Chapter 5

Lee opened the door for Amanda and allowed her to enter the Georgetown foyer ahead of him. Once inside he put his hand on the small of her back and led her over to Mrs. Marston's desk. "Good morning, Mrs. Marston. The word of the day is 'marshmallow'." He said with a grin.

Mrs. Marston, in her usual business-like manner just shook her head slightly as she handed the pair their badges. "Mr. Melrose wanted to see you both in his office the minute you two arrived."

Amanda accepted her badge and looked over at her husband with a curious expression on her face. "I wonder what that's all about."

Lee just shrugged. "I don't know, but I guess we should head down and find out."

Amanda nodded. "Why don't you give me your coat? I'll run it upstairs along with mine and my purse and I'll meet you downstairs."

Lee nodded and began to take his coat off. "Okay, but don't take too long." He smiled as he handed her his coat and was about to lean in to place a quick kiss on her lips, but stopped when he realized exactly where they were. His wife smiled and he watched as she headed up the stairs, before turning and walking over to the elevator. Clipping his badge to his suit jacket, he opened the 'closet door' and stepped into the waiting car. As he closed the door and pushed the down button, he couldn't keep the grin off his face. There was something wonderful and magical about waking up with his wife in his arms. It wasn't something they got to do very often, and usually not on a workday. Despite the difficult and emotional case that they had to deal with tonight, stolen moments like this morning were something that helped make coming to work every day bearable.

When the elevator reached his level, Lee stepped out into the hallway and, with a spring in his step, walked down the hallway, gracing everyone with his smile. He nodded politely at the MP guard who opened the door for him, and winked at Francine who was standing at the coffee maker, pouring herself a cup of the caffeinated brew. "Good morning, Francine."

"Good morning, Lee." Francine stared at her friend in shock and then glanced down at her watch. "You're in early, what happened? Couldn't sleep? No wait, you're in too good a mood, let me guess, you got lucky didn't you. Who's the lucky woman, someone I know?" She raised her eyebrows mockingly.

Lee rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I'm going to ignore that last comment. Can't a guy be in a good mood once in a while?"

"Yes, a guy can, you on the other hand…" Francine smiled at her friend and chuckled when he rolled his eyes again, his grin never faltering. "Oh, by the way, you'll be happy to know that you won't be sitting around twiddling your thumbs while Amanda and I are busy tonight. Of course you may have to break whatever date you might have set up for tonight."

"Really? Did Billy change his mind about sending me in as part of the backup team?" Lee's grin grew a little wider at the thought that he would still be watching his partner's back.

"Hardly." Francine shook her head. "I just happen to know that Billy has a really simple assignment for you, something about a stakeout in Rockville."

Lee's grin quickly changed to a frown, and he gritted his teeth. "Rockville? Wait you're joking right?" He watched as Francine shook her head. "You're not." He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Has Billy forgotten that he already assigned me to the same case that you're on? I may not be Amanda's backup, but there are other things I could be doing, research perhaps, keeping an eye on Stoev."

Francine shrugged her shoulders and headed over to her desk. "Hey don't tell it to me, bring it up with Billy."

Lee glared at the blonde's retreating figure. "Great, well there goes my good mood!"

Amanda entered the bullpen and her own smile quickly faded when she noticed the scowl on her husband's face. "Let me guess, you found out what Mr. Melrose wanted."

Lee shrugged. "I don't know why he called us down here first thing, but Francine hinted that I might be going to Rockville tonight."

"Oh," Amanda couldn't hide the disappointment from her voice. "I guess that means that tonight is still on." She smiled half-heartedly at her husband's curious expression. "For a minute there, I'd gotten my hopes up that Mr. Melrose was going to tell us that there was another way to stop the assassination and I wouldn't have to go through with the Peacock Dance tonight."

Lee put his hand at the small of her back. "Somehow I don't think our luck is that good. Come on, we might as well go see what he wants." He led her towards their boss's office door. Knocking, he watched as Billy glanced up and waved them in, before turning the knob and opening the door. He let Amanda enter ahead of him and then, as he followed her inside, he nodded politely towards their section chief, who was busy talking on the phone.

"I don't care how many signatures you have to track down. I need those documents signed by the end of the day today, or someone's head is going to roll." Billy growled into the phone and then slammed it down on its base. He glanced up at the two agents who had just entered the room.

"Good morning, sir." Amanda smiled, trying to ease the tension she could sense in the air.

"Good is definitely not a word I would use to describe this morning." Billy stood up and placed his hands on his desk. "Do you two mind telling me just what the hell you were thinking last night!"

Amanda shot a confused glance over towards her husband, who just shrugged his shoulders. "I'm sorry, sir," She looked back in her boss's direction, "I'm afraid we're not quite sure what you mean."

