Part Of The Family
Lee was sitting in the Q Bureau by himself. ‘Boy I miss her, I don’t know if I can handle the next few days with Amanda gone.’ He looked toward Amanda’s desk with a slight smile. ‘Why did she have to go to Seattle to that stupid training anyway? I know she needed to, because she has become such a good agent. Who would have thought four and a half years ago, at the train station that she would end up my partner… not only at work, but also in life? Even if no one knows we are married. I sometimes wonder if it was the right thing to do, to keep our marriage secret. Phillip and Jamie have warmed up to me pretty well in the last few months. They seem to actually enjoy having me around, not just because their mom likes me, but because they do, as well.’ Lee continued in his ponderings, and barely heard the phone ring.
“Mr. Stetson,” it was Mrs. Marston, ”There is a Mrs. West here to see you, she says that she is Amanda’s mother.”
“I will be right there,” Lee answered wondering why in the world Dotty was there, since she never had been before; he hoped everything was all right.
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The phones were not working correctly at 4247 Maplewood Drive. The repairman was outside working on the lines but Dotty couldn’t wait any longer and still make her train. With IFF’s address in hand Dotty quickly packed then headed to her daughter’s work.
‘There it is, International Federal Film. I sure hope Lee is there and he doesn’t mind that I am just stopping by.’ Dotty walked into the Georgetown Foyer and was greeted by a kind looking lady.
“May I help you?” The receptionist asked.
“Yes,” replied Dotty. “ I am looking for Lee Stetson, I sure hope that he is here and isn’t out on location, it is so important that I talk to him. I know I should have called but our phones aren’t working right, I can’t call out but people can call in. I never realized how helpless you could feel without a phone….”
Mrs. Marston tried to hide a smile as she interjected, “Ma’am who may I tell Mr. Stetson is here?”
“Oh I’m sorry, I am Amanda King’s mother, Dotty West.”
Mrs. Marston smiled, she should have known, that must be where Amanda gets her knack for rambling. “ I’ll let him know you are here, please have a seat.”
Dotty saw Lee come down the stairs and moved quickly to meet him with a warm embrace. “ Lee I am so glad I found you…” Dotty quickly relayed her story about the phones being on the blink. “My sister Lillian has fallen and is in the hospital and with Amanda out of town at that film class I didn’t know who else to call. Joe is in Estocia and I didn’t know what to do.”
Lee put his arm around Dotty to comfort her as he replied, “You did the right thing to come and find me. What can I do to help?”
Dotty looked up at Lee, thinking Amanda sure did well with him. He had been dating her daughter for quite a few months now. She could tell they both love each other deeply, but there had been no talk of a permanent commitment. Dotty always hoped Lee would ask her daughter to marry him. “I just have to go and take care of Lillian, but I can’t take the boys out of school.”
Lee finished her thought, “ I know Jamie has that photography project due next week and Phillip has soccer practice doesn’t he?”
“Yes, I really hate to ask you this but I don’t know who else can help…” Dotty looked at Lee with pleading in her eyes.
Lee knew what she was going to ask before she even had a chance. He was thrilled Dotty would come to him with this. Lee replied to her unasked question “Why don’t I stay with them until Amanda gets back on Saturday?”
Dotty’s face showed relief as she gave him another hug. “I knew I could count on you, and I know that Amanda wouldn’t worry about the boys if you were with them.”
Unbeknownst to those in the foyer, someone else was watching with interest from the top of the stairs. ‘This is very interesting indeed… How is Scarecrow that knowledgeable about Amanda’s kids’ schedules, and why does Amanda’s mother trust him so much? There has to be more to Scarecrow and Amanda than they are letting on, and I am going to find out what it is.’ Francine quietly pondered the scene below as she strained to hear the rest of the conversation.
Dotty was telling Lee about the boys’ schedule from soccer practice to homework. Francine perked up at the next thing she heard from Amanda’s mom “… You know the way they try to get out of doing their chores and homework; don’t let them take advantage of you. They are used to you distracting them from their work by playing basketball or letting them work with you on your car.”
‘So Scarecrow is a regular fixture at the King household huh??’ Francine pondered.
Lee was replying to Dotty,” Don’t worry, I think I can handle it, they are both good boys and I don’t think they will take advantage of the situation. I can crash on the couch and make sure that they get to school okay before I come into work tomorrow.”
Dotty was cutting him off before he could hardly finish his sentence. “Nonsense, I just finished cleaning all the sheets today, so Amanda’s room is clean, you are too tall to fit comfortably on that couch, so you can sleep in Amanda’s room while you are there. The couch might not be bad for you and Amanda to cuddle up on, but it is no place for you to sleep.”
Lee could feel his face getting warmer, ‘I hope Mrs. Marston is not hearing this.’ He quickly looked around the room, and Mrs. Marston appeared to be busy at her desk, but Lee thought he saw a glimpse of someone dashing out of the way at the top of the stairs. He decided he had to get Dotty away from here before something was said that could be very incriminating, even if it was true. “Dotty, let me go and get a few things in my office, then I can take you to the train station. That way I can use Amanda’s car, since I can’t fit both boys in the ‘vette with all their gear.” With that Lee was upstairs, and looked up and down the hallway for whoever might have heard the conversation with his mother-in-law, but saw no one. A few minutes later, Lee had left a message for Billy letting him know where he could be reached and was walking out of the door with Dotty.
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Lee was waiting in front of the middle school for Jamie. It had taken the boy a long time to get used to the idea that Lee was dating his mother. Someday, Lee hoped he could let the boys know that he was their stepfather, and that he loved them more than even he could comprehend. The opening of the door brought Lee back to the present.
“Hi, Lee, I didn’t expect you to be here, is everything okay?” Jamie asked. Jamie’s emotions could be read in his eyes almost as well as Amanda’s could, and Lee could see Jamie’s worry about why his grandmother wasn’t there like she was supposed to be.
