows in confusion, he asked, "What do you mean?"

"I guess you haven't heard," Kevin responded. "Mr. Melrose told me that there's a position available in the New York office. Stan was so impressed with my ingenuity during this past case, that he wanted to know if I'd consider becoming his partner."

'Who would've thought that Stan would be asking for a new partner,' Lee thought to himself, then smiling at his former "brief" partner, he replied, "That's great Kevin." Lee slapped the younger man on the shoulder. "I guess I owe you an apology for the way I treated you. I never really made you feel welcome. I was so convinced that there was more going on than anyone would tell me, and I guess you kinda' got caught in the middle." Lee looked once more towards the dance floor at the woman he loved. "I owe you a huge debt of gratitude for finding that antidote."

"Hey, I was just doing my job," Kevin replied, a little shocked. After the way Scarecrow had treated him, a compliment was the last thing he would have expected. "Besides, I can see that Mrs. King is a pretty special person."

Lee looked back to Kevin. "You're right about that." Hearing the song coming to an end, he quickly said, "Well rookie, good luck in New York. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to share a dance with my date before someone else decides to jump in." With that, he left Kevin standing alone.

Kevin watched as Lee politely tapped Rupert's shoulder and took Mrs. King in his arms as the older man graciously stepped away. Kevin watched the pair with interest. He wondered if they realized how perfectly they seemed to fit. He glanced across the room and saw Mr. Melrose and his wife looking on approvingly, as the couple glided across the dance floor, oblivious to any watching eyes. He wondered to himself if he would ever find the kind of woman who would turn his life around, as Mrs. King had obviously done to the great Scarecrow. Looking down at the extra drink in his hand, he shrugged his shoulders and headed back to where he had left Debbie Collins.

The End

(for now)

End Note: Although in the series it is never mentioned that Billy knew about Lee and Amanda's marriage, we believe, Billy could see that there was more to his agents' relationship than just a partnership. So, we took writer's privilege in breaking a bit from canon, but at the same time staying somewhat within canon.

In the episode "Night Crawler":

Billy: "When I decided to marry Jeannie…";

Lee: "Wait a second, what makes you think I want to marry?"

Billy: "You will. You should. You've been a lone wolf too long…"

And in the final episode "Khruschev's List":

Billy's last lines of the series: "You know, a partnership is like a marriage. You'll be getting practice for the real thing. Well, you never know, Scarecrow. I mean, stranger things have happened…" and then he lets a knowing smile cross his face as he watches Lee's expression before leaving the office.

He knows, believe us, he knows. J