CHAPTER ONE

It was close to 4 p.m. as Lee hurried through the bullpen and into
Billy's office. "Francine called and said you wanted to see me
ASAP. What did you need, Billy?" Lee asked hopefully. "I was
finally working on the Flanders' file like you asked me to, you
know," Lee mentioned. He was hoping that whatever Billy needed was
going to "save" him from the paperwork yet to be done on the much
dreaded Flanders' file, which he had been putting off for weeks.
Perhaps he could get Amanda to work on it the next time she was in
the office, IF he could get out of doing it today.

"Well, you got your wish; the Flanders' file is going to have to
wait. I just got a call from one of our contacts at the Russian
Embassy. He said something big is going to go down tonight over at
the museum gala," Billy informed him.

"What exactly did the contact say?" Lee asked, getting excited about
the prospect of thwarting whatever the Russians might have in mind
for the gala.

"Well, not much really. Actually, that's all he said. So, we don't
have a lot to go on, but his information has always been accurate in
the past," Billy reminded Lee.

"So, what's my cover?" Lee questioned.

"Well, Francine is already working security for the event. You will
go as one of the invited guests. I have already added your cover
name, `Lee Stimpson', to the guest list. Oh, and take Amanda with
you. I have added her to the list as `Amanda Kane'," Billy stated
firmly, as he saw Lee preparing to balk at the idea.

"Bil-ly," Lee drew out his name in frustration, "I think I can handle
this one by myself. Besides, we don't know what the Russians have
planned. It could get very dangerous," Lee said, visibly annoyed by
the suggestion that he NEEDED to take someone (Amanda) with him to
help HIM do his job.

"Lee, I said take Amanda with you. She might pick up on something
you'd miss. She does have an uncanny knack for that!" Billy
chuckled. He made a mock attempt to hide his amusement, which Lee
saw and it only served to irritate him further. "See Francine before
you leave to find out the security details for tonight," Billy
instructed. Lee left Billy's office without saying another word,
knowing he was not going to be able to talk Billy out of forcing him
to take Amanda with him.

On his way out of the bullpen, he stopped by Francine's desk to find
out about the security arrangements for the gala. She was able to
fill him in on all the details including the guest list, the schedule
of events and the names of the other agents who would be providing
security. Apparently, the Vice President and his wife were on the
guest list, which was the prime reason for concern about what their
contact had told Billy.

"Ok, thanks, Francine, that should do it! I'll see you over there
tonight. Billy's asked me to pose as a guest to help keep an eye on
things," Lee told her as Francine nodded, indicating that she already
knew what Billy had asked Lee to do.

"Where will you be the rest of this afternoon, in case something
comes up with the gala?" Francine asked.

"Well, I have some paperwork to clear off my desk. Then I'll head
home to get dressed for tonight. And then ~cough~ ~cough~ over to
pick up ~cough~ ~cough~ Amanda," Lee said as he mumbled his way
through the last part of his schedule.

"Did you say you are picking up Amanda??" Francine asked rolling her
eyes.

"Yeah, Billy wants me to bring her along tonight. He said she might
pick up on something I'd miss," Lee told her in an irritated
tone. "Well, I'd better get going. I've got a lot to do...," he
said as he made his way out the bullpen doors before Francine could
comment further.

CHAPTER TWO

Before leaving the Agency for the day, Lee had quickly cleared the
files, which he would be saving for Amanda to work on, from his
desk. Then he went home to change into his tux for the gala. Soon,
Lee was back in the `Vette and heading for Maplewood Drive.

As he got closer to Amanda's, he began to wish he had called first to
let her know about the assignment Billy had given them. Despite the
way he had reacted when Billy asked him to take Amanda to the gala,
he almost felt excited about taking her. But it must be a bit of
nerves stemming from the unknown danger of the case he told himself.
Since when do I get nervous about a case like this, he wondered, as
he pulled up to the curb a few houses up from Amanda's place.

Lee made his way from the `Vette down the street to Amanda's and then
around to the kitchen window. He peered cautiously inside. He
definitely did not need Amanda's mom seeing him and thinking that
they had a "peeping Tom".

Amanda was busy clearing away the supper dishes from the table and
telling the boys that they had better get upstairs and do their
homework. She came over to put some dishes in the sink and that's
when Lee popped up and smiled at her, causing her to drop a cup and
saucer loudly into the sink.

"Amanda, what are you doing over there? Breaking all the dishes?"
Dotty shouted in a concerned voice from the dining room.

"No, Mother, I just lost my grip on them with the soapy water on my
hands, that's all. Nothing's broken here!" Amanda exclaimed. "I'm
going to take the trash out. Can you go up and check on the boys for
me to make sure they are getting their homework done?" Amanda asked.

