Part I
Lee sighed in contentment and slowly opened his eyes. Momentarily disoriented, he turned from his position facing the closet. He was rewarded with the sight of the sun shining through the window and landing softly on the face of his wife. The events of last night flooded his memory and he smiled. The boys, having finished out the school year, had left for a two week vacation with Dotty and Captain Kurt. Amanda would have enjoyed going with them, but National Security waits for no one. Nevertheless, they had the weekend off and Lee planned on taking advantage of every second of it.
He brushed the hair from Amanda's eyes and she sighed softly. Pulling her closer, he closed his eyes again. This felt right, these precious moments, though they were few and far between.
Amanda moved in his arms and he opened his eyes to look down at her. She yawned, then smiled up at him. "Good morning."
"Good morning. Did you sleep well?"
"Oh, yeah, I slept well."
"Good." Just as he leaned down to kiss her the phone rang. He groaned loudly and Amanda tried to suppress a smile. She turned to answer the phone and Lee unwillingly let go of her, flinging his arm over his face. He knew what was coming.
"Hello...Oh, yes, hello Sir."
'Yup, it's Billy.' Lee sighed, so much for having the weekend off.
"Lee? Oh...um...I, uh...well oh, ok. Yes, Sir, just a minute." Covering the mouthpiece with her hand, she looked to Lee with wide eyes. "It's Billy. He wants to talk to you," she proclaimed weakly. At Lee's questioning glance, she continued, "He said it was important, he didn't need an explanation and just to put you on the phone."
Lee paused, not sure whether he should admit to being caught, but ultimately shook it off. Billy wouldn't insist unless it was consequential. Grimacing, he took the phone from her. "Billy, I don't care what it is. We're not working today."
"It's not work," Billy stated.
"Oh...then what?"
Billy sighed, anticipating Lee's reaction. "It's Elizabeth."
"Elizabeth?!" Lee shot up and Amanda jumped at his sudden outburst. "My Elizabeth?! What's wrong with her? Where is she? What happened?"
"Lee! Calm down, man! She's fine. She's not hurt." Lee visibly relaxed. His shoulders slumped, and he ran his hand through his hair. Amanda listened, watching him intently, intrigued by what she could hear of the conversation. 'His Elizabeth?' she thought to herself.
"Then what's wrong? Why didn't she call me?" As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he realized he had never given her Amanda's number.
"She said she tried to call you this morning at home, at your office, on your car phone...you didn't answer so, being the wonderfully patient girl she is, she immediately called me." There was amusement in his voice as he recounted the virtues of one Elizabeth Jones, but the tone turned serious as he continued. "I'm sure you knew her father is in Paris and he seems to have, well, crossed the wrong man. He's in quite a bit of trouble and she seemed to think if she was there nothing would happen to him."
"What?!" growled Lee.
"She hopped a plane to Paris last night."
"She's 15! She can't even drive! How did she get a last minute flight to Paris?"
"I don't know," Billy answered honestly.
"Didn't you ask her?"
"Of course I asked her. She wouldn't tell me."
Lee sighed and put his head in his hand rubbing his temples.
"She'll make a fine agent someday," Billy predicted optimistically, despite Lee's tirade.
"Don't say that. It's not funny."
"And she's going to be as much of a pain for you as you are for me."
Lee sat for a minute, thinking and trying to ignore the truth in Billy's words. Instead he focused on the cause of the problem. "That son of a-" he grumbled.
"Now, Lee..." Billy interrupted.
"Where else would she have gotten an idea like that?" Lee yelled into the phone. "If he called her and so much as hinted that she should come, Lizzie would go running. If she gets hurt I'll kill him myself."
Billy sighed, knowing what he said was true. "She wants your help, Lee, she's in over her head."
Lee paused. With or without Billy's permission, he would be on the next flight to Paris, but it would be better if he didn't lose his job.
"I can spare you for a few days, just wrap this up quickly. She promised she'd call back, so if you call me when you get there I can tell you where she is."
"Okay...thanks, Billy."
"And Lee, be careful, bring her back safely."
"Will do. Bye"
Lee hung up the phone and turned to Amanda. She raised her eyebrow and he frowned. He had never mentioned Elizabeth to her. He had a lot of explaining to do.
"What was that about?" she asked.
"It's a long story." Lee got out of bed and started getting dressed.
"Well, the flight to Paris is a long one."
"Then you'll come with me?"
Amanda softened at the worry evident on his face. "Of course I'll come with you. I wouldn't miss it for the world."
The ride to the airport was unusually quiet. Lee was preoccupied, lost in the thoughts and images from the past that swirled about him -- strange feelings coming back to haunt him. He knew he could confide in Amanda, and he would, but first he had to sort through these feelings, figure things out. He was a different man now than when he was last involved in Elizabeth's life.
Amanda, excluded from her husbands thoughts, quietly watched the scenery roll by. When she looked at Lee, she saw that clouded look in his eyes she had seen so many times before when disquieted by his past. She knew him well enough now to know not to push. If she pushed, he would just push back. She knew he would confide in her when he was ready.
They headed toward their gate after checking their bags and confirming their tickets. Lee reached for Amanda's hand, intertwining his fingers with hers and she smiled up at him squeezing his hand in return. For the first time since early that morning, he smiled and leaned toward her conspiratorially.
"I love you," he whispered in her ear.
She looked into his beautiful hazel eyes. "I know."
Settling in their seats on the plane, they waited for take off. Lee reached for Amanda's hand once again. She looked at him and they locked eyes, a question hanging in the air. Lee sighed quietly.
"Elizabeth's mother was a very good friend of mine. Her name was Laura...we were both Army brats." Lee's voice was thick with emotion and he scanned the occupants of the 747, carefully avoiding eye contact. "Her father and my uncle were friends. They worked together. Laura was a couple of years older than me. She was like a big sister to me. She was my best friend." As he explained his relationship to Liz's mother, his shoulders tensed and he grasped Amanda's hand tightly in his.
She squeezed his hand back, encouraging him to go on.
"Well, eventually she went to college and a couple of years later I followed. When she was a senior, she met this guy, Brian Jones. He was a lot older than her, I think he was 30 at the time. He was good looking, intelligent, successful and she fell in love with him right away. They were married about two years later. He was always traveling though -- New York, LA, Europe. Sometimes she would go with him, sometimes she would stay at Jones' house in Richmond, and sometimes she would be in DC."
Amanda was listening intently. Lee was holding her hands, playing with her wedding ring. "Then she got pregnant. I don' tknow when they ever found time to conceive a child, but they did."
Amanda raised her eyebrows at this, but Lee shook his head. He knew what she was thinking. "It wasn't like that. I wasn't in love with her. I was just...protective. I didn't want her to have to raise a child by herself."
Amanda nodded, afraid if she interrupted, he wouldn't continue.
"Anyway, I was right out of college and I spent a lot of time with her then, well, as much as I could. Jones was hardly ever home. When Lizzie was born I was there," Lee paused then sighed. "He wasn't. He was in Milan, some business deal, couldn't get away. I was so angry. How could he not be there for the birth of his own daughter? It was...the most amazing thing." Lee looked down to where his and Amanda's hands were joined, lost in memories.
Amanda thought about Lee's story. He had obviously been very close to Laura, and he had been there when Elizabeth was born. Amanda began to understand the immediate concern and protectiveness Lee had shown towards this girl she had never even heard of before. Knowing first hand the miracle of childbirth, she understood the connection one could make just by being there.
"What happened to Laura?" Amanda asked, rubbing Lee's hand tenderly.
"When Lizzie was six, Laura got sick and she died that same year," by the time he finished the sentence his voice was so quiet Amanda had to strain to understand him. "I -- uh," he swallowed trying to find his voice, "I spent as much time with Lizzie as I could. I knew what she was going through, but I didn't really know what to do."
"How did you lose contact with her?" she questioned.
"When Laura passed away, Brian decided it would be best if Lizzie stayed at his home in Richmond and he really didn't want me spending so much time with her. Of course, he didn't say it in so many words, but the message was clear. He thought my job was too dangerous and he didn't want Lizzie involved in any way. That was his excuse." Lee gazed into Amanda's caring brown eyes. "We didn't get along so well."
"I can imagine."
"That was a hard time for me, I had so much to deal with. Part of me was relieved not to have to worry about Lizzie. Her losing her mother when she was six brought back a lot of bad memories that I hadn't dealt with yet. Her mother had just died and she didn't really have a father."
