Written by Scooplet

Concept by Cheryl and Scooplet

Scarecrow and Mrs. King characters are the property of Shoot the Moon Productions and Warner Bros. Television. No copyright infringement intended. Not for commercial use. Sarah Stetson, Matt Granger, and the other characters not found in the television show are my creation, however, so please respect my right to claim ownership of them—I do not authorize permission to use them in stories not authored by me.

Note on the story: While I always try to be as accurate as possible with the details of my stories, including the legal procedures mentioned in this one, I don't pretend to be an expert in the matters of law practice. Thanks in advance for overlooking any factual inaccuracies (hopefully minor) and for the kindness and encouragement I have received so far with my previous stories.

The Eyes of the Father

Chapter One

Late November 2011

His left hand gripped her arm painfully while his other hand held the knife against her throat. Something warm and wet was on her skin there. She thought vaguely that perhaps his knife had broken the skin, but she ignored the pain. She was conscious of only fear. Not fear for herself. Fear for him. She knew he had been hurt. Hurt badly. She watched as he struggled to his feet, his anguished eyes on her. Was he in pain? She heard voices, and then she was being dragged away. No! I can't leave him. He'll die. Let go of me! He needs me! He's hurt. Just as she was ready to fight her captor, knife or not, time seemed to jump ahead. She found herself struggling to her feet—why was it so hard to stand up on her own?—and rushing to him. There was so much blood. And the wounds were so horrible. He was fighting for every breath. Oh no! Please stay with me. She screamed in terror and desperation. "No!"

Sarah Stetson awoke with a start, her breathing erratic, the intensity of the fear and helplessness still gripping her middle. Reaching up, she found her cheeks were wet. No doubt it's from the dream. It isn't real. Matt's alive and he's well again. She stared out into the dark, trying to make sense of her surroundings. She was in her apartment over the garage of her parents' Arlington, Virginia home. The same house on Maplewood Drive where she had grown up and where her older brothers had grown up before her.

After a few moments she reoriented. She and Matt had flown back to D.C. on Saturday after a visit to see his family in Texas. Tomorrow—or was it today?—was her first day at the Agency. The emotions brought on by the dream began to ebb. Maybe that's why the nightmare came back. I'm nervous. Come on, girl. What did Dr. Kirby tell you to do when you had a nightmare? In an effort to calm herself, Sarah searched her mind for something positive to think about. Sunday was so busy. Church, finishing the invitations and then making dinner with Matt while we worked on some of our laundry together at the house. That was kind of fun. Sort of like practicing for marriage—just like Pastor Carlson suggested. She almost laughed out loud at herself—she had gotten up early to wash her underwear so Matt would not see it with the rest of her laundry. If Matt had noticed that Sarah had gotten a head start, he did not say anything. Sheesh, you ninny. He'll see you in your underwear soon enough. Less than six weeks.

Sarah blushed and forced her thoughts to their efforts in the kitchen. They had made enough of the chicken dish for leftovers to share with her parents. Lee and Amanda would be home that afternoon from London, and Sarah knew she and Matt would want something easy when he stopped by after her first day of work.

Work! I really need to get back to sleep. Curling up on her side, Sarah let her thoughts wander to the latest book she had been reading in the hopes that would help her to drift off.

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"You never told me what you and Sarah talked about last night." Lee Stetson stretched out his long legs, enjoying the extra room afforded to first class passengers. He often took advantage of his connection at the airline, justifying it to himself with the notion that it was more secure for someone with his history and list of enemies to ride in first class. And the flight from Heathrow to Dulles was long enough to make it more than worth it. He idly ran a hand through his silver hair and looked over at his wife.

Amanda lifted her reading glasses off of her nose and pushed them up to the top her head, allowing them to hold her shoulder length, dark hair away from her face. She looked up from the book she was reading. "Oh, well—let's see... The flight from Austin was uneventful. They finished the wedding invitations with Amy, Jennifer, and Jessica's help. Sarah and Matt dropped them in the mail on the way back to the house. They were making dinner."

