Author's Note: Finally, the ending. I was called away from my computer before I could finish posting. I hope you enjoy the ending.

SEVENTH SECTION

Tuesday

When Lee came off of surveillance late on Monday afternoon, Mrs. Marston handed him three identical messages from Amanda. The only differences on the messages were the times: eleven, two-thirty and four. He checked his watch and saw that it was now almost five.

Lee took the messages with him to the Q Bureau and then read each message, written in Mrs. Marston's clear cursive: Will call back later, no rush.

"Maybe no rush to you," He told the pieces of paper.

"What was that?" Francine asked.

Looking up, Lee saw Francine in the doorway, "What do you want?"

"You've been out on surveillance all day. I just wanted to see how it went." Francine said innocently.

"The new defector is safer than Fort Knox. Goodbye." Lee looked away from her. He knew she was trying to worm her way back into his good graces, and he wasn't interested.

"But…"

"But what? I'm tired, Francine; it's been a long day. If you won't leave, I will," he said, standing and grabbing his suit coat.

"It's just…why won't you give us another chance, Lee?" she demanded to know. She saw it when Lee eyed Amanda's vacant desk before giving her a reason, "Oh. So it IS her?"

"Believe what you want," Lee said, walking past her and out of the Q Bureau. He heard Francine follow him. Once he'd reached the bottom of the stairs he tossed his badge onto Mrs. Marston's desk and left for the day.

He was in the middle of eating dinner when the phone rang. With hope in his heart, he answered, "Hello?"

"Hi, it's me," Amanda's voice practically giggled, "How was work."

"Hi," Lee tried not to sound too excited to hear her voice, "Work was, you know, work. Sorry I was out when you called, but I was stuck on this stupid surveillance assignment. Nobody's going to be wooing this defector back, but you know Billy, 'Cover all weaknesses, including the ones you don't see.' So that was me today. How are you?" he inquired.

"The boys won their game on Saturday. Since then, I have been bored out of my skull. The boys had school, so I sneaked out and did some garden work while Mother visited with some friends. I love her, but she thinks I'm crippled for life," she complained.

"Great, they won! Tomorrow night you can show your mother the all clear from Doc Kelford and then maybe she'll ease up on you. I've missed you," Lee said longingly.

"I missed you too." Amanda agreed, "Can you do me a favor? I need a ride into work tomorrow."

"Not a problem, but—" he began but was cut off.

"If it's about Mother, don't worry, she knows."

"She does, huh?" Lee asked. She surprised him completely on that one.

"Uh huh. Well, I've always told her everything and she had her suspicions and I don't think it would be good not to tell her. I did ask her not say anything to the boys yet. They need to get over the fact that Joe and I are getting divorced." Amanda filled him in.

"That's okay with me, but that wasn't what I was worried about," he said.

"What's wrong?"

"Francine cornered me on the way out of work today. I didn't tell her we were seeing each other, but she's snooping. Us driving in to work together could be the last nail in that particular coffin." He warned her.

"We'll just tell her the truth," she reasoned.

"And what are the odds that Francine's going to believe either one of us?" he asked.

"Are you chickening out on me, Lee Stetson? Because of that woman? Now, there are no rules about agent fraternization. We'll just keep the Q locked and go about our business. And if Francine doesn't like it, I'll break her leg," Amanda laughed as she finished speaking.

"That would be interesting to see," Lee said, smiling.

"So you'll pick me up?"

"What time?" he asked, knowing she had to get Phillip and Jamie on the bus.

"How's eight-thirty?"

"I'll be there." He promised. They hung up, and Lee finished his dinner. Afterward, he went to bed early so he wouldn't be late picking her up.

The next morning, Lee waited at his desk for Amanda to come up to the Q Bureau from Kelford's office. Once again, she'd practically jumped into the car when she saw him drive up. It had been an easy ride to work, and he wished her appointment with Dr. Kelford were over already.

Finally, he heard footsteps approaching, and was certain they were Amanda's. He felt a sudden need to refill his coffee from the pot next to the water cooler. He was just turning around again when Amanda entered.

