A/N: I expanded Jennie's story a bit from her diary entry in Unfinished Business. My goal was to give a plausible explanation of what they told the family as to how they met.
Oh, if life was as simple as it appeared that day in the treehouse! He had many regrets because of the decisions he made back then. But looking back, he couldn't see how he would have made any other choice than he had. Had he chosen to become a full-time parent that day, he not only would have resented Lee, but his brother and mother as well.
Had it been an option, Robert would have liked to have reached out to Jennie's family in England, and requested that they care for Lee temporarily. That would have made it easier to remain in contact with Skip while he was still stationed in Berlin. However, he had known that the Hamiltons, who came from the landed gentry, had all but disowned their daughter. Even in her late teen years, Jennie had rejected the practice of being introduced into society as a debutante. She had wanted more out of life; planning to have a career in journalism.
When Jennie met Matt's family for the first time, she was surprised at the warm reception she received despite Matt's assurance her she would be welcomed with open arms. Robert recalled the conversation that followed:
"Mr. and Mrs. Clayton it is so thoughtful for you want to have a reception for Matthew and I, but it's really not necessary. We don't want to put you out." Jennie said shyly.
"Nonsense, my dear! And please call me Helen, and Matthew's dad is Daniel; and this is his brother, Robert." Helen extended her hand with a warm smile on her face. When Jennie's face clouded over, Helen thought she had offended her daughter-in-law. "What is it dear? Did I say something to upset you? If you really don't want to have a reception, we won't have one."
Matt, who had taken a puff from his ever-present pipe, had seen the distress in his new bride's eyes and held one of her hands while placing the other around her waist, drawing her close to him to lend her his strength. "It's not that, Mother. Thank you. Jennie and I are thrilled you want to do that for us. We apologize for springing our marriage on you."
Helen tsked, "Where are my manners? Please, the both of you, come in and sit down and, over coffee, you can tell us how you met and why you didn't inform your family of your intentions to marry." The last was directed at Matt; his mother's face clearly displaying her hurt at being left out of such an important event in her son's life.
Matthew and Jennie sat side by side on the sofa, clasping hands, as he began, "We met in January at the President's inauguration where I was working security."
Jennie interrupted, "Yes, it was purely accidental. You see, I'm a reporter. I was sent to cover the inauguration for The London Times. I was rushing to get an interview with Senator Robertson when I tripped over television cables and fell right into Matthew's arms."
"Her apology was so endearing, and I could tell she was flustered, so I led her to a park bench so she could compose herself. Well, one look into her eyes and I was head over heels in love. Of course, it took a little convincing her to prove I was sincere."
The looks they exchanged with each other left little doubt in their audience's minds that they were truly in love.
"Excuse me, dear…er, Jennifer." Helen interrupted.
"Jennie… please." She smiled warmly at her mother-in-law, relaxing for the first time since entering the Clayton home.
"Jennie, what were your parents' reactions when you gave them the news?" Helen couldn't imagine her mother would have been any less hurt than she was at not being a part of such a milestone for her daughter.
Once again Jennie's eyes clouded over as she bent her head. "My parents and I haven't spoken in a very long time. They wanted a life of high society for me, but I've had a fascination with the power of the written word since I was a young girl. They refused to support my decision to study journalism, forcing me to find odd jobs to pay for my schooling. I had hoped that my decision to marry Matthew would be the beginning of a better relationship with them, and for a moment I thought they had accepted the choices I made; but when they discovered he was an American, they reiterated their disappointment. My mother refused to talk to me; and my father spoke for a few minutes and wished us well, but I could tell by the tone of his voice that they wanted no further contact with me." Jennie finished quietly, and then began fumbling in her purse for a handkerchief to hide the tears that threatened to fall. Matthew began rubbing his hand on her back in an effort to soothe her, his expression reflecting the pain she must have felt.
Helen was aghast at the thought that any parent would act that way. "My dear, I don't know you, but I know my son. I'm certain my Matthew has chosen a woman as his wife that I will be proud to call my daughter, and if you'll allow me the opportunity, I'd like to welcome you into the family with a small reception with just our closest friends."
