Friday, June 21, 1987, 6:00AM
Billy arrived at the agency at his normal early morning hour. As he made his way to his office, takeout coffee and doughnut bag in hand, he smiled inwardly at the bullpen already being abuzz with the new rumors that Scarecrow had finally been tied down to his partner, no less. Without letting his amusement show, he bellowed at the occupants of the bullpen, "Just what the hell is going on here?" The chatter halted abruptly under the boss's steely gaze. "Hasn't there been enough gossip in this place this week?" When no one replied, he glanced around, and saw a group of the freshmen gathered around some of the veterans. Perfect, He thought. "You," he shouted at them, "Dodd, Newton, Grayson, Harrison, in my office, now!" He couldn't help chuckling as he watched the young agents scramble for his office. He kept walking at his leisurely pace to allow them to stew for a moment. Just before entering his office, he turned to the remaining agents and yelled, "The rest of you get back to work or you'll all be looking for new jobs!" He shook his head and entered his office with a smug smile on his face slowly making his way behind his desk. He set down his coffee and doughnut, and then glared at the agents on the other side of it before taking his seat.
Agent Grayson being the most outspoken of the group began, "Sir, I can explain..."
"Explain, Agent Grayson," Billy questioned with an incredulous look on his face as he rose from his seat. "By all means, go ahead and explain why you blatantly violated the orders that I gave you to keep your investigation quiet and I now have to lecture you on how to keep secrets before I've even had my morning coffee!" The other agent shrank back at seeing the withering look on Billy's face. "No explanation for that? Ok, how about this one? Maybe you can explain to me why my two best agents are being made the laughingstock of this agency with all the wild rumors that are floating around out there about them and what's worse, it's while they're on a very hush-hush, very sensitive assignment out of town, doing their jobs, like you're supposed to be doing? You're all spreading vicious gossip about them and they're not even here to defend themselves. What do you think is going to happen when they come back to the office on Monday and have to face that?"
"I...I..."Grayson stammered. "I didn't think."
"That's right, you didn't," Billy bellowed. He then faced the group and said, "This is an intelligence agency you're working for, People, so try showing some! I want to see all of you and the rest of your classmates in the conference room in two hours and we're going to discuss this further. You're all dismissed," As they began to file out of the room, Billy said, "Except you, Agent Newton. I need to speak to you in private. Close the blinds for me, would you?"
The other three agents grimaced, having heard that when Billy Melrose closed the blinds in his office, the agent in question was in for a good chewing-out. They hastily made their exit not wanting to incur his wrath anymore, leaving Agent Newton alone with their section chief.
Agent Newton did as requested, closed the blinds, and then made her way back to the front of Billy's desk. "Am I in trouble," she asked sheepishly.
"Have a seat, Agent Newton," Billy said with a gesture to the chairs behind her as he took his own seat. "Would you like a doughnut?"
"No, thank you, Sir," she said as she took a seat, placing her hands primly in her lap as she nervously picked at her fingernails. "I had breakfast before I got here."
"Relax, Agent Newton, you're not in trouble," Billy said warmly his demeanor different now that they were alone. When she visibly relaxed, he took a sip of his coffee before continuing. "In fact, just the opposite, I wanted to commend you. You are the only one from your training class who took this assignment seriously and kept your mouth shut out there about your part of the investigation that I assigned to all of you. I want you to know that I know you weren't involved in the gossip out there. I heard what you said to Agent Grayson when I walked in when you told him and your other classmates to stop spreading ugly rumors. That was a very nice thing that you did." He'd noticed more than that. He'd also noticed the lingering looks that had passed between the two of them, much like the looks he used to see pass between Lee and Amanda when they were still trying to deny their feelings for each other.
"Thank you, Sir," she said with a bright smile.
"You may have heard that I come down hard on agents when they make mistakes and while it's true that I do, it's because of how dangerous this job can be. Mistakes can cost people their lives."
"I understand, Sir."
"Good," Billy said with a firm nod as he pulled a doughnut out of the bag on his desk. "You've proven that you can be trusted so I'm going to let you in on a little secret."
"A secret, Sir?"
"Yes, I know you have a lot of questions about the assignment I gave you and I'm going to answer those questions now." Billy proceeded to explain the reason behind the assignment, how he and Dr. Smyth believed it would benefit Lee and Amanda in the end to quell the ever-expanding rumors by their fellow agents learning the whole truth.
"So, you've known all this time that they're married?"Stephanie Newton asked wide-eyed.
"Not all this time," Billy said. "But they did tell me personally just yesterday that they were married in secret over four months ago."
"Wow, that explains a lot," she said thoughtfully.
"Now, since you've proven that you can be trusted to keep secrets, I have another assignment for you. The next time you hear your classmates spreading idle gossip, I want to know about it and I mean all the details, who's spreading it, who they're talking about, what they're saying, all of it."
"You mean you want me to spy on my classmates?"She said with a slight smile. She had never liked that some of them were always so intent on spreading malicious rumors.
