Closing the Can

Twenty minutes later, Lee was knocking on the front door of the King/West home and deciding what was going to happen to him when he entered the house. Dotty opened the door without saying anything turned and left Lee in the open doorway.

Stepping in and closing the door he followed Dotty to the family room where she was sitting on the couch. He sat in the chair opposite of her and waited, he waited for what seemed like hours instead of minutes before she said, "Tell me Amanda lied to me this morning. Tell me that what she said about you and her and your jobs are not true. Tell me that now Lee."

"What did she tell you?" Lee asked but he already knew the answer.

"That you and her work for the government, just not documentary films, instead it is spies and Russians."

"Well, not all of the people are Russian, most are, but not all." Lee said in a very business-like voice that raked over Dotty's nerves.

"Damn you, Lee Stetson, how can you be so calm?"

"I am calm because I have to be. I have to keep my head on straight at all times or people die. I have to maintain control to maintain lives. I can't go off halfcocked and ready to blow, not anymore. There is too much at stake in my life now to act foolishly."

"Why do you do such a dangerous job then?"

Taking a deep breath Lee shrugged and said, "It is a job that needs doing and I do it very well."

"Why bring Amanda in to it?"

"I was running for my life and I knew that if Amanda helped me then the job could get done, the bad guys would stay after me, and she would be out of harm's way. I never intended to see your daughter again after that, which was until my boss hired her as a civilian and then I had no control over her working for us."

"She told me she is out of danger, is that true?" Dotty asked her eyes filled with so much fear.

Smiling Lee said, "Amanda is perfectly safe. She is in the office and she will be there for a while. She hasn't even had any real formal training; she is really limited as to what she can do at all." Lee hoped his explanation was enough for Dotty, because at that moment all he could think about was how much danger Amanda was in from him when he returned to the office.

"She wasn't planning on telling the boys and I agree with that."

"I agree also. I don't think this is something they are ready to handle. I could see telling them when they are a bit older and more mature. I was surprised that she even told you. You know that you can't tell anyone, no one, about what we do."

"I understand. I really don't think she intended to tell me. She was telling me about the tests she has to have done and how you hate needles then how you would rather be in a room full of Russians unarmed before seeing that big needle go into her. Oh, Lee, you would let me know if Amanda was ever in danger wouldn't you?"

Pulling her in his arms smiling at her ramble he said, "I will always tell you as much as I can where Amanda is concerned." Lee held her a few minutes while she composed herself.

"I feel so foolish crying like this in front of you. I mean when Amanda told me this morning, I guess I was in shock and then I just got mad at you for getting her into it all. I will be fine as long as I know she will be fine, I mean, she is my baby girl."

"I won't let anything ever happen to her." Lee hoped his reassurances could convince himself as well, thinking of all that they had already been through before she got pregnant.

"You can't promise that and you know it." Dotty pointed out.

"No, I can't, but I can damn sure do everything in my power to protect her."

"Well, Lee, that makes me feel better at least. I know I can't change her mind, but at least I know she won't have to lie to me any longer."

"I have to get back to work, I will see you later." Lee stood and as soon as he got back in his car, all he could see was the whites of his knuckles on his steering wheel, imagining his girlfriend's pregnant little neck in his hands as he choked her.

Storming into the bullpen Lee headed straight for Amanda's desk only to find her not there. "Where in the hell is she?" He shouted looking around the room. None of the agents wanted to let him know that Amanda had walked in right behind him and was directly behind him.

"I mean it! Well in the hell is Amanda King!"

"I am right behind you. What has gotten into you?" She sat the folders that she had been carrying on the desk as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Oh, don't you act all innocent. You know what you did this morning. Are you going to tell me you didn't do what we both know what you did?"

Francine couldn't help herself, "Lee, you are starting to sound like her."

"Francine, can it! This doesn't concern you."

"Then maybe you should go someplace else and work this little squabble out, instead of every agent on duty at the moment."

"We can't, Francine." Amanda stated.

"Why not, Amanda, no one wants to hear your fights."

"I just mean that Lee has an important meeting with the Vice President in thirty minutes, he needs to leave if he wants to make it on time." She stomped away from him. Lee didn't let that dissuade him he followed after her.

Catching up with her in the hall he grabbed her arm asking her, "Well, what do you have to say?"

"I have nothing to say to a crazy man! When you stop acting like a horses'…"

"Really, you think I am being a horses' ass do you?"

"I don't think I mentioned what part of the horse you were." Amanda folded her arms over her chest.

"Amanda King, I am so mad at you right now. Why would you tell your Mother?" Lee spat out as Amanda hit the button to the elevator.

Amanda's face went white and she looked down to avoid his eyes. She wanted to be the one to tell him what she had done and explain it all to him.

"How did you find out?" She asked quietly.

"Your Mother left me a message before I had even gotten into work to call her. When I did, her calling me Mr. Spy man gave me a good indication." He pulled her into the elevator with him as he continued talking, "So, in light of that, I went to talk to her. She was really upset."

"She seemed fine when I told her and still seemed okay when I left for work. I wonder when she got so mad about it all."

