Along with most of the room, Lee had been momentarily distracted by the uproar at the bar. Turning to look, he hadn't been in the least surprised to see that Amanda was in the middle of it. "What on earth are you up to now?" he'd asked himself before looking back at Hollander and immediately forgetting about her.

"Gotcha!" he muttered as he watched Jake Commoran practically break out in a sweat the moment Hollander had spoken to him. He couldn't hear what was said in the brief exchange but the senator had nodded and moved quickly out of the room and a few moment later, Hollander had finished speaking with another guest and followed him out.

Lee skirted the room, watching as they headed down the hall. Glancing sideways, he saw the French doors in the music room leading to the terrace that ran down that side of the house and darted quickly among the rows of chairs to slip outside. Once there, he started making his way from door to door, staying in the shadows as he peered in each one, trying to see which room they'd gone into.

He was in luck – they'd gone into Delano's den – and although they'd drawn the curtains, there was just enough of a gap for him to be able to see what was going on. He watched as they quickly set up the projector and discussed the missile placement, keeping up a running commentary for the agent who was listening out in the limo, all the while snapping photos with the miniature camera he'd brought along. And then the door to the next room had opened and Hollander's face had darkened with rage.

"Oh God. Amanda." He didn't know how he knew – he just felt it in his bones. Running to the next set of doors, he'd looked in and seen her sitting in the chair looking frankly terrified. He began speaking rapidly into his tie pin. "Dawson – Hollander has Amanda and it looks like they might be on to us. Call in backup now – we're going to need it sooner rather than later." He could only pray the mike was really working – but for now, he was going to assume it wasn't and that he was on his own.

He moved back to the other doors, watching through the chink in the curtains as Delano left hurriedly and Hollander wrapped up business with Commoran. He continued the whispered description of what was going on for Dawson, as well as taking pictures – there was no way they were going to lose this one from lack of evidence. A few minutes later, Commoran had left as well, looking white and shaky and Hollander's goon had hauled Amanda in to stand in front of him.

Lee couldn't hear her but the way her lips were moving a mile a minute, he knew she was on one of her lengthy rambles. "Good girl," he muttered. "Keep him talking long enough for us to get some help. Dawson, I'm going in," he alerted their backup. He tested the door, relieved to find it unlocked and eased it open, stepping in but remaining hidden behind the curtains, gun drawn.

"So I really don't know why you think I know anything about anything – my husband doesn't tell me anything about his business." Amanda's voice sounded small and frightened and Lee clenched his teeth, knowing he needed to wait for help before he could interfere.

"Oh I don't believe that man is your husband anymore, my Dear. I doubt he's even Leland Cassidy despite everything we found that confirmed that story. No, I think whoever that is out there is probably an agent… just as you are."

"But I'm not an agent," Amanda really began to babble now in her panic – and truthfully, realizing Hollander didn't believe any of their cover anymore. "I'm just a mother with two small boys at home. I'm not even supposed to be here."

"I can't disagree with you there," said Hollander with a grim smile. "Go find her partner," he ordered the goon, leaving him alone with Amanda.

"What are you going to do?" she asked quietly. Lee could tell a sort of eerie calm had come over her and he prayed she could hold it together just a bit longer.

"Oh, I'm going to kill you both," said Hollander placidly. "And then I'll go to the airport with these missile plans and vanish."

"You can't kill us in the middle of a party," she replied. "Everyone would hear it."

"No they won't," said Hollander. "There will be nothing to hear." Lee watched as he walked to the desk and opened what looked like a medical bag and carefully unwrapped a collection of syringes.

"Well, then I think I'll scream," said Amanda. Lee bit back a bitter smile at hearing his own words repeated.

"No one will hear that either," replied Hollander, chuckling. "Not with that opera singer shrieking away out there."

The door opened and the goon stuck his head in, shaking it. "He ain't anywhere."

"Well, he's somewhere! Find him! Check the whole house! Check the grounds!" Hollander growled in exasperation. "We need to act before he figures out she's gone!"

The goon nodded and disappeared again, carefully pulling the door closed behind him.

"Well, it seems like we may have run out of time, my Dear," commented Hollander turning to Amanda, syringe in hand.

Amanda jumped to her feet and tried to run for the door, but was easily caught before she reached it as Hollander grabbed her and swung her around.

They were indeed out of time. Lee stepped out from behind the curtain and trained his gun on Hollander, grimacing when he realized Amanda was now in between them. "Drop it!" he ordered. Amanda's eyes widened in surprise and then relief at his unexpected appearance.