“Jamie, Aunt Lillian fell and is in the hospital. She is going to be okay, but your grandma wanted to be with her to help her out, so she asked me to stay with you and your brother until your mom comes home on Saturday. Is that okay with you?” Lee hoped Jamie would be comfortable with the idea of Lee there for the next two days.
Jamie’s reply made Lee happy, “Sure, that would be great, does this mean we are having pizza for supper, or Marvelous Marvin’s?”
Lee looked at Jamie with a huge smile, “I don’t know, which do you want, big guy?” The rest of the drive home was like a dream come true for Lee. He just listened as Jamie told him about what happened at school, from the pop quiz he thought he aced, to his excitement about his photography project that he had been working so hard on all week. Lee felt like he was part of the family.
“Lee, could you do me a favor?” asked Jamie.
Lee replied, “Sure, what can I help you with?”
“ I need to take some more pictures for my project, and since Phillip will be at practice for another couple of hours, could you help me with it?”
Lee was excited to be invited, “It would be my pleasure, where do we start?”
The back door slammed shut as Phillip dropped his soccer gear in the foyer. He bounded into the kitchen calling for his grandma. “What’s for dinner, Grandma? I’m starved.” Phillip stopped short when he saw Lee setting out the plates for dinner. “Hey, Lee. What are you doing here, did you forget that Mom is out of town?”
Phillip reached for the cookie jar as Lee explained the situation with the boy’s grandma. “Do you mind that I will be staying with you and Jamie?”
“Depends on what we’re having for dinner.” Teased Phillip as he started to reach for another cookie.
“Jamie and I ordered a pizza.” The doorbell interrupted Lee as he started to move the cookie jar away from Phillip. “That should be dinner.”
“Then I’m okay with you staying. Can we go to Marvelous Marvin’s tomorrow?”
“We’ll see.” Answered Lee as he answered the door and paid for the pizza. “You better go wash up so we can eat. Tell Jamie to wash up and come done too.”
The buzz in his ear was deafening, as Lee lay in bed and remembered the phone call from Amanda last night. She sounded surprised to hear Lee answer the phone. He didn’t understand why Amanda kept laughing, until she said that she wished she could have been a fly on the wall watching Lee try to get the boys to do their homework and get to bed on time. Lee neglected to tell her they conned him into an extra half an hour. He rolled over to hit the snooze and remembered he wasn’t in his own bed; he was in Amanda’s. It felt so right, but not as right as if Amanda was waking up next to him.
Unable to sleep, Lee woke up and considered yesterday. Everything went pretty well. He wasn’t sure how the morning would go, getting them off to school on time but he knew he had better get himself ready so he was prepared for the morning. He turned on the radio and was surprised to hear the announcement. ‘Arlington middle school is cancelled today because of a broken water main, classes will resume on Monday’ Lee didn’t know if he was prepared for this, a whole day alone with the boys?? He heard a scuffle out in the hall so he pulled on his sweats and walked out to see Jamie and Phillip fighting over the first shower. ”Now fighting isn’t the way to start a day off from school, is it?” Both boys turned around, they had almost forgotten Lee had stayed the night with them.
Phillip was the first to answer “What do you mean day off from school, are you going to let us play hooky?!”
“Yeah right, worm brain, Mom would kill him, and he would never do anything to make Mom that mad at him.” Jamie said. Lee quickly broke up the impending fight, “No, you are not playing hooky. School was called off because of a water main leak.” ‘This parenting stuff isn’t too hard so far,’ Lee thought. ‘But then again, how was he going to explain to Billy why he had to take the whole day off?’ “Why don’t you guys go back to bed, I need to run into work for a short while, do you think you will be okay for an hour or so by yourselves?”
“Sure.” replied Phillip, “I’m going back to bed and not getting up until noon.”
Lee looked at Jamie who said, “That’s fine, but when you get back can we go to the park? I want to take some more pictures.”
Lee smiled at the scene in front of him. “ I would love to. I’m going to lock the door when I leave, don’t let anyone in, and don’t tell anyone that you are home alone…”
Jamie interrupted, “ Don’t worry we know the drill, we have been home alone before. You sound like Mom.”
Lee kind of liked that. “The phones are fixed now, so if you need anything, call me at work. I will be back in two hours.” Lee was starting to really like this parenting thing, and it helped that he had two great stepsons.
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Lee hurried to the Agency and made his way to the bullpen toward Billy’s office. Francine watched Lee saunter into the room. “Did someone make it casual Friday and forget to tell me, I just bought a great new pair of designer jeans on my trip to Paris.” Lee looked down and remembered he had his jeans and an old sweatshirt on. He just smiled at Francine; he was feeling very content and happy at the prospect of a day with the boys.
Lee walked into Billy’s office and pushed the door shut behind him. “Good morning, Scarecrow, you look quite comfortably dressed for a day at work.” Billy commented.
“About that day at work Billy. I need to take the day off. I just stopped by to pick up some things I left in the Q Bureau.”
“Do you mind filling me in on this day off you want?”
Lee pondered Billy’s question. He knew that his boss had some suspicions about Lee and Amanda’s relationship, and had all but give his blessing, but Lee didn’t really want Billy to know he was playing dad.
Billy interrupted Lee’s train of thought. “I heard Amanda’s mother came by yesterday and you left with her, is everything okay with the family?”
Lee figured he might as well tell Billy the honest truth. Scarecrow could lie his way around the KGB, but he just couldn’t think of anything to say in this situation. “Amanda’s Aunt Lillian fell and Do… Mrs. West wanted to be with her; since Amanda is gone and Joe is out of the country she asked if I could stay with the boys.” Lee watched Billy’s expression for a hint as to his thoughts about Lee staying with Amanda’s boys.
Billy just started laughing, “The famous Scarecrow is babysitting. I can just picture you with a 'kiss the cook' apron fixing supper!!”