"Is that a problem for you, Agent? You are a spy, after all," he said with a bemused grin.
"No, Sir, it's not a problem for me at all," she said her smile widening. "Thank you, Sir." She rose from her seat.
"Just one more thing before you go."
"Yes, sir?" she said turning once again to face him.
"You said you and Amanda have worked well together?"
"Yes, Sir, we have."
"So, how would you feel about working with her on a more regular basis? I have a feeling that in the coming months, she and her partner are going to need another pair of hands or two in the Q Bureau."
"You mean because she's pregnant, don't you?"
"You heard about that?"
She nodded and said, "I may not have been spreading the gossip, but I couldn't help hearing it. Agent Grayson couldn't wait to tell everyone he met what he'd found out."
"Speaking of Agent Grayson, I thought I'd assign him to help out during Amanda's pregnancy, as well," he said trying to gauge her response and as he expected, she flushed slightly at the prospect of working with her loud-mouthed classmate and looked a little uncomfortable with the idea. "Problem, Agent Newton?"
She hesitated, not wanting to appear insubordinate as she really wanted to make a good impression and didn't want him to recant his offer of her to work directly with her mentor. "No, Sir, I...uh...I was just thinking that Agent Grayson may not be the best choice. I mean, he's good at what he does, but he...he has this cocky attitude and from what I know of Mr. Stetson, I think the two of them would clash badly."
"You mean, because Lee has that same air about him?"
"Y-y-yes, Sir," she stammered nervously.
"Which is exactly why he's the perfect match," Billy explained. "You're a very observant agent, so you may also have noticed that Amanda's cooler head is what keeps Lee in line. In watching you, it seems that you have the same kind of cool head and logical mind as Amanda. I'm sure that between the two of you, you can keep the two of them from killing each other."
Agent Newton smiled brightly as she took the comparison to Amanda King as a great compliment. She blushed slightly and said, "Thank you, Sir."
"So, you'll accept the assignment once Lee and Amanda return?"
"Oh, yes, Sir," She gushed excitedly.
"Good. Then when they return, I'll arrange it with Beaman. You'll still have to juggle your field assignments with your course work like Amanda does. Do you think you can handle that?"
"Yes, Sir," If Amanda could do juggle both on top of being a single mom she could too.
"Good," Billy said with a smile at her enthusiasm. "Now, they won't be back for a few more days, so in the meantime, I want you to concentrate on your other assignment. So, get to it. I expect a report of what you've observed in your classmates by the end of the day. Oh, and your classmates don't need to know that I've you're going to be assigned to the Q Bureau, especially Agent Grayson. I'll tell him when the time is right. When you go back out there, can you send him in here?"
"Yes, Sir," she said with a smile that he was putting that much faith in her as she exited the room and made a beeline for the bullpen where her classmates were gathering outside the conference room.
Billy opened the blinds and watched through the window as her classmates questioned her about her meeting with Billy. He saw the self-assured expression on Grayson's face change to one of worry as Newton gestured toward the office. He chuckled heartily as he quickly closed the blinds, hurriedly resuming his position behind his desk as he waited for his charge to arrive and prepared to have a little fun with the cocky young man who reminded him so much of Lee at that age.
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Friday, June 21, 1987, 8:00AM
Lee and Amanda awoke to the sounds of shouting from the main room of their cabin. They looked at each other quizzically as they disentangled themselves from each other's arms, both pulling on their robes and stepping out of their room to see what was causing all the commotion.
"Get off my ass, Beaman!" Francine shouted as Lee and Amanda walked into the room. "None of this is any of your goddamn business!"
"The hell is isn't!" Efraim shouted back. "Amanda is my trainee and as such, I should have been told right away that she's knocked up! Don't you think that has an impact on what kind of training environment I can put her in? Don't you think that it might have an effect on how well she can work this assignment? She needs to be pulled from this case right now!"
"Look, like she said last night, Billy is the one who assigned her to this case, not you! He's your boss, as well as hers. Are you really going to challenge him on it? Do you want to take the chance that he'll boot your ass back down to fabrications where you'll be doing nothing but busy work and wasting your skills?"
"Billy wouldn't go that to me," Efraim argued. "I've more than proven myself in the training department."
"The hell he wouldn't," Francine said. "I've been around the agency a few years longer than you and I've been Billy's assistant for five years of that time and I've seen first-hand what he will do when he's pissed at an agent for insubordination, so don't press your luck!"
"Maybe you're the one who shouldn't press your luck! You may have been his assistant for five years, but how much longer do you think you'll have that job once I tell him that you've been something this major from him! You had a responsibility to report this the second you knew about it. Instead, you helped them keep their little secret and played me for a fool, manipulating the situation to keep Amanda on lighter duty because you knew all this time what was really going on!"
"I didn't play you for a fool, Efraim. You do that well enough on your own," Francine fired back.