"Hi," Lee said softly.

"Hello." Amanda set her purse on her desk.

"What did the doctor say?"

"He said…that if you don't get over here and hold me, I'm going to fall apart," Amanda teased him.

"Oh?" Lee put his coffee down and rushed across the room to her. He threw the lock on the door and hugged her to him, "Is that better?"

"Mmm, much." She said in his ear.

"Now, what did old Karl really say?"

"Doctor Kelford has assigned me to desk duty for another week."

"Well, I guess I'll be serving time with you." He said, not letting her go.

"Really? Why?"

"It's quiet right now. I even checked with my 'family,' and they have nothing to report. The only thing I can do is work through it."

"I saw Francine on my way up," Amanda told him.

"Did she…?"

"Did she say or do anything? No. She didn't get a chance. Billy called her away. She would have said something if she'd had the chance, I'm sure."

Lee took a step backward. Looking into Amanda's eyes he said, "I'm sorry I ever got involved with her."

"Why should you be?"

"Well, if I hadn't, things would be easier for us. I should have taken your advice on that one."

"Lee, you can't change it. Why regret it? The door's locked, isn't it?" she moved closer to him.He nodded and leaned down, kissing her. The kiss would have continued except that they both heard footsteps in the hall.

Amanda broke away from Lee, pulling the top file out of her Inbox and opening it. As she began to peruse the case, Lee unlocked the door to the Q Bureau and sat at his desk, his eyes focusing on the case he had been trying to look at all morning.

Moments later, Francine knocked once and then entered the room. Lee stood up, as if to defend Amanda, even though he knew she didn't need his help.

"Need something, Francine?" Lee asked.

"Hello, Lee, Amanda. I just wanted to say 'welcome back' to Amanda." Francine said snidely.

"Hello, Francine. Thank you." Amanda ignored the other woman's tone.

"Goodbye, Francine." Lee crossed the room, and Francine backed out into the hallway. Lee closed the door, waiting to see if Francine would enter again. When she didn't, he returned to his desk and sat.

"That was brief." Amanda said.

"I guess she didn't want to have words with both of us. Maybe she thought she could, and changed her mind," he reasoned.

"Maybe she did."

"How were things last night?"

"They were good. I actually had a call last night from a friend of mine who is a lawyer. She says she can help with the divorce, so it'll be over faster

"That's assuming that Joe doesn't try for custody of the boys," Lee pointed out.

"She said the same thing. I wouldn't deny Joe access to our boys and he hasn't shown a desire to whisk them to Africa with him, so I think things will go smoothly."

"Even with me involved?"

"You're not a factor. Joe was the one who slapped divorce papers on my coffee table two weeks ago. They state 'irreconcilable differences', not 'infidelity' as the reason for the divorce."

"You have a point," Lee nodded.

"I just hope the boys are going to be okay. I hate to drag them through this, but you know, when I was married, I thought it would be forever. And I…" Amanda stopped mid-thought. Lee saw the tears welling in her eyes.

"Hey, it's okay. Why don't we ditch today? We can go to my place, drink some coffee and discuss this," Lee tried to put her at ease.

"You think that would be okay?"

"As I said, it's slower than slow this week," Lee assured her, "Since you don't have your car…I'll drive us."

Lee didn't have to convince her further. She closed the file, returning it to the top of her pile and grabbed her purse. Lee followed her out, locking the Q Bureau behind them both.

Lee made coffee while Amanda waited in the living room. She was studying a picture of his parents when he rejoined her. The frame was gold, the picture a small 5X7.

"It's the only thing of theirs I've ever really had, and the only photo," Lee said.

"Surely, some of their things were put into storage for you?" Amanda asked.

"No, not really. My uncle couldn't handle his grief, so he sold or got rid of everything. He wanted to erase them from time. Kind of hard to do, with me around," he said, sipping his coffee.

"You look so much like your father."

"My uncle liked to tell me the same thing, only not in that tone," he admitted, setting his mug down and picking up the photo. "I guess he hated my father for both of my parents' deaths."

