7:56 a.m. Monday, August 18, 1986

Amanda wearily entered the front entrance of the Agency. The usual spring in her step was nowhere to be found. After leaving Lee's apartment on Saturday afternoon she went home and did a lot of thinking. Of course, the thinking came well after the two glasses of wine and a whole lot of crying. But she had finally come to the decision that she would give him the day to calm down and then try calling him on Sunday afternoon. She was hoping that he'd agree to meet so they could talk things through. Unfortunately, he was either out or screening his calls. Either way, he never returned her messages.

So, here she stood, right outside the closet elevator, her hand hovering over the doorknob. "Mrs. King, is there a problem with the elevator?" boomed the matronly woman who kept watch over the Georgetown entrance. "No, Mrs. Marston. Just thinking," Amanda tossed over her shoulder before yanking the door open and shoving the coats to one side. "Have a good day, Mrs. King," came the voice of the Agency's sentinel. Amanda nodded. "You have a good da—" she was cut off when the doors clamped shut.

She fidgeted just as the elevator doors opened to let her out into the hallway just outside Field Section. Glancing at her watch, she realized she had only a matter of seconds before their staff meeting would begin. She didn't even have time to grab a cup of coffee; that was probably best, she was jittery enough. Would he speak to her? Could she go the entire meeting without brushing up against him for some sort of connection? As she entered the crowded room, she could see that he had chosen not to sit in his usual spot but rather between Francine and Fred. 'Well, that takes care of those worries.' Amanda thought dejectedly.

Taking the only seat available, she was wedged between Mark and Ephraim and directly across from Lee. She smiled politely at a few of the agents before turning her attention onto her partner, who still refused to look her way. She nearly jumped out of her skin when Billy's deep voice called the meeting to order.

Amanda zoned out shortly thereafter, her thoughts turning to Friday night, a mere three days prior. The way they fit perfectly together as they danced. The way their bodies fit together back at his apartment. The connection was so very real. Her mind focused on his eyes; the way they seemed to see right into her soul. His tender kisses -

"Mrs. King?"

"Hmmm? Oh, I'm sorry, Sir. What did you say, Mr. Melrose?" Her cheeks flamed hot.

His warm eyes crinkled in response, "I was just saying that I'd like you to take the lead on the Aristov defection, Lee will back you up due to your part-time status."

Her partner snorted. "Oh, I don't know, Billy. Special Agent King can handle something as simple as a defection." His voice was tight and dripping with sarcasm.

Amanda glared at him disbelieving that he would say such a thing in front of a room full of their colleagues. She watched as his eyes darted all around the room, everywhere but to her.

Their section chief glanced between the two of them in confusion before replying in kind, "Thank you for your insight, Scarecrow. Just the same, you'll back up, Mrs. King."

She was certain that her face and neck had just turned a very bright shade of red but kept her focus on her supervisor and counted the seconds until she could bolt from the room.

Thankfully it wasn't much longer and Billy had called out, "Alright people, that's all for now."

Amanda stood quickly and nearly made it out of the room before she heard her supervisor call out to her. She bit her bottom lip as she looked back to him with a quirked brow.

"Could you stay a moment, Amanda?" He smiled kindly.

"Yes, Sir," she nodded. "Of course."

Amanda watched as Billy placed his hands on Lee's shoulders essentially holding him in place. "You too, Scarecrow."

"Bil-ly!" Lee grumbled and fell back into his chair.

Once Francine closed the door behind her, Billy yelled out, "What the hell was that all about, Scarecrow? If you two are having problems you deal with them in private! Now what is going on? You know damn well that Amanda is capable of running lead on -"

"Give it up, Billy. I know she's a fully-trained agent."

"What the hell are you talking about, Scarecrow?" Billy stood with his hands on his hips at the front of the room.

Amanda squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath. This was not going to be pleasant. She sighed and mumbled, "So much for national security."

"Come on, Billy! Amanda told me everything. I know she was a former FBI agent before getting pulled over here to babysit me!"

"Lee, please," Amanda pleaded quietly.

"Scarecrow, what are you rambling on about?" Billy shook his head in confusion. "Amanda, what –"

"Cut the crap, Bil—"

"Lee!" She screamed. "He doesn't know!" She looked up at the two men shaking her head. "He doesn't know," she whispered.

"I don't believe this. Is there anyone you haven't lied to?" His last statement was spat out like poison.

Amanda's head jerked toward the bullpen as if she were slapped, tears prickling her eyes. She ran her pendant across its chain around her neck furiously.