"Those two act married. They just don't sleep under the same roof."

"Hey, we used to cook together sometimes when we were dating. Even so, can you blame them for being spending so much time together? They've been through a lot." Amanda grew thoughtful, her expression soft. "Besides, they're sweet with one another. And they'll be married in less than six weeks."

"Yeah," he muttered distractedly in response to Amanda's ramble. Lee did not need the reminder of why Sarah and Matt's relationship had grown serious so quickly. He was struggling with his own memories of the three attempts to abduct Sarah. The day in the park haunted him regularly now. Begrudgingly he admitted to himself that his appointment with Kirby had been postponed too long. Tuesday was not soon enough. While he had enjoyed their stay in London together, the first portion of their trip to Great Britain had been stressful. Thinking they were there for a vacation, they had ended up on a case with possible ramifications for Amanda's reputation and their family's security. But after getting help from Emily Farnsworth and her team from MI6, their old nemesis, Sonja Chenko, was behind bars and no longer able to cause them trouble.

Watching Lee for a moment and wondering at his pensive behavior, Amanda decided not to press him. Something was on his mind besides the Chenko case. She knew he would talk when he was ready. Picking up her book and adjusting her glasses on her nose once again, she began to read.

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"Well, hello. Are you new?"

Looking up from the computer screen where she was filling out new hire "paperwork," Sarah smiled at the sight of her fiancé, Matt Granger, standing in the doorway. While she admired Matt in just about anything he wore, she liked seeing him in his classically-cut suits the best. He was wearing a charcoal gray two-piece today with a white shirt and a blue patterned tie that intensified the color of his gray eyes and accentuated his dark blond, almost brown hair. The jacket was open, giving Matt a relaxed, yet confident appearance, while at the same time showing off his tall, well-muscled body. She forced herself not to ogle and laughed a little at his flirty greeting.

"Hi."

He warmed to her quiet, friendly voice and soft laugh. It's going to be nice having Sarah working at the Agency, too. He never tired of watching her, whatever she was doing. Today she was wearing a suit, the one with the skirt he liked because it emphasized her long legs. Her dark hair, which fell partway down her back, was pulled into a loose ponytail.

Before someone came along and teased him for openly staring at his soon-to-be wife, he stepped into the room. "I was just heading upstairs for a meeting in about ten minutes. Thought I'd see how it was going."

"Actually, your timing is perfect. I was hoping you could look at what I've done—I'm afraid I've forgotten something. I know we talked about what health plan I should get, and I'm pretty sure I did the tax forms correctly…I'm just a bit overwhelmed with forms at this point."

Matt's brow furrowed. While Sarah had recovered from the head injuries she had received earlier that fall, it disturbed him that she still had occasional bouts of forgetfulness when she was tired or stressed. With an effort, he pushed his concerns aside. It's her first day here, Granger. She might forget this sort of thing anyway. "Listen, this meeting won't last long. I think you need a break more than anything. I'll take a quick look at what you have so far, then I'll come back to get you and we'll go to lunch. I think Grace and Rene wanted to come, too." Grace Tanaka, one of his fellow agents, had befriended Sarah when the cartel had been stalking her. Rene Enriquez was Matt's partner, and he had also become a trusted friend of the Stetsons.

"Oh, that would be nice. She's pretty serious about wanting to partner with me. Grace wants me to do a ride along or two with her next week, after I've had a chance to look at the manual."

"I guess she's figuring light surveillance. You won't have your sidearm yet."

"Yes. I've got lunches scheduled through Thursday—Phillip and Jamie tried for Tuesday, but I said I was booked. Standing date."

He grinned. "Yep. Can't break our streak."

Sarah could not help grinning back at Matt. She always found him irresistible when his eyes were twinkling. With an effort, she forced herself to focus on the task at hand, pointing at the screen. "Here are the insurance forms."

Matt sat down next to her so he could read the screen more easily.

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Strolling slowly past the table, Sarah pointed at each of the various weapons, identifying them. One could hear the sound of muffled gunshots coming from the Agency's firing range on the other side of the wall.