If her family was unhappy with her career choice, they really displayed their displeasure when she married the Yankee, whom they thought was below her station. Her parents had died never knowing they had a grandson. Robert sighed. How could otherwise rational adults be so unfeeling toward their daughter and her family? Not only had Lee lost his parents and grandparents so young in life, but he had been denied knowing his mother's family as well over some antiquated idea of marriage and upward mobility. He remembered William and Ruth Steston, Matt's grandparents. Even though their son had died and his wife had remarried, they still were a presence in Matt's life. In fact, Robert remembered fondly, they made every attempt to include him as an honorary grandson in anything they did with Matt. Lee deserved at least the knowledge that Jennie's parents cared with a postcard or a letter for his birthday and Christmas.
Having no other options, Robert had made the only choice left to him where he could keep tabs on him. He placed him in a children's home Nathan had recommended. It was no wonder why, once they had been reunited, that they never had the same relationship as they had back then.
So here he sat in the officer's club, nearly thirty years later, waiting for Lee and Amanda for a farewell dinner. At least now they had made amends thanks in part to Lee's help in uncovering the truth behind the circumstances of his court martial, and in part to Amanda's influence on his nephew. As he waited for them, he reflected back on the evening following the congratulatory dinner the three had shared after his name was cleared. He and Lee had spent the night in Skip's apartment clearing the air of the hurt and misunderstandings that had festered in their relationship all these years. When Lee admitted he felt abandoned by his uncle at a time when his world was turned upside down, Robert confessed that it was the hardest decision he ever made, including having to send men into battle. While he waited, Robert's mind reminisced over the conversation of that evening:
As they entered his apartment, Lee said, "Would you care for a nightcap, Colonel?"
"That would be great, Skip. Scotch on the rocks." As Lee poured drinks, the conversation with Amanda at dinner replayed in his mind. He and Lee were family, yet they were strangers in many ways. He felt it was about time they at least start to remedy that; and as it was his actions all those years ago that precipitated this situation, Robert knew he had to take the first step, "Listen, Lee, I want to thank you for helping to clear my name. It means a lot to me."
Lee, unsure of his uncle's tone, replied evenly as he handed him his drink and took a swig of his own, "Just doing my job."
"No, I really mean it. Thank you."
Lee looked at his uncle in disbelief. Is he really thanking me?
Robert continued, "This is hard for me to admit, but, it occurs to me I owe you more than that. I owe you an explanation for leaving you all those years ago."
"You told me you couldn't take me with you. Let's just leave it at that." Lee didn't want to dredge up the hurts of the past. It never got them anywhere and always seemed to drive them further apart.
"No, dammit! I can tell by your tone that you don't believe me, but it's true. It was the hardest decision I ever made." In his frustration, Robert slammed his glass on the table and started pacing. "I was stationed in Berlin, working on the West Germany's entrance into NATO, when your parents died. That was within striking distance of the Kremlin and no place for a child. I didn't want to risk your life, and I couldn't give you the kind of attention you needed. I knew I had at least another year there to iron out any issues that might have arisen. Unfortunately, one year turned into two by the time I was stationed stateside."
"So you thought I'd get that attention in a children's home?" Robert winced at the raw pain in Lee's voice.
"No, I knew you wouldn't. But I also knew that foster care would have been much worse; more uncertainty and upheaval in your life. And I flat out rejected putting you up for adoption."
"Well, thank God for small favors!" Lee had been toying with his drink as his uncle spoke, but with that he downed the rest of his drink and poured himself another, waving the bottle in Robert's direction.
Robert declined another drink. He had to find a way to bring the conversation back to more friendly topics. "Do you remember our first major argument? You'd only been with me about three months."
"Do I? I had latrine duty for a week after that. All because I wanted to watch The Howdy Doody Show and you said that that show was for little kids."
"Oh come on, Lee. There was more to it than that, if you recall. You stormed out of our quarters and I spent the rest of the evening searching for you. You scared the daylights out of me wondering where you'd gone."
"I remember. I decided to hide out at the mess hall. That was when I met Barney." Lee's expression softened at the memory of his longtime confidante.
"I was thankful that's all the farther you got. But there's something you don't know. I watched the two of you for awhile before I made myself known. It secretly made me glad that you found someone who could reach you. I had hoped it would make your transition to base life at least tolerable. That's why, until you were twelve, I arranged for Barney to be stationed at whichever base I was sent. I knew you making friends would be difficult at best and we always seemed to be at odds with each other. You needed someone you could rely on to be there for you."