“Very funny Billy, I’ll have you know I am a superb chef.” Lee let out a chuckle, “but we did order pizza last night.”
Francine walked into the office with a stack of files. “Did I miss a good joke?” She asked with one eyebrow raised, looking between the two laughing men. “Well, Lee, I am glad you are here, this saves me from taking these all the way up to the Q Bureau.”
“Sorry Francine” Billy cut in, “Lee is off the duty roster until Monday morning. He already has his assignment, and it might get pretty hairy.”
“If you think I’m going to do all of these myself you are sorely mistaken!” Francine huffed as she spun on her heels and left.
“Thanks Billy, I owe you one.”
“You owe me more than one, Scarecrow. I have a feeling that you will have your hands full enough this weekend.” Billy was still laughing as Lee made his way up to the Q Bureau for the camera lens for Jamie he forgot to bring home the night before.
Lee ran by his apartment and picked up the ball glove the boys had given him for his birthday. ‘Now you can play catch with us, Lee, and we don’t have to share gloves.’ Phillip had told him. Lee beamed as he remembered.
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Phillip went back to bed as he said he would, and Jamie wasn’t sleepy anymore so he went up to the tree house to think. He was sure there was more to his mom and Lee’s jobs, but every time he questioned them about their jobs he got the same answer. ‘How much editing did they really have to do? I am just going to have to figure it out on my own. Jamie felt a little like a spy the last couple of weeks, as he thought back to the conversation he overheard before Mom left for her film class.
“So what did you tell everyone about being gone?”
“Mother was surprised that you were not going also, she said, since I was usually with you on locations, so I told them I had some training, film classes, to go to in Seattle.”
“Not too far from the truth.”
“Lee, I hate to keep lying to them…”
“I know, I do too.”
“Would they really be in any more danger if they knew the truth about us?”
“Which truth about us?”
“Either, both, oh I don’t know. I am getting tired of secrets I guess, Lee.”
“Why don’t we both think about it, while we are apart, and Saturday night at my place we can discuss all of it. Maybe we can decide then how much we want to tell them. Amanda, I am getting tired of the secrets also.”
“I like your plan, Scarecrow.
‘I felt kind of guilty, they didn’t know that I was up here in the tree house while they were out there talking. I just wanted to get a candid picture of them for my project. Why do they think they have to lie? I know they say that sometimes they work on secret films for the government, but is that any reason for them to be away for days without calling? And why does Mom get a call and leave right away? There shouldn’t be that many emergencies in documentary film, and sometimes in the middle of the night. I also don’t think she spends that many nights, all night long in the editing room. Some of those might have been spent with Lee, but that is something else to figure out at a later time. And what about Lee? He is a strong guy, I’ve played basketball with him. He is pretty athletic, so why would he have so many black eyes and bruises? He tries to hide them or makes up some kind of excuse, but they don’t fly with me. What ever their jobs really are, they must be pretty heavy if we can’t be told. I almost forgot, I keep thinking back in my head, when Mom first introduced us to Lee, he looked familiar. I know if I think about it long enough, I will figure it out.’ The sound of the Wagoneer brought him back to his surroundings. He quickly climbed down and met Lee.
“Hi there, Sport. I thought you would’ve gone back to bed.”
“I couldn’t sleep.” Thinking quickly he added, “I thought I would shoot some hoops while I waited for you.” Luckily Lee didn’t remember the basketball was flat.
“Hey, I picked up breakfast.” Lee said holding up a box of donuts.
“Cool, I’ll go get Phillip so we can get to the park. Can we run by your place and get your glove…”
“I already did.”
As Jamie and Lee walked into the house Jamie realized Lee really was pretty cool, he was also being a good sport about taking off work to stay with them.
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Lee opened up the cooler they had brought to the park, curious as to what the boys packed for lunch; sandwiches, left over pasta salad, apples and some of Dotty’s chocolate chip cookies, no, a lot of Dotty’s chocolate chip cookies. “Good job with lunch guys.”
They turned in unison to see who was calling over, “Hey Phillip, you wanna come play b-ball? Your brother can come too.”
Phillip looked at Lee, “Fine with me.”
They looked at Jamie, “You go, I want to work on my project.”
“Suit yourself!” Phillip yelled as he ran off to the group of boys on the court. Jamie wanted some time alone with Lee to see what he could learn.
Lee went with Jamie to get some candid shots of Phillip playing ball with his friends. As their guardian stood watching Phillip play ball, Jamie snuck over to the side and snapped a picture of Lee cheering a good defensive play by Phillip. Jamie headed back to get a new roll of film when he was knocked over from behind. He rolled onto his back just in time to see some guy grab the camera out of his hands and run towards the parking lot. Jamie yelled at the guy to stop, and soon Lee had run over and was helping him up. When he realized Jamie’s camera had been stolen he looked to the parking lot just in time to see a car speed away.
“Are you alright??” Lee asked with worry in his voice.
“I am okay, but he took my camera, all the pictures for my project are on that film, and I won’t have time to do them again.”
Lee could see the disappointment in Jamie’s eyes and could hear it in his voice. “Don’t worry, I will see what I can do about finding the camera. Did you get a good look at the guy that took it?”
“Yes I think I could remember his face. Do you think the cops can find him and get my camera back?”
Lee started to think fast. The camera had pictures of Lee in it, so was this just a mugging? He didn’t want pictures of him with the family to get into the wrong hands. “Why don’t you start gathering up our stuff. I saw a pay phone by the parking lot, so I can call the police from there.” Lee made a quick call to Billy first and explained the situation giving him the tag on the car he saw speeding away. Billy agreed that the Agency should handle the investigation since Lee and Amanda’s pictures were in the camera.
“I will send Francine and a sketch artist to the park posing as local police, that way Jamie won’t get too suspicious.” Billy tried to encourage Lee, sensing he was concerned about the boys, and his secret job.