"Just like you," Amanda said quietly.
"Yeah. So, I quietly stepped out of the picture and life went on."
"Who does she live with now?"
"Her grandmother most of the time. Brian is home maybe a week out of the month, at the very most. I remember once he was gone for more than three months and hadn't called her in awhile. She called me, close to tears, worried to death that something had happened to him. I checked, he was fine...I, uh...created a situation. He was nearly forced on the plane home. I tried to keep in touch with her after that." Lee smiled. It felt good to talk about it.
"How old was she then, when she called you?"
"She was 10. It was right before I met you, and whether I knew it or not I was ready for a change. I had lost my parents, Dorothy, Laura and Liz, then my partner -- I had shut myself off from everyone. I was taking risks I didn't need to take at work and I was lonely, though I never would've admitted that to anyone. Caring for Lizzie was a small step, and it was my secret."
Amanda smiled. "That explains why I don't know about her. It had to be a secret for both of you."
"Yeah, Jones would be very angry if he knew. Of course, I haven't talked to her in awhile." Lee withdrew his hand, drumming his fingers against his leg, staring at the back of the seat in front of him.
Amanda saw the worry and the guilt in his eyes. She thought for a moment, about everything Lee had just said, the similarities between Elizabeth's experience and Lee's, and her own sons. Philip was just about the same age as Liz and even though his situation was much different than hers. He was becoming more and more independent, wanting to do everything on his own. "She's pushing you away." She stated softly.
"Yeah," he breathed. "She reminds me of myself more and more every time I talk to her. She still has this wide-eyed innocence though, this idea that she can fix anything. A determined optimism. That's what got her into this mess. She gets it from her mother." Lee was quiet again, his gaze fixed out the window.
"So, how does Billy know her?" Amanda spoke up.
Lee chuckled. "It was a few years ago. She was going through a dramatic stage," he explained. "I was in Germany for a few weeks, and wasn't able to contact her. I had given her the number for IFF in case of an emergency...she had insisted. Anyway, she got worried when she couldn't get a hold of me and eventually ended up talking to Billy. He was quite taken with her."
"Does she know what you do...did she know?" Amanda asked.
"Yeah, she knows. I'm not sure exactly how she found out. She's a smart girl."
"She's sounds very special."
"She is. You'd be good for her, you know."
Amanda smiled, knowing she would do whatever she could to help. "I love you, Lee."
Lee leaned close to kiss her. "I love you, too."
Lee and Amanda arrived at the hotel and went to the counter to check in. Lee had called Billy from the airport and found out where Liz was staying. Billy told her to stay put until they got there and Lee just hoped she had listened.
"Nice place," Amanda said looking around the spacious lobby.
"Well, her father does have all the money in the world." Lee mumbled sarcastically.
"Do you think he's staying here?"
"Possibly."
"Do you know what room she's in?"
"Yeah, 346. We're just down the hall from her. Let's go check on her, then we can get settled in."
Meanwhile, up in room 346, Elizabeth sat on the bed fiddling with a pen she had picked up off the nightstand. She glanced at the clock. 'Lee should be here soon,' she thought.
Suddenly, she sprang off the bed and started pacing, unable to sit still any longer. "Why did I promise Billy I'd stay here?" she mumbled to herself. "This is driving me crazy. I have to do something." Elizabeth went to the window, she thought about her father. He was supposed to be at this hotel, but she had spent the last 36 hours looking for him and he was nowhere to be found. Checking every place she could think of and talking to all those people had proven useless. So, fearing the worst, she had called Lee as a last resort, but it could already be too late and she was losing precious hours waiting for Lee to show up.
"I'm wasting time," she said aloud. 'I'll just leave for an hour then come right back.' Dropping the pen on the bed she nearly ran from the room grabbing her jacket on the way and flinging open the door.
Part II
Rushing from the room, Liz ran smack into Lee's broad chest. Stumbling backwards, she looked up to see Lee's shocked expression slowly turn to one of anger. Elizabeth cringed and backed into the room. She knew Lee would be upset if she left, but she let her emotions get the best of her and ran from the room without thinking.
"Where were you going? I seem to remember you promising you would stay put until I got here." Lee and Amanda came into the room and closed the door behind them.
"You are here," she stated simply, her voice barely above a whisper, but her chin held high.
Lee started to say something then stopped and sighed, knowing it was hopeless to argue with her.
"I'm sorry...I'm just worried about my dad and it's hard to sit here and do nothing."
"I know." Lee could see the worry and the fear in her eyes though she tried to keep a straight face. His heart went out to her. Opening his arms for her, she stepped into his embrace. He hugged her tightly, "Don't worry. We'll fix this."
Amanda stood back and watched quietly. Elizabeth was a beautiful young girl. She had long blonde hair and pale blue eyes. The color was quite different then Lee's hazel, but they held the same emotions, they were so expressive. Liz's lightly tanned skin was free of makeup, and she wore jeans and a light blue t-shirt. Amanda guessed she could pass for much older than 15 if she were to put on some makeup and change her clothes. Briefly, she wondered what Lee was like at 15. She imagined it was much the same as Elizabeth. They were both forced to be independent and take care of themselves at a very young age.
Liz pulled back from Lee's embrace to look up at him. It had been awhile since she had seen him last, but she felt safe when he was with her. "I'm glad you came," she smiled, averting her eyes to the floor.
"You know I'll always be there for you."
Liz cocked her head and gave him a funny look as though he was stating the obvious, "I know."
Elizabeth stepped back and seemed to notice Amanda for the first time. "You must be Amanda."
Amanda looked at Lee with a surprised glance. "Yes."
Liz noticed her surprise, "Lee likes to talk about you," she grinned, "and Billy, he's...uh...mentioned you a few times."
"Oh." Amanda smiled warmly looking back towards Lee.
Liz shifted her gaze from Amanda to Lee then back to Amanda. "I take it you've never heard about me."
"Not until this morning."
Liz and Amanda looked at Lee. He laughed and smiled sheepishly. "Well, what do you say we get something to eat, and you," he pointed at Liz, "can start explaining."
"Yeah, okay," Liz agreed.
"Let us get settled and we'll come back here to get you."
Eating in the hotel restaurant, Liz tried to explain what had happened when her father had called a week ago and how she had come to be in Paris. "He told me he was having problems with some new deal he was working on. Some people weren't very happy with his plans."
"What does your father do, Elizabeth?" Amanda asked gently, spearing a cherry tomato with her fork then putting it in her mouth.
"He buys companies," she shrugged indifferently as if he was an average paper pusher, "ones that aren't doing very well...then he sells them again. You know, 'hostile take over' stuff. Usually, the people are forced into giving up their businesses for next to nothing, then my father breaks them up into more profitable pieces and sells them to the highest bidder. It involves a lot of legalities I don't understand." Her eyes dropped to her plate and she shrugged her shoulders again. "He's made a few enemies, I guess." Suddenly she didn't feel like talking about it anymore. No little girl liked to believe her father had done things to make enemies.
"So, what's he working on now?" Lee prompted.
She sighed, then looked at Lee. "He's buying a car manufacturing company. They haven't been very successful recently, and my father can make a lot of money by selling the 'pieces' to the bigger companies. I think he said it was owned by the Casale brothers. Anyway, he called me about a week ago and told me all this and he said he might come here, to Paris. I thought that was odd since he does most his business in Italy and he finally told me he had been receiving threats and he needed to lay low for awhile." Liz cast an anxious glance in Lee's direction, "He told me he missed me and he wished he could see me."
Amanda saw Lee clench his fist and the muscle in his jaw twitched. Putting her hand on his knee, she rubbed his leg gently and he quickly relaxed under her touch.
When Lee didn't say anything, Liz continued more animately, her pale blue eyes brighter than before. "I tried to get a hold of him a few days later, but no one would let me talk to him or tell me exactly where he was. So, I tracked him down to this hotel and called his room. I didn't think he would answer, but he did. He told me not to worry and then he hung up on me. I got on the next flight to Paris." She was very matter-of-fact in her speaking, not seeming to realize this was unusual for a 15 year old.
"Elizabeth, you can't just fly to Paris because your father's in trouble and he says he misses you. You had no idea what you were getting into. What if you had gotten hurt?" Lee asked.
She ran her hand through her long blonde hair pulling her fingers through the tangles. "I'm not going to get hurt," she stated. "You're here."
