Epilogue

         Lee smiled at his date as he watched her across his dining room table, delicately trying to pick up a piece of lettuce from her salad.  He watched her bring it to her lips and wished that it was his lips hers were touching, rather than the greenery.  Remembering that they were still taking things at a somewhat slow pace and that he had really only kissed her for the first time last night in her back yard, he shook his head slightly to bring his thoughts back down to earth.  He couldn’t believe that he had been so stubborn and blind to what had been right in front of him for so long.  The time he’d wasted…seeing Amanda’s hand waving gently in front of him from across the table, he smiled somewhat sheepishly. “Hmm…did you ask me something?”

         “Actually,” Amanda’s lips turned up in a slight smile as she shook her head. “I didn’t say anything, yet.  You just seemed a million miles away, and I was just wondering if someone was still in there.”

         Lee picked up his knife and fork and began cutting into his steak. “Sorry about that, got a little distracted.” He grinned and winked at her.

         Amanda felt the color rise in her cheeks and focused back on her salad. “I’m sorry that we had to change the menu, but I just didn’t think I could handle burgers tonight.”

         Lee smiled knowingly as he picked up his wine glass. “That’s okay, after witnessing the mess first hand, I don’t mind the change at all. Besides, I think steak goes much better with wine than hamburgers, anyway.”

         “So, you never got around to telling me why someone who worked for a company for five years would turn around and betray them like that.” Amanda put her fork down and picked up her own wine glass. “I got the impression that Herbie, he’s the one that you said worked for Strategic Software, didn’t really want to be in the position he was in today.”

         “Well Oswald and Herbert were just pawns and not really all that important in the grand scheme of things. Apparently Oswald owed a somewhat unknown terrorist by the name of Addi Birol for some markers he’d bought.” Lee dipped his roll into the steak juice, soaking up the remaining liquid. “According to both men’s statements, if Oswald didn’t come through, this Birol, who’d bought his markers, threatened to kill their mother.”

         “So he basically did it to help his brother out, and to keep their mother alive.” Amanda let out a sigh, mixed with understanding and sadness. “I guess where family’s concerned, people really will do almost anything. What’s going to happen to Mrs. Tippesh now, especially since this Addi Birol didn’t get his software?”

         Lee smiled at the worried look on Amanda’s face. Her concern for others, even people she’d never met before, was one of the things he found to be one of her most endearing qualities. “We’ve arranged for Mrs. Tippesh to be moved to a new location and given a whole new identity.  She wasn’t happy about it, but the fact that she’s not going to die of unnatural causes seemed to be the final persuading factor.”

         Amanda let out a sigh of relief. “That’s good. You know,” she glanced up at Lee with a slightly sad expression. “I can’t help but wonder, though, why anyone who calls themselves an American would even get involved with a terrorist, in the first place.”

         Lee shrugged his shoulders slightly. “If it makes you feel any better, Oswald didn’t go directly to Birol.  Oswald apparently has a bit of a gambling problem, and from what he told us, he didn’t know Birol was a terrorist.  He told us that he had some suspicions, but wasn’t entirely sure.  After reviewing both brothers’ statements, we’re pretty sure that Birol bought Oswald’s markers because he’d somehow found out that Herbert was Oswald’s brother.”

         “And I’m guessing that Herbert had bailed his brother out before, and that’s what this Birol was counting on.” Amanda glanced at Lee somewhat curiously. “You said Birol was fairly unknown, does that mean you’ve heard about him before?” She asked as she picked up the last piece of her steak with her fork.

         Lee nodded. “We haven’t heard much about him, just a few whisperings. From what we could uncover, though, he’s pretty much a small fish in a huge pond, and this is the first time we’ve actually come across someone with ties to him.  This was a pretty big move on his part, which leads me to believe that he’s looking to become a bigger fish.  We definitely want to keep our eyes and ears open with regards to this Birol.”

         “I guess it’s a good thing you got that software back, in the wrong hands…” Amanda knew she didn’t have to complete her thought. Instead she put her empty salad plate on top of her dinner plate and picking them up, she rose from her seat and made her way into the kitchen.

         Lee nodded as he picked up his own plate and, rising from his chair, grimaced as the pain from his wound shot through his leg.  He glanced up and was thankful that Amanda’s back was to him, he wanted this evening to be enjoyable, and he didn’t want her to have to worry about him all night. Placing most of his weight on his good leg, he gingerly made his way into the other room. “Yeah, I hate to think of what would happen if someone like Birol got their hands on plans for the Army’s new missile targeting software.” He waited for Amanda to finish placing her dishes in the sink, before adding his own.  Standing at the sink, he turned the water on. “So, how are Phillip and Jamie holding up?”

