Santa's got a cat in that bag
It wasn't until Lee followed Billy and Francine into the office that he actually began to think about how difficult a conversation this might be. He turned to shut the door but Amanda stopped him.
"If you close the door, people will start asking questions. Just let the party act as white noise" she whispered.
"Your intuitive agent skills are turning out to be really remarkable Mrs…King," laughed Lee quietly before turning back to look at Billy who was waiting with a questioning look on his face.
"What's up, Scarecrow? You look like someone's suddenly tied your tie too tight."
"It's nothing bad, I'm just not sure what you're going to say about it or about why I – why we – haven't said anything before now."
"About what? You're talking in circles, Lee."
"Maybe I can help" said Paul Barnes from the open doorway. He and Jeanie were standing just outside the office and he motioned for her to go in before following himself.
"Wizard, I mean, Sir, uh, if this is Agency business, I'm not sure if Jeanie should be here, clearance or not," said Billy.
"Billy, you need to start calling me Paul or this is going to be a very poor working relationship. And your wife is here because I think she'll have added insight into this situation," said Paul in his gentle voice before leaning against the bookshelf beside Jeanie. "Now I think what Lee is trying to tell you is that he's taken on another position for the last little while – just part-time I understand – but with the shift in administration, it's clear to me that he should take it up full-time and I'd like you to make sure he gets all the support he needs."
Lee was almost afraid to look at Amanda to see what she made of this masterly description of their marriage, but a quick peek told him she was staring at the ceiling, cheek muscle twitching. Only his familiarity with every nuance of her expressions told him how desperately she was trying not to laugh.
"You've been working in secret at something else and the whole time you've been working for me as well?" Billy sounded like he was equally confused and miffed. "What kind of other job could you have that you couldn't tell me about?" Lee could see when the next thought struck him. "Have you been a mole all this time? Have we been under investigation? Have I?"
Lee rushed to answer him. "No, no, no! Nothing like that! This wasn't an Agency thing, exactly, but it was because of the Agency that we didn't want you to get dragged into it any sooner than you had to. Oh for God's sake, this sounds worse and worse the more I try to figure out how to explain it to you." Lee had now taken up his usual position leaning on the windows and was running his hand through his hair. "Amanda, I could use some help here."
"Oh no, senior agent always gets the b….ad jobs". He couldn't help laughing at the way she skillfully reworded their old joke.
"This is the worst game of 20 questions ever" chimed in Francine from her spot on the far side of the room. "I think Lee's finally trying to tell you he and Amanda got married."
There was a stunned silence while Billy, Lee and Amanda all turned to stare at Francine. No one paid any attention as Jeanie handed Paul a $10 bill. "You're right – she's a very good agent" she murmured to him.
"I know, nothing but the best around here" laughed Paul.
Meanwhile Francine was staring back at Lee and Amanda with raised eyebrows as if surprised by the reaction. "Well, aren't you? You don't have any other bombshells do you?" She paused suddenly as if struck by a thought. "Unless you two are having a baby?"
Lee's "Whaaaaat?" and Amanda's "Francine!" rang out in tandem, followed by Lee adding "Oh my God, no!"
Amanda swivelled back from looking at Francine to look at him. "Oh my God, no? What kind of reaction is that?"
Not sure why he was suddenly under fire, Lee stared at her and stammered "We're not, are we?"
"Of course we're not! But seriously? 'Oh my God no'? What woman wants to hear that?"
Billy interrupted their sparring. "Would one of you please tell me what is going on here? And what is going on with you two?" Lee started to speak but realized that Billy wasn't looking at him for that last question. He turned in time to see Paul handing Jeanie back the $10 bill. "It's all in the hands," Jeanie was saying to him. "You have to watch where a woman rests her hands if you want to be sure." She turned to look at her husband and smile. "You just keep going, darlin'. Paul and I have a few rounds left in this game."
Billy stared at her speculatively for a moment and then went back to looking back and forth between Lee and Amanda, scowling slightly. "Is Francine right?" They both nodded. "And you didn't tell me?"
"We didn't tell anyone, sir" said Amanda apologetically. "My family still doesn't know, or Lee's uncle."
"But Francine knows?" he went on.
"Apparently," answered Lee. "Although I have no idea how." They all turned to look at the person in question.
Francine shrugged slightly and said "Lots of little things really. You were always at each other's houses when we had to find you, your expense sheets stopped showing two rooms when you were under cover which never ever used to happen when you were working with Amanda, and Lee started getting way more attention from the steno pool again."
"I what?"
"He what?"
"Well, to your credit, you didn't even notice it, but you must have been giving off married man vibe because the coffee station gossip really ratcheted up after you came back from California. I think it was the whole Heathcliff look."
Lee was looking mystified but Amanda had started to nod in comprehension. "The mother-me look" she said. "It looks good on him, but I don't want to ever see it again."
"Exactly." Francine went on "And then because I was around both of you so much this year, it was just an accumulation of other evidence, like Efraim making a comment about how your missions must have changed because you hadn't borrowed rings from the fabrication department in months even though I knew you'd been under cover at least three times as a married couple. So one day I told him that Amanda and I had a bet that he couldn't get her to break cover and I got him to call you Mrs. Stetson for three days straight and you never blinked. He was really impressed with your dedication to the cover."