"I wondered how he managed to always being at the same bases we were. It was too coincidental. While you're in confession mode, may I ask a question?" Lee thought he'd take advantage the open dialogue offered.
"Go ahead."
"I have to ask. Why did you call me Diaper Duty until I was sixteen?"
Robert smiled sheepishly at him. "You probably don't remember this, but I decided to give your parents a night off when our dad died. I knew I wouldn't be around when our mother needed support. Since you were basically my shadow at the time, I thought I could take care of you for one evening before Matt and Jennie would be left to handle things at home without me. I didn't know what it took to care for a small child. You really had me hopping. I had to call in reinforcements. I owe you a huge apology for that. I should have just stuck to Skip, eh?" He chuckled at the memory.
Lee laughed at the image his uncle's words created. He also realized that it probably was the truth. "It definitely would have been preferable. Okay, I guess I can forgive you. I seem to remember giving Mom and Dad a hard time once or twice also. In fact, I tried my hand at babysitting myself about a year and a half ago, all in an attempt to keep a streetwise genius from being placed in one of those homes under the guise of protecting him. I fared just about as well as you. If it weren't for Amanda's help, Aleksei would have gotten more out of me than an expensive gaming system. She's a wonder with kids."
Robert had known when Lee had told him he'd had a date with Amanda that he wasn't being honest, and not just about the date. He couldn't really blame the boy. Boy. Lee was no longer the boy he raised. He had grown to be a fine man with the ideals to match. But after meeting Amanda, he knew she was different from the other women he'd heard Skip had dated throughout the years.
Robert could see a special bond developing between the two even if they were unaware of it themselves. Sure, he could tell they were friends, and as co-workers they worked well together; but he could sense so much more beneath the surface. Robert had seen his nephew's face take on a new look and the timber of his voice turned softer when he spoke of Amanda. It reminded him of Matt whenever he spoke of Jennie after they'd first met. That boy was well on his way to falling in love with his beautiful partner, even if he didn't know it himself yet; and he seemed to always find a reason to touch her or hold her hand. As for Amanda, he had to smile. She's as gutsy and as spirited as Jennie was, and often stood toe to toe with him. They also trusted each other, and if he knew one thing about his nephew, he knew trust did not come easy for him. Robert let out a depreciating sigh. He knew he was mostly responsible for the lack of trust Skip had experienced early in his life. If truth be told, he was grateful for Harry and the Agency for taking a chance on the wild young man he once was. He knew of the influence Harry, and later Emily Farnsworth, had in molding Lee's character and honing his skills. But, if this past week's events had showed him anything, he could see Amanda had best harnessed those skills as his partner. Robert had heard of the disregard Lee had for his own life after his last partner had been killed, and how he blamed himself for the man's death. Amanda's dogged determination was Skip's salvation. She not only trusted him, but demanded that he trust her in return. Robert laughed. His nephew won't stand a chance.
He couldn't help but notice the spark in Lee's eyes that had been missing for far too long. He would keep that knowledge to himself for now. Years of experience had taught him that anything he wanted for Lee would be instantly rejected by the younger man; and Robert wanted him happy. He deserved that much.
As for Amanda, although he hadn't known her long, he noticed that her usually bright, bubbly self took on a softer, warmer tone whenever she was around or spoke of Skip. Robert knew that someday they would discover that about each other themselves. There would be no need to put in his two cents worth. It would not be appreciated or believed anyhow. As he was not a man known for his subtlety, he thought it best to stay out what he believed to be a budding romance. Robert thought back to Matt and Jennie. He was sure they would have approved of Amanda and vowed that, as much as was possible, he would encourage Skip to take stock of his life, consider what was important to him, and lastly, never be afraid of grabbing the brass ring. In Robert's eyes, that brass ring was Amanda.
His musings were interrupted as he noticed them as they entered the club and crossed the floor to where he sat. He could hear Amanda admonishing Lee.
"Honestly, as much as that car means to you, I would think you'd take better care of it than you do. Here are the keys you left in the ignition, again." Amanda stated in an exasperated voice.