Billy picked up a piece of paper from his desk and began waving it around. "I'm referring to this, Agent Duffy's surveillance report from last night. I can tell from the confused looks on both your faces that you forgot that we were keeping tabs on Richmond." He threw the paper back down on his desk. "Duffy witnessed the entire exchange outside l'Etoile last night. He even got a few pictures." He picked up a folder and thrust it in Lee's direction. "I want to know what the devil Amanda's mother was doing there and why you two decided to take it upon yourselves to make first contact with our suspect, without checking with me first. I don't like to come in first thing in the morning and find out my agents are going off and setting up meets without my approval."

Lee opened the folder and sure enough the top picture was of him helping Dotty West into a cab. He glanced up at his boss with an irritated expression. "What the hell was Duffy doing taking my picture if he was supposed to be tailing Richmond?"

Billy fixed Lee with a hard stare. "Because he was doing his job. Duffy explained that since he knew Richmond was in the restaurant and two of our agents just happened to show up, he thought it looked slightly suspicious. He didn't want to be accused of not recording all of the facts. If you look through the pictures, you'll notice that he took a picture of Amanda entering the restaurant as well, so he obviously wasn't singling you out, Scarecrow." He folded his arms across his chest. "Now would you care to explain exactly why both of you were at that restaurant last night?"

"Billy," Lee handed the folder back to his boss, and then walked over and placed his hands on the back of the chair Amanda was sitting in, "it's not what you think. It was a fluke. In fact we were planning on coming down to fill you in on what happened as soon as we got in this morning."

"Scarecrow, you better than anyone should know what the procedure is for something like that. Can you explain to me why you didn't call in and leave a report with the switchboard?" Billy looked at his top agent, whose eyes were focused on his partner. He had a feeling he knew exactly why they hadn't followed procedure. "I can't wait to hear you talk your way out of this one." He sat down and picking up his bottle of Tums, he dumped a few into his hand and popped them into his mouth.

Amanda nodded. "He's right, sir. You see it really was all quite innocent." She began explaining, hoping to get their boss to forget about the fact that they hadn't called in. "Lee sent me a message to meet him at l'Etoile, his way of apologizing for his behavior yesterday, but since I was late getting home because our meeting," she gestured around the room, "ran long, my mother got the message first and thought she was supposed to meet Captain Curt there, that's my mother's current boyfriend, anyway, she thought he was trying to make it up to her for standing her up earlier, so my mother went to the restaurant to meet him, only of course he wasn't going to show up, but she didn't know that." She leaned forward in her chair, and looked back at her husband. "While she was waiting, Lee showed up, and when he found out that my mother was waiting for Captain Curt, who he knew wasn't going to show up since Lee was the one who sent the flowers, which meant that Captain Curt had no idea that my mother was waiting for him," she glanced back at her boss, "well Lee, being the gentleman that he is, asked my mother to join him for dinner. When I got home and saw the flowers, I rushed like crazy to get to the restaurant, but got stuck in traffic and ended up being an hour late. But when I got to the restaurant, there weren't any reservations under Lee's name or mine, so I went to the bar to see if Lee was there, but he wasn't so I asked the bartender if I could use his phone to call Lee at his apartment. When I got off the phone, there was Richmond staring at me, so," she paused and took a deep breath. "I didn't want the opportunity to go to waste."
Billy brought his hands up and began rubbing his temples. "Amazingly enough I think I followed that. If your mother was there, how did you manage to pull off the argument? Didn't she get suspicious when she saw you talking to another man, Amanda?"

Lee shook his head. "Fortunately, Dot…Mrs. West never saw Amanda in the bar with Richmond. I made sure she got safely into the cab and then went back inside."

Amanda nodded. "We both kind of improvised and made it look like Lee was a jealous boyfriend. I guess you can say we initiated the Lisbon variation of the Peacock Dance." She leaned back in her chair and felt her husband's hand come to rest on her shoulder. "As soon as we started making a scene we left the restaurant. It was mere coincidence that Steven followed us outside, but since he did, we kept improvising."

Billy shook his head and chuckled. "Is it me, or do these chances of fate only happen to you, Amanda?"

"I do seem to always end up in the right place at the right time, or the wrong place depending on the circumstance, don't I?" Amanda let out a nervous laugh.

"It seems, then, that all we need to do is figure out a way for you to see Richmond again tonight." Billy leaned forward and looked at Amanda.

Lee walked over to the window and leaned back against it. "Actually, Billy, we don't. Our little argument was quite convincing. He invited her to dinner tonight."