Fifteen minutes later Francine and Agent Johnson arrived. Jamie sat with Johnson and described the man who stole his camera while Francine helped Lee search for clues. Finding nothing, Francine went to check on the sketch of the mugger. As soon as she walked away, Billy sped into the parking lot and ran out to meet Lee. “What is it Billy, what's wrong?!?”
“The car you saw speeding away was stolen last night.” Billy said breathlessly.
“That’s not the half of it,” interrupted Francine. “This is the man that mugged Jamie,” She said as she held up the sketch Johnson had made from Jamie’s description.
Three simultaneous voices exclaimed, “Addi Birol!”
Lee looked at Billy as the section chief told his agents the real reason why he had come barreling in there. “Scarecrow, Birol escaped yesterday.”
Lee didn’t realize Jamie had quietly walked up toward the group of agents and was listening to the whole exchange. “Billy that man once kidnapped Amanda to get to me, I will not let him hurt my boys!”
Billy, Francine and Jamie stared at Lee saying, “Your boys?” Lee heard all three voices, but the one that stood out was Jamie’s quiet voice behind him. Lee turned around to see Jamie staring at him, did he really say ‘my boys’?
Suddenly, Jamie looked at Billy and a light went off in his head. He started toward Lee while he spit out his hypothesis. “You don’t work for a film company, you work with him.” The boy pointed at Billy. “Mom too, this explains a lot of things, the late nights, Mom leaving in the middle of the night, and being gone with out us ever knowing where she is. And you.” He pointed at Lee’s chest, “you were the one that saved us at the school gym back when Dad came back and they thought he had killed that guy in Estocia. I knew I recognized you when Mom first introduced you, but until now I couldn’t figure out where. You said that man kidnapped Mom to get to you… Mom!! Is she okay?”
Billy could see the shocked look on Lee’s face so he replied to Jamie. “Your mom is fine, she is at some training with other agents. She is in the safest place possible. But we need to get you and your brother somewhere safe also.”
Lee kept watching Jamie to see what he was feeling about this revelation.
Jamie finally broke eye contact with Lee and looked at his feet as he spoke with a quiet voice. “I have had my suspicions for a while now, I didn’t think you were really film makers, but I didn’t think you would be spies.”
Lee looked down at Jamie, putting his hands on the boy’s shoulders. “Our jobs are very secret, we didn’t have any choice at the time but to lie to you. Your mom has hated that from the moment she started. But she always thought first of your safety.”
Jamie pondered for a moment, what to say next. “Lee, I guess I understand why you didn’t tell us about your jobs, but I have a lot more questions.”
“I am sure you do, and I will answer what I can, but there are things you may ask that I can’t tell you.”
“I understand.” Jamie replied.
Lee looked at Billy switching from concerned parent to seasoned agent. “I want the boys at a safe house under constant protection. I am going to get Phillip,” turning to Jamie he told him to stay there with Billy. Lee ran to the basketball courts to find Phillip and started to panic when he didn’t see him at first. Then he saw the boy flirting with a girl by the water fountain. Lee went over and told Phillip they had to leave, and the teen was disappointed. He figured from the look on Lee’s face, he had better not complain.
As Phillip and Lee returned to the parking lot and joined Jamie, Billy and Francine, Phillip asked, “What is going on here?”
Lee and Jamie looked at each other and Jamie answered before Lee had a chance. “Some guy mugged me and stole my camera. The cops had me describe him so they can try to look for him and get my camera back.” Lee smiled, that would make this easier, and he didn’t feel like explaining his job again.
Billy stepped in to help continue the cover story. “ Yes, from the sketch Jamie described for us, we have reason to believe this is a man who just escaped from prison, and we want to have you stay somewhere safe until we can track this guy down. We will put you boys and Mr. Stetson in a house for a few days.”
Phillip looked at Jamie, “Wow you got mugged by some wild escaped felon? Kind of cool.”
Jamie didn’t really agree that it was cool to be mugged by a man who had once kidnapped their mom, but he didn’t think Lee wanted to explain to Phillip so he decided it would be best to keep up with the charade a little longer. Jamie and Lee walked a little behind Phillip as they headed to the Wagoneer. “Lee, I am not too sure about this secret agent stuff, it’s pretty heavy. I think I need to gather my thoughts, before I have to hear Phillip talk about how cool it is. Okay?”
Lee could see the struggle in his stepson’s eyes; they were almost as easy to read as Amanda’s. “That would be fine, I don’t know if Phillip is ready for that revelation yet. By the way, I am going to need you to tell me exactly what you have taken pictures of. I know you have been pretty secretive about it, but I need to know what Birol will be looking at when he develops the film. That can wait until we get settled at the safe house.”
The whole way to the safe house Jamie wrestled with his newfound revelation. His mom and Lee were spies! And she'd been kidnapped before…but Lee had saved her from this guy. He didn't know if he was glad Lee was so brave or upset, because his mother had once been kidnapped.
After they were settled in and Philip was playing cards with the agent there to watch them, Jamie and Lee quietly went to into the kitchen for a something to drink. “Lee?” Jamie asked quietly. “I am still not sure about this whole keeping secrets thing, but I do understand now why you don’t want people to know what you do. I guess I can forgive you that. I don’t know if I can forgive you for bringing my mom into this.”
There was a knot in his throat as Lee looked at the troubled boy’s eyes. “Jamie, I think you need to wait until your mom can be here to tell her reasons for getting into this business. I know she wants to make the world a safer place for you and your brother. I want to tell you, she is very good at what she does. She can see things from a different point of view, and has a knack for figuring out the last piece of the puzzle to solve a case. She’s remarkable. I can try to answer your questions, but you do understand when I say I can’t answer a question, you have to take that and not ask again, okay?”