"Ah, there you are, Mr. Cassidy or whoever you really are," answered Hollander, yanking Amanda closer. "We've been looking for you."

"So I heard. Now drop that needle before I put a bullet through you. See, I don't care if anyone hears me – you can die as noisily as you like." Lee edged closer to his target, eyes locked with Hollander, barely taking in the gasp that Amanda gave off at his words.

"Lee…"

"Quiet, Kid." His voice was grim and completely unlike what she normally heard from him.

In response, Hollander lifted the syringe and rested its sharp point against Amanda's neck and smiled. "I don't think so. I think you may actually be quite fond of your little companion here."

Lee kept his gun trained on him, mind racing for what to do. Hollander was right – Amanda was too close and even if he hit him, it was still likely that needle would go right into her throat with the impact.

Hollander gave a chuckle and began to back toward the door, dragging Amanda with him.

"Lee…"

Lee dropped his gaze from Hollander for just an instant to meet her eyes and reassure her, shocked to see the pain written there.

"It's too late," she croaked. "He already…" Her face went white as a spasm of pain hit and she sagged in Hollander's arms.

Feeling her weight go dead, Hollander pushed her away from him toward Lee and dropped the syringe as he turned to get out the door. In that instant, Lee realized that the syringe was empty and that whatever had been in it was already in Amanda. That's what that tiny gasp had been – and he'd told her to be quiet.

With a bellow of rage, he leapt forward to grab Hollander to pull him back in the room and slam him up against the wall, pressing his gun into his throat. "What did you do to her? What was in there? Tell me before I blow your damn head off!"

"Now why would I tell you that?" asked Hollander. "When you have no idea how quickly she needs help? You should probably be doing something about that." He nodded toward to where Amanda was lying prone, giving off tiny gasps of pain, her breath sounding more labored by the second. "And you could, if you were to just let me leave."

"No," he heard her breathe out. "Stop him."

For the first time in as long as he could remember, Lee was paralyzed with fear. He knew backup was on the way, but he had no idea how close it was. Amanda could have far less time than that – and Hollander was smirking at him like he knew every thought running through his head right now.

"Screw you," he said and stepped back, lowering his gun. "You're not worth killing."

"Excellent choice, Mr. Cassidy," said Hollander smoothly, pushing himself off the wall. "I'll just be going before any more of you show up."

"Oh I never said you could leave," said Lee, coolly as he lifted his gun back up and shot him in the knee.

As Hollander collapsed screaming, Lee dropped his gun to the ground and ran to kneel beside Amanda and gently roll her over. Her eyes were already cloudy and she was covered in a fine sheen of perspiration. "It hurts," she whimpered.

"I know," he said helplessly. "Help's on the way, I promise." He slipped his arms under her and gently pulled her upright before picking her up and heading for the door to the hallway.

Before he could reach it, the door suddenly burst open and Lee looked up to find Delano staring at them in horror, a crowd gathering behind him all with the same look of mixed terror and dismay on their faces. Delano stared at Amanda for a long moment, then up to meet Lee's furious expression. "I never meant for any of this to happen," he whispered brokenly.

"What did he give her? You tell me, because you know she doesn't deserve this!"

"I'm sorry. I'm really very sorry," Delano seemed unable to say anything else.

"Don't you apologise! If anything happens to her, I'll swear to you'll do your time in a wheelchair just like him. Now you talk to me, fast!"

Delano swallowed heavily. "It was Muscarine. Ten cc's."

Lee felt his chest ease slightly. Muscarine was common, and had an easily available antidote.

"Dawson, I hope you're listening. We need that ambulance here with an antidote for Muscarine fast," he said out loud as he continued to walk toward the door. "We'll meet you outside."

He carefully eased his way through the door, crowd parting in front of him as he moved down the hall, but not quickly enough. There was a sudden flurry of noise and gasps behind them and Lee looked back over his shoulder in time to see Delano lifting a gun – his gun – with a shaking hand to point it at them. He had obviously gone into full panic mode if he thought he was going to shoot his way out of this.

"I can't go to jail," he babbled. "I was a victim in all this too!"

"You coward," Lee glared at him. "You think you don't deserve to pay for this?" He looked down at Amanda, the pain of the poison written all over her face.

In response, Delano took a deep breath and aimed the gun directly at Lee's head. Before Lee could even react, the tall red-haired man who'd been at the bar with Amanda earlier leapt forward, knocking the gun from his hand and grabbing him by the lapel of his coat.