"I better get Francine in here, all the scenarios we ran through yesterday need to be scratched." Billy picked up the phone and dialed his assistant's extension. "Francine, come to my office now, please." He then hung up the phone and looked over at Lee. "While we wait for her to get here, I might as well give you your assignment for tonight, Scarecrow."

Lee crossed his arms in front of him and glared at his boss. "Francine already told me…a stakeout in Rockville? Come on, Billy, don't you think that's a little extreme? I don't need to be banished to the other side of the district. I'm not going to do anything to jeopardize this assignment. Put me on the emergency backup, so that I can be called in to help clean up."

Billy shook his head. "Sorry Scarecrow, this isn't open for debate. I need you to work with Fielder, keeping tabs on this man." He picked up a folder from his desk and handed it over to Lee. "You can get together with Fred and figure out the details." He breathed a sigh of relief when Francine walked in, and before Lee could utter any further protests, he smiled at his assistant. "Francine, Amanda made contact with Richmond last night."

Francine stopped in her tracks and stared incredulously at her boss. "What do you mean, Amanda made contact with Richmond?"

Billy put up a hand to stop his assistant's protests. "It was a chance encounter, Amanda just happened to be in the right place and ran into him."

Francine slapped the pad of paper she was holding against her leg and glanced over at Amanda. "Do you mean we wasted all that time setting up possible approach scenarios and the guy just falls into your lap?" She watched the brunette shrug and nod. "I don't know why I should be surprised, you are, after all Amanda King, Queen of Chance Encounters."

"That's enough Francine." Billy barked. "Amanda, you and Lee will type up your report of last night's encounter." He let a thin smile cross his lips. "Don't think that your enchanting ramble got you off the hook for not calling in your meet in last night. However, considering how hard this case is on both of you, I'll let it slide…this time, but don't let it happen again." He cleared his throat and got back to the business at hand. "Once you've turned your report in to me," he looked in Amanda's direction, "I want you to get together with Francine and make out a shopping list of what you'll need tonight, and take it down to Leatherneck. Did you remember to bring in the blouse you were going to wear so that he can outfit it with the wire?"

"No sir, I didn't." Amanda found the carpet suddenly very interesting the memory of why she didn't make it home last night making her blush. "With everything that happened last night…"

Billy nodded. "I understand, okay, get the list to Leatherneck, then I want you and Francine to go retrieve what you're going to wear and get it back here. What time are you supposed to meet Richmond?"

"I don't know, I haven't called him to accept the offer yet." Amanda fidgeted slightly in her seat. "I didn't want to seem too eager and make him suspicious."

"Well then as soon as we finish here, go and make your phone call, then call me and let me know what time." Billy turned towards Lee, "Since your partner has a few other things to take care of, I want you to start on that report, Amanda can add her part later." He leaned back in his chair and softened his features as he turned his gaze back towards the brunette. "Amanda, once you've taken care off everything you need to in order to get ready, I want you to take the rest of the afternoon off and do whatever you need to do to prepare yourself for tonight."

Amanda leaned forward in her chair. "Sir, I'd much rather just bury myself in work, perhaps catch up on some much needed filing."

Billy shook his head. "I know how difficult this assignment is for you, Amanda, and I want you to be mentally prepared for this." He turned and looked at his assistant. "Francine, I want you to make sure she pampers herself. Take her to a spa, a salon, or wherever you think would work best. We'll reconvene up in the Q-bureau two hours before Amanda has to meet with Richmond. I'll make sure Leatherneck is there as well."

Francine's eyes grew wide and she grinned. "Is this something we get to write off on our expense reports?" She watched as her boss nodded. "You're serious? We get to spend the day at a spa, and you're going to let the Agency pick up the bill?" Her grin grew wider when Billy nodded again. She turned and looked at Amanda. "I think I want to be your partner more often."

Lee glared mockingly at the blonde. "Don't get any bright ideas, Francine."

"I don't know, I think I might enjoy working with Francine for awhile." Amanda smiled as her husband glared at her. "At least she does her own paperwork."

Francine laughed. "She's got a very good point there, Scarecrow." She then turned towards Amanda. "Did you drive this morning, or do you need a lift home to get your outfit for tonight?"

"Actually, Lee did give me a ride in this morning." Amanda didn't want to tell Francine that she'd actually left her car over at Lee's apartment. She just hoped that her mother wasn't home, but if she was, than she'd just tell Francine that the car was parked in the garage. Suddenly she bit her lip in thought as she realized that she wouldn't have access to her car tonight. She'd been too preoccupied with other things, this morning to think about the fact that she'd need transportation to the restaurant later. Oh well, she'd just have to call a cab, since she wouldn't be able to ride along in the Agency van, that would look a little suspicious if Steven saw her climbing out of that. She let out a sigh as she looked at Francine questioningly. "Do you mind running me by my house and then coming back here? If it's too much trouble, I'm sure I could just call a cab." She stood up and started heading for the door.