Lee sighed, "How did you get a flight anyway?"
Liz shrugged, a mischievous glint in her eye, "I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you."
"Elizabeth..." Lee warned and her smile quickly faded.
"Listen," Elizabeth started, she searched the pattern on her napkin in her lap for the right words to explain how she was feeling. "I know how you feel about my father, but when he called...when he told me he missed me, he was sincere. When he told me he wished he could see me, it wasn't the usual 'Yeah I wish I could see you, too, honey, bye'. He sounded upset, like he really wanted to see me." Liz paused and looked back down at her lap. "I had to come." There was no doubt in her voice.
Lee contemplated what she had just said. Despite the fact that he still thought of her as a little girl, she was intelligent and she wouldn't have run off without a plausible reason, dangerous or not. He knew of the Casale brothers and their secret ties to the Mafia and he knew Jones wasn't one to back out of anything. He suddenly realized how dire the situation actually was.
"I know you came to bring me back, but I need to see him. Better late than never."
"We didn't come to bring you back," Amanda said. "We came to help you."
"Yes, to help you and keep you safe."
Liz smiled, "So, let's find my father."
Lee knew she was anxious to find her father but he could see the dark circles under eyes and the slight slump in her shoulders. "Okay," Lee agreed, "but tomorrow, not tonight."
Elizabeth looked disappointed, but she didn't object.
"You won't get anything done if you can't keep your eyes open, and Amanda and I just got off an 8 hour flight. We could all use a little rest."
"Yeah, ok." Liz conceded
"I'll be right back." Amanda excused herself from the table and Liz returned to pushing her food around her plate.
"You know, I'm not buying you dinner so you can play with it," Lee scolded.
Liz rolled her eyes, but a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Piercing a piece of chicken with her fork, she dramatically stuck it in her mouth. "So," she started, chewing then swallowing her chicken," what's the deal with you and Amanda?"
"Excuse me?" Lee wiped his mouth with his napkin.
"Well, you were both wearing wedding rings when you first got here, now they're gone."
At Lee's shocked expression, she knew she had hit the nail on the head. "When did you get married?" Liz asked with a child-like enthusiasm. "No, wait, let me guess." She tapped her bottom lip with her fingernail. "If you got married, then you had to have had a honeymoon, right?" She smiled at Lee, but, of course he didn't answer. "So, when was the last time you took a trip..." Liz picked up her fork and fiddled with it while she thought. Suddenly, she remembered his trip to California and her face lit up. "Did you get married on Valentine's Day? Oh, that's so sweet."
"No," Lee answered gruffly. "We didn't."
"Oh," Liz's face fell then her eyes narrowed on Lee, "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure," Lee put his fork on his plate, but Liz's expression remained the same, determination written clearly in her eyes.
"It was the 13th," Lee relented, knowing Liz wouldn't give up and that she could keep a secret.
"You couldn't have waited one day?"
"I've never been accused of being a romantic." Lee picked up his fork again, then pointed it at Liz. "This is a secret. We haven't told anyone."
Liz nodded in understanding, but couldn't keep from asking why.
Lee thought for a moment, a hundred different things running through his head, but despite Liz's maturity her innocence was clear. "It's complicated."
"How complicated can it be if you really love each other?"
Lee paused again. Thoughts of lonely nights and missed opportunities crossed his mind along with those of the safety of his family -- it was complicated as hell. He sighed as he met Elizabeth's inquisitive stare. "It just is."
Elizabeth shrugged and went back to playing with her food. The rest of dinner was spent in quiet. Amanda wondered what had passed between the two while she was gone and decided to bring it up with Lee later.
After paying the bill, they all headed up to their rooms. When they got off the elevator, Amanda turned to the right and Liz turned to the left.
"I'm gonna walk Lizzie to her room," Lee said.
Amanda smiled. "Okay." She turned and walked away, happy not to be the object of Lee’s over protectiveness for once. Ever since she had been shot in California he had gone crazy always keeping one eye on her and trying to keep her safe.
She had reluctantly stayed at a desk for the better part of a month while her body finished healing. Then when her doctor cleared her and the Agency doctors cleared her, she was more than ready to get back in the field and finish up her training classes. Lee, however, wanted nothing more than to have her safely chained to a desk for the rest of her life. She had tried to humor him for about a week, but then one evening over dinner, he had calmly suggested that she come out of the field for good. That was the last straw. She told him what she thought about that, rather loudly, and had stormed off.
That night, alone in her bed, after she had calmed down, she realized that it wasn't really Lee, the man, selfishly asking her to give up half her life. It was more like Lee, the little 5-year-old, asking her not to leave him. The next day they had a long talk and Amanda clearly stated she would stay in the field with him for now, but that they could work through this together and she would do her best to ease his mind. They had decided a few sessions with Pfaff wouldn't hurt and in the past few months they had worked through Lee's fears and a few of Amanda's together. Of course, they hadn't told Pfaff everything and anything they did say to him was confidential, anyway. Finally, things were getting back to normal.
Amanda unlocked and opened the door to her room. It was very beautiful. It was too bad they weren't here under better circumstances. Sighing, she decided she would feel better after a nice, hot shower.
Lee followed Lizzie to her room and walked her in. She turned to face him. "Thanks, see ya in the morning."
"Now, wait just a minute, I want you to promise me you will stay in this room, and you won't leave without telling me." Lee shook his finger, trying to sound stern and serious. He couldn't forgive himself if anything happened to her.
"Lee..." she protested and looked down to the floor. She wasn't used to having someone watching over her every move.
He lifted her chin with his finger so she was forced to meet his gaze. "I want you to promise me that you won't run off," he repeated.
Lizzie held her breath. She knew if she promised him now, she wouldn't break that promise.
Watching her eyes, he saw her defenses crumble.
"I promise," she breathed and he knew she meant it.
"Good." He pulled her into a quick hug, "Now, try and get some sleep."
Lee turned to leave, "Lock the door behind me."
"Okay, goodbye Lee."
He stepped outside, closing the door behind him and waited for the click of the locks. Hearing her lock the door, he waited another second, just to be sure.
"Lee, you can go now," came Liz's muffled voice from the other side of the door. "I promise I won't leave."
"And don't --," Lee started.
"Or let anyone else in."
He narrowed his eyes, then shook his head and smiled softly, "Okay, goodnight."
"Bye."
Lee made his way slowly down the hallway, mentally exhausted from the situation with Liz and physically exhausted from the long flight. When he bent slightly to unlock the door, his lower back protested immediately. 'A nice hot shower would feel good,' he thought.
Opening the door, he saw Amanda's clothes strewn across the bed and heard the shower running in the bathroom. 'A nice hot shower with Amanda would be even better.'
He peeked in the bathroom just as Amanda was stepping into the shower. A devilish grin spread across his face as he contemplated the possibilities. Stripping quickly, he snuck into the bathroom and slid open the glass door.
Amanda turned and gasped in surprise. Lee smiled that smile that could melt her heart every time and her rigid body slumped in relief. "I really wish you wouldn't do that," she said turning back towards the water.
Lee laughed and stepped in the shower behind her. He wrapped his arms around her slim waist and rested his head lightly on her shoulder. "I'm sorry," he whispered against her ear.
His breath tickled the sensitive skin of her neck and she shivered. Leaning back in his strong embrace, she sighed, "I forgive you." They stayed that way for a moment, under the water, simply enjoying the peacefulness of being alone.
Unable to stand still any longer, so near Amanda, Lee began to press feather-light kisses along the back of her lightly freckled shoulders. Inhaling the sweet scent of her skin, he wrapped his arms tighter around her body and brushed his lips across the nape of her neck.
His attentions slowly stirred her from her peace, each caress taking her breath away. When he paused, Amanda turned in his embrace and pressed her body close to his. Their lips met in a fervent kiss, all other thoughts momentarily gone from their minds. Lee moved one capable hand to cradle the back of her head, effectively deepening the kiss. His other hand moved surely over her soft curves and supple skin, urging her closer.
"Lee..."she moaned as they pulled apart.
"Whadaya say we move this into the bedroom?" he murmured against her cheek.
"Mmm," she replied and turned off the shower.
Later, comfy in the warm bed, Amanda laid with her head on Lee's chest, her arm around his waist and their legs intimately entwined under the sheets. She began to drift into peaceful slumber when she remembered she meant to ask him about Liz and their conversation at dinner.
"Lee?"