"Phillip looks a lot more like Joe than he does me; sometimes he acts just like him, too." Amanda took a seat on the sofa

"I'll bet you don't blame him for it though," Lee said, his back still to her as he studied the photo.

"No. But I worry about Phillip's temper sometimes. Especially with this divorce."

Lee joined her on the sofa, "Is Joe going along with this peacefully?"

"For the most part. But I sat the boys down Sunday, and they were upset. They're still pretty young, but old enough to have friends with divorced parents. They feel like they are literally losing Joe for good, and they might be, because he's home so infrequently." She filled him in.

"They'll bounce back in time." He assured her.

"I suppose so; I guess I'm already over us. I mean...I've been so lonely lately. No one to lean on. Mother's there, but it's not the same…"

"The same as having a man around?" Lee asked, giving her a smile.

"Exactly," Amanda said, "And also there's running the boys around to their Trailblazers meetings, fundraisers, ball games."

"I'll do anything I can to help you," Lee said as he watched her set her mug on the coffee table. Her shoulders slumped when she sat back.

"I know you will. It's just been tough the last couple of months. Even with Joe around, it was like he wasn't there. I have had to do so much. And forget about any intimacy. Joe cut that off a long time ago."

Lee put his mug down and took her hands in his. He turned her chin so that he was looking directly in her eyes, "Amanda, I love you. I've come to know that more acutely since your injury; I should have told you the day you were shot, but I was afraid. Not anymore."

"Oh, Lee, I love you too," Amanda said, leaning toward him to kiss him. Lee surrendered to the kiss. He waited to see when Amanda would break away, but she didn't. He fumbled with the buttons on her blouse, starting at the top. The first two were already undone. She moved to accommodate him, sliding down on the couch so that he was mostly lying on top.

When they broke their kiss for a breath of air, she tried unsuccessfully to loosen Lee's belt. Her hands were shaking too much and she couldn't complete the action.

"Wait, Lee, wait." Amanda requested, and he complied.

She wondered if she was behaving too rashly. This behavior wasn't like her. They had not been on an official date, unless she counted the previous outing to D.C. during the boys' baseball game. She couldn't immediately explain the pressing need to make love with Lee.

"Is anything wrong?" He asked. Was she ready?

"No, it feels right," she said after a moment, reminding herself that Joe hadn't touched her for months, and they were divorcing. It wasn't cheating. She had had no emotional or physical support from her husband for so long that she almost forgot how good it was to have the feelings she did for Lee. She wasn't merely lusting after her partner. She needed to feel wanted again.

"Maybe we should go upstairs," he suggested. Amanda nodded. He led her upstairs, and as he went he unbuckled the belt that had given her trouble.

Later that day:

"How about dinner out tonight?" Lee called from the bathroom. He had put on a pair of blue jeans and a white t-shirt. Amanda was sitting on the comforter on his bed, finishing getting dressed. At the moment she only had her blouse and knee-highs to go. Her hair was still damp, but Lee's hair dryer had given her a good head start.

"Actually, I had another idea." Amanda said, buttoning the first two buttons of her blouse and then bending to put her knee-highs on.

"What's that?" he asked as he combed out his hair.

"You should have dinner with my family tonight," Amanda suggested. She stopped dressing and stared at him, waiting to see what his reaction would be.

"Did you hear that?" Lee asked her. The hairs on the back of his neck stood.

"You're not getting out of this so easily." Amanda admonished him. She had heard nothing.

Lee shook off the momentary suspicion nagging at him and asked, "It's not too soon?"

"No, it's not too soon. You're my partner. The boys know that. And since Mother knows what's going on, well, she'd approve of you getting to know them."

"Hang on a second," Lee said as the feeling that someone else was in the house came back to him.

He crossed the room to the closed bedroom door. Amanda trusted his instinct completely. She tried to think ahead, what she would do after he'd opened the door. She could see him tensing, ready for a fight. Opening the bedroom door, he found Francine in the hallway, crouching as if to unlock the door. Lee surmised that she had picked the lock on the front door to get in.

"Francine, just what the Hell are you doing here!" Lee said as he let down his guard.