"I don't think so," he said and swung Delano around, laying him out with a single punch.

"Thank you," said Lee.

"Thank me later. Let's get her out of here," said the stranger, pushing ahead of him to start clearing people out of their way.

"I don't feel so good," murmured Amanda. "I think I ate something bad." She opened her eyes and looked at Lee fuzzily. "What if it was the cookies? Don't let Phillip and Jamie eat any of the cookies, okay? Promise me you'll take care of them, okay?"

Lee realized she was starting to slip into delirium from the poison. "Stay with me, Amanda. I'm going to get you out of here, I promise."

"Do we have to jump out a window?" she asked, plaintively. "I don't think I can do that again."

"Jump out a window?" the helpful stranger turned to look at Lee in confusion.

"Just a joke," he answered. "No, Kid, no windows this time." He watched as her eyes closed and her head lolled back and her body began to shake with convulsions. "Amanda? Amanda, stay with me, please." He picked up his pace as if getting to the door faster would get her help quicker.

"I can hear sirens," said the other man, echoing Lee's thoughts. "Help's coming."

Everything after that was just a long nightmare scenario of helplessness for Lee. Watching the ambulance careening up the drive, followed by Agency vehicles and agents pouring out of them, thankful that there was a party load of people willing to direct them to Delano and Hollander. Having to let the paramedics take Amanda from his arms and load her onto the gurney. Watching as they cut the sleeve off her dress so that they could hook her up to an IV and seeing the angry red mark where Hollander had stabbed her with the needle. He'd had to turn aside and vomit into the bushes as he took in how close it had been and then he'd looked up and found himself staring into the frightened eyes of Jake Commoran hiding in the crowd.

"You!" he bellowed, Amanda momentarily forgotten as he leapt forward to grab the terrified man. "You caused this – all of this!" Agents swarmed them before he could do anything else, pulling Commoran away in handcuffs to the back of a car. Lee realized that the stranger was the one who'd pulled him away from the hapless senator.

"Stetson, leave him! You need to calm down and get in that ambulance and go with her! She needs you now." He was being not so gently pushed toward the back of the vehicle where they were loading Amanda at last.

"Okay, okay," he muttered angrily. He stepped up into the ambulance and took Amanda's cool hand where it lay limply beside her. As he gazed down at her too-still face, trying to get his emotions under control, the words the stranger had spoken finally penetrated his brain.

Stetson, leave him.

"Wait a minute," he said, looking up to meet bright blue eyes watching him quizzically. "Who the hell are you?"

"Oh didn't I say?" the stranger smiled as the paramedics started to swing the door shut. "I'm Leland Cassidy."

"What?" said Lee as the door clicked shut. As the ambulance pulled away, siren blaring, out of the small window, he could see the real Leland Cassidy sketching a salute toward him.

"What the hell?" Lee said out loud again.

"She's stabilized, Mr. Stetson. She'll be all right," said the paramedic as they pulled out of the driveway and onto the street. "There's a team waiting at Parker for us."

"Thank you," Lee managed to get out before turning to watch the gentle rise and fall of Amanda's chest that told him she really was still with them. "I, uh . . . I guess this one got a little rough. I'm sorry." He carefully brushed the hair away from her face, then dropped his head onto his chest. "You did a hell of a job, you really did. You might even make a decent agent someday."

"Thank you," he heard her say, and lifted his head hopefully at her voice.

"You're awake?" he asked, not at all sure he'd really wanted her to hear that last part – the last thing he needed was Amanda putting herself in danger intentionally. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, Lee."

"Good. We're almost there."

"Almost where?" she looked around in confusion. "Is this our train car? Are we almost at Gstaad? I'm so glad we decided to go skiing again this year. We don't spend enough time together."

"I… what?"

She looked up at him seriously. "Lee, Darling. No models this year okay? I don't think I want an open marriage anymore."

Lee struggled to contain his desire to laugh from hysteria as Amanda continued to channel Sunny as she rambled on.

"Okay, Honey. Whatever you want," he murmured.

"Wake me when we get to Portofino," she muttered before drifting back into unconsciousness.

Lee looked up at the medic helplessly.

"She's fine," he said soothingly. "Her vitals are steady. Don't worry - last guy I saw like this was convinced he was Marlon Brando."

Lee nodded, unable to speak, and held her hand, wanting nothing more than to hear her laugh at that with him as, once again, they raced through the dark empty streets of Washington.