"Hmm," he rubbed her arm lightly, trailing his fingertips along her bare skin. He hadn't been able to fall sleep despite how tired he was.
"What did you and Liz talk about while I was in the bathroom?"
"Oh," Lee chuckled. "She knows."
"What?" Amanda raised her head off his chest.
"Remember? We didn't take our rings off until after we checked on her."
"But I was careful, I kept my hand in my pocket."
"Well, she noticed. You can't keep anything from Lizzie."
"What did you tell her?"
"Nothing much, really. She figured it all out on her own." Lee paused. "I told her it was a secret. She asked why, and I told her it was complicated. You know what she said?"
Amanda raised her head again to meet the hazel eyes of her husband. Propping her head on her hand she asked, "What?"
"She said, 'How complicated can it be if you really love each other?'"
Amanda smiled ruefully. She could remember a time when she was young and full of dreams. She had thought she'd found the perfect man with whom to have the perfect babies and live in the perfect white house with a white picket fence. She had known Joe had great ambitions for his career and she was proud of him, because, after all, how complicated could it be if they really loved each other. She had learned her lesson the hard way. Though, since then, she had come to the decision they just weren't meant to be. She loved Lee more than she had ever loved anyone, but nothing about their relationship was easy. "It can be very complicated," she said.
"Yeah," Lee agreed. "But do you ever think maybe we're the ones making it too complicated?"
Amanda laid her head back on Lee's chest, "I don't know Lee. I think we're doing the best we can."
"You have to admit something's off when I feel lucky just to have two whole nights in a row in the same bed as my wife."
Amanda thought for a minute. Maybe they were making it too hard. What was important was that they loved each other and they loved their family. And needless to say, going home alone every night was getting old very quickly. Nevertheless, this was neither the time nor the place to discuss it. "We can talk about it when we get home. Right now, we have to think about Elizabeth."
Liz slumped against the side of her father's building taking cover in the shade from the harsh afternoon sun. They had been all over Paris since early this morning and still she hadn't seen a glimpse of her father. However, they were now certain that he was in Paris and business at Jones Industries was on as usual.. Her father didn't spend much time in Paris under usual circumstances, but he had an office in every other major city; LA, New York, Paris and Rome. They had started at this building this morning and worked their way around, coming back here one last time before going to the hotel. Lee and Amanda were inside talking to one of her father's assistants and Liz had gone outside, frustrated with the lack of information they were receiving.
Liz sighed and strolled to the corner of the block. Hearing the blare of a car horn she turned her head to look down the other street. A man came out of a side door of her father's building and quickly crossed the street heading towards a dark Rolls Royce with tinted windows.
The driver got out of the car, opened the back door and took the man's briefcase.
Elizabeth moved closer trying to get a better look and pushed her sunglasses onto her head. He was tall, medium build, dark blonde hair. "Dad?" she said under her breath, her eyes narrowing.
The man turned to say something to the driver giving Liz a clear look at the profile of her father.
"Dad!" she yelled, but he didn't hear her over the hum of the traffic.
Liz ran to the side of the street, but the light had changed and she couldn't cross. "Dad!!" she yelled louder and waved her arm.
Turning sharply towards her, his eyes widened in surprise then narrowed again in worry. "Elizabeth?"
Smiling, she moved to cross the street, forgetting about the oncoming traffic.
"Stay there!" he shouted holding his hand out like a traffic cop.
Liz frowned and stepped back onto the sidewalk. This wasn't the warm welcome she had been expecting.
Jones told the driver to start the car, and that he'd be right back. Then he waited for a break in traffic and quickly crossed the street.
At the front of the building Lee held the door open for Amanda and followed her outside. Immediately, an alarm rang in his mind.
"Where'd Lizzie go?"
"I --" Amanda started, but her answer was cut short by a loud explosion coming from the side of the building and then the weight of Lee's body pushing her to the ground.
Part III
Suddenly, Liz felt the weight of her father's body pushing her to the ground. It wasn't until after she hit the hard concrete that she fully realized what had happened. Debris rained down from the sky and hot air took place of the cool breeze while Jones huddled protectively over the small form of his only daughter. After what seemed like an eternity, Jones moved off of Liz and stared in disbelief at the destruction before him.
Liz pushed her upper body from the ground, supporting her weight with her hands and turned toward the source of the blast. What had been her father's Rolls Royce was now a blackened shell of a car burning slowly and strongly. "Oh my God," Liz whispered turning wide eyes to her father, knowing his driver had been in the car.
"Lizzie!" Lee came running around the corner then stopped short. Both Brian and Liz were on the ground, clothes and faces blackened from the smoke. Brian's expensive suit was torn and Liz was bleeding from a gash on her forehead.
"Lizzie! Are you okay?" Lee dropped to his knees beside Liz and pulled her to him, holding tight to her upper arms, completely ignoring Brian. "Lizzie!" he said again. Her eyes were unfocused and her breaths were coming in short, ragged gasps. She was in shock.
Lee studied her for a second more, her face was ashen and her eyes were even paler and shimmery, looking almost silver. Taking account of the cut on her forehead he jumped into action. "I've got to get you to a hospital." He pulled her to her feet, but the first mention of a hospital had snapped her out of her daze.
"No...no, no," she shook her head vehemently and pushed against his chest. "I'm not going to the hospital."
"Elizabeth, I'm not going to argue with you about this. You're bleeding."
"Lee, I'm fine, it's nothing."
"Stetson, I'll take care of her." Brian stood up and placed his hand on Liz's shoulders willing Lee with his eyes to let go, or perhaps daring him to hold on.
Lee clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes. Letting go of Liz, he moved in between them to stand nose to nose with Jones. "She's hurt. She needs a doctor."
Amanda instinctively moved to stand next to Liz wrapping her arm around her and taking her own assessment of her injuries.
"I said I'll take care of it, Stetson. She's my daughter."
"Oh, then where have you been? Huh?" His voice was dangerously low. "The minute she steps out of my sight and into yours she nearly gets blown up."
"Lee," Amanda admonished him.
He turned to her, fury written on his face, but with one look she reminded him that Liz needed him to have a cool head. Taking a deep breath he focused on Liz. "Are you okay, Lizzie?" even as he asked her again, he could hear the sirens in the background. If he couldn't get her to a hospital, at least there would be paramedics there.
"Yeah," she took a deep, steadying breath and let it out slowly.
Lee looked to Amanda and she nodded slightly letting him know she thought Liz would be fine. Amanda helped Liz to move so she could lean up against the building, but kept her close.
Standing next to Amanda, Lee sighed and raked his hand through his hair. Moments later the police showed up, then a fire truck and an ambulance. The fire was quickly extinguished and Liz's cut was treated. The police took hours to investigate, with Lee on their heels the whole time. The cause of the explosion was found to be a car bomb set to go off with the start of the ignition and Jones admitted he had been receiving threats for the past week.
It was around 10pm when they were all finally able to return to the hotel. Liz quietly faced her father in the lobby. "Dad? Can we talk?"
"Sure, Elizabeth, we'll go to your room and talk, okay?"
"Yeah," Liz's smile was tired and weak. As she headed to the elevator, Lee stopped Jones with a cold stare. "I want to talk to you, too," he said when Liz was out of earshot.
"Fine," Brian answered. "I'll meet you in the bar, as soon as Elizabeth is asleep.
"Fine." Lee watched as Jones followed Liz into the open elevator.
Liz stood awkwardly in the hotel room, playing with a ring she had on a necklace around her neck as her father closed and locked the door.
"What's going on, Dad?" she asked bluntly as he turned around. Dropping her ring, she put her hands on her hips, knowing she had to act tough if she wanted to get an answer from him. Afterall, look at the men he dealt with every day.
"First things first, Elizabeth." The tone of his voice was all business. "What are you," he pointed at her, "doing here?" he pointed to the floor.
"I came to find you," she challenged.
"You shouldn't have come," he countered.
"Why not?" she asked defiantly. "You said you wanted to see me." She folded her arms across her chest in an act of rebellion.
He ran his hand through his sandy blonde hair. "I didn't mean for you to take the next plane to Paris, Elizabeth." He had wanted to see her, desperately, but he never would forgive himself if something were to happen to her because of him.
And she saw it. Something she had only seen once before, when her mother died. She saw fear in his eyes. "I was worried..." Breaking eye contact, she looked around the room and then to the floor, "...I want you to come home."