"The minute you told her I got you into all this!" Lee said waving his arm around as much as he could in the converted elevator. "Do you really think she was going to upset you after telling her about the tests you have to have done? She is worried about you! Hell, everyone is worried about you! I just wish we could get through one day that deals with work without you doing something stupid!"

Lee stormed from the elevator while Amanda stood staring after him. Without saying anything Amanda turned and went into the elevator going back down to the bullpen. She walked to her desk and grabbed her purse from the drawer ignoring the voice of Billy behind her calling her into his office.

"Desmond, what did you do?"

"Don't look at me this time. It was "wonder daddy" that did it."

Three hours later Lee slowly walked into the bullpen and sat at his desk. He went to start on the report from his meeting as he looked over toward Amanda's desk. He was surprised to see that she wasn't there. Thinking she was just at lunch he continued his work.

Billy walked in and stopped at his desk, "Did Amanda ever come back from this morning?"

"What do you mean? I thought she was just out to lunch." Panic began to settle in his stomach.

"Lee, she left right after you and she was pretty upset. Francine said that it was something you did. What did you do?"

Knowing the look that crossed Lee's face Billy could only assume that Lee had said something very insensitive to her.

"Lee, what was the last thing you said to Amanda today before you left?"

Running his hand over his neck and loosening his tie Lee mumbled, "Something about her doing stupid things at work."

"You called your pregnant girlfriend stupid? Something that we all know Amanda is not, is that what you are saying to me?"

"Possibly could have come off wrong."

"Scarecrow, how in the hell is that a possibility. Do you have any idea where she is?" Billy asked.

"How the hell should I know? I have only been back in this office for about thirty minutes. Let me try her house."

"If you mean Amanda she isn't at home. Her Mother called and left a message for her to bring home Vitamin C and grapefruits." Francine handed him the message.

"What did you tell her mother about where she was?" Billy asked.

"I just said that I thought she stepped out for lunch. I wasn't about to tell her Mr. Perfect here pissed her off and she just left on her own."

Lee rolled his eyes and said sarcastically, "Gee, thanks, Francine. Well, I suppose this report can wait. I will go look for her."

Lee slowly walked toward the elevator racking his brain as to where she would go. He went to all the spots that related to anything they had ever done together. After four hours of driving and looking he went to his apartment. He walked in to find her shoes and purse by the front door.

He walked through and found her in his bed asleep. Lying down on the bed next to her, he could tell she had been crying and he knew that his comments were the cause of her pain. "Why can't I ever say the right things around you?" He said as he swept his fingers gently over her cheek. "Hey, I know you are awake, why don't you open those big beautiful eyes and talk to me?"

"Maybe I am just too stupid to figure that out on my own?" She said rolling on her back to face him.

"I know, I know, I said that but I never meant it. I don't think you are stupid at all."

Helping her to get into a sitting position Amanda said, "Then why on Earth did you say it? That is the most hurtful thing you have ever said to me, and you have said some pretty hurtful things before."

Standing up and pacing he said, "I was just so mad that you went and told your mother about what we do after you telling me you weren't ready to. Then I get called to your house by your mother to get lectured and questioned about why I brought you into the job, how safe are you, can I really protect you?"

"What did you tell her?"

"What was I supposed to tell her? I did get you into this; I have also tried to get you out of it."

"Not real likely to win that one are you?" She said with her arms folded over her chest.

"No, I told her that you are safe with what you are doing now, later I will protect you as best I can, but even she knew I couldn't promise that something won't happen to you."

"Lee, I know you don't think I am stupid, it just really hurt to hear those words come out of your mouth. You are the one person that is supposed to have my back and the first time something really doesn't go your way, you bail, or at least that is what it feels like. I never intended to tell Mother, it just sort of happened. I can't change it."

Sitting beside her on the edge of the bed and taking her hand in his, Lee said, "I know and I do have your back, I was just blindsided, and I don't like that. I can't control every situation I will ever be in; I would have just liked a little warning."

"That is what I wanted to talk to you about before you went and made your phone calls. I wanted to tell you before Mother had a chance to corner you, I guess that fell through."

"You don't say. Amanda, why are you being so calm and understanding about all of this now? I know how badly I hurt you."

"I am, well was, hurt. Then after I thought about it, I looked at it from your perspective. Mother can be pretty hard on a person when she wants to be. I just thought she would be mad at me more than you. I called her and told her that what she did was wrong, that she should have waited for both of us to be there. She can't just blame you, I took the job that as offered to me, and no one twisted my arm. I also told her that after you and I had a chance to talk that I would be home."

"Amanda, am I forgiven?" Lee asked leaning closer to her.

"For now, you can get mad at me if you want, just don't ever call me stupid again."

Leaning in to kiss her he pulled back and said, "Never will I ever call you stupid again, I promise."

Pulling him closer she kissed him tenderly, which became a much deeper passionate kiss. "Amanda, if we start this now, I don't think you will get home to see the boys before they have dinner and go to bed."

"I think you are right about that. I think we need to hold off on this any way, at Least until after the tests."

"Right, let me walk you to your car."

Lee walked her back to her car and then his own. Heading back to the agency Lee decided to finish the work he never got to do that day between Dotty, Amanda, and the Vice President. Lee began to wonder as he drove toward the lights of DC if he would ever get any sleep before the baby arrived.