"Nonsense, I'll drive and on the ride over to your place, we can come up with that list we need to give Leatherneck. Then after we pick up what you need, we can come back here, drop everything off with him and then start our day of pampering." Francine smiled as she fell into step behind the brunette. "You are going to have so much fun."

Lee watched the two women as they walked over to Francine's desk, most likely to retrieve the blonde's purse. "Billy, since you've managed to give my partner a partial day off," he turned and looked at his boss, "what exactly am I supposed to do?"

Billy smiled at Lee. "I want you to do spend the day doing research. I want to make sure that we've got all our bases covered. Check in with your family about any known associates that Stoev might have, what happens if Richmond doesn't come through. I want a backup plan in place, if we can't get anything out of Richmond tonight, we still have one more day to pull this off before the Inauguration on Friday."

"I don't suppose I can change your mind about tonight, can I?" Lee looked at his boss almost pleadingly. The look his section chief gave him, was answer enough, it told him not to even think of starting down that path again. He didn't like it, but he knew he'd have to accept it – for now. With a sigh of acceptance, he turned towards the door. "I'd better get up to the Q-Bureau and start digging through everything we have on Stoev."

"Hold it, Lee."

Lee closed his eyes, took a deep breath and turned back towards his boss. "Billy, can whatever it is wait, I saw the files Amanda pulled yesterday, and I have a lot of research to do, and apparently a report to write." Truthfully, he wanted to get up to the Q Bureau and catch his wife before she left with Francine. He wanted to wish her luck and remind her how much he loved her. He had a feeling he wasn't going to get another chance to see her until this whole affair was over.

"No, it can't." Billy shook his head adamantly and fixed Lee with a pointed glare. "I want to make sure you don't plan on leaving Fielder stranded. You may think that the Rockville assignment is just a way of keeping you away from Amanda tonight…but this surveillance is just as important as any other assignment I've ever given you."

"Billy…" Lee started to protest.

Billy held up a hand. "I mean it Scarecrow… Ever since we found out about this assassination attempt, I haven't had a moment's peace, which means I have very little patience left, one slip up…"

Lee took a deep breath. "Don't worry Billy, I know exactly where my duty lies." He turned and walked out of his boss's office.

Billy watched his agent walk out of the bullpen. "That's what I'm afraid of." He muttered to the now empty room and sitting down, he picked up Duffy's report from where it had landed on his desk after he'd tossed it down and put it in the folder marked 'Richmond/Stoev'.

Lee hurried out of the bullpen and practically ran towards the elevator. Although he knew his wife would probably prefer to have as little contact with him as possible right now, so she could concentrate on the task ahead of her, he needed to hold her one more time and make sure that she knew just much he loved her. He had just reached his destination when he saw Frank Duffy round the corner.

"Hey, Scarecrow, where's the fire?" Duffy chuckled as he headed over to the elevator.

Lee took a deep breath and pushed the call button. "Just trying to catch Amanda and Francine before they leave."

"Speaking of Amanda," Duffy smiled mockingly, "does your partner know that you're dating older women now?"

Lee glared at his fellow agent. "Duffy who I date is none of your business." As the elevator doors opened, he stepped inside, hoping that his last comment was enough to shut his colleague up. He should have known better.

Following Lee into the small closet elevator, Duffy punched him good-naturedly in the arm. "I think it's great that you've decided to go after women with a little more 'experience'. You know I'm referring to the blonde you put in the cab last night right." He let out a low whistle. "Man, she was a looker."

Doing his best to resist the urge to grab Duffy by the collar and throttle him, Lee gritted his teeth and, keeping his clenched fists tightly against his sides, he glared at the other man. "Duffy, I suggest you stop right now. You're talking about a member of my family." Since Duffy obviously didn't know that the blonde woman from last night was Amanda's mother, he figured he'd let his fellow agent think he was referring to one of his civilian eyes and ears. "Not that it's any of your business, but she had some personal problems and I was trying to cheer her up. So if you know what's good for you, you'll bite your tongue before I do something I can't take back."

Duffy saw the hint of anger in Lee's eyes, and knew when he'd pushed the Scarecrow's buttons just a little too far, so when the elevator dinged their arrival to the main level, he let out a sigh of relief. "Hint taken, Scarecrow." He stepped out of the elevator and, pulling off his badge, practically threw it at Mrs. Marston as he walked briskly towards the front door.