From where he stood, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, Leatherneck watched without comment until Sarah had finished. In his late sixties, the former Marine was still lean and fit, his graying hair cut short and his face clean-shaven. More wrinkles had formed on his face over the three decades since he first joined the Agency, but his relaxed demeanor and easy smile gave the casual observer the impression that they were from laughing, not frowning. Now he was mostly retired, but like Lee and Amanda Stetson, he came into the Agency for special assignments. When he had learned that his longtime friends' daughter had signed on as an analyst, he had personally requested the opportunity to train Sarah on some basic field techniques. This extra training was to give her the chance to be on equal footing with the rest of her freshman class.

"Not bad, Junior Ace. But you're going to have go faster than that. No hesitation. A good agent can identify a weapon in a heartbeat. Knows what he or she is up against. You may be taking the weapon off of someone's hands—you'll need to know how to use it if your own weapon is compromised or out of rounds. Many times you can also identify your assailant partially by the sidearm they are using. You may be in a firefight and need to take weapons from any bodies that are lying nearby. There is a whole list of scenarios…

"I get the picture." Sarah grimaced to herself.

As if he was remembering himself, Leatherneck's gaze softened. "Right. Just run through it again, no hesitation if you can. You've learned quickly here."

Brushing aside the compliment, Sarah explained, "I had already recognized a few of them."

They were interrupted as a young man, perhaps the same age or a year younger than Sarah, appeared in the doorway. He was average height, with a wiry build that gave Sarah the impression that he worked out regularly. His haircut was not very different from Matt's, making Sarah think he might be ex-military. He hesitated, waiting to get Leatherneck's attention. Noticing Sarah there with Leatherneck, the young man's eyes remained on her for a few seconds longer than seemed necessary.

Leatherneck finally glanced over at him. "Yes, Hill?"

"The quartermaster asked me to see if you needed any help."

"Nope, we're good. Thanks."

Hill nodded politely and went back out to the hallway.

"New recruit?"

"Yeah. Grant Hill. He was hired on as an intern. Wong hasn't quite decided if he wants him in the freshman class. They need people, but Hill is right out of school. Finished his Master's in Criminal Justice early. He's barely old enough to be hired. Twenty-three last month."

"I should remind you that I'm twenty-three for another couple of months. He looks like former military."

"Close. Civil Air Patrol. Did some time with the ROTC, but did not sign on with the Marines when he had the chance. Decided on intelligence instead." His brow furrowed. "Why all the questions?"

"I figure I'll be working with him. He might end up in my class."

"He knows who you are; that's why he stared. You won't need to flash your ring at him."

"I'm not sure if that's good or bad." Sarah was still nervous about being the butt of rumors because of scare with the cartel earlier that fall.

"Probably good. Let's get back to what we were doing."

She walked past the table again, naming the make and model of each weapon.

Leatherneck walked to the table and picked up a submachine gun, quizzing Sarah about its use and the known countries and terrorist groups that typically carried that model. Removing the magazine, he showed it to Sarah. "Can you tell me what caliber cartridges these are?"

"Seven point six two millimeter?"

"Good. You can also say thirty caliber." He repeated the process with several other weapons, until he held a Glock 19 in his hands. He offered it to Sarah. "Okay, Junior, let's see if you can dismantle this one and put it back together. I'll demonstrate and then give you a try."

Sarah did not mind the boyish nickname Leatherneck had given her as a small girl. Her father was "Ace," so she had understood that "Junior Ace" was a term of affection. Leatherneck was always the gentleman with her and her mother, but her father was not overly fond of the moniker Leatherneck had given Sarah. In her mind, she could hear her father admonishing their friend at the track after one of her driving lessons during high school. "Look, Leatherneck. I'm keeping Sarah out of this business. I just want her to be able to handle a car well. Junior is no name for a girl."

