Lee glared at Chambers, glanced briefly at Amanda, and then turned a steely gaze back to the lecherous man who'd attacked her. He was finding himself torn between his duty to protect his wife and his duty to protect his country. He glanced back at Amanda once more. At seeing his hesitation, Amanda sidled close to him, sliding an arm around his waist, nodded at him and said to him reassuringly, "I'm fine, Lee. Let's just get to the bottom of this so we can wrap this case up and go home to our family."

"Family?"Chambers scoffed. "What the hell kind of family life can you possibly have when you don't even live together?"

Just out of spite, Lee raised his gun again, pointing it in the guy's face and said, "That is none of your damn business."

"Lee, Sweetheart," Amanda said soothingly. "Come on, getting angry isn't going to get us anywhere. Let's just find out what he knows."

Chambers looked at them and said to Amanda, "Oh, I get it. What is this, some sort of good cop, bad cop thing? He acts like a horse's ass and you provide the buffer between him and your suspects?"

"Of which you are one," Lee said pointedly jabbing the gun barrel into the other man's chest. "You obviously know something if you figured out why we're here, so why don't you just start talking, Pal, before I change my mind about locking you up for sexual assault on my wife, assault on a federal officer and while we're at it, we could throw in a treason charge too."

"Treason?"Chambers choked out, his face turning pale.

"That's right," Lee said. "With treason charges, there is no aiding and abetting or accessory charge. You get the same treatment as the people who are plotting it if you know something about it and keep it to yourself, which could mean a lifetime in prison or it could mean the death penalty, so let's have it."

Chambers gulped and said, "Ok, I'll tell you what I know, but it's not really much at all, hardly enough to warrant treason charges. All is that Steve came to me when we were planning this year's retreat and said that he wanted to help plan the events for the last two days. I told him no at first because Candace and I have always done this together. It's the only time that we ever feel like a real couple," he said sadly.

Lee looked at him sympathetically, feeling for the first time like he could relate to the guy's pain, thinking that this undercover assignment was the first time since his and Amanda's wedding day that he'd truly felt married. "So, since they're out in the woods up to their necks in something right now, I'm guessing something changed."

"He threatened me," Chambers said.

"He threatened you?" Amanda inquired. "I don't get it. With all your money and influence, what could he possibly threaten you with to get you to agree to betray your country?"

"Destroying my marriage," Chambers answered. "He had proof, photos, that I cheated on Candace and he threatened to send to the tabloids, ruining both my marriage and my reputation."

"Hmmm," Amanda said musingly. "From what I've seen, your marriage already seems pretty well ruined."

"No, that's not true. It may not be perfect, but we still love each other in spite of everything."

"Love?" Lee said incredulously with a shake of his head. "You obviously don't love your wife enough to be faithful to her. What kind of marriage is that?"

"Like you have any room to talk," Chambers scoffed. "What kind of marriage do you two have if you don't even share a home? At least Candace and I have that."

"But what you don't have is trust," Amanda said. "If you want my opinion, you two oughtta' just end it and stop hurting yourselves and each other. You may love each other, but sometimes that's just not enough."

"You don't understand. We have two children together," Chambers protested.

Amanda shook her head. "Take if from someone who knows, staying in an unhappy, unfulfilling marriage just for the sake of the children just makes everybody miserable," she said sharply. "Don't you think your children can see the trouble between you and how unhappy you both are and that that makes them unhappy too?"

Lee looked at Amanda in wonder and shook his head. Here was this guy who had just tried to force himself on her and she was trying to give him advice on how to make his life better. He smiled as he found he was once again amazed by how she never stopped surprising him. "Look, we're getting off-topic here," He said. "What do you know about what he's doing out there in the woods? What's he got planned for Saturday and Sunday?"

"I don't really know for sure. All I know is that the stuff he was planning was for Saturday's big obstacle course set up. It's the final event and it's a little different every year so that the couples who've been coming to this for years don't know what to expect. He said he wanted to set it up this year and once I finally agreed to it, Bob decided he wanted to help with the planning too, since I was relinquishing some control."

"Ok, that's the what," Lee said. "Where is this thing being set up?"

"There's a clearing on the west side of the main guest house and the park's restaurant where we had the dinner on the opening night. That's where they've been working on building the obstacle course, but Steve made it clear that I was to stay away from it while he was doing whatever it is he's doing and that I was to let him and Bob be the ones to work the couples through the course without interfering. That's all I know, I swear. Now, will you let me go?"Chambers pleaded.

"Why should I?"Lee said as he glanced at his wife and the swelling on her face that he knew would soon turn into an ugly bruise.