"Lee! Why don't you go take a walk?" Billy nodded toward the bullpen. When Lee didn't make a move to go, he tried again. "Now, Scarecrow!"

Amanda watched as Lee threw open the conference room door, cringing when he slammed it shut behind him. She stared at the closed door, breathing deeply to try and collect her composure.

"Why don't we move this into my office where we can have a bit more privacy?" He indicated the agents who now stood with their mouths open staring through the window into the conference room and she nodded.

Wordlessly, they entered his office; Amanda kept her eyes on the floor in front of her the entire way there. Before she could even take a seat, he spoke, "Amanda, do you mind telling me what just happened in there? I've never seen him like that before and what was that he was saying about you being an agent?"

She sat pondering what had just happened and what exactly she was going to tell her boss when he called her name again. She sat up straighter, resolved to the pending conversation.

"Sir, what I'm about to tell you is classified and cannot leave this room."

"Oh, boy!" He sighed.

"You better sit down," she advised.

"I better sit down," he said in unison.

As Amanda relayed how she was recruited by the FBI while a student at Virginia Tech, and her experience with Tony and the Weather Underground, he slipped open his drawer and pulled out his antacids, popping them into his mouth periodically as she continued.

"You're lucky to be alive, Amanda! That group was cutthroat when it came to anyone standing in the way of their cause."

"Yes, Sir. Due to the seriousness of the threats and subsequent attempt on my life, the FBI transferred me to UVA, buried my involvement with them altogether. The only evidence of me at the FBI is my codename, 'Sunshine'."

At his perplexing look, she explained. "One of my instructors at Quantico . . ." She shook her head and blushed at the memory. "It's not important," she whispered mostly to herself.

"Anyway, after that I quit the FBI and focused on my relationship with Joe, graduated from UVA with honors, had my boys and forgot all about the spy business."

"But how did you get pulled into the Agency?"

"Oh, Sir. That was completely by accident. Lee doesn't believe me, but it really was just a coincidence that he picked me out that day." She had to make him believe her. It was bad enough that the man she loved hated her; she couldn't have her friends turn on her too. "I really hadn't thought about my old life until earlier that year when my former FBI handler had reached out to me. He wanted me to . . ." she hesitated.

"To what, Amanda?"

"He said that a former colleague of his had an agent that was going through a tough time, was taking too many risks, not following the rules . . ." She trailed off as she looked into the dark, sympathetic eyes of her supervisor. "I told him no, Sir! I had a family to think about, Joe and I had just divorced and I couldn't risk something happening to me for the boys' sakes."

He nodded his understanding.

"I didn't hear from him again until last spring. I guess it took him that long to realize what had happened and that what he was pushing for had happened all on its own. He tried pushing me to agree to work with him by keeping tabs on Lee. Letting him know if I thought he was becoming a danger to himself or others. But I told him I wouldn't do it. I wasn't even sure I wanted to continue working for the Agency at that point." Her head jerked up when she realized how that had sounded. "I mean, you were all wonderful to work with, but it was so dangerous and . . . and I had my boys to think about."

Billy stood and came around to sit at the edge of his desk. Patting her hand, he soothed, "I know, Amanda. So, why did you stick around?"

"I really started to feel like I was making a difference again. And I really did enjoy working with . . . all of you."

Billy gave her a knowing smile. "He does grow on you, doesn't he?"

"Yes, he does." She smiled self-consciously.

"While it does make more sense now . . . I have to say this is still a bit hard to believe." He stood and walked over to look out the window into the bullpen.

"Sir?"

"Sorry, Amanda. It's just hard to picture you as a fully trained FBI agent –"

"I'm not –"

He held up his hand. "I know you're not an agent anymore, but you were. I always thought you just had good instincts, but I see now that it was more than that."

Amanda couldn't help but smile at the compliment.

"Well, I think it's about time we got you recertified as an agent, don't you, Mrs. King?"

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Before he could call out, Francine rushed in. "Billy, Dr. Smyth is on the warpath! He just got back from the White House and he's fuming about getting blindsided by the Wendall Pharmaceutical case."

"I'm sorry, Amanda. We'll have to continue this at another time. Why don't you go get started on that defection? Francine will give you what you need." He walked her to the door and smiled.

"Of course, Sir."

"Amanda?" he called out as she was nearly out the door.

"Yes, Sir?" she asked expectantly.

"I want you to go see Leatherneck and schedule some time on the range today." He didn't wait for her response and moved back to his desk. He pulled the Wendall case file from his drawer and flipped through it in an attempt to prepare himself for Smyth's onslaught.

Amanda nodded and both women left him to digest the case file in peace.