Until recently, Lee had kept Sarah out of the business. Now Leatherneck was eagerly preparing Sarah for the new agent training class that was commencing in less than two months. And Lee was having to adjust to the idea that yet another Stetson had become an intelligence operative. As he had put it recently to her mother, "At least until her six months of field work are over and she can be safely in an office in Analysis." Sarah knew her parents were pleased she would be working with her brother Jamie. Jamie King, who treated Sarah as a full sister, was actually her half-brother. His father, Joe King, had died while Jamie was still a teenager.

While Jamie had avoided working at the Agency for a few years after college, Efraim Beaman had eventually recruited him to work in Analysis. A friend of the Stetson family and a longtime Agency employee, Efraim had not failed to notice Jamie's sharp mind and intellectual curiosity. During the last year, Efraim, whose wife Francine had become the section chief upon Lee's retirement, had stepped down from his leadership role in Analysis and let Jamie take over the reins, preferring to act as more of a consultant to the different departments that supported field operations.

Sarah stopped her train of thought when Leatherneck handed the gun to her. He watched as she tested the feel of the weapon in her hands and then began to dismantle it.

"What do you think?"

"Before you ask, I already know it's a nine millimeter. It's smaller than the handguns my dad and Matt carry. And it fits in my hand like my mom's Smith and Wesson." She balanced it in her palm. "Well, maybe it's a bit bigger."

He didn't say anything as Sarah removed the clip, pulled back the slide, checked the chamber, and disassembled the gun, then reassembled it. A slow grin formed on his face as she completed the process and tested the weapon.

"That went well, Junior."

"Thanks." She glanced up at him, unsure why he was hesitating.

"That's the third generation of that model. I've been saving this little gem. It's reliable, and a favorite among a lot of law enforcement personnel. If you like the way it handles, it's yours—that is once you finish your training and are certified to carry on behalf of the Agency."

"Oh, it's thoughtful of you to offer it to me…" Turning it over in her hands, Sarah examined the handgun, an uncertain expression on her face.

"What is it? You don't like the way it feels?"

"No. I just never imagined carrying a gun. That was something my parents did, not me. And until recently, I just accepted that Matt carried weapons. He trained me to fight back, but the worst I've done is knock someone out. …Well, I knocked a guy silly last week."

"Do I need to teach Granger a thing or two?" Leatherneck was grinning.

"No. Some guy in a bar."

Leatherneck's grin faded. "You can tell me about that some time. I'm sure Granger was ticked. But what if it was a baddie, Sarah, and your partner's life was on the line?"

"Oh, I understand why I need to use the gun."

Leatherneck watched Sarah's face for a moment. "Tell you what. Let's just clean this little 19 and we'll meet at the firing range next door tomorrow. You can practice shooting. Get the feel of the gun some more. We'll work on how to handle recoil and that sort of thing. You can also try out a Smith and Wesson. I have one like your mom's in the armory."

After cleaning the sidearm, Sarah relaxed and looked up at Leatherneck again. "Okay." She put the Glock back on the table. "What next?"

Glancing first at his watch, Leatherneck grinned at her. "This is all I had planned for today, but it's still early. If you want, we could practice picking locks."

Soon Sarah, who had learned a few tips on lock picks from her brother Phillip when she was in high school, was getting a refresher course.

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"Oh, it's so good to see you, sweetheart." Amanda relished greeting her daughter more than ever now, after almost losing her that autumn. With the last of the cartel members who had threatened to abduct Sarah either in custody or dead, the entire family was breathing a collective sigh of relief. Especially now that Sarah had fully recovered from the bad fall she had taken escaping from Brad Smith, the turned Agency operative who had joined forces with the cartel members. Amanda hugged Sarah tightly for a few more seconds before stepping back and allowing her husband to wrap his arms around their daughter as well.

"Hey, Pumpkin."

Amanda watched as Lee embraced their daughter, his eyes closed with some unnamed emotion. She imagined that he might be struggling with his memories of recent months, too, but she wondered at the depth of his feelings. While Lee was quite protective of his family, particularly the women in his life, he was also one to move on gratefully once a case was over. But he doesn't seem to be shaking it this time.