Amanda started to laugh. "I noticed. I just thought he was trying to needle me but it was sort of nice to have someone calling me that, so I just ignored him."
"Anyway," Francine went on "It looks like I wasn't the only one who knew. Our new Director was obviously in on it. And Jeanie."
"Oh, I only found out a few days ago and that was by accident" murmured Paul apologetically. "Lee doesn't stand up as well to needling as Amanda apparently and he, uh, blinked so to speak. How about you?" he went on, turning to Jeanie.
"I didn't know for sure until just now, but, Amanda, did you say your family still doesn't know?"
Amanda nodded.
"Honey, you have got to have a conversation with your boys sooner rather than later. Do you remember the evening I spent with them in the emergency room?" She waited for Amanda to nod again. "Well, Jamie was really missing you and he talked about you a lot and well, based on how he talks about Lee, you should probably clarify a few things with him and Philip."
Amanda looked as if she wanted to ask something more when Billy's voice cut through the room. "So am I the only one in this room who didn't know before now? And why is that?"
"We wanted to tell you! We were going to tell you! Just one thing led to another and then it just seemed better for you not to know." stammered Amanda.
"So you decided on a need to know basis, you thought I didn't need to know this?" Billy's expression was part outrage and part hurt feelings.
"You needed plausible deniability." Lee finally spoke up.
"I needed plausible deniability? What in God's good gravy are you talking about?"
Just at that moment, Dr. Smyth walked up to the open office door and walked in, large tumbler of spiked punch in one hand, cigarette in the other. "Well, Melrose, I'm finally out of here for the last time. Try not to burn the place down with me gone." He turned to Paul and went on "I trust you're not going to let him get away with anything when it comes to his pets?" He gestured towards Lee and Amanda. "He has an unfortunate blind spot when it comes to those two but it does occasionally come in handy when you need leverage to bring him to heel."
Paul stared back at him through narrowed eyes. "I'm going to assume that's the punch talking, Smyth, but I'm beginning to understand why the Senate Committee was so keen to get rid of you. You should probably find your way to an exit door soon or I won't be responsible for any consequences."
Smyth looked slowly around the room at the stony faces glaring back at him, before turning to the door saying "Until we meet again, children."
"Oh, and Austin?" Smyth turned back to glare at Paul. "Before you plan on stirring up too much trouble from over at State Department, don't forget that this team and department has recently acquired Senator Adams as a very grateful and powerful friend. You remember Senator Adams? Did you know he was college roommates with the President?"
Smyth blenched slightly at the implications of what Paul had just gently pointed out. Without another word, he turned and stalked out of the office and across the bullpen. There was a long silence as they all watched him go before Lee turned back to Billy and shrugged.
"Plausible deniability," he repeated.
Billy sat back down in his chair and leaned back, blowing out his breath in a long whistle. "I guess I should be grateful. But now I'm ticked off and I don't have anyone to be mad at!" He turned suddenly to Francine "Except you! You figured all this out and didn't think to mention it to me?"
Francine was startled by the sudden attack bur came back with a ready answer. "Oh come on Billy! For all I knew, you did know and you weren't telling me! You didn't tell me when Lee faked his death or faked burnout, did you?"
Billy slumped back in his chair. "No. Dammit, I hate that you're right." He refocused on Lee and Amanda who were looking at each other in that way they did when they were in the middle of one of their silent conversations. "So how long?"
"Ten months" they answered in chorus. Even Francine looked surprised at the answer.
"Ten months? You've hidden this for ten months? I knew you two were good but seriously? All this time I thought you'd finally done it because of Amanda getting shot." She stopped suddenly as the penny dropped. "Ten months? You got married last February? That's why you were in California."
Billy grimaced at the expression on Lee's face while Francine spoke. He'd crossed the room to drop one hand protectively on Amanda's shoulder and her hand had come up to cover his as they watched their friend putting the pieces together.
"Oh my God, that's awful." Francine finished on a whisper.
Amanda grimaced "As honeymoon go, it did kind of suck, as the boys would say." There was a long silence before she went on. "So, um, sir, are you all done being mad at us yet?"
Billy looked towards the back of the room at his wife who was smiling at him. What was it he'd told them last year? "When we find what we're looking for, we should hold onto it with all our strength?" Jeanie's eyes started to twinkle as she watched the expressions cross his face. "Come on darlin'. Paul and I have another ten bucks riding on your reaction."
Billy couldn't help it, he started to laugh. Just a bit at first but when he looked back at the hopeful expressions on Lee and Amanda's faces, he started to laugh harder, and when Paul handed Jeanie another $10 bill, he gave way to full body guffaws. He couldn't resist one last dig though.
"I'm done being mad, Scarecrow, but you do have to do one more thing before you're completely off the hook."
Lee looked visibly relieved. "Anything, Billy."
"You have to complete all the paperwork for Human Resources before December 31st, fully backdated so that everything is legal in your files. I should make you do it tonight, but even I'm not mad enough at you to make you stay late on Christmas Eve."
"No problem!"
"And you have to do it without any help from Amanda," he finished and then started to laugh again at the look of horror on Scarecrow's face.
**SMK**SMK**SMK**SMK**
To be continued