"Of course, Dear," Dotty replied, getting up from the dining room
table heading through the den towards the stairs.

After a couple of seconds passed, Amanda peered around the corner by
the stairs to make sure her mother had gone all the way up, then
jogged towards the back door grabbing the trash bag on the way out.

"Lee…," she whispered.

"Over here," he whispered back as Amanda approached him, hands on her
hips.

"I WISH you'd stop popping up like that—I nearly broke two of my
dishes!" she chastised.

"Sorry, I didn't want your mother to see me, though," he reminded
her.

"So, what's up?" Amanda asked. She was quite curious as to what had
brought him out to the suburbs in his tux at 6 p.m. this evening.
She was still thinking about how dashing he looked when he started
explaining what he wanted. She had to force herself to focus on what
he was telling her.

"I need some help on an assignment tonight," he informed her. "I
hope you are available to go to a gala over at the museum with me."

Amanda opened her mouth to protest. Seeing that she was about to
object, Lee quickly added, "The Vice President will be there.
Besides, Billy said you might pick up on something that we would
overlook. What do you say? I could fill you in on the way over,"
Lee said hoping she would just agree and he wouldn't have to go
through the usual routine of convincing her to accompany him.

"Well, I wish you or Billy would've let me know sooner. What am I
supposed to tell Mother about where I am going? And I will have to
dress up, too. That's going to take some time," Amanda said,
frustrated by the way he always just popped up at her window
expecting her to drop everything to accompany him on some case.

"A-man-da, please just go and get dressed. We need to be there by
7:45. Billy's counting on us," Lee said hoping to end the discussion
and get her to go upstairs and get ready. "Just tell your Mother
that you forgot about a party at your club."

"Lee, I have told you a couple of times that Mother doesn't believe
the club excuse anymore…," Amanda reminded him. "I guess I could
tell her I forgot about an I.F.F. premier I was supposed to attend,"
she conceded.

"So, go and get ready then! I'm parked a couple of houses up the
street. I'll meet you at the car. And hurry up!!" he urged as
Amanda turned to go back inside.

CHAPTER THREE

Lee was sitting in the 'Vette tapping his fingers on the steering
wheel impatiently waiting on Amanda to appear. He was beginning to
think she had not been able to convince her mother that she was
attending an I.F.F. function He was about to go back up to her
kitchen window to see what was going on when she finally appeared on
the sidewalk.

As she walked towards the car, he noticed that she was dressed in a
loose fitting, but flattering, blue cocktail dress and heels. He
watched her closely as she walked towards him—they way she had her
hair pinned up, the way her hips swayed as she walked. He nearly
forgot to get out and open the car door for her because he was so
caught up in watching her approach. He told himself, get a grip,
Stetson, this is Amanda, not a date. He finally exited the car and
walked around to open the passenger side door for Amanda, doing an
impressive job, he thought, of avoiding looking at her.

"So, do I look alright, Lee?" Amanda asked as she came to stand
beside the car. She was concerned that he didn't think she had
dressed appropriately for the event since she could tell he was
avoiding looking at her.

"Ummm, yeah, you look fine, Amanda," Lee said distractedly as she
slipped into the passenger seat. "Let's get going or we're going to
be late," he said as he quickly closed her car door. He walked
around the rear of the car, taking a couple of deep breaths as he
approached his door. OK, this has got be nerves about this case
right, he asked himself, as he opened his door and dropped into the
driver's seat.

Before Amanda could speak, he began to fill her in on what Billy and
Francine had told him earlier in the afternoon about the
gala. "Your job tonight will be to stick by my side and keep your
eyes and ears open for anything out of the ordinary," Lee informed
her as they pulled away from the curb heading towards downtown
Washington.

"So, what'd you tell your Mother?" Lee asked, attempting to make
small talk with Amanda to pass the drive time.

"Well…," Amanda said as she began to tell the story of convincing her
mother of the reason why she had to suddenly get dressed up and go
out. Lee attempted to listen politely, but found his mind wandering
as Amanda rambled on as usual. Oh well, he thought, we'll be at the
museum soon enough. So he just let her continue to talk most of the
way, adding a word or two in here or there as he felt necessary.

CHAPTER FOUR

Lee pulled the Corvette up in front of the museum and handed the keys
to the valet. He hurried around to the passenger side to assist
Amanda in exiting the car. "Now, remember Amanda, keep your eyes
peeled for anything or anyone that looks out of place. And let me
know immediately if you do see anything," Lee quietly told her as he
guided her up the steps of the museum.

Amanda nodded her head in agreement and allowed Lee to lead her into
the front doors of the museum. As they entered, Lee told the man in
charge of checking the guest list, "Lee Stimpson and Amanda Kane."
He nodded his OK to the doorman who then opened the door and allowed
them to enter the gala, which was just beginning.