"Who've you got in there, Lee? Let me guess, your partner. Am I right?" Francine ignored him and pushed her way into the room, "It is you, you little whore. I told you to keep away from him, he's mine."

"Do you think so, Francine?" Amanda stood, to face down Francine, "It wasn't your name I heard him calling. It was mine."

"What do you mean? He…?" Francine looked both Lee and Amanda over and the realization that both were not quite fully dressed dawned on her. She raised her hand to slap Amanda, but was intercepted by Lee. He grabbed her upraised arm with his right hand and put his left around her torso.

"Yes, he did," Amanda gloated, using the opportunity Lee had given her to get in Francine's face, "And don't think you'll be making some sort of sordid gossip at work about me being married. Joe and I are divorcing."

"Bitch!" Francine yelled at her.

"Deal with it!" Amanda yelled back, "He's not yours anymore. He won't be ever again, if I have a say in it."

Lee was trying not to laugh, but failed, laughing maniacally as he started to pull Francine out of his room, still restrained in his firm grasp.

"Lee, let me go! I am telling Billy about this!" Francine threatened. Lee now had her in the hall.

"Go ahead Francine," Lee dared her, "but I don't think he cares. In fact, he probably knows."

He escorted Francine out of the house and locked both locks and the chain lock as well. When he reached the bedroom again, Amanda had finished dressing.

"You okay?" Lee asked.

"Yes, fine. I can't believe her nerve." Amanda leaned into Lee as he embraced her to him.

"She must have picked the lock. I didn't think she'd come over here." He said, remembering that he had locked the bottom lock when they came in earlier.

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about another confrontation. I've got you, and she knows it. So in a way, this was good," Amanda consoled him.

"I really don't have any feelings for her. I want you to know that," Lee said.

"I know. We wouldn't be here if you did, I'm sure. I just wish we'd been a little more dressed for the occasion." Amanda lamented.

"How about that snuggle I promised?" he offered.

"Actually, she got my blood going. I think I could use lunch."

"Okay. I'll finish getting dressed and we'll go. Do you have a place in mind?"

"Anywhere that isn't in D.C.," Amanda laughed, wanting to be as far away from Francine and the Agency as she could get. Lee understood, joining her in her laughter.

After lunch, Lee dropped Amanda off at home. They both needed to get errands run that were easier to do independently. Dotty had returned from her errands with the Wagoneer, much to Amanda's delight.

Amanda informed Lee that dinner was at six, and that he should dress casually. He promised not to be late. With a kiss, they parted ways.

"You're home early," Dotty said when her daughter walked in.

"Things are going slow, so I took the rest of the day off. I need to get some shopping done anyway," Amanda said.

"I already picked up the cereal, milk and eggs this morning. Did we need something else?" Dotty asked.

"I invited Lee for dinner." Amanda told her.

"I see."

"I just wanted to pick up some flowers for the table. Maybe a few other things I need," Amanda said.

"Should we fix anything in particular?" Dotty asked.

"He'll eat anything but asparagus as far as I know." Amanda told her, "Have we heard anything from Joe lately?"

"Not since he phoned last night."

"Good. Well, I'll be back soon." Amanda said, picking up her purse and heading out the door again.

Lee arrived on time, as promised. The boys were glad to see him again. They asked if he knew that they had won three straight baseball games. Lee gladly responded that he did know, and that maybe he could go to their next game. Phillip and Jamie liked the idea. Dotty looked on, smiling throughout most of the meal.

When Lee offered to help with the supper dishes, Dotty refused. She told him that he was their guest, and it wouldn't be right. Instead, he drank coffee in the living room until Amanda and her family finished cleaning up. The boys eventually retired upstairs to finish homework, and Dotty had followed them up.

"That was a delicious meal." Lee told Amanda

She snuggled deeper into his embrace as they cuddled on the couch in the den. "Thank you, again. You must have said that five times tonight."

"Only because it's true."

"Why don't we sit out in the gazebo? It's a little cool, but if we share this blanket, I think it'll be all right." Amanda suggested, patting the one at the end of the couch.