Lee shook his head and relaxed his hands. He then nodded at Mrs. Marston, "Francine and Amanda haven't left yet have they?" He smiled when the older woman shook her head. He then turned and made his way to the stairs and took them three at a time. In record time he reached the top of the stairs and pulled open the door at the top. As he stepped into the small hallway, he heard his wife's voice floating through the partially open door.

"Francine, since you've met Steven before, do you remember if he seemed like someone who had a lot to hide?"

"I'm not sure what you're getting at Amanda. The Steven I remember could spin a tale just like any other man that wanted to get a woman into bed."

"That's not what I meant. I saw something last night in his eyes. There was a look, something I couldn't quite put my finger on, but it was almost haunted, maybe even guilt."

"Well the guy is planning on taking another man's life willingly. Unless you're a terrorist born and raised not to value human life, it's bound to affect you."

"I guess…it's just, I don't think he's taking part in this assassination willingly, it's almost like Stoev might be forcing his hand, maybe blackmailing him, I don't know…"

Lee tuned the rest of his wife's words out as he suddenly realized that Amanda was sharing this insight with Francine, something that she hadn't shared with him. Why hadn't she shared her concerns with him last night? He knew his wife always tried to see the best in people, but something in her voice told him that there might be something more than just her usual concern. It was almost as if she was falling for this guy. Is that why she hadn't shared this with him, because she didn't want to admit to him that she was attracted to Richmond? Maybe she really wasn't as opposed to seducing this guy as she had led him to believe and that was the real reason that she didn't want him in the van listening. He shook his head and quickly dismissed that thought. He'd seen the haunted look in her eyes last night and he reminded himself just how much his wife loved him and that she would never willingly do anything to jeopardize that love. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and nonchalantly stepped into the office. "Good you haven't left yet," he turned and smiled at the blonde, "Francine, do you mind if I have a moment alone with my partner?"

Francine shook her head. "Not at all." She walked over to the door and turned towards Amanda. "I'll meet you at my car. Don't take too long, though. I can just feel that mud bath wiping away the stress of the past few weeks."

Amanda chuckled. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

Lee closed and locked the door behind Francine, before walking over and taking his wife into his arms. "I don't know if we'll get a chance to talk again before your dinner with Richmond." He pulled her closer to him and tenderly kissed her forehead. "I wanted to let you know that I love you and that I trust you. I know that you don't want to do this, and that you don't have a choice…" He stopped himself, and swallowed the bile that suddenly started rising in his throat. He took a deep breath, hoping that his wife would save him from his own dark thoughts and say something to wipe away the doubts and fears that had suddenly started to plague him.

Amanda could hear the uncertainty in her husband's voice and, pulling back slightly, she gazed into his hazel eyes. "Lee, you do know how much I love you, don't you and that I would never do anything to hurt you. Those vows I took in the Marion County courthouse meant everything to me, and I swear to you that I will never, ever, do anything to break them." She pulled his head down and captured his lips with hers in a very passionate kiss. When she pulled back, she looked back into his eyes. "I'll be okay. Francine's going to be there and I need you to promise me one more time that you won't be in the van tonight. I won't be able to do this if I know you're listening."

Lee let out a deep sigh. "I promise." Removing his arms from around her waist, he stepped back and ran a hand through his hair. "Besides, it's not like I have a choice. Billy made sure that I'd be far away…in Rockville…with Fred Fielder of all people."

"I'll meet you back at your apartment when it's all over, okay?" Amanda walked over to him and trailed a finger lightly along his arm.

"What about your mother. I was surprised, pleasantly that is, last night when she all but told you to stay with me. But that was last night, what are you planning on telling her for tonight?" Lee eyed her skeptically.

Amanda stepped away from her husband and, moving over to her desk, she picked up her purse. "I'll think of something. Besides, if last night was any indication, I know I'm going to need your arms around me, holding me and loving me tonight, there's no doubt about that." She blew him a kiss as she moved over to the door and, unlocking it, stepped out into the hallway.

Lee watched her go and let out a long sigh. He didn't know if he was going to have the strength to abide by her wishes and stay away from the van. He didn't have to meet Fielder until nine-thirty, so maybe he could sneak into the van for a little while. The not knowing was going to kill him and there was no way he was going to be able to spend half the night with Fielder if he didn't at least check up on his wife. Besides, he had enough blackmail material on Francine to make her keep quiet. With his mind made up, he moved over to his desk and, sitting down, turned the computer on to start on their report for Billy on last night's encounter.

SMK SMK SMK

Amanda lay on the padded table relishing the feelings of the masseuse's hands easing away all the tension from her body. She opened her eyes and saw her coworker staring at her with a curious expression on her face. "Is there something you want to ask me, Francine?"

"Yes, actually, there is." Francine closed her eyes and sighed contentedly as her masseuse relaxed a particularly tight muscle. "You and Lee never broke up like you told me you did, did you?"