Amanda immediately noticed Francine across the room dressed in what
appeared to be a very expensive designer gown and looking somewhat
frazzled in coordinating the security for the event. Amanda even
remembered to act like she didn't know her, which was a pleasant
surprise for Lee. He was beginning to see that Amanda was becoming
more comfortable in the role that she was playing at the Agency.

Lee walked over to the bar and grabbed a couple of drinks for them to
sip while they watched the other guests begin to file into the gala.
Amanda watched the doorway as people entered to see if she noticed
anyone who looked out of place. So far, though, everyone seemed to
fit right into the life of glamorous parties to which she was for the
most part unfamiliar.

The longer I `hang out' with Lee, the more accustomed I have become
to it, though, she thought. If someone had told me a few years back
that I would be attending a gala that the Vice President of the
United States was going to attend, I would never have believed it,
she thought, shaking her head, as Lee handed her a glass of white
wine.

"What were you thinking, Amanda?" Lee asked concerned that she might
have seen something he needed to know about.

"Oh, just that I can't believe I am at a gala that the Vice President
is going to attend!" Amanda gushed. "Sorry, I know, I was watching
the guests arriving, too," she said sheepishly off Lee's stern look.

For the first hour and a half, and even after the Vice President's
arrival, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary to either Lee or
Amanda. Lee even asked Amanda to dance a few times while they waited
and watched. It was to maintain their cover as a couple attending
the gala, he had told her.

As he was dancing with her for the fourth time, he found that he was
actually enjoying it. She really is a good dancer, he thought, as
she let him lead her gracefully around the dance floor. As they were
dancing, he found he was also enjoying the smell of her perfume and
shampoo quite a bit. And then it happened…

CHAPTER FIVE

A small blast went off on the other end of the room, not really a
bomb, but more of a device designed for distraction rather than
harm. People began screaming and trying to run away, and then the
room went black as the power went off. Lee and Amanda were separated
from each other by people who were desperate to escape the chaos that
had ensued.

Suddenly, Amanda felt someone grab her from behind. At first, she
thought it was Lee until she heard a thick Russian accent say, "Time
for you to come with us, oh lovely wife of the Vice President."
Then, he pressed what felt to Amanda like a gun into her
ribs. "Don't try to scream or I will shoot you right here," the
Russian informed her matter-of-factly.

Amanda had no choice but to obey, and she had no idea how to let Lee
or Francine know what was happening to her. Gosh, she thought, it is
so dark in here; I don't even know where Lee and Francine are at this
point. Wait a minute, Amanda's mind raced, what did he call me—the
Vice President's wife? Oh my gosh, he thinks I am the Vice
President's wife, Amanda realized as she remembered seeing the Vice
President dancing with his wife very close to where she and Lee had
been dancing.

"Look, mister, I am NOT the Vice President's wife. You must have
made a mistake," Amanda informed him.

"Well, my dear, it will be quite unfortunate for you if it turns out
that you are not his wife. I'll be forced to kill you then and
there. So, I would advise you to keep your mouth shut. Besides, I
know you're lying. We don't make mistakes like that," the Russian
spat out as he dragged her out of the room and down the darkened
hallway towards museum's storage area.

CHAPTER SIX

Lee and Francine managed to get the emergency lighting up and running
so they could survey the damage and check for victims of the small
blast. They found a few people with only minor cuts and scrapes.
The Vice President and his wife were uninjured and were hustled away
by Secret Service agents as soon as the blast occurred. Most of the
guests had been accounted for except those few who had fled the
building and were probably already safe at home by now. Lee was
concerned about Amanda, though, who was at this point nowhere to be
found.

"Damn it, Francine! I thought you said the room had been swept for
bombs," Lee exclaimed.

"It was swept—three times, Lee. I just don't know how they could've
slipped it in," she said.

Lee voiced his concerns about Amanda to Francine, "Amanda's missing,
too. I haven't been able to locate her. Can you check with your
security team ASAP to see if anyone saw her after the blast? Then,
let's start searching the building. "

"I'll get them right on it," Francine said as she was rushing away to
talk to her team about looking for Amanda. "I am sure she is around
here somewhere, though, Lee," Francine called over her shoulder.

CHAPTER SEVEN

"Who the hell is this woman, you idiot? This is not the Vice
President's wife!" the heavy-set Russian in charge of the operation
yelled as he looked at Amanda standing over by the doorway. "Boris,
did you not look carefully at the photo of the Vice President's wife
I showed you before we set this operation into motion?"

"It was very dark in there after the power was cut. I watched the
wife carefully, though, before the lights went out. I just don't
know how she got away, boss," Boris hedged as he eyed his two
partners looking back at him with contempt.

