"Amanda, this is hardly the time for us to stop and chat about how I feel about the fact that you totally ignored Agency regulations…and left me to…" Francine closed her eyes, took a deep breath and then looked at Amanda with an unreadable expression on her face. "We need to call Billy and fill him in on your suspicions without getting us both suspended in the process."

"Suspended?" She placed her hands on her hips and refused to be deterred. "Why would he do that when we've done precisely what we were sent here to do?"

"We were sent here to discreetly provide an additional level of security for the queen. Our orders were to report any suspicious people or activities to Billy, so that he could determine whether or not to become involved despite the wishes of the Jordanian government." Francine slowly stood up and walked over to the mini-bar in the corner of the room. She eyed the alcoholic beverages, but picked up a diet Coke instead. "Do you want anything to drink," she asked her temporary partner, while sneaking a glance at her.

"No, thanks, I'll have something after I've called Mr. Melrose to tell him what I did." She kicked aside the ridiculously high heels that she had already removed, massaged her feet and then rose from the chair. "I realize that you put yourself on the line by not calling him sooner; I appreciate that you were willing to protect me-"

"Protect you, that's a laugh," Francine spat out. "You made it impossible for me to watch your back. If something bad had happened to you, telling Billy would have been the least of my problems…I'd have to face Lee and your boys; they aren't strangers to me anymore…how could I tell them that you're never coming home? You had absolutely no right to put me in that position!"

"I…I didn't plan to…it just happened. When I promised you back in DC, that I'd stick close to you and follow your orders, I intended to do just that. I was genuinely torn when I overheard those women in the fitting room; by the time that I had changed back into my own clothes, I didn't have enough time to report back to you, they would have gotten away. I really hoped that if the saleswoman gave you my message quickly enough, you could have caught up to us. I really don't enjoy pursuing potential killers on my own. Even after all that's happened to me over the past few years, there are times when I'm amazed that I'm still in this line of work."

"You and me, both!"

"Hey! I thought that you'd gotten used to working with me." She looked down at her feet, and hoped that the extent to which her feelings had been hurt didn't show on her face. I thought that if I could learn to deal with Lee's mood swings, I could deal with anyone's, but she's so hard to read. I didn't think she viewed me as an equal; but I really thought she'd come to respect me as a fellow agent. The two agents stood eyeing each other warily, across the too quiet room.

"Amanda, I don't mind working with you, but I'd be lying to you if I didn't admit that I prefer being paired with you when we have home field advantage. It takes a lot to unnerve me…your disappearing act this afternoon…" Rather than completing her sentence, she took a long sip of her soda, and watched the condensation drip down the side of the can. The awkward silence in the room was broken by the ringing of the telephone. Amanda, being closer to the phone, answered it in a voice that exuded more confidence than she was actually feeling.

"Hello."

"Hello, Amanda, is Francine there with you?" Billy unconsciously held his breath as he waited for her reply.

"Yes, we're here together. Sir, I know that we missed our last check-in, that was my fault. I wasn't near a phone…I was a little tied up-"

"You don't mean that literally, do you?" He rubbed the bridge of his nose, as a flurry of memories of other occasions when she or Lee had used that phrase assailed him.

"No, not this time." Her cheeks grew pink with embarrassment, as Francine came to stand beside her in order to attempt to hear Billy's end of the conversation. The blonde agent's proximity fueled Amanda's discomfit. "They didn't get me," Amanda stated in what she perceived as a move to prove that her skills had improved considerably since she began working with Lee. Francine shook her head, in a futile effort to rein her in, but Amanda was trying desperately to tune out her increasingly prickly attitude.

"They?" Billy's voice boomed from the telephone receiver. "I specifically told you both that you were being sent in to observe only; if you spotted any suspicious behavior you were supposed to contact me immediately."

"Sir, if I hadn't followed them, then I wouldn't have been able to provide you with-"

"Amanda," he interrupted her defense of her actions as his hand clutched the phone wire with a death grip. "We aren't going to discuss this now, please let me speak to Francine." She handed over the phone receiver, but didn't back away. Having experienced his wrath on enough occasions to expect shouting, Francine held the receiver at a distance from her ear.

"Hello, Billy." She waited a beat and was met with silence at the other end of the line. He must be even more furious than I expected…well, the only way out of this mess is to move forward. "I don't think the Agency was exposed and Amanda is safe and sound."

"Am I correct in surmising that she went off on her own?"

I can't believe that I'm going to stand up for Amanda King…Stetson. "Yes, but she didn't plan to-"

"She rarely plans these…I can't deal with that now…what do you think about HER lead?"

"I don't think it should be ignored…she overheard two women discussing their intent to make the speech the Queen is going to make tomorrow her last." Amanda had been unsure about what Francine was going to say to Billy, but she was gratified that she was treating her 'report' seriously. "How are we going to proceed," the blonde asked as she prepared to assert her full authority as the senior agent.

"I need to make some calls at my end…to try to find out if the Jordanians can be reasoned with in light of what we suspect. I want you two to have a quiet dinner in the hotel restaurant. Play your covers to the hilt and do nothing else. I'll call you with further orders in ninety minutes." They exchanged good-byes and then Francine turned to Amanda, who had been unable to hear what Billy had said.

"What's our next move," the overeager junior agent asked, radiating enthusiasm.

"We're going to dress for dinner at the five star restaurant downstairs. Billy wants us to play our covers for anyone who may be watching us. He'll call us later with updated orders.

"That's it? Go have a fancy dinner while…" Amanda allowed herself to be silenced by an icy glare from Francine. "If it's okay with you, I'll use the bathroom first?" Receiving an affirmative nod, she headed across the room, with Francine watching her closely. It's not like her to give in so easily. She reached for her own toiletry bag and tried to shrug off her growing sense of unease.