Amanda feigned ignorance. "I honestly don't know what you're talking about, Francine. Lee and I are partners, nothing more."

Francine rolled her eyes and let out a very unladylike snort. "Oh please, I wasn't born yesterday. Did you really think that I bought that story you fed me that you broke up with him?" She watched Amanda shrug her shoulders slightly. "Okay, I'll admit I believed you for about a day, but then I saw they way you two acted around each other after that. You two didn't act like a couple who had just broken up, and you certainly don't act like 'just partners', even now. In fact, you two seem closer than ever."

"Francine…"

"You can stop the protesting right now, I'm good at picking up clues, after all it is my profession." Francine raised her eyebrows knowingly. "Besides, anyone has to be blind not to see how much Lee cares for you, hell just look at how ballistic he went when he found out that you were going to have to do the Peacock Dance. I know Lee, maybe not as well as you do, but that man was acting more like a jealous lover than just an overprotective partner."

"Ungh." Amanda grunted as her masseuse found a particularly tight spot that didn't seem to want to relax. "Francine, Lee's my partner, partners look out for each other…"

When her masseuse had stopped massaging her upper body and stepped away from the table, Francine raised herself up slightly and put her head on her hands. "Look, it's hard to make friends in this business, let alone find time to have a love life, and I realize that I haven't been your biggest supporter, and I'm sorry for that."

"Oh Francine, you don't need to apologize. I understand, really I do." Amanda sighed. "I actually appreciate the fact that you cared enough to warn me about Lee last year. I also find it comforting that that you were acting out of concern, not just for me, but for Lee too…but…"

"But nothing, Amanda, anyone with eyes can see that Lee cares very deeply for you, in fact, if I didn't know better, I'd say that Lee was head over heels in love with you." Francine shot her a friendly smile. "I know Lee, and I don't mean in an intimate way, either. It's just that I've known him for a long time and he has never, ever looked at a woman the way he looks at you. I have to admit, that in the beginning, when you first started working for us, I thought for sure you'd get tired of his less than cavalier attitude towards you. But then, somewhere along the way, and I couldn't pinpoint the exact time if I tried, his attitude towards you changed. He actually enjoyed having you around and jumped at the chance to work with you." She looked at Amanda curiously. "Can I ask you something?"

"Isn't that what you've been doing?" Amanda chuckled. "Sorry, go ahead."

"Since you're such an intuitive person, I'm sure you realized that Lee wasn't exactly thrilled to be working with a housewife." Francine gave her a sympathetic look. "What made you keep coming back?"

Amanda smiled thoughtfully. "Lee, actually. I didn't know much about him back then, other than the fact that he'd lost his partner. And perhaps it was that fact. I know what it's like to lose someone close to you, and after Mr. Melrose told me that he would call on me from time to time, I made a decision that I would never let Lee down and that I would be there for him. Call it mother's intuition, but I could tell that there was a part of Lee that longed to have a real friend, someone he could count on, even if he wasn't ready to openly admit it." She let out a small sigh. "However, when I made that promise to myself, I didn't realize how stubborn, pigheaded and smothering he could be."

Francine chuckled. "To be honest, I never knew he could be that way either. At first I thought he was that way with you because you were a civilian with no training and he felt responsible for you. But then, after you started proving yourself, in unique ways I might add," She smiled at Amanda, "I realized that his need to protect you went a little deeper than just feeling responsible for you. He's lost so much in his life, and I think the reason he's so protective of you is that he's afraid of losing you."

"I know he has, and sometimes I actually think of his protectiveness as endearing." Amanda smiled briefly. "But then other times, it can be just a little too frustrating, I'd even go so far as to say restrictive, like I can't make my own decisions. You know it was bad enough yesterday when I was being ordered to take this assignment, but then when he comes in and starts acting like my keeper, in front of you and Mr. Melrose, it makes me so angry. He didn't even bother to wait and get all the facts, he just decides to jump in and give his opinion."

"That's our Lee for you, always acting first, thinking later." Francine smiled warmly at Amanda. "You know, once he got used to having you around, he would worry about you all the time. He never admitted it to anyone, but I always noticed it in the way he would act whenever you were in trouble. Back when you first started working for the Agency, I think he worried about you because he felt like it was his fault that you got mixed up in this business and maybe he still does. However, somewhere along the line his worry for you changed from one of responsibility to something more."