Jamie stared at Lee for a while, formulating his questions. He ran back through the scene of Lee talking with Mr. Melrose and Ms. Desmond and remembered the one word that had caught his attention. “Lee, back at the park when you heard about this Birol guy escaping, you said ‘I will not let that man hurt MY boys.’” He looked at Lee’s eyes to see what they would tell him that the agent might not verbalize. Lee looked down at his coffee not knowing what to say. As he started to open his mouth the phone rang.
The agent handed Lee the phone. “It’s Mrs. King.”
“Amanda,” Lee said.
“Lee they just got hold of me. Are you and the boys alright?”
”We’re fine, I think. Jamie was a little shaken up by the mugging. Amanda, it was Addi Birol. He escaped from prison yesterday. We were at the park and he knocked Jamie down and took his camera. Jamie had been taking pictures of the family for his project.”
“Birol has pictures of my mother and the boys? And us with them?”
”Don’t worry, Sweetheart, the boys are with me at the safe house right now. Billy has agents keeping an eye on your mother and Aunt Lillian. And Amanda, Jamie overheard part of my conversation with Billy, he figured out our secret.”
“Which secret? Our jobs our or marriage?”
“At least the first one, maybe the second.”
“Oh my, I need to be there for them, this is a big shock for them to deal with without me.”
“I know. Phillip doesn’t have any idea, and Jamie covered for us when he came over, he just thinks the mugger is an escaped convict and it would be safer being protected by the police. He thinks it is kind of cool.” Jamie touched Lee’s arm and looked at the phone. “Amanda, I think Jamie wants to talk to you.”
“Mom?”
“Yes, Sweetheart”
“Are you really a spy?”
“I don’t know if I like the term spy, but yes I am a government agent. Honey, I really didn’t want you to find out like this. Lee and I have been trying to figure out how to tell you two about our jobs, but we didn’t want to put you in any danger.”
“Mom we are in danger and probably have been in danger in the past when I didn’t know. Don’t you know that if you had told us the truth, we would have come to you if we ever saw anything suspicious or felt any danger? Lee told me you are good at what you do, and that you did it to make the world a little safer for Philip and me, but I really wish you could have trusted us.”
“Jamie, you are right, we should have told you. You are definitely mature enough to handle it. But I also didn’t want you guys to worry about me when I didn’t come home on time.”
”Mom, we used to worry more about you, but now, we know you are with Lee, and I know he loves you and will take care of you. So I guess I don’t worry too much anymore.”
“Sweetheart, you are the best. If you can, let Lee and me explain things to Philip when I get back, can you?”
“Sure, Mom, can I ask you a question?”
”Sure.”
“Never mind, I think I will ask Lee. Bye, Mom, I love you.”
”I love you too, Sweetheart.”
After Lee and Amanda hung up he stayed sitting across from Jamie and worried that Jamie would ask him what he meant when he said MY boys. Lee usually was so careful to hide their secret marriage, but when he thought the boys, his stepsons, might be in danger, he didn’t even think about keeping his cover. He was too worried. Jamie was a smart kid. He did good work figuring out their jobs. It would only be a matter of time before he figured out the rest of their secret. They were going to discuss telling the family when Amanda arrived home on Saturday. Lee was worried that if Jamie asked too many questions, the whole truth would come out and Amanda wouldn’t be there. He didn’t want to have to do that. He wondered if the secret wedding was why Birol took the camera.
“Jamie, I know you have been a little secretive about your project, but I really need to know exactly what those pictures were of.” Lee broached the topic.
Jamie decided his secret would have to be told. “My project was on my family. I wanted to get a lot of candid pictures, so I started out with Grandma, I got one of her in the kitchen, and later working on the flowers that are always trampled by the kitchen window. Then one of Phillip talking on the phone to his girlfriend, and playing ball. I got another one today of him playing ball, and one of you cheering for him. I also got Mom cooking supper and you and mom doing dishes together. I had Grandma take one of you showing me how to use the zoom lens. The other pictures were of you and Mom. I even snapped one of you two kissing on the back porch, along with one of you pretending to read, but really staring at Mom as she was doing the puzzle with Grandma. I set the timer on the camera and tried to get a few of all of us together. I don’t know how those turned out.”
Lee tried to keep the tears back as he listened to Jamie tell about the family pictures, Lee realized he was in many of them. It touched him to be so included. He was also happy to know that Jamie didn’t object to his mother having someone close to her. It made Lee smile.
Jamie looked at his acting guardian, “Lee, I hope having you in those pictures was okay. You are around a lot, and, well, we all think of you as kind of part of the family. I know Grandma is always wondering why you and Mom haven’t gotten engaged.” The boy wondered if he should share his suspicion. “But I am starting to wonder if you already have, maybe even already gotten married.” Lee lifted his eyes from his coffee cup and locked eyes with Jamie.
Just then Billy walked in and broke the awkward silence. “Lee. Hi, Jamie, I need to talk to Lee alone.”
Lee looked at Jamie, “I think when your mom gets back we can explain everything, okay?”
Jamie smiled, knowing Lee had just answered his question. “Yes, Mom would want to be here for that wouldn’t she?” He walked into the other room and asked Philip if he could play cards.
“What was that about, Scarecrow?”
Lee looked at his old friend and said, “Jamie is a great kid you know? A great kid.”
Billy looked quizzically at Lee, and knew something was up, especially with the slip Lee had made earlier about MY boys. But now wasn’t the time. “Lee, this was delivered to Amanda’s house. It’s addressed to you.”