Eager to lighten his mood, Amanda was enthusiastic. "So, how was your first day? Does Leatherneck have you ready to go to simulations?" As she finished speaking, she went into the kitchen and started pouring some tea for herself and her daughter.

"Well, I'd hardly say I was heading there, yet." In the den nearby, Sarah took an armchair, while Lee stretched out on the sofa, yawning as he did so. Still on London time, it was late at night for Lee and Amanda.

Sarah regarded her father. "Did you see the chicken and pasta we left for you? I'm sure you were starved when you got home this afternoon."

"We ate a little already. It was great." Lee patted his stomach. "You two really like to be domestic."

Sarah snorted. "I'd hardly call Matt domestic. But he keeps his apartment neat and he knows how to cook a decent meal."

"Listen, that first part is rather uncommon, sweetheart. I should know. But at least your dad has always been an excellent cook." Amanda rolled her eyes at her husband as she handed a cup of tea to Sarah and sat down in the other armchair with her own cup. "So, what did you do?"

Lee wisely remained silent in response to his wife's friendly dig. There was no point in defending himself. His apartment had been in a state of hopeless disarray for years before Amanda had come along and finally tamed the chaos. "Yeah, tell us."

"Well, I spent an hour or two on paperwork. It was, uh, interesting doing the background information."

Lee was annoyed. "Amanda, why didn't they just give Sarah a pass on the family information? No one reads that stuff anyway. Someone has already done the legwork before these kids get hired. They just want to see if these new agents are honest."

"I don't want special privileges, Daddy. I need to keep the HR people on my side, too."

"Wise move, sweetheart. Your father was used to sweet-talking the HR ladies back in the day. Or worse."

"A-mand-a!" Lee sat up, his eyes flashing. "Sarah doesn't need to know about that."

"Come on, Daddy. I heard all about you years ago from Francine."

"What the…" In an effort to keep calm, Lee cleared his throat. "What exactly did she tell you, and why am I just finding this out now?"

"She said you were a ladies' man, but you'd been cured for good when you fell in love with Mom." Sarah sipped her tea. "And she warned me not to listen to people who wanted to tell stories about you. It was at a Christmas party at the Beamans'. Some lady named Cindi figured out who I was and started to tell me some story about you. Francine did her little thing—she swooped in and told the lady to take off."

"Seems that everyone has met Cindi with an 'i' except me." Amanda feigned annoyance.

"Francine said Cindi was quite nice looking at one time, Daddy." Sarah winked at her mother.

The mention of Cindi, who had been the butt of more than one jealous remark from Amanda many years ago, made Lee nervous. Until he noticed the wink. Recognition dawned on his face. "Oh stop it, both of you. I'm surprised at you, Sarah."

"Oh come on, Lee. Sarah's just teasing you."

"I'm not a little girl anymore, Daddy. Francine did say that about you, but Mom told me about Cindi with an 'i.' I was just having some fun. You must know that I've heard stories about you."

Scowling, Lee laid back down on the couch, his arms crooked under his head, eyes on the ceiling. In an obvious effort to change the subject, he queried, "What else did you do?"

"Grace and Rene went to lunch with Matt and me. She's put a word in with Wong to have me partner with her. I guess I didn't scare her off."

"You're just as likeable as your mom." Lee smiled fondly over at her, then stared back at the ceiling once again, listening intently.

Sarah blushed at the compliment and glanced at her mom, who gave her an encouraging grin and offered, "Grace was one of my top freshman agents. You can learn a few things from her, I'm sure."

"I spent a few hours this afternoon with Leatherneck. We could have started our own militia with the weapons he had on that table."

"He called us after you left. God, I hate it when he calls you Junior." Lee grimaced. Sitting up again, he regarded Sarah. "He said you covered the entire week's lesson in one afternoon."

Nonplussed, Sarah did not answer at first. "He just had me go over all the weapons with him. I've seen a lot of them before or heard you and Jamie and Phillip talking about them. He thought it would take a week?"