"Elizabeth, I can't just come home whenever I feel like it. I have a job to do." He looked worried and weary. It was clear a part of him wanted to come home and that he was fighting a battle inside.
"But they tried to kill you today," she saw her advantage and she pushed it.
"The incident you witnessed today was a fluke. It won't happen again." He focused on her again and the sternness returned to his voice.
"How do you know?" she questioned him, her resolve weakened and she sat on the bed.
"Honey, don't worry, everything will be fine. I promise," he sat next to her and she turned to him.
"When will you come home?" she asked quietly.
"Soon, very soon, when everything settles down. Now, I want you to get some sleep." For a moment, his grey eyes softened and he brushed dark blonde hair off her forehead, away from her bandage. "We'll talk in the morning."
Elizabeth noticed the softening of his eyes and hope flickered in her stomach. Though she didn't quite believe in her father's promises anymore, she wanted to. Maybe, just maybe things were going to change. "Okay," Liz finally relented, turning from him.
He left the room and just as quickly, his eyes turned to steel again. Time to get back to business.
Lee Stetson sat down at a small table in the hotel bar and ordered a scotch on the rocks. While he walked Amanda to their room, she'd offered her support. Though he appreciated it greatly, he'd left quickly to prepare himself for the conversation to come. He was determined to get through one discussion with Brian Jones without it turning into a shouting match.
The waiter returned with his scotch and Lee contemplated what he was going to say. Part of him wanted nothing more than for Jones to go far, far away and leave Lizzie alone and free of danger. However, deep down he knew Lizzie wanted a relationship with her father more than anything else and it would be best for her if Jones quit this deal and went home for good.
Ten minutes later Brian slowly made his way over to where Lee was sitting.
"Stetson." He said, low under his breath.
Lee merely met his gaze with a confident stare of his own.
Brian ordered a drink and the two men stayed quiet until Lee finally spoke up.
"What happened today was unacceptable," he said quietly. "I won't have Lizzie in danger."
"That's ironic." Brian mumbled. "Seems I've said the same thing to you a time or two."
"My job may be dangerous, but I've never put Lizzie in danger. She could've easily been killed today. I know the Casales, they won't stop until they get what they want."
Brian sighed then sipped his drink, deep in thought. "I agree. I've already made plans to leave as soon as possible."
Lee sat, stunned for a moment. Whatever he had expected to hear, that wasn't it. He studied the man across from him. Not much had changed in the last ten years, but Lee noticed a weariness in his eyes that wasn't there before. Maybe Liz was right, maybe Jones was starting to change.
When Lee didn't respond, Brian continued. "I'll be leaving for Switzerland in a couple of hours. Things will be quieter...safer there."
Lee took all of this in, still determined to remain calm, to not start a fight. "And Liz?" he asked.
"I've made arrangements for you, Mrs.King and Elizabeth to fly home tomorrow morning. Your bill here will be taken care of."
"That's not necessary."
"Nevertheless, it's already done. You came here because of my daughter, it's the least I could do."
Lee sighed, 'isn't that the truth' he thought, 'the least he could do.' Brian Jones was always solving his problems with money. What Liz needed was a father, someone to love her. No amount of money could give her that. "She won't be happy with this plan, you know."
"There's no other way."
"You could blow off this deal. Go home with her."
"No. That's out of the question. If I gave in, it would ruin my reputation and the credibility of my company. No one would ever take me seriously."
"There's nothing you can do?" Lee asked skeptically.
"I've made enemies before. No one likes to have something they've spent their whole careers on taken away from them, but it's what I do. And I happen to do it well. If I back away from this now, people will think they can scare me out of any business deal. I'm not going to give into this."
Lee leaned back in his chair and raked his hand through his hair. Jones was right, but Liz wasn't going to understand, he had trouble accepting it himself. It was the same thing Joe had done to Philip and Jamie and, although his job kept him from his family sometimes, he certainly didn't do it willingly...or did he. Doubts about his own decisions nagged at the back of his mind again. He was with Amanda and the boys quite often, moving in wouldn't change all that much, would it? Then he could be there for them. However, he quickly reminded himself that he could worry about that later.
Focusing on Brian, Lee said, "I suppose you aren't going to say good-bye to her."
A pained expression darkened his features momentarily, but Brian shook it away. "She's already in bed, I don't want her to worry all night."
Lee took note of the pain in his reaction. "What should I tell her?"
"Tell her everything will be fine. She'll understand."
Lee narrowed his eyes at the man in front of him. The man who was, yet again, underestimating his daughter, but he didn't know what to say. It was obvious nothing was going to change his mind and that Jones was doing what he thought was best for everyone. With or without her father it was best that Lizzie was out of harm's way.
"Fine." Lee lowered his eyes to the table, his scotch glass clutched firmly in his left hand. "Lizzie belongs at home and I'll see she gets there safely."
"I know you will...I think it's best that you don't tell her where I'm going. Just that I'm gone and tell her I'll be home as soon as possible, when this is all over."
Lee didn't want to lie to her, but he had done it before to protect the people he loved and he'd do it again if he had to. He nodded in agreement and Brian got up to leave.
Pausing Brian turned back around. "Tell her I love her," then he quickly left the room.
Lee didn't doubt the sincerity in Jones' words and prayed for Lizzie's sake that this would all end up okay, but the agent in him knew the worst was yet to come.
Liz sighed and turned over again. Trying to sleep was pointless, she was just too keyed up. Deciding she'd watch TV until she was sleepy she climbed out of bed and slipped on her jeans. She wanted to go down the hall and get a soda from the machine first.
Liz slowly opened the door and peered into the hallway dramatically. The last thing she wanted was to get blown up.
No one was in the hallway so she stood still and listened. Nothing. She quietly stepped out and closed the door behind her.
Elizabeth made her way silently down the hallway past the elevators, past Lee and Amanda's room and around the corner.
As she disappeared around the corner, Amanda emerged from her room, pocketing the key. Lee had already been gone much longer then she expected. She had figured Brian would have no more than a few words to say to his daughter or to Lee for that matter, but it had been nearly 45 minutes and Lee wasn't back yet.
As usual, she was worried.
Pushing the button for the elevator, she waited impatiently for the gold colored doors to open. The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Amanda came face to face with Lee. Immediately her face brightened.
"Hi," she said.
"Hey," Lee made sure they were alone, then leaned forward and kissed her cheek. " I thought you we're going to stay in the room?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "I was worried, you were down there for a long time."
"Yeah," Lee answered, a grim expression on his face. Lee and Amanda headed toward their room.
"What happened?" Amanda asked retrieving the key.
As they stood at their door, Liz was heading their way, soda in hand. When she heard their voices, she stopped just short of the corner, out of sight, but close enough to hear what was being said.
"He decided he's going to go to Switzerland. He's leaving in a few hours."
Amanda sighed and looked at the ground. She knew what Lee wasn't saying. "He's not going to tell her."
"No," Lee shook his head. "He's already made plans for her to leave with us tomorrow."
"I suppose it's for the best." Amanda's voice faded as they entered the room then the door closed. "Why did..."
Elizabeth strained to hear the last of Amanda's sentence but the door clicked into place. She stood frozen in her spot, confused, not knowing what to feel. He lied to her...again...right to her face. How could her own father lie to her like that?
She had come all this way to find him, only to have him disappear again. And he had promised her they would talk in the morning. He wouldn't be here in the morning.
Quickly, Liz made her way to her room and fell on the bed. A sense of hopelessness washed over her and it scared her. Needing to have some control of the situation she decided she would see her father before he left and she would convince him to let her go to Switzerland. The last thing she wanted was to go home and spend the entire summer with her grandmother in Richmond.
Determined to take charge, Liz silently pulled on her dark sweater and slipped from her room.
Glancing around the lobby, Liz sighed and sunk into a plush chair. Her father hadn't been in his room when she had checked and she'd spent the last hour and a half in the lobby.
Briefly, she thought about just going back to her room, but that feeling of hopelessness flickered in the pit of her stomach. Fighting her fatigue, she strengthened her resolve to wait for her father. She would stay in the lobby all night, if she had to.
Scanning the area, she took a quick re-inventory of her surroundings. From her position in the corner, she could see everything, but was not highly visible herself in the shadows of the room.
There was one clerk at the counter, reading a book, and a few people in the bar. One woman was talking off and on with the bartender, and there were two men in dark suits sitting at a table. They seemed to be waiting for someone as well.