"Sure." He agreed.

The gazebo was ten feet from the back door, and six paces to the left. It was circular in shape, eight feet tall and at its diameter also eight feet wide. There were two entrances to the gazebo, marked by a break of the padded seating. The roof of the building was arched to a point. None of the second story windows looked out to that section of the backyard.

"I think that went very well," Amanda said as she snuggled into Lee's chest.

"How long do you think we'll be able to stay out here before someone comes calling?" he asked, covering both of them with the blanket.

"Well, the boys have about an hour before baths and bedtime, so maybe that long. If they decide to behave," she predicted, hoping they could get more time than that together.

"They did seem to like me," Lee said.

"Well, they don't know we're dating. They might suspect it, but you're starting out on the right foot. You didn't ignore them and they felt included in the dinner conversation. That's good." She advised, then lay her head on his chest again, listening to his breathing.

"It's nice, sitting out here in the quiet," Lee mentioned.

"One thing I've always loved about this house. When you want solitude, you can usually find it in the gazebo."

Lee sat, lost in his own thoughts, for a long time. He hadn't felt so serene since before Dorothy died. Had it really been ten years since he had been part of the Wizard, Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Dorothy? What a team they'd been. He finally found closure to Dorothy's death when Tin Man was revealed to be her murderer. He still regretted having been played enough to think Paul Barnes would ever burn out. But Dorothy had meant so much to him.

He was much younger then. Dorothy was beautiful, intelligent, perfect, the answer for him, as far as whom he would spend the rest of his life with. Her sudden death had impacted him in ways he never realized. He had been in long-term relationships since then, but they all dead-ended in break ups within the first year. When he first kissed Amanda, he was doubtful as to how far he would go with it. Now, tonight, he didn't want to let her go. He knew, deep down, that he would always feel this way.

Amanda, too, was lost in reverie. She recalled her college days, meeting Joe, her wedding day, and the births of her children. All of these things had brought endless joy to her life. Now, an era was ending. Joe had called the night before and told her he was going to move his things into storage on his next trip home. She once thought Joe would be the only man for her. Now she felt like Lee was the missing link to her life; different from Joe in so many ways, offering more than Joe ever did. She knew, somehow, that Lee wouldn't leave her alone, the way Joe had.

The boys calling for Amanda brought the couple out of their silent reflections. Amanda hated to leave the warm spot she occupied, but she had to tell her sons "good night" and get them to bed.

"I guess I should be going too," Lee said, noticing how late it was, and the fact that he had begun to doze.

"No, wait, I'll be right back. I don't want you to go yet." Amanda requested.

"I'll be right here then." He smiled at her. Amanda kissed him and went inside.

"Phillip and Jamie say 'good night' to you," Amanda told him when she came back outside.

"I missed you while you were gone," Lee said, holding her close under the blanket.

"What were you thinking about?" she asked.

"I don't know. Nothing. Everything. The way you figure things out that I overlook at work."

"The way you always get us out of trouble is even more amazing."

"You do your share there, too."

"Really, Scarecrow?"

"Really, my love," Lee kissed the top of her nose, and then kissed her lips. She pulled his head down further, deepening the kiss.

Lee allowed his hands to roam her body, curled up against him on the bench of the gazebo. They stopped for a breath of air and then continued the kiss where it left off. Amanda was unbuttoning his shirt and then pulled up his t-shirt so that she could gain access to his smooth chest.

"Is this a good idea?" Lee asked as he realized how far they were taking things for the second time that day.

"No, you're right . . . we should wait. I just . . . I was so pleased that you did wonderfully with the boys.

Lee motioned to the gazebo around them, "You were planning this tonight?"

"Well, if you didn't bomb with the boys, I thought it would be a nice way to end our day. Just the two of us seeing where things would lead." She grinned guiltily.

"I'm glad I didn't crash and burn with them. Really."

"They think it's 'awesome' that you're going to come with us to their next game. It's Saturday. Don't forget."

"Hmm, I won't." He chuckled. Wiped out from a long, emotional day, they both thought they would close their eyes for just a second.