"Hey, hey, hey," Lee said as he stepped between the two of them before their argument could escalate any further.
"Back off, Stetson!" Efraim said angrily. "This is all your fault to begin with!"
"My fault? How do you figure?" Lee said incredulously.
"You're the one who got your partner pregnant, aren't you?"He said with a belligerent glare at Lee and Amanda's state of undress, as he looked them up and down.
"Hey," Amanda said. "I'm standing right here and in case, you've forgotten, Efraim, it takes two to make a baby and as I've already said multiple times since we started this assignment, I have not been in any, harassed, manipulated or coerced into sleeping with my husband, not just my partner, my husband!"
"Can't we all just sit down and talk about this like the rational adults that we are," Lee said trying very hard not to lose his cool as he knew that the added stress wouldn't be good for his pregnant wife, especially now that they were finally on the road to resolving their personal conflicts. He didn't feel the need to add work-related stress to their already stressful situation.
"You mean, like some of us are," Francine sniped with an icy glare at Efraim.
"Did if ever occur to any of you that this would have been a whole lot easier if I'd been kept in the loop from the beginning? You two told Francine what was going on, but kept me out of it."
"Enough!" Lee said. "Look, Efraim, we didn't tell Francine about Amanda's pregnancy. She figured that out on her own when she came to visit Amanda in the hospital and found out what ward she was admitted to. Amanda felt the need to tell her the truth about our marriage once she'd figure out that we're expecting. We were planning to come clean anyway. We're both damn tired of not being together full-time. Right, Amanda?"
"Absolutely," she said as she slipped one arm around her husband who responded in kind and brushed a soft kiss to her cheek. "That's why we've been fighting so much. You have no idea how difficult it's been for us to be married, but living apart from each other. I don't share this with too many people, but that's exactly why my first marriage fell apart."
"Efraim, we would both appreciate it if you would keep Amanda's pregnancy under your hat for the time being. We'd like to tell Billy ourselves and we plan to do just that once we close this case and get back to the office."
Efraim glared at both of them and said, "You're asking a hell of a lot."
"I know, but don't you think this kind of news would be a whole lot better coming from us than from you?"
Efraim sighed and said, "I guess you're right, but once this case is closed, if I don't hear that you've told him the whole truth right away, I will tell him myself. This is something that he has a right to know."
"That's fair," Amanda replied. "But first, we need to get this case closed, so what do you say, we all get back to work?" She glanced at first Efraim, then Francine, who both nodded in agreement. "Good," Amanda said with a firm nod. "So, we should start by telling you what we found out from Chambers last night."
"Yeah, we've got some stuff to tell you about what we learned from following the Kleins and the Murdochs last night too," Francine said.
"Why don't we discuss it over breakfast," Amanda suggested. "We still need to eat, right?"
The others agreed and Efraim even offered to cook while Lee and Amanda got dressed for the day. Very soon, the four of them were once again gathered around the dining table, comparing notes. "So, Chambers has known all this time that something's up with the Kleins?" Francine said thoughtfully after Lee and Amanda had recounted the previous night's events.
'Yeah, but he didn't seem to know a lot of the details, just that whatever's happening is going down tomorrow on the other side of the park during the big finale," Lee answered.
"These might be the answer to some of that," Francine said as she placed a pile of photographs on the table. "I took these last night and make a stop to an all-night one-hour photo to have them developed. That's what took us so long to get back here. Recognize the woman in them?"
Lee let out a low whistle as he perused the photographs and said, "I'll be damned."
"What is it, Lee?" Amanda questioned as she looked over his shoulder at the pictures.
"Amelie Gertrude," Lee answered. "She's played middle man for years between the East Germans and the Libyans for years, among others, peddling secrets. We've just never been able to pin her down. She's as slippery as they come. I didn't figure a weapons exchange for her kind of game, though."
"That's what we thought but maybe she's stepped up her game," Efraim suggested.
"Or maybe this exchange isn't actual weapons, but plans for weapons," Amanda offered. "You did say that she specializes in secrets, right?"
"You know, you could be onto something," Lee said. "Maybe one of us should get on the phone with Billy and have him run a check with the military and military contractors to see if there are any missing or compromised weapons plans."
"That's a good idea," Efraim said.
"One of you should probably do it," Amanda said. "Billy's not too happy with us right now."
"Oh?"Efraim said.
"Not now, Efraim," Francine said. "I'll make the call. I wanted to check in with Jonathan to let him know I'm ok, anyway. He worries about me when I'm on assignment if I don't." Efraim snorted as this. "Don't start," she said to him icily.
"While you're doing that, I think Amanda and I will pay another visit to Chambers to see if he knows Gertrude here or if he's seen her around. Efraim, since you buddied up to his wife, maybe you could do the same with her."
"Good idea," Efraim said.
"Ok, I'd say we've got a plan," Amanda said with a smile that they'd finally all agreed on something and were on their way to closing their case so she and Lee could get back to making plans for their future together.