Robert rose and pulled out her chair so she could sit. "I'm afraid you'll have to blame that bad habit on me. I never remember to pull the keys either. In my case, it's only gotten worse as I have my own drivers when I'm on duty." He surreptitiously gave Lee a wink. "When I was growing up, no one worried about leaving keys in the car."
Lee mouthed, "Thank you," back to his uncle for providing him cover, a twinkle in his eyes.
Robert clapped his hand on his shoulder, smiling broadly as he said, "Now what do you kids want to order? Dinner's on me tonight."
The three of them enjoyed the remainder of the meal, as Robert regaled Amanda with the story of Lee's first car buying experience, much to his chagrin; although he pitched in with his own version of events.
"Speaking of cars, did Skip ever tell you about his first car buying experience?" Robert sent Lee a challenge me glance, enjoying the young man's discomfort.
Lee groaned and hung his head as Amanda, seeing his response, answered him. "No, was it that bad?" A look of enjoyment at Lee's embarrassment crossed her face.
"Bad? It was a disaster on wheels."
Lee threw up his hands and said in exasperation, "Alright, if you insist on telling this story, allow me to tell it. I had been working at a gas station to earn money to buy my first car. I figured once I had five hundred dollars I could buy this sweet, black '59 'vette my buddy was trying to sell. He needed the money for college. When I had enough money, Uncle Bob insisted on seeing it before he'd allow me to buy it."
"Well, I took one look at that heap of junk and told him no. Of course that only made him more insistent on getting it even though I offered to give him a thousand dollars more to buy a more reliable car."
"Yeah, a four-door! No teenage boy wants to be seen around town in a four–door."
Amanda was near to tears laughing at the exchange and the image it brought to mind. "So what happened?" she choked out when she caught her breath.
"I finally won out," Lee said proudly, straightening in his chair.
"Yeah, and it cost you another two thousand dollars trying to get it up and running before giving up," his uncle reminded him. Turning to Amanda, he continued, "He finally asked me to help get a car. I figured he probably learned his lesson, so I compromised and helped him purchase a sports car. It was no 'vette, but at least he wasn't embarrassed to be seen in it."
"I'm not surprised. Lee does have a stubborn streak in him." Amanda said, her eyes daring Lee to deny it.
Instead, he issued a dare of his own. "So tell us, any car skeletons in your closet?"
"What makes you think I have car skeletons in my closet?"
"Aha! You're answering a question with a question. A sure sign you're hiding something. Com'n, give!" Lee crowed triumphantly.
"Uh uh!"
"Come on! I told you mine. 'Fess up."
"No. My one car story has painful memories attached, so sorry, but the answer is still no." Amanda was adamant.
"How about instead you tell us about the sugar in the gas tank you told me about our first case together, then?" Lee questioned.
"Oh, that! Phillip was just mad at Dean over not taking him to a ballgame as he had promised."
"I never did understand what you saw in what's-his-name." Robert thought he detected a note of jealousy in Lee's voice.
"Dean was a very thoughtful man. He really liked the boys. He didn't take Phillip and Jamie to the Orioles game because there was a forty-percent chance of rain that day." Amanda said defensively.
"So why did Phillip put sugar in his gas tank if he cancelled because of rain?" Robert inquired.
"Well, as it turned out, the rain blew over, so Phillip just thought Dean used the weather as an excuse to cancel. It didn't help matters when he and I went to an outdoor concert that night." Amanda giggled at the memory, but she didn't think it was funny at the time. "As it turned out, his car died on our way home, and we had to walk. Halfway there, a sudden storm blew in. We were drenched by the time we made it back. As I told Lee, his car never drove right after that."
Other stories were exchanged throughout the remainder of the evening. As they said their goodbyes, Amanda invited both of them to a Memorial Day picnic later that year.
"How are you going to explain our presence to your family?" Lee asked, perplexed.
"Oh that part's easy. The PTA will have an Invite a Serviceman to Dinner program. And as his only living relative, naturally you'll be invited as well," Amanda winked.
Robert and Lee had laughed at how easily she had come up with a solution to what could have been a very tricky proposition. Robert felt a sense of contentment as he fell asleep that night. He had often worried about his nephew, remembering the little boy lost so many years ago. Tonight he knew Lee was little boy lost no more.