The Bomb 2

I left the original Ficlet as Chapter 1 and will go on from there. Hopefully it won't be too confusing as chapter 3 and 4 goes back a little in time to before the bombing and then chap 5 brings you back to the present.

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As Lee followed Billy down the hall towards the elevator, his mind lingered with Amanda. He hadn't meant to kiss her. At least not like that.

Amanda was a friend. Nothing more than his friend.

Wasn't she?

But with every step he took down that hall, the certainty grew within him that she had become more than 'just a friend' and he was fooling himself to try and believe anything else. But that certainty filled him with anger as he thought about how bad she'd been hurt and how easily she could've been killed.

"Billy," Lee grabbed his boss' arm as they waited for the elevator. "I know your reasons for keeping me out of this, but I don't care. I want in. Amanda was damn near killed today in my place. Now, this is personal, Billy. You gotta let me in on it."

Billy took a deep breath and looked down at the hand on his arm before raising saddened brown eyes back to his employee and friend. "I'm sorry, Scarecrow, but no. You're right, this is personal. Too personal. You wouldn't be objective enough. Francine…"

"Francine doesn't care about Amanda the way…" Lee caught himself. He tried a different tack. "It was me they were trying to kill, Billy. I should've been the one at that house when it blew, not Amanda."

"I know. I know." Billy's voice was soft and sympathetic. He did know, all of it. He'd known Lee had feelings for Amanda before Lee did. And he'd had to have been blind not to see the way Amanda looked at Lee.

But that was exactly why he should keep Lee out of it. If he let Lee work the case, he could get himself killed trying to avenge what had happened to the woman they all cared about. And yet, thinking about it, he realized that if he didn't let him work it, Lee would do so anyway.

Alone.

Without a net.

Like he had already done several times when Amanda was in trouble.

Billy sighed and shook his head. "Alright. Alright. I'll let you in. But only under certain conditions." He raised his hand to stop Lee, before he could voice any objections. "My rules, Scarecrow. Take it or leave it."

Lee clenched his jaw, wanting to protest even more, but he knew Billy well enough to know better. Whatever part Billy was going to let him play was the only part he was going to get and still stay within the Agency. "Okay." He sighed. "Your rules."

Billy studied the younger man for several seconds before finally satisfying himself that Lee would do as he said. "Alright, then. Now, first. Francine will still be in charge of the case and she will report only to me. Secondly. Anything she asks you to do, you will do it, without question or protest. Thirdly. You will not try to run leads on your own without first having Francine or I review them. And most importantly, Scarecrow…" Billy paused and made sure Lee could see the seriousness in his eyes. "You will not go off half-cocked with blood in your eye, when we do develop a suspect. Is that understood?"

Lee pursed his mouth even tighter, chafing at the rules Billy had just laid down. He was not used to be under another agents thumb. Especially not Francine's. But he could tell by the look in his eye, that Billy would brook no objection.

"Is that understood?" Billy asked again.

Lee took a deep breath and nodded, dragging a hand through his hair. "Yeah, yeah, I read you, Billy. Loud and clear. I'll agree to work under Francine's direction."

Billy took another long look at his agent before turning back to the elevator and pressing the button for down. "Good, let's get back to the office then and see if Francine's found anything yet."

As the door to the elevator began to close, Lee took another look down the hallway, towards Amanda's room. Keeping his promise to Billy was going to be harder than ever now and he knew it. But working under Francine was better than being kept out of it entirely. And if he knew anything, he could not stand to be left out of this in any way.

As the elevator carried he and Billy down, Lee's thoughts turned back to how it started. How Amanda had gotten caught up in this and how he wished for once, he'd refused her help….

TBC