When Amanda awoke, she knew it had been much more than a second. She was relieved to find it was night out, still. When she sat up in surprise, her movements roused Lee.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing, except that it's late, or early morning, and we fell asleep out here, and I left the house open and we both have to work…soon." Amanda explained her worries.

"Well, there'll be coffee at work. I've had to work on less sleep than I've gotten." Lee said, "What time is it, anyway?"

"The light's on in the kitchen, we'll check there." She suggested.

"Good idea."

They quietly slinked to the kitchen door, where the light shone like the sun. Amanda laughed and Lee joined her when he read his watch: 4:30 a.m.

He took her in his arms. "This is goodbye, for now. I'll see you tomorrow. I mean, later," Lee revised his statement.

"Okay." Amanda nodded, allowing Lee one quick peck on the lips as she stepped into the house and closed and locked the kitchen door.

EIGHTH SECTION

Case Closed

One week later…

Three weeks after arresting Sandy Carday and several of her mob hitmen, Billy called a meeting in the conference room to tie up the loose ends of the case. All the team members were present for the final case review.

"Two final items," Billy said, "First, we got back the ballistics on the bullet the NEST team pulled out of Amanda, and it was confirmed to be from Sandy Carday's weapon. Second, Dr. Smyth sends out a 'good job' and a thumbs up to all of you. Questions?"

"When does the Carday trial start?" Francine asked.

"There's a hearing to set the date tomorrow. Probably soon. The Federal prosecutors want to get her to trial as quickly as possible," Billy answered.

"When can we go to lunch?" Lee asked. Everyone except Billy and Francine laughed, although Billy did crack a reluctant smile.

"Meeting adjourned, Scarecrow. But I need to speak with you and Amanda, my office," Billy said as chairs were pushed back from the table.

"What's up, Billy?" Lee asked when he and Amanda had been seated in the section chief's office.

"You two seem to be getting along rather well in the last weeks. What exactly is going on?" Billy asked directly.

"We're just dating, Billy. Come on, you know that." Lee said. He wondered where this was coming from. He had dated other agents before, and Billy never questioned him. Now he was worried.

"I know. It just better not affect your performance as partners. I'll split you up if it does," Billy said seriously.

"It won't, sir," Amanda promised. In the last week, they seemed to compensate for each other more than ever. It was as if their instincts were heightened.

"In that case, I'm glad things are working out for the two of you," Billy smiled at them, "That's all. Go have lunch."

"Thanks, Billy," Lee said, all trace of worry gone.

After lunch, Lee and Amanda walked to the park nearby and found a secluded bench where they could sit, relaxed in each other's embrace. It was a warm June afternoon, so Lee had left his suit coat at the office. Amanda was wearing a short-sleeved blouse and matching skirt.

"When can we tell Phillip and Jamie that we're a couple?" Lee asked. After ten days of keeping the secret, he didn't want it secret anymore.

"If you can be patient until Saturday, I think it would be safe to tell them. I think they're figuring us out, anyway."

"That sounds wonderful."

"Good."

"Amanda, I would really like to make us permanent," Lee said, giving her shoulders a squeeze.

"I know you would, but it's going to be a while before my divorce is final. It just takes time." She stated.

"So, you'll marry me once the divorce is final?" he asked next.

"No," she said, surprised at his proposal, "I don't want to just jump right into it."

"Maybe I can propose to you when it's over and we'll just stay engaged a while," he tried again.

"Lee, why are you in a hurry to have me all to yourself, legally, when you already do, emotionally and in every other way?" Amanda asked, wondering.

"My parents were our age when I was born. They didn't even reach the age of forty. They didn't get to live their lives, really. I don't want to wait to live life, either. I know I love you, and I couldn't love anyone else. And I guess I was figuring, why wait?" Lee tried to explain.

"Just for a little while, Lee. We're not your parents. We have time. I love you too and I'm not going anywhere. At least, I don't plan to," Amanda said.

"Promise?" Lee asked, teasing.

"Promise." Amanda said, sealing the bargain with a passionate kiss.

The End