The bell of the elevator dinged and Elizabeth sat forward in her chair, tensing in anticipation. But instead of her father, a young, dark haired woman stepped out of the elevator.
She slumped back and closed her eyes for a moment trying to calm the butterflies in her stomach. When she opened her eyes again, they immediately focused on the tall, sandy haired man approaching the counter. It
was her father, and it seemed he was checking out. Elizabeth sat still, silently watching him. When he finished at the desk, she finally stood up and headed towards him.
Out of nowhere shots rang out. She turned quickly towards the loud noise and saw the two men who had been at the table in the bar. The shorter man had a gun. He fired again and Liz followed the aim directly to her father as he fell to the floor.
Part IV
Recklessly, Liz ran for her father, now lying on the expensive carpet of the ritzy hotel. Two shots rang out again and it crossed her mind that they might be intended for her, but she felt nothing. As she approached her father, she fell to her knees beside him, calling out his name.
The last two shots belonged to Lee Stetson as he effectively took out the gunman. Earlier, Lee had gone to check on Liz, only to find she'd left her room. He'd arrived in the lobby of the hotel just as Jones had collapsed. With the shooter taken care of, the agent focused on Liz, rushing to her and her father.
Liz saw the blood beginning to seep into her father's expensive suit. He gasped for air then winced in pain. Quickly, she shed her sweater and pressed it to her father's chest...but the blood just kept coming. Helplessly she looked around for some sign of hope, but the lobby was immersed in chaos.
Brian reached up slowly, with one trembling hand, and touched his daughter's cheek. "Liz -- beth...," he managed between gasps.
"Daddy," she whispered. She could see the fear and regret in his eyes, and it scared her even more than the blood.
He brushed his hand across her hair, then let it fall to rest on her leg. He didn't have the strength to hold it up. "I'm sorry..." he paused, trying to suck air into his lungs. "I should've...spent...more time with you."
Liz's sweater was now soaked with his blood, but she kept it pressed against his chest. "We will. When you get better," she struggled with the words.
"I'm sorry," her father whispered again. "I love you --" then his eyes closed and his face relaxed.
"Daddy? Daddy!" He didn't respond and she touched his face, calling out his name over and over, panic filling her voice. Then she felt someone's eyes on her and she looked up to meet the gaze of a stranger. But he wasn't a stranger; her shocked mind recognized him as having been with the man who shot her father. His eyes were cold, so dark they appeared black, and as he glanced down at Brian, unconscious in his daughter’s arms, a look of heartless satisfaction crossed his stony features.
Fury raged within Liz, pure adrenaline fueling the fire of her anger. Suddenly, two large hands grabbed her from behind, trying to pull her up and away from her father. "No!" she shouted, futilely struggling against her captor, but it was no use. Though she continued fighting, her gaze remained focused on the dark man.
Lee pulled Liz up against his chest as the paramedics came in the building. Trying to give them room to work, and not wanting Liz to have to experience this, he tried to move her away from the scene. She struggled against his hold and he noticed she was focused on something in particular. He followed her gaze to the man he knew as Dante Casale heading for the door.
Lee pulled Liz further away from the gruesome scene and watched Casale bolt from the lobby. Quickly spotting Amanda, he called her over. "Watch her," he commanded not relinquishing his hold on Liz until Amanda had an arm firmly around her.
"Where are you going?" Amanda asked, her eyes wide.
"After Casale."
Amanda took Liz to a corner of the lobby, watching her carefully and keeping her close, concerned deeply for her welfare. Amanda turned to face Liz. "Are you okay?"
Liz tried to focus, stay calm, and not think about what her father looked like right now. "What's going to happen to my father?" she asked in a small voice. It was no use; she couldn't help but watch the paramedics work on him.
Amanda momentarily contemplated what to tell her; not wanting to lie to her, but not wanting to frighten her either. She knew he had been shot twice, and even though she'd only gotten a glimpse, she had seen that he had lost a lot of blood. "Now look, the paramedics are here and they're going to take good care of your father, all right?"
"Are they gonna take him to the hospital?"
"Yes. We'll get there as soon as we can, okay?"
Liz turned back to Amanda searching for reassurance. Amanda lightly rubbed her arm, and Liz let out the breath she had been holding, leaning against Amanda. Wanting to offer support, Amanda hugged her, squeezing her shoulders with one arm. Liz accepted it for a moment then stiffened her spine, effectively distancing herself from Amanda.
Once again, Liz's actions reminded Amanda of Lee -- pushing her away with her words and actions, yet all the while pulling her in with her eyes. Liz quickly closed that last door in Amanda's face, shutting in her emotions. However, Amanda recognized the look in her eyes and it only made her more determined to support Liz.
A few moments later, Lee returned. Amanda's eyes widened slightly in a silent query. The brief shake of Lee's head was her answer.
He placed his hand on Liz's back "Are you all right?"
"The man you went after...he was with the man that shot my father...did you find him?" Liz asked anxiously, turning completely from Amanda.
Lee hesitated. "No...but I know who he is. I called Billy, if there's any way we can get him, we will."
By that time, the ambulance was leaving with Brian and Amanda and Lee took Liz to the hospital in a cab.
At the hospital, Brian went straight into surgery. Liz waited silently. She prayed her father would survive this. She held onto her faith in him with all the strength she had, but her mind kept urging not to get her hopes up. She felt her optimism slipping away. She started to think that it might be better to just expect the worst, at least then she couldn't be let down, yet again.
Lee and Amanda sat next to each other, Lee gently holding Amanda's hand in both of his, gaining comfort from the contact. They had assured Liz over and over that everything would turn out okay, but she had simply nodded, barely paying attention and there was nothing else they could do until they knew if Brian was going to live or die.
Finally, a surgeon came into the waiting room. Liz was sitting in the corner, Amanda was next to her and Lee was pacing at the far end of the room.
The surgeon recognized Liz right away, the nurse had given him a description, but more than that she looked a lot like her father. He spoke English with a heavy French accent. "Mademoiselle?" Liz looked up with wide eyes. "You are Monsieur Jones daughter, no?" She nodded. Looking to Amanda he asked "You are her mother?"
By then, Lee had approached them. "Her mother is dead. I'll take responsibility for her."
The doctor nodded, his lips pursed into a thin line. "There was nothing we could do for your father...he didn't make it. He had two gunshot wounds, one bullet went between his ribs, piercing his lung, the other bullet caused a tear in his aorta, the artery that comes straight off his heart." He gestured to his chest with his hand. "We took him straight into surgery, but, like I said, there wasn't much we could do. I am sorry." He waited, allowing the news to sink in. "May I talk to you?" he looked pointedly at Lee.
Lee moved across the room with him.
"The girl may see her father, with your consent, to say good-bye." He paused, noticing Lee looked uncertain. "The chest wounds will be covered, but he will have tubes down his throat and nose. They must remain there until the autopsy."
Lee nodded in understanding.
"We must move him, and someone will be here momentarily. Take the time to decide."
Lee nodded and returned to where Liz and Amanda were sitting, kneeling down beside Liz. "You can see your father if you want to, Lizzie."
"Okay," she answered quietly.
"He'll still have tubes in his nose and down his throat from the surgery. They have to leave them in until after the autopsy."
Liz nodded slowly, still in a daze from the events of the last 24 hours. "I want to see him," she said in a stronger voice. She was scared, but she wouldn't miss the chance to see her father -- even if it was for the last time.
Afterwards, Amanda took Liz back to the hotel, while Lee went to the police station to help with the investigation. He seemed desperate to do something, anything, but was torn between staying with Liz and finding Dante Casale. Amanda assured him that she would stay with Liz. The young woman didn't seem to want to talk, and Amanda suggested that she would probably want to be alone anyway.
Amanda and Liz quietly made their way to Liz's room. Soundlessly, Liz unlocked the door and entered the darkened hotel room.
"Liz?"
"Hmm?"
"Is it okay if I stay?"
Liz paused, her eyes wide, not expecting that question. "Uh, yeah, it's okay." Liz sat down on the couch and Amanda sat next to her.
"If you want to talk, I'll be happy to listen."
Liz just shook her head, not looking up.
"Sweetheart, you must be feeling something. It would make you feel better to talk about it."
Liz sat quietly, deep in thought, a heartbreaking emptiness growing in her chest.
Amanda sat back, staring ahead and sighing softly. "My father died when I was 19."
Liz raised her head. "He did?"