Lee opened the manila envelope and gasped as he saw the note and looked at the pictures. They were of the whole family around the table working on a big jigsaw puzzle. Lee had his arm around Amanda and they were all laughing. The caption printed on the picture said ‘What a nice cozy family the Scarecrow has.’ The next picture was of Lee and Amanda kissing on the back porch, on it was ‘I remember seeing it in her eyes a year ago, now I can see it in yours.’ The next two were of the boys, they both said ‘good looking sons.’ A tear came to Lee’s eye when he saw the last one; it was another one of the whole family, with a red “X” drawn through each person’s face. Billy saw the tear, as Lee turned to his section chief. “Billy, they are the best things that has ever happened to me. We never wanted them to be affected by our jobs, never, but now they are in the middle of it. Billy, they are my boys, Amanda and I have been married since February and we didn’t tell anyone because we thought it would keep them safe. I realize now that Birol and others can still hurt them, whether they know we’re married or not. How could I let this happen?” Lee asked aloud as he lowered his head into his hands.
Billy put his arm around the agent that was like a son to him. “Lee, you are doing the best you can to keep your family safe. I have seen the love in your eyes for Amanda for a long time, and today I saw that same love for Phillip and Jamie. I also saw some of that same love in their eyes for you. Don’t you think they deserve a step dad, not just the guy that their mom is dating? When this is over I’m giving you and Amanda a two-week vacation. You need to get your family together, no more secrets, because you deserve happiness, and I don’t think keeping your love hidden is making anyone happy.”
Lee smiled as he looked up. “You’re absolutely right Billy, but first I need to find Birol, so my family can be together.”
Billy knew Scarecrow was back into agent mode and started briefing him about what they knew so far in the case. “Lee, I’m bringing Mrs. West in, she should be here in about an hour since I think she is safer here. Amanda’s plane will be at Dulles just after 11 tonight. Until your partner is back, Francine will go with you. Lee, be careful. I want you to have a chance to enjoy this family of yours some more.”
“Thanks Billy, I need to go tell the boys I’m going.”
Lee and Francine sat eating tootie fruitie ice cream when a familiar voice was heard. “Well hello, Lee, I am not used to seeing you here without Amanda.”
Lee laughed as he told T.P. Aquinas that Amanda was out of town until tonight. “So T.P. what have you heard about Addi Birol?”
“Well, Lee, I guess you heard that he escaped from prison yesterday, and I have heard he is wanting some revenge. I am assuming, based on what you and the lovely Mrs. King went through before. I guess that has been almost a year now hasn’t it, Lee? Birol is not a man to be taken lightly, and it has been said that he has been bragging in prison about tearing apart a happy family. Lee, please be careful, and take good care of Amanda and the boys.”
“Don’t worry, T.P., I will.”
“I know, you always do.” With that Lee and Francine left and looked up and old friend of theirs and of Addi’s.
Lee pulled up in front of Magda Petrach’s shop, hoping she had heard from Birol and would have a clue as to his whereabouts. Magda looked up as the little bell rang and the front door of the shop opened. A look of fear came across her face when Lee and Francine walked in. “You shouldn’t have come here.” Lee could tell that she had heard from Addi by the look in her eyes.
“Magda, please, I know you have a past with Addi Birol, if you know anything about where he is, please tell me. I know he is out for revenge on Amanda and me. Magda, Amanda has two boys, and I want to keep her family safe. Don’t let her family get torn apart by Birol.”
Magda looked at Lee and saw the pleading in his eyes as he quietly said please. “I will tell you what I know, but you have to promise me not to come back here, or he will kill me if he finds out that I have betrayed him again. I am surprised that he trusted me after I helped you last year. He wanted to go back to where it happened last time. The same house that he held Amanda in, this time he said that he wants you to watch your family die. Mr. Stetson, be careful, he has a crazy look in his eyes.”
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The rest of the evening was uneventful; they had agents staking out the area around the house where it ended for Birol, but all started for Lee and Amanda. Amanda’s plane had landed and she was on her way with an Agency escort to the safe house to meet Lee and the family.
Things seemed to be a little too quiet for his taste when Lee arrived at the safe house…it gave him a bad feeling. He saw feet sticking out of the bushes at the side of the house; it was agent Nelson, out cold. Lee drew his gun as he crept inside, two other agents where bound together in the middle of the floor with a note taped to them. ‘Scarecrow, a year ago I took your lover, now I have taken your family. Meet me where it ended, this time the outcome will be vastly different.’ Lee heard a screech of tires outside.
Billy came running in with other agents, and as Billy came in, Scarecrow was running to his car. He was not going to let this happen to his family. Billy chased after Lee and Scarecrow yelled, “Billy they have my family, I am going after him, you can’t stop me!”
“Lee wait up, I am not going to stop you, I am going with you.” Billy jumped into Lee’s car, “You and Amanda are my family too, you know.”
Lee was driving like a maniac “Billy how did this happened? How could Birol get out of prison one day and take my family the next?”
Billy looked sympathetically at his friend. “I don’t know, Lee, I don’t know. We will get them back.”
“We have to,” is all Lee could say.
_________________________________________________________________
Moments earlier…
Dotty and the boys were sitting on the couch in the safe house, wondering what was really going on. Dotty noticed Jamie was even quieter than usual. ‘He must feel a little responsible some how. It was not his fault that some escaped convict stole his camera.’
Jamie moved over to the window and gazed out, not really looking at anything except for the memories in his mind. He thought back to the things that made sense now, the hints that Lee and Mom might already be married but had kept it a secret. Did they keep it a secret so something like this would not happen? But it did, whether that Birol guy knew of their secret marriage or not. Lee was part of their lives, and anyone who watched them together could tell that they were family. Jamie felt angry that they had done that to them, kept it a secret. He hadn’t even known Lee for a year. How long had they been together? And how long have they been married? With that thought Jamie saw something moving outside the window and turned to tell the agent what he had seen when the doors burst open and smoke filled the room. They all felt funny, their minds were clear, they could see and hear what was going on, but they couldn’t move a muscle. ‘What is going on?’ Jamie wondered, ‘Lee, please help us,’ was all Jamie could think as he prayed Lee would save them.