Amanda jumped in having seen his look and said, "Lee, let's look at this logically. If you arrest him now, our cover will be blown and we may miss our shot at catching the big fish."

"Well, I say we just haul Klein and Murdoch along with him, problem solved."

"Lee, come on, you know we can't do that. Not until we know who they're meeting with. If they are making deals with the Libyans, we can't just let that go. We have to catch who they're meeting with too. You know as well as I do if the Libyans don't get what they want here, they'll just find another source, then we'll be right back to square one."

Lee attempted to protest, the sighed when he realized she was right and said, "You know, sometimes I hate that damn logical mind of yours." He holstered his gun, then forcibly turned Chambers around to undo the cuffs. "Here's the deal, Chump. I'll let you go...for now," he said menacingly. "But if you breathe a word of this to the Kleins or the Murdochs; if you touch my wife again or even so much as look at her in an inappropriate manner, I'll have you locked up so fast, you'll never know what the hell happened. And here's a tip, we're not like the cops. The agency we work for doesn't allow you one phone call. We can keep you in a holding cell forever." He then turned him around to face him, fixed him with a steely gaze and said, "You got me?"

Chambers nodded slowly, swallowed hard and said, "I got it."

"Good," Lee said shoving him backward. "Now, get the hell out of here." At seeing the hard look Lee was giving him, Chambers quickly made his escape. "We should get out of here too."

"You don't think we should still do a search," Amanda questioned. "With him coming in here, I didn't really have a chance to look around at all."

Lee looked at her in concern at being reminded that she'd just been attacked. Anger began to flare within him again at seeing the mark Chambers had left behind on her face. He took a deep breath to calm himself and stop himself from going after Chambers and beating him to a bloody pulp for hurting her. "No, I didn't find a damn thing in the other cabin, so I don't think we're going to find any evidence here if they're setting everything up on the other side of the park."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Amanda said.

"Besides, we should try to keep you out of harm's way as much as possible," he said as he placed a hand on her arm to guide her out of the cabin.

Amanda scowled and him and said, "Lee, I'm pregnant, not disabled. I think I handled myself pretty well tonight under the circumstances."

"You did, but that's not the point," he argued. The pair continued to argue as they made their way back to their own cabin.

An hour later, Francine and Efraim approached their cabin and paused on the porch when they heard shouting coming from inside. They glanced at each other warily and Francine said, "Uh-oh."

"Yeah, so much for the happy honeymooners," Efraim replied sarcastically.

Francine sighed, "Well, we can't stay out here all night." She hesitantly opened the door and she and Efraim cautiously made their way into the main room of the cabin to find the other pair embroiled in a blazing screaming match.

"Amanda, would just stop and listen to reason!"Lee shouted.

"Reason? Did you really just say that? Nothing you have said since we got back here has sounded one bit reasonable?"Amanda fired back. "You're doing the same thing you did after I was shot, trying to keep me on the bench, trying to baby me when I don't need to be babied! I'm an adult here!"

"I know you're an adult, Amanda, but you're sure as hell not acting like it right now. You're acting like a child who's been grounded."

"That's exactly how you're treating me and I don't appreciate it! I am not a child! I am your partner and as such, I deserve to be treated as an equal!"

"I know you're my partner, but I am the senior agent in this partnership and as such, I am ordering you to stay out of the line of fire!"

"Ordering me? You're ordering me?"Amanda shouted. "You may be the senior agent but I was assigned to this case by Billy and until he tells me that I'm off the case, I'm not going anywhere! I am going to back you up just like I always have! I'm not about to let you keep my on the sidelines like you did a few months ago!"

"Why do you keep bringing that up? There are reasons for what I did then. You nearly died, Amanda! Don't you get that? Do you have any idea what it was like for me in that hospital? For your mother? Seeing you suffering, not knowing from one minute to the next if you were going to live or die? Not knowing if our marriage was going to end before it really got started?" Lee's voice became hoarse with emotion as he said this causing him to pause. "You're my wife, Amanda and I'm not going to let anything happen to you if I have anything to say about it."

"Ok, I get your concern, but I'm fine! I am always careful; always take precautions to protect myself, which is more than I can say for you!"

"But it's not just you or me that we're talking about here anymore, Amanda! I'm not your ex, I'm not about to walk away from my kid like he did! That is my babyyou're carrying and I am not going to let you put yourself or our child in and unnecessary danger!"

Efraim looked at Francine after Lee's outburst, who quickly averted her eyes from his, trying not to give away the fact that she already knew about Amanda's pregnancy. Her secret was soon out though as Amanda fired back at him, "Didn't you hear what Francine said? That there's no reason to take a pregnant agent out of the field unless there's a medical need for it and I am fine! I'm perfectly healthy and so is the baby!"