Amanda nodded once. "He had a heart attack. I was at school when it happened. It was hard. I felt guilty for not being there. We were really close. I was devastated, but my mother and I worked through it together and you learn to accept it. You don't have to like it, but you move on."
Liz smiled cynically, her anger at the situation surfacing. "Yeah, life goes on...c'est la vie."
"In a way, yes, but that doesn't mean you can't remember the good times...and the love."
Liz was quiet for a long time. "Do you miss him?"
"I sure do."
"It seems like I've always missed my father. When I think about it that way, it's like nothing's really going to change."
Before Amanda could answer, Liz quickly changed the subject. "When are we going home?"
"I'm not sure Liz. You're grandmother is flying in tomorrow. I think you'll probably go home with her."
"I don't want to go home with her. I want to go with you and Lee."
Amanda smiled in spite of herself, Liz had grown on her rather quickly. It was obvious she didn't get along very well with her grandmother and despite the importance of family, the last thing this child needed right now was more distress. "We'll see, Liz."
A knocking at the door interrupted the silence. Amanda told Liz to stay put with one look, then rose to answer the door. Any apprehension turned to relief at the sight of the tired form of her husband waiting on the other side. She quickly let him in, caressing his arm in a show of support.
Liz stood when she saw him. "Did you find him? That man?" His dark eyes had been haunting her thoughts since she'd first seen him.
Lee shook his head, frowning. "No. He's disappeared. We're doing everything we can Lizzie. Try not to think about it, okay?"
Liz sighed a deep sigh.
"You need to get some rest," Lee told her.
"I don't think I can sleep,"she answered.
"I know. But you have to try."
"Every time I close my eyes...I see," she took a breath, "I see all that blood."
Amanda wrapped her arm protectively around Liz's shoulders.
"Would you feel better if I stayed with you, Lizzie?" Lee asked softly.
"Could you? Just until I fall asleep?"
"Of course," he answered.
"Thank you," she whispered looking from Lee to Amanda. Liz stepped back from Amanda's embrace and went into the bathroom.
As she closed the door, Lee brought Amanda into an intimate hug and kissed her forehead. "You should get some rest, too. You look exhausted."
"Are you sure, Lee?"
"Yeah, go on. I'll be there soon."
She paused, resting her hands on his lapels, "Do you think she'll be okay? I mean, what an awful thing to have to go through."
"She's strong," he answered, but Amanda still looked doubtful. "We'll help her get through this. Now, go get some rest."
Amanda turned before she left, "I love you."
"I love you, too."
Lee stripped off his jacket and loosened his tie, flopping unceremoniously onto the couch. He was drained. Leaning his head against the back of the couch, he squeezed his eyes shut tightly. This all hit a little too close to home for his comfort. He was certainly familiar with the nightmares and he was no stranger to disillusionment.
Liz emerged from the bathroom in sweats and a t-shirt. She tried to smile when she looked at Lee, but it didn't come out as a smile and she climbed wordlessly into bed, flicking off the light.
Lying in the security of the darkness, though, she quietly voiced the thoughts that had been running through Lee's head all night.
"He seemed so...sorry...when he was dying."
"Yeah," Lee said. "I heard him."
"It almost seemed liked he loved me."
"Lizzie," Lee sat forward, surprised at Liz's words. "Whatever your father's faults, he loved you and your mother very much."
"He had a funny way of showing it," she said, the pain and sadness evident in her voice.
"Work was all he knew, Lizzie. It was what his father did, and what his grandfather did before that. It took a long time for me to admit to myself that I loved Amanda, and even then I couldn't tell her. But I did love her and he did love you."
"Really?"
"Yeah, really." Their words echoed in the darkness of the room.
Liz sighed softly trying to relax into the pillows and comforter on the unfamiliar bed.
Lee listened intently, waiting for another question he couldn't answer, another fear he couldn't quell. But, soon her breathing evened out and slowed down and Lee began to relax.
As he closed his eyes the image of Liz's father dying and his last words flashed through his mind, again. All the secrets had been putting a definite strain on his and Amanda's marriage, but they had kept up the facade despite it all.
He sighed, puffing out his cheeks and letting the air out slowly, running a hand through his hair. He was tired of going home alone every night and he was tired of looking in through the kitchen window. He wanted to be part of a real family. At first, he hadn't been ready. He'd been scared. Acquiring a wife and two teenage boys all in one 'I do' was a bit overwhelming. And while their safety would always come first, he had spent so much time with them lately, any fool could see he was a part of the family.
'Yes,' he assured himself, it would be better if he was there to protect them instead of leaving them alone and vulnerable every night. He didn't want to die like Brian, with a wasted life full of nothing but regrets. It didn't matter, he'd made up his mind.
Part V
The following day brought clouds and drizzle to a dark Paris sky. Elizabeth slept well into the afternoon, though she woke every few hours, sometimes shaking with fear and close to tears.
Amanda was up by noon and Lee woke soon after. The ominous morning sky and dreary weather made it easy to sleep in.
Lee showered, then went with Amanda to check on Liz. Upon entering, they found Liz sleeping soundly. Not wanting to wake her, they left a note that they would be back shortly in case she was to get up before they returned.
Amanda and Lee slipped out to a cafe, not far from the hotel, for coffee. Neither had much of an appetite.
As they left the little shop, Lee took Amanda's hand in his, gently squeezing her fingers. "Let's walk a little," he said smiling at her. Amanda nodded, quickly noting the pensive look on his face.
Walking in silence, Amanda waited for Lee to say something, to tell her what was on his mind, but the words never came. They stopped at one of the many bridges along the Seine and just listened to the flow of the river.
Finally, Amanda spoke up, "Is there something you want to talk about, Lee?"
"Ahh, Amanda...," he said loudly, abruptly turning towards her. His reaction startled her, but he barely seemed to notice. "This whole thing has got me thinking."
"I know, me too," Amanda leaned against the low concrete wall, her elbow resting on top of it. The wind whipped her hair around her face and she moved to keep it back.
"I've spent most my life searching for a family, something to be a part of, and now I've found it with you," he gently took hold of her forearms, "But I'm still living by myself in an apartment across town. I want to be with you. I want to be with my family."
Amanda's deep brown eyes were locked on Lee's hazel ones. "What about their safety?" she asked softly. She wanted to be a family, too, but there were so many things to think about first.
"Amanda," he said as he let go of her and ran his hand through his hair, "You've been in this business long enough to have made a few enemies of your own and any fool could see we're involved." He paused, "I don't want to die like Brian did, regretting that I didn't spend more time with the people I love. I don't want to leave every night. If I'm there, I can protect you and the boys."
Lee's eyes and face softened as he pulled Amanda close to him, whispering in her ear, "I want to make love to you at night, in our bed, and wake up with you in my arms every morning."
Amanda sighed deeply against his broad chest, thinking this was the best idea he'd ever had. "I'd like that, too."
Inspired, he took her by her shoulders and pulled her away from his body to look at her. "Then let's come clean."
Amanda paused, lost in his eyes. The way he looked at her...there was just something about it and she couldn't say 'no'. "Okay...what about our jobs?"
"I honestly don't know." At her worried look, he continued trying to assure her, "We're the best team the Agency has. They're not going to just split us up. I'll talk to Billy when we get back. Don't worry. I've broken the rules before," he joked trying to lighten her mood.
Amanda smiled and nodded, "One day at a time."
"Yeah," Lee clasped Amanda's hand tightly in both of his. "We should head back. Lizzie will probably be up soon."
And as they headed back toward the hotel, Amanda muttered, "What are we going to tell my mother?"
"What do you think we should tell her?"
Amanda looked up at Lee, not realizing she'd said that out loud. "I hate lying to her."
"I know you do. So...let's just tell her the truth."
"Everything?"
"Well, not everything. Even normal people have a few secrets, right?" He smiled mischievously.
Amanda smiled warmly, "Sure." Her eyes twinkled and she shrugged. They started walking again.
"We'll tell her we eloped because our jobs can be dangerous sometimes, and we were worried about the boys. And besides that, they barely knew me."
Amanda still looked skeptical. "Then we'll just take it from there, okay? Hey, don't worry," he grinned.
Amanda shook her head, but smiled. Something he'd said one cold night came back to her in this moment, something that reminded her just how much she loved him and that she'd do anything for him.
'It's no business for a pessimist.'