Francine laid her head back on the table when her masseuse returned and began rubbing scented oil on her back. "Lee likes to be in control of things and because you're smart, intelligent, headstrong, and probably just as stubborn as he is," she shot Amanda a toothy grin, "his male ego sometimes comes to the forefront so that he can assert some semblance of control in situations he really has no control over, like the one yesterday in Billy's office. He's afraid of losing you, in fact he almost did. I don't think anything gave him more of a reality check than when you were shot." She noticed the brunette shudder slightly. "I know you may not want to hear this, and it's probably something you're already aware of, but he called us while he was tracking down the shooter and I have never heard him so distraught, not even when you'd been kidnapped by Addi Birol. Don't get me wrong, he was a wreck while that madman had you, but I got the strangest feeling when we were talking to him, that if you hadn't pulled through, he would have completely lost it. It was as if he was no longer prepared to go on with his life if you weren't around to share it with him."

Amanda's eyes glistened with unshed tears and her voice was just above a whisper as she spoke. "I know exactly how he felt, because I'd feel the same way if I ever lost him." The blonde's honest assessment of Lee's feelings towards her, broke down all remaining defenses she might have had, and her need to keep her true feelings for Lee hidden from her friend, evaporated. "I love him, Francine, more than anything in the world and I know he loves me just as much."

"I guess that answered my original question then. I never thought I'd see the day that Lee Stetson was off the market." Francine smiled innocently. "So, just how off the market is Lee?"

Amanda let out a long sigh. "Francine, if I answer you honestly, you have to promise me that you'll keep it to yourself. You can't tell Mr. Melrose or anyone else, not even if they order you to tell them."

Francine eyed Amanda curiously. What could be so big that she'd have to make such a promise? Her curiosity won over any amount of better judgment she might have had, and she nodded her head. "If it's that important to you that I keep this to myself, then yes, I promise."

Amanda began to sit up, wrapping her towel securely around her body and looked over at her masseuse who had just told her that her massage was done. "Thank you, I haven't felt this good in a long time." She smiled as the masseuse nodded and then headed towards the exit. She then turned back towards her friend and, taking a deep breath, prayed that her husband wouldn't kill her for telling Francine their secret. "Lee and I were on our honeymoon when I was shot."
Francine's eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped open. "Are you telling me that you and Lee got married?"
"Yes, Francine, that's exactly what I'm saying. People who go on a honeymoon, usually do so because they just got married." Amanda tried to stifle a giggle at the blonde's bewilderment.

"Very funny." Francine waived her masseuse away, and as she began to sit up, she made sure her towel was wrapped securely around her body, before maneuvering herself to a full sitting position. Swinging her legs over the edge of the table, she stared at Amanda. "You're serious? You and Lee got married?" Watching the brunette nod her head, she let out a low whistle. "Wow, this is so much bigger than I thought it was going to be. Why keep it such a secret?" She looked around to make sure that both masseuses were no longer in the room before continuing. "I mean if it were me, and I had just landed the sexiest spy in all of D.C., I'd be shouting it from every rooftop."

"Oh, how I wish I could." Amanda gave Francine a half-hearted smile and sighed. "In fact, we hadn't planned on keeping our marriage a secret, but after what happened to Khai's little boy, we were concerned about my family's safety. Then there's the little matter of how Dr. Smyth would react. We didn't want to be split up as a team. The months after I returned from California and was on restrictive duty were torture, I hated not being able to be out there watching Lee's back."

"So you two sacrificed a normal marriage to protect your family." Francine shook her head and looked at Amanda with an expression that was a mixture of amazement and respect. "Wow, Lee Stetson married. I didn't think I'd ever live to see the day that that ever happened to the Agency's biggest loner, but I guess that title doesn't really apply to him anymore, does it. This huge piece of information sure explains a lot about his behavior over the past two years. Like his reaction in Billy's office yesterday. No wonder he got so upset." She let out a chuckle. "You know I should have realized that there's been an extra spring in Scarecrow's step lately, who would have thought that being married would be the reason. Even you," she hopped off the table and started heading for the steam room, "you've changed, you're more confident and so much more self-assured."

"Thank you, Francine." Amanda climbed down from her table and followed the blonde into the other room. It was a very rare occasion when Francine paid her any type of compliment.

Francine sat down on one of the benches and leaned her head back, enjoying the warm mist. "Man, I can't wait to see expressions on the faces of the girls in the steno pool when they find out. They are going to be so jealous."

"Fran-cine, you promised." Amanda sat down on the bench next to the blonde's and glanced at her with a pleading expression. "You can't tell anyone. Not even my family knows, they just think Lee's my boyfriend. In fact, other than a family friend of Lee's you're the only other friend who knows."

Francine looked at Amanda with a shocked expression "Really, you haven't told anyone else, not even your mother?" Her face softened as the brunette nodded. "Don't worry I won't tell anyone, but the truth is going to come out sooner or later. You two don't plan on keeping this a secret forever, do you? I mean no one's perfect and one of you is bound to slip up. I'm surprised Lee didn't blurt it out yesterday."