"Sarah, most people don't know quite that much about small arms." Amanda glanced over at Lee and back at Sarah. "When do you go to the shooting range?"

"Tomorrow. Leatherneck has a Glock 19 he wants me to try out. He thinks it would be a good sidearm for me."

"I'll have to give him a call. I've heard mixed reviews about the new ones."

"It's a Generation Three, Daddy, not a Four. And it's in great condition."

Lee smirked. "I see. Those are very reliable. If you like it, you should take him up on the offer." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "You know, I never thought you were paying much attention when I tried to talk about guns with you."

Frowning good-naturedly, Sarah remonstrated, "Now Daddy, I was listening. I guess I've gained a greater appreciation for them with all that's happened."

"Next Matt will be teaching you how to throw a knife."

"No." Shaking her head, Sarah sat up straight, emphatic. "Do you know he killed a boar with one while we were in Texas?" She shuddered.

"Really? You didn't tell me about that." Lee was animated now. "How did he manage that? They have tough hides." His grin faded when he noticed that Sarah was disturbed at some memory. "I'll have to ask him about it."

"What is it, Sarah?" Amanda turned toward her daughter, concerned.

"There was a lot of blood. It triggered a flashback." Sarah stared at the floor, thinking. She glanced up at her father and over at her mother. "I remembered a little more of what happened at the park, but I'm still blank from the time when the guy was dragging me away to when Daddy and I were helping Matt."

Neither woman noticed the bleak expression on Lee's face when Amanda put her teacup and saucer down on the table and went to Sarah, her arms outstretched. "I'm so sorry." Somehow Amanda managed to perch on the edge of Sarah's chair as she enveloped her daughter in a hug.

"Thanks, Mom. I'm better. I was afraid to run through the brush on the property at first, but Matt knows where the boars roam. I felt kind of foolish for worrying about them after a few days."

Amanda pulled away. "I was talking about the flashback."

"Oh, well. They'll go away eventually."

A knock sounded on the front door. Sarah glanced at the clock as she got up and moved to the foyer, talking as she went. "That's Matt. It's already past six o'clock. You probably want to get some sleep. Daddy was practically down for the count earlier."

Amanda turned to Lee as Sarah, now out of sight, opened the front door. He raised his eyebrows in return, but did not say anything out loud.

After Matt said his hellos and filled Lee in on his adventure with the boar, the young couple left Lee and Amanda so they could eat dinner in Sarah's apartment over the garage.

A little while later, Lee was brushing his teeth as Amanda turned down the bed and slipped on her nightgown. "Lee, do you think it's going to be a problem for Sarah with these flashbacks? What if she's out in the field and has one?"

Spitting, Lee rinsed his mouth before answering. "Kirby will have to clear her for field duty. She can't go out on anything more than routine surveillance until he's signed off on her. You know that." Placing his hands on either side of the sink, he leaned forward, staring down at the drain.

"But do you think she can get past them?"

"I noticed she remembered a little more. She still can't remember the part where I shot Santiago." Lee continued to prop himself up against the counter, but now his eyes were closed.

Amanda's voice was soft as she placed a hand on his back. "Lee, what is it?"

Straightening up, Lee sighed heavily. "It's nothing. I'm just tired."

"You didn't look tired just now. You were in pain."

"I don't have a backache, if that's what you mean."

"You know what I mean. What's upsetting you?"

Lee's expression was guarded now. "It's nothing, Amanda. I just need to spend some time with Kirby. I'm going in tomorrow."

"It must be bad if you are willing to go to Kirby, especially the day after we get back from London."

"Please." Lee put a hand up. "I'm having a hard time with all that happened to Sarah. I don't want to think about it right now. I just want to go to bed."

Putting her arms around her husband, Amanda hugged him for a moment, grateful when he returned the gesture. "If you want to talk with me about it, I'll be here."

"I know it." He smiled down at her. "Thanks, Amanda. I love you." He kissed her forehead and reached for the bathroom light switch.

"I love you, too, Scarecrow."