Liz woke to the shrill ring of the telephone from the bedside stand. Rolling over, she sleepily reached for the phone and put it to her ear, her face still in the pillows.
"Hello..."she managed, her voice was terribly muffled.
"Elizabeth?" asked a stern voice across the line.
Suddenly Liz was wide awake. "Grandma?" she squeaked out.
"Elizabeth, you sound like you just woke up. Are you still in bed?"
Liz hesitated, "Um...yeah."
"It's past 3 o'clock," she said harshly, but her voice softened momentarily, "Are you all right, dear?"
"Uh, I guess, I didn't sleep very well." The truth was she still had that awful empty feeling in her chest, and she felt sick from lack of restful sleep.
"Well, that's to be expected. But you mustn't let this keep you down. You can't stay in bed all day. That won't help anything."
"Okay..."
"Good," she said softly as if it was just one more problem dealt with and solved. "Now, I flew in to Paris an hour or so ago and I'm at your father's office now. There's just so much that needs to be done," she muttered unable to hide the momentary sadness in her voice. "It should keep me busy for quite awhile, but I will meet you later at your hotel, around eight."
"Okay..."
"I'll call you when I get there."
After hanging up, she rolled out of bed and went to stand at the window. It was a dreary rainy day and it did nothing to help her mood. She had been in a daze, barely believing any of this was happening until she had seen her father, touched his cold hand.
Her sadness and her fear built up in her until it was too much. She was desperate to fill that hole inside of her and then she was angry, furious, wanting to do something. She would never forget that dark man or his cold, heartless stare. But she had faith in Lee and in the system, and if they didn't find him, well...she'd do it herself, someday...
A knock at the door startled her, breaking her from her thoughts. She crossed the room quickly.
"Who is it?" she asked cautiously her hand on the door knob.
"Room service," came the muffled and heavily accented reply.
"Room service?" she mumbled to herself. "I didn't order anything." Peering out the peephole, she noted the person did seem to be from the hotel and he had a large box with him, something that looked like a present.
She opened the door a crack, peering outside. "Yes?" she asked.
"Elizabeth Jones?"
"Yes?"
"This is for you," he set the box down inside her door.
She looked at the tag and whispered the words as she read, "To Elizabeth - I'm sorry I had to go. It's for the best. Je t'aime. - Dad." She sighed sadly.
"It was supposed to be delivered this morning, but we have been -- busy."
Liz nodded, "Merci," and shut the door behind the man.
She took the box over to her bed and sat down lifting the lid carefully. Inside was an oversized teddy bear, as big as her upper body. It was a light tan, almost a blonde-like color and it was the softest thing she had ever felt. She picked it up out of the box, hugging it in her arms and pressing her cheek against it. "Oh Daddy," she whispered and the anger was gone, replaced by sadness. Liz crawled back into bed curling herself around the last present she would ever get from her father, but she couldn't sleep anymore.
Lee and Amanda returned soon thereafter and checked on Liz. Amanda encouraged Liz to get up; convincing her it would make her feel better. Lee checked with the local police, but they were having no luck. They figured Casale was probably long gone by now, and it was too early to call Billy.
Lee decided to take Amanda and Liz sightseeing, wanting to do something normal, something to get Liz's mind off the situation if even for a few minutes.
At 8 o'clock that night, Lee, Amanda and Liz met Liz's grandmother in the hotel lobby. Liz was obviously uncomfortable there.
"Hello, Elizabeth." Her grandmother greeted her.
"Hi...you remember Lee Stetson."
"Of course," she said politely, holding out her hand, "Mr. Stetson."
"Hello, Mrs. Jones. This is my partner, Amanda King."
Nice to meet you," Amanda responded kindly.
"I'd like to thank you for watching Elizabeth for me. I've been in New York, and I had no idea she was planning such a stunt."
Elizabeth stood with her arms crossed defensively. She hated when her grandmother talked about her like she wasn't in the room.
"Dear, stand up straight."
Liz automatically uncrossed her arms and straightened her back.
Lee and Amanda exchanged a look, and Lee spoke up, trying to break the awkward tension in the room. "We haven't eaten. Would you like to get dinner, Mrs. Jones?"
"Yes, that would be just fine."
As they ate dinner, Liz became more and more disheartened. It seemed her grandmother had a criticism for everything she did. "When are we going home?" she finally asked.
"I scheduled Lee and Amanda's flight for first thing tomorrow morning. We'll leave in a week. I have a lot to take care of here."
"A week?! I don't want to stay here. I just want to go home."
"Well, you've already proven to me that I can't leave you at home alone, so you'll have to stay here with me."
"Can't I just go with Lee and Amanda? Please?"
"No, you've already been too much of a burden on them."
"She's not a burden at all," Amanda spoke up. "There's no reason for her to stay here. We'd be happy to take her with us." Amanda looked at Lee.
"Sure," he agreed. "She can stay with me or with Amanda until you get back."
"Then you won't have to worry about me. I won't be able to get in your way."
"Okay, if that's what you want. I'll arrange for you to go with Lee and Amanda, and I'll call you when I get home."
Liz went to her room early. Being around her grandmother just made her tense and depressed. She sat in a chair in front of her window. It was still cloudy, but the sun hadn't disappeared yet. She hated that her grandmother could get to her and she hated feeling helpless. She couldn't passively sit and just let bad things happen to herself.
Her thoughts drifted to her mother and those last few weeks in the hospital. She was reminded of how much she missed her mom and a few tears began to softly trickle down her cheek. If only her mom was here right now, she would know exactly what to do, what to say. Angrily, she wiped at her face with the back of her hand. She didn't want to feel this way; no, she wasn't going to feel this way.
Suddenly, the sun finally broke free in its decent into the horizon with beams of light bursting from the clouds and shooting through the sky. It was so bright she had to blink, and she decided then, that she wasn't going to let this rule her life. She was going to be strong, she wasn't going to let her grandmother get to her and she wasn't going to lose any sleep tonight.
It was early Wednesday evening when Lee, Amanda and Liz pulled up to the white house at 4247 Maplewood Drive. Philip was bouncing a basketball in the driveway looking very bored. "Where did you guys go?" he asked as they climbed out of the Wagoneer, eyeing Elizabeth curiously.
"It's a long story, sweetheart. Did you have a good vacation?"
"Yeah, but I've been sooo bored since we got back."
"Don't you have anyone to play with?"
"All the guys are busy and all Jamie wants to do is mess with his camera. Dad bought him a new lens for it. You wanna play, Lee?"
"Uh," Lee grinned, "not tonight, Chief. Your mother and I have some things to take care of."
Philip's face fell immediately.
"I'll play," Liz said coming up to them from around the Wagoneer.
"You...wanna play basketball?" Philip gave her a funny look. None of his girlfriends ever wanted to play basketball. They always did girl things.
Liz knew that look on his face as soon as she saw it, and she smiled for the first time in days. "What?" she said putting her hands on her hips and raising her eyebrows, "Are you saying I can't play 'cuz I'm a girl?"
"Well, I play kinda rough."
Liz rolled her eyes. "I can play," she nodded, "and I'll betcha ten bucks that I beat you."
"You're on!" Girl or not, Philip wouldn't back down from a challenge.
"We're going to go to the park, Mom."
"Okay, for ONE hour. I want you back before it gets dark."
"Okay," Philip and Liz headed down the sidewalk with Lee and Amanda watching after them.
"I think they're going to be good friends," Amanda said, watching Philip bounce the ball down the sidewalk. It was obvious he was trying to show off. The next time he bounced the ball Liz reached out and stole it from him in a smooth manuever, then took off down the sidewalk.
"Hey!" Philip called after her. "You don't know where we're going." Liz laughed, but didn't slow down and Philip ran after her.
"I think Philip is gonna lose ten bucks," Lee chuckled, but it sure was good to see Liz laughing again.
Amanda laughed with Lee then they turned towards the house. "Well," she looked up at Lee, barely turning her head, "We should talk to Mother now while the kids are busy."
"Yeah," Lee grimaced slightly. He really didn't know what to expect, but, nevertheless, he was happy to finally be home.
"Hey," Amanda said noticing the worried look on his face and smiled, "I've got you."
"And I've got you."
The End :)
Story Notes:
Disclaimer: Scarecrow and Mrs.King is the property of Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon enterprises. This story is for entertainment purposes only. No infringement of rights is intended.
Takes place June 1987, marriage is still a secret.
Takes place June 1987, marriage is still a secret.