"Idiot! I never should have permitted you to talk me into allowing
you to do the abduction, especially the way you screwed up your last
assignment," the heavy-set man yelled as he pushed Boris to the
ground. "Get up, now! And tell me how I am going to explain this
fiasco to Moscow. Afterwards, you will kill her," he said as he
motioned towards Amanda. "You will be lucky if I don't kill you,
too, after I talk to Moscow."

The three men continued their heated discussion about how such a
stupid, disastrous mistake could have been made and about how the
operation could be salvaged while Amanda managed to get away,
unnoticed for now.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Amanda slipped quietly away from her three captors as they continued
to argue about what they should do next. She crept cautiously down
the first dimly lit corridor and made a right turn down another
longer, more brightly lit corridor. She tried each door knob as she
passed them hoping to find a place to hide, but all so far were
locked up tightly. As she neared the end of the long corridor, she
began to realize that she had made a mistake. She saw that it had
been dead ended by what looked to be a recently added cinderblock
wall, which she hadn't noticed at first in her haste to escape. As
she made that realization, she turned to go swiftly back the way she
had just come.

Unfortunately for her, there was the man who had grabbed her, the one
they called Boris, blocking her only way out. Well, she thought, it
might work to my advantage that they sent Boris for her as he seemed
to be the most inept of the three captors.

"Well, well, well. What have we here?" Boris asked in English
coated with a thick Russian accent. "Was someone trying to escape?"
He made his way slowly towards her. When he got within a couple of
feet of Amanda, he brandished a rather large, shiny knife. He swiped
at her almost playfully with the knife causing Amanda to dance around
to try to avoid the sharp blade.

"Mister? I have some advice for you…," Amanda warned.

"I really don't think you are in any position to be giving me any
advice, lady," Boris bit out as he again sliced at her with the knife.

"Get that thing away from me!" Amanda said forcefully. Then she
looked past Boris' right shoulder as if seeing someone on the other
end of the hallway. Boris looked back to see who might be
approaching. As soon as he looked back, Amanda lunged forward with a
knee to his groin. "OOWWW!!!" Boris cried out in pain. Then,
Amanda spiked his instep with her heel. This caused Boris to cry out
again in agony.

Boris dropped the knife on the floor and then promptly followed it,
curling up in a ball and rolling around in pain.

"Amanda!!" Lee yelled as he and Francine suddenly appeared at the
other end of the corridor. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine! There are two others down that other corridor to
the left," she informed them.

"We took care of them," Francine told her. And looking down at
Boris, she asked Amanda in a surprised tone, "What did you do to him?"

"Well, he had a knife and was threatening me with it. So, I
distracted him—made him think someone was coming up behind him.
Then, when he turned to look down the corridor, I kneed him in the
groin and spiked his instep! Both he and the knife dropped to the
floor. I guess those self-defense classes are really paying off!"
Amanda excitedly told them.

"I'd say so! Good work, Amanda," Lee said somewhat proudly as he
patted her soundly on the back, while Francine stood there too
stunned to comment.

"Oh, thanks Lee! Well, it was really nothing…," Amanda said, with a
blush tinting her cheeks, as she downplayed her role in Boris'
capture.

CHAPTER NINE—TAG

The bullpen was bustling as usual. All the activity and noise made
it difficult for Lee to try to explain exactly to Amanda what she
needed to do to help him finish with the dreaded Flanders' file,
which had been put off yet again due to last night's gala. He was
grateful that she had agreed to help him tackle it once and for all.
He smiled as he thought about soon being able to tell Billy he was
finished with the paperwork and that the case could finally be
closed. It really had been a thorn in his side.

Suddenly, Billy opened his office door and yelled across the
bullpen, "Lee, Amanda…I need to see you in my office," Lee and Amanda
exchanged a glance wondering if they had done something wrong and
were about to be in trouble. At times, it felt like being called
into the principal's office at school. The pair crossed the busy
bullpen and entered his office, taking their usual seats in front of
his desk.

"Lee, and especially Amanda, I just wanted to thank you both for your
fine work at the gala," Billy said, congratulating them. "And
Amanda, I heard that you single-handedly took down one of the
Russians. Good work!"

"Well, I really didn't do much, sir. As I mentioned to Lee and
Francine, I guess my self-defense classes are starting to pay off!"
Amanda told him.

"Don't downplay it, Amanda. It really was fine work, and I thank
you!" Billy said once again. "Don't you agree, Lee?" Billy asked
with a huge smile, knowing that he was putting Lee on the spot and
enjoying every second of it as Lee contemplated an answer.

After several seconds, Lee looked over at Amanda and finally
answered, "Yes, Billy, I agree it was good work. Amanda really
thought on her feet. Poor Boris will never be the same!" Lee
exclaimed laughing heartily at the memory of Boris lying on the floor
writhing in pain.

THE END