"Healthy? For crying out loud, Amanda you were just hospitalized over this!"

"Not because I'm pregnant! I was hospitalized because I wasn't eating or sleeping right and you know that! You talked to the doctor yourself. I think you're just looking for another excuse to keep me chained to a desk!"

"Maybe chained to a desk is exactly where you belong so shit like this," he indicated the bruise on her face, "doesn't keep happening to you! And for the record, I don't give a damn what Francine said! She's not responsible for you, I am!"

"Responsible, are you? If you feel so damn responsible for me, where the hell were you when all this got started; when Joe dumped the boys on me when they were sick? I could have used a little of that responsibility then! Then maybe I wouldn't have gotten that run down, but no! You were too busy pouting like a child that you weren't getting laid and when you did come over to the house, it wasn't to help me with the kids! Do you remember that? Climbing up the trellis and sneaking into my bedroom window?"

"Funny, I didn't hear you complaining when you were begging for more! What was it you said again? That you didn't want the night to end?"

"Yeah, and if you recall, when it did end, you just scampered off into the night and left me there to handle two sick kids by myself. Did you even know that I was up all night? Maybe if I'd had a little help, I wouldn't have had to be and I wouldn't have ended up in the hospital!"

"If you recall, I did help! I came by and made sure that Phillip ate. I brought supplies! I took you and Jamie to the hospital-"

Amanda cut him off and said, "Sure you did, twelve hours too late! Where were you when I really needed you?"

Lee gaped at her. "I get what this is really about! You're not pissed at me! You're pissed at Joe for leaving you with the kids by yourself and not just now, through their whole lives. I want you to listen to me, Amanda, and listen good. I am NOT Joe! I may have screwed up by not helping you with the kids sooner the other day when I should have and I'm sorry for that, but you have to understand that this whole step-dad thing is entirely new to me and I don't know what I'm supposed to do. It's not like you were very forthcoming with asking for help or giving me any kind of clue that you needed me!"

"I shouldn't have to ask! You are my husband and you should be there for me whether I ask or not! You keep saying that you want me out of the field to try to protect me, but you weren't being very protective then!"

"So, you're blaming me because you're too stubborn to ask for help when you need it? I'm sorry, Amanda, but I'm not a mind reader. If you had given me even the slightest inkling that it was as bad as it was, I'd have been there in a second!"

"I wish I could believe that," Amanda said.

"God, Joe King really did a number on you, didn't he?"

"Leave him out of this! This has nothing to do with Joe!"

"No, Amanda, I think it does! I think the whole reason that you kept me from meeting your kids for so long when we were dating and then when we were engaged is because you didn't want them getting attached to me, because deep down you were afraid I'd bail on you and them, the way he did!"

"No," Amanda said turning away from him.

Lee spun her around to face him and said, "You can try to deny it all you want, Amanda, but I can see it in your eyes. You don't trust me not to leave you just like he did and contrary to what you said this afternoon; it's not just because of the danger of our jobs. Come on, Amanda," he said as he gripped her arms to keep her from bolting. "Tell me the truth! You owe me that!"

"Yes, ok, yes!"

Lee released looking stunned. He shook his head and said, "I can't believe after everything we've been through together that you would actually think that I would do that to you."

"Oh, come on, Lee, it's not that far-fetched! It's not like you have a great track record for forming lasting relationships," she countered.

"That's exactly the point I was making," Efraim interjected.

"Stay out of this," Lee snapped before turning back to his wife.

"Come on, Efraim, we should let them have their privacy," Francine said as she tugged on his arm to drag him toward their room.

"Are you sure this isn't just an excuse to get me alone," Efraim teased which earned him a resounding smack on the arm from Francine who pushed him more forcefully toward their room.

Lee and Amanda both chuckled a little at them. Lee took a deep breath and said in a softer tone, "Look, you're thinking about this all wrong. Why don't you put that logical mind of yours to good use here just like you do on the job? You know my history; how I avoided committed relationships like the plague. The fact that I asked you to marry me with my history being what it is should tell you that I'm serious about us being together forever. What else can I do to make you see that I'm not going anywhere?"

"I don't know," Amanda said with a sigh. "I think it will be better once everything is all out in the open and we can have a chance to live like a normal couple. Maybe then I, I don't know, wouldn't feel so insecure if I knew you were coming home to me every night instead of us going our separate ways."

"That's really what this has been all about, isn't it?" Lee replied softly as he pulled Amanda into his arms and kissed the top of her head. "Don't you worry, Amanda, once this case is wrapped up, I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure that we're not living separate lives anymore."