They were piled into a van and rode for what seemed like forever, but it was only probably half an hour. The family was brought into a small house and into the basement. Once they were in the basement, Jamie started to get some of the feeling back in his arms and legs. Jamie heard his grandma moaning, then trying to ask what they were going to do to them. All of a sudden the floor opened up in the corner and the mugger walked up to them.
“Welcome to our little party.” Birol had a smug grin on his face as he looked over his prisoners. “If you will kindly follow me, I will show you to your quarters.”
There was no “kindly follow” to it; they were picked up and carried down the steps into a dark tunnel. After a few minutes they were lifted up the steps into another room, another house? Jamie tried so hard to figure out what was going on. By then they had all feeling back. Their captors shoved them into a white room with a couple of small cots and a table. Jamie and Philip huddled around their grandmother for comfort. They all needed comfort; Jamie knew this was not good. He was the only one who knew Lee and Amanda were secret government agents, and that the man who mugged him was really a terrorist who had kidnapped his mom a year ago. Jamie, even though he was the youngest, felt like he had a large responsibility. He knew the real reason behind this kidnapping, and he had to do what he could to protect his family until Lee and his mom could rescue them.
_____________________________________________________________
Amanda got off the airplane and looked around for her Agency escort. Soon she saw agent Anderson and walked in his direction. After the recognition codes were spoken and in order, the two worked their way through the terminal to the agent’s parked car. As they neared the vehicle, what seemed like a small army surrounded them and dragged Amanda to a waiting van while Anderson was hit over the head with the butt of a gun and thrown into the van also. Amanda struggled to get away from her attackers; she soon felt a damp cloth held over her nose, that was the last thing Amanda remembered.
_____________________________________________________
Dotty, Phillip and Jamie were sitting together on one of the cots when the door opened before them. They saw Birol carrying a limp Amanda in his arms, he sat her down into a chair. Philip tried to get up to run to his mom, but Jamie grabbed his arm as one of Birol’s guards pointed his gun at Philip and Birol turned. “If you value your life and that of your mother’s, I would stay where you are, young Mister King.” Phillip stopped but Jamie kept hold of his brother’s arm. Birol turned to the three who were now standing by the cot. “Don’t worry, she is just drugged, I want her awake to torture her. I want her and Scarecrow to watch their family die.” With that he walked out of the room with his guard and shut the door behind him.
Amanda started to stir with the sound of the door slamming. Dotty and the boys rushed to her side. Amanda heard faint voices calling her, and as she started to wake up she realized it was Mother and her sons. She shook her head to try to clear it of the drugs and figure out where they were. . Her hands were bound, she soon realized, and the next thing she knew, Phillip was behind her trying to untie the knots. Phillip was a good Junior Trailblazer, so it didn’t take him long to loosen the ropes enough that Amanda could wiggle out of them. The family embraced, and then made their way to a small cot as Jamie started to update his mom on what had happened to them. After Amanda heard Jamie’s story she knew she needed to tell them the truth.
Amanda briefly told of her recruitment to the Agency, and how she had become partners with Lee. Next she told them about her abduction by Addi Birol one year ago. Dotty was shocked to hear the news her daughter was a spy; Phillip just kept saying, “Wow, my mom is a spy.” Jamie sat there looking at his mother; he still didn’t know what to think. He had known his mom and Lee were spies, but it still was a lot to take in.
They huddled together on the cot waiting for whatever was to come next and jumped at the sound of the door opening. Birol walked in followed by a pair of armed guards. Amanda jumped up in front of her family, trying to shield them from the danger Birol was.
Birol started walking toward Amanda, “So, my dear Amanda, I may call you Amanda, may I not? We are old friends you know.” Amanda stood up straight and tall, trying to keep her cool, to protect her family. When Birol was standing a few inches from her face he lay his hand delicately on her left cheek. Amanda pulled away, then saw the evil in Birol’s eyes as the hand that had caressed her then slapped her. Dotty gasped as she grabbed Philip to keep him from trying to protect his mother. “I will stop now. It will be so much more fun to see you and Scarecrow watch your family be tortured, then killed by my hand. I am expecting Scarecrow has found that you are missing by now. I am sure he will be on his way. By the way, I have the grounds booby-trapped; there is no way to get into this house without me letting you in. Scarecrow will make it in, but everyone else will die trying.” Just then another man walked in and whispered to Birol who turned back to the group and smirked. “The last addition to this nice little family reunion has just arrived outside. I will go and make sure he gets a proper welcome.” At that, Birol turned and he and his men left them alone again.
Amanda turned to her mother and the boys. “Fellas, I need you to do exactly as I tell you, do you understand? No matter what he does to me, you can not try anything.” Amanda locked eyes with Phillip. “He’s an evil, heartless man and will kill you without another thought. I don’t care how many times he hits me, you need to stay back and stay quiet. Do not try to fight against him.”
Phillip and Jamie both looked at their mom and answered “Yes, Mom.”
Dotty was the next one to speak “Amanda what are we going to do?”
Amanda looked into her mother’s scared and troubled eyes. “Right now we just wait to get rescued.” They sat together on the cot and held each other, drawing strength from their love. Suddenly the door opened and Lee was thrown into the room and the door was slammed shut again. “Lee!” gasped Amanda as she ran and wrapped her arms around her husband.
Lee looked at the red mark on her cheek, lightly touching it, “Are you alright?”
“Yes,” replied Amanda, “we’re okay.”
Lee then rushed over to the boys and hugged them tightly. “Guys I was so worried when I got to the safe house and you were gone. I love you both so much, I never wanted to see you get hurt. I was so scared.” Lee didn’t even try to hide the tears forming in the corners of his eyes. He just held on tight to the boys as they clung also to him.
Philip was the first to speak, “I knew you would come.”
Jamie looked up at Lee and seeing the tears in Lee’s eyes mirrored his own, softly said, “We love you, too, Lee.”