"He almost did, but he caught himself." Amanda let out a long sigh. "I know we'll come clean eventually, when the timing is right, although I don't know if the timing will ever be right…but I do know one thing, right now is definitely not the right time."

Francine nodded in agreement. "You're not wrong about that, do you know how many heads would roll if it came out that a married agent was ordered to perform a Peacock Dance and that the head of the Agency was the one who demanded she do it?"

"Would serve Dr. Smyth right." Amanda mumbled.

Francine laughed. "It certainly would. Speaking of the old smoke stack, you have to promise me that I get to be present when you actually spill the beans to him, because that is going to be a day for the record books. And, can you let me be the one to tell the girls in the steno pool. I really do want to see their faces when they find out that the Agency's most eligible bachelor is no longer available."

Amanda chuckled and nodded. "I promise to let you have that honor, and I'll see what I can do about making sure you get a front row seat when we tell Dr. Smyth." She then leaned forward and looked at her friend with a hesitant expression on her face. "Francine, can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Francine nodded, "what's on your mind?"

"You've done the Peacock Dance before right?" After seeing Francine's slight nod of agreement, Amanda leaned back and closed her eyes. "Does it get easier, I mean, to pretend that you're attracted to someone, and try and get them into bed just to get information out of them."

"No," Francine shook her head mournfully, "it never gets easier, but you learn to shut off your feelings and just do your job, like an actress would."

"That's what Lee said, that I should treat this assignment like a play where I'm writing the script as I go along." Amanda leaned her head back against the wall and sighed. "But, I'm married, and I take those vows very seriously." She glanced over at Francine. "How do I do this without feeling like I'm cheating on Lee? What if the drug doesn't work and…"

Francine leaned forward and placed a hand on Amanda's arm, her expression serious. "You just have to have faith in the equipment that the Agency is going to give you. The drugs the doctors whip up are pretty powerful and fast acting. Trust me, the drug will work." Realizing that the gesture was a little friendlier than she was used to, she quickly removed her hand and placed it on the bench beside her.

"I hope you're right." Amanda gave Francine a half-hearted smile. "I'm just glad Lee's not going to be in the van. It's going to be hard enough to let Steven kiss me and kiss him back without Lee listening in, but if I knew that he was in the van…I'm not sure I'd be able to go through with it." Her expression turned serious again. "Francine, what happens if I don't get a chance to put the drug in a drink and I have to go a lot further than I originally intended?"

"Just remember that you're the one in control. You're a trained agent, Amanda," Francine wiped away a bead of sweat from her eye that had trickled down from her forehead, "don't lose sight of that. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. If the drug doesn't seem to be working and things are progressing a lot further than you want it to, put a stop to it. Excuse yourself to use the bathroom, or tell him that you aren't ready to go that far, at least not on a first date. I know Steven and he may be a womanizer, but he's not the type to force a woman to do anything she doesn't want to do. However, if that angle doesn't work for you, just knock him out." She grinned and let out a chuckle. "I hear you're a real pro when it comes to using a lamp."

Amanda glared mockingly at the blonde. "Very funny, Francine."

"Sorry, I couldn't resist." Francine chuckled again. "But seriously, call on your Agency training and find a way, and once you've rendered him unconscious, just talk to me through the wire and I'll bring the backup syringe with the truth serum in it."

"I guess that'll be our best backup plan. Especially since Mr. Melrose said that we're not allowed to arrest Steven." Feeling her towel start to loosen, Amanda tightened the knot above her breasts. "We don't want to risk tipping Stoev and whoever else is behind this too early. They have to believe that everything is going according to plan."

Francine nodded. "Exactly, and once we get Steven to talk and find out what the plan is, we can put a plan of our own into action to take him out of the equation right before the Inauguration begins." She glanced up at the clock on the wall. "Now, enough shop talk, we're here to help you relax." She stood up and motioned for Amanda to do the same. "Come on we have facials and the mud bath next, you're going to love that."

Amanda rolled her eyes. She never could understand why people enjoyed submerging themselves in mud. "Sounds like fun."

Francine ignored the sarcasm in the brunette's voice. "And you've got to tell me how, between your mother and sons, the Agency and not living under the same roof, you two find time to be truly intimate…and I'm not talking about the few times I've almost caught you two in compromising positions in the Q-Bureau, either."

Amanda groaned. Maybe telling Francine about the marriage wasn't the smartest thing she'd ever done. Shaking her head she followed the blonde out of the steam room, hoping to find a way to enjoy the rest of the afternoon of pampering despite the third degree she knew she was going to have to endure from Francine.

To Be Continued…