Before they could say anymore Birol came in with another chair. He pulled Amanda down into one chair as his guards motioned for Lee to sit in the other. Birol tied Amanda’s arms to the chair then did the same to Lee. Amanda winced as she saw how tightly Birol was pulling the ropes on Lee’s arms.
“Now, let me move your chairs so you have a better view of your family.” Birol’s laugh was pure evil as he slid the chairs so Lee and Amanda faced their family. “Have you told your family all of your secrets yet? I am sure you have informed them about what you do for a living? What about your other little secret? Do these fine boys know?” Birol walked over and stood behind the boys putting a hand on each of their shoulders. “Do they know, Scarecrow, that you and your partner are more than partners at work, do they know you married their mother, but were too chicken to let them know? Are you ashamed of them, Scarecrow? Is that why you never told them?”
Jamie looked deep into Lee’s eyes and saw the pain that was there. He had figured out already that they were married, and knew they had a good reason to keep this from them, even if he didn’t like it, he knew they did what they thought was best.
Birol walked around and eyed the boys. “What do you think of this revelation boys? What do you think of your lying, deceitful parents now?”
Jamie put his chin up in the air and was determined not to let this madman get to him. He had to let his mom and Lee know they still loved, trusted, and believed in them. “We love them and they love us. That’s what matters.” As Jamie finished his sentence he met Birol’s stare. Birol’s eyes darkened and, scared Jamie but he knew he had to stand his ground; Birol swung back and struck Jamie squarely on the jaw.
Lee yelled, “Nooo! Leave him alone! I am the one you want revenge on. Do whatever you want to me, but leave them out of it!”
Birol looked down at Lee and said “I am taking my revenge on you, by killing the people you love, I will get to see the horror and pain in those eyes of yours. You will wish that you never met this lovely lady sitting beside you, you will have wished you had never become a part of their lives.”
They were shocked to hear Jamie’s voice, shaky at first then getting stronger as he spoke. “I will never regret that Lee came into our lives, no matter what you do to me. I am glad Lee is part of my family.” Turning toward Lee he quietly spoke, “Lee, no matter what happens we don’t blame you at all, we love you.”
Birol looked at the faces in the room, and saw the love in their eyes for each other. He couldn’t decide if he wanted to continue with his plan of torture or just kill them all. As the terrorist wrestled with his plans, the room was suddenly full of armed agents. Birol knew he only had time for one shot before he was gunned down himself, so he raised his gun toward Phillip, Jamie, and Dotty and fired. The three dropped to the ground as they heard the shot.
When they looked up Birol was lying in a bloody heap in front of them. Lee was also lying on the floor, still tied to his chair, with blood covering his chest.
What took only a split second seemed like years to Lee. He saw Birol start to raise his gun toward his stepsons and mother-in-law. Without pausing to think, Lee jumped up and dove in front of this family, dragging the chair he was tied to. Lee felt the shot and the last thing he heard was all of the voices he loved calling his name.
____________________________________________________________
Billy stood back, looking at the scene in front of him. Amanda sat with her family waiting to hear the fate of her husband, the boys step dad, and her mothers son-in-law. The section chief wasn’t about to send any of them home. He felt for a long time they deserved to be with Lee.
At the hospital, the doctor finally came out and walked toward the group. “Mrs. Stetson?”
Amanda quickly stood “Yes, is he going to be alright? Can I see him?”
The doctor laid his hand on Amanda’s arm, “Calm down Mrs. Stetson, he will be fine, he is a trouper. Right now, he is still in recovery, but will be waking up soon. As soon as he is in a room then you can go in for a few minutes, but he needs his rest, so you can’t stay too long.”
“Yes, Doctor,” was all the Amanda could say through her tears. She felt the arms of her mother holding on to her. Amanda finally felt some relief. She pulled back and looked at her mother and her boys. “I am so sorry I lied to you, I hated doing it, we thought that it was the only way to keep you safe. I guess we were wrong.”
Dotty was the first one to speak. “Amanda I wish you would have told us, I don’t know if I have forgiven you yet for not letting me help plan your wedding but I think I will get over it.”
Phillip was the next to speak. “Mom, we like Lee a lot, he is always there for us, I am glad you two are married.”
Amanda turned and locked eyes with Jamie waiting to see what he would say about her deception. “Mom,” Jamie said quietly, “I love you and want you to be happy, and I know Lee makes you happy. And I know how much Lee loves us also.” Jamie paused as he considered his next words, “I am glad that he is our step dad.”
Amanda hugged her family tightly, knowing deep inside they were all going to be okay, and finally be able to be a family.
___________________________________________________
Ten days later Amanda pulled up to the two-story house in Arlington. Lee was finally released from the hospital. “You are finally home, Lee.”
Lee exited car and stood for a moment just looking at the house. Was it finally his house also? Not just Amanda’s house, but their house? Amanda took his arm and started to lead him up the front walk.
Amanda followed Lee into the den where he heard a big “Surprise!” Lee looked around and tears immediately came to his eyes. The sign that hung on the wall said ‘Welcome Home.’ Dotty was standing in the back with Philip and Jamie standing in front of her with huge smiles on their faces. Lee was speechless.
Suddenly he realized it was late on Monday morning; the boys should be in school. “Did they make a new school holiday I didn’t know about?” Lee asked.
“Nope,” answered Jamie, “Just a new family holiday. We wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
Philip and Jamie gave Lee a big hug. He was glad they didn’t feel too old for hugs from him; he wanted this to the first of many in this house.
Dotty came up next and gave Lee a hug, all she did was whisper, but it was a sound that Lee would never forget. “Welcome home, son.”
The End
Story Notes:
Disclaimer: Scarecrow and Mrs. King and its characters belong to WB and Shoot the Moon Productions. No infringement is intended. This is written for entertainment purposes only. Please do not redistribute or reproduce this story without my permission.