         Amanda turned and made her way back into the dining room. “Fine. Just fine. I think the food fight helped lighten the seriousness of it all.  Of course my mother didn’t find any of it funny.” She picked up the empty salad bowl and walked back into the kitchen.

         “I bet your mother had a million questions.” Lee glanced over at Amanda as she placed the bowl on the counter.

         “A zillion is more like it.” Amanda shook her head and went back into the dining room to retrieve their wine glasses. “She didn’t particularly like the part about me leaving the boys alone out front just to make a phone call.  She thinks I need to stop watching James Bond movies. Between this and the incident with Professor Zernov, she thinks I’m beginning to forget how to draw the line between reality and fantasy.” She placed the empty wine glasses down next to the sink. “She reminded me several times before I came over here that I’m a mother of two boys who works for a film company and that I’m not John Wayne.”  She sighed as she picked up a dishtowel from the counter.

         “I know it’s hard not being able to tell people about the Agency, but don’t let it get to you.” Lee finished washing the plate in his hand and passed it over to Amanda.  Noticing the almost sad look on his partner’s face, he turned off the water and gently removed the plate and towel from her hands.  Placing them on the counter, he placed a finger tenderly under her chin, forcing her to look directly at him. “Besides, John Wayne can’t hold a candle to you, at least not when it comes to being a spy.”

         Amanda let out a nervous chuckle. “Yeah, I guess you’re right, John Wayne never played a spy…intelligence operative, that is.” She smiled knowingly at Lee.

         Lee grinned. “Exactly, he was a cowboy…and you’re not just a housewife and mother. You’ve got great instincts and you’re a wonderful partner.” He watched as her cheeks turned a rosy shade and smiled at how it made her look exceptionally beautiful. Leaning down he placed a tender kiss on her lips. As he pulled back, he noticed a slightly haunted look in her eyes. “So, how are you holding up?”

         Amanda shrugged and tilted her head slightly. “Oh, fine. It’s not like I’ve never been in that situation before.” She chuckled at the irony of that statement. “If you asked me two years ago, I never would have said that being held hostage wouldn't faze me in the least, but now…” she shrugged her shoulders and left the rest unsaid.

         Lee brought her palm up to his lips. “I know you better than that, Amanda King, and considering the fact that your sons were involved, this isn’t something that you can just brush aside as a normal, everyday occurrence.” Without releasing her hand, he lowered it down when he felt her shudder slightly.

         Amanda sighed at the feelings of warmth from the simple touch of Lee’s hand. “I guess, the truth is, that I haven’t given myself a chance to really stop and think about it.  The minute I saw those two men, my instincts took over and I just acted.  Then when I saw your car and again when Francine showed up, I knew things would end up okay.”

         Lee wrapped his free arm around Amanda’s waist and pulled her to him. “It’s okay to admit you were scared, you know.” Placing a kiss on her temple, he let go of her hand and embraced her loosely.

         Amanda chuckled as she brought her arms around Lee’s back, enjoying the closeness. “I think I was too busy putting on a brave face for Phillip and Jamie, to really concentrate on being scared, not even when Waldo chose me to be their single hostage.”

         “You really are becoming quite the intelligence operative.” Lee winked and smiled. “Even Francine thinks so.”

         Amanda raised her eyebrows and smirked at him, disbelievingly. “Francine? You’re joking right?”

         Lee shook his head. “No seriously. She said that you didn’t even flinch when they singled you out, and that you did some quick thinking by grabbing that ketchup bottle.”

         Amanda shrugged. “Well, it was the only weapon available and I probably would have chosen that over a gun anyway.”

         “That’s what Francine said.” Lee laughed. “She said, and I quote ‘This is Amanda King we’re talking about, she’ll turn any everyday item into a weapon.’ But seriously, she was really impressed with you. She said you kept your cool the entire time.”

         “Well I had a good teacher.” Amanda smiled at Lee. “I can’t believe that Francine Desmond actually paid me a compliment.”

         Lee smiled at his partner. “Whatever you might think of Francine, she will always give someone credit where credit is due.”

         “Guess I can fool even the most seasoned agent.” Amanda let out a small sigh and shook her head gently. “All I could think about, while Waldo had his gun on me, was what was going to happen once we get out the door. I knew that you were out there, and that you probably had a couple of agents guarding the back door.  But I didn’t know if Francine would have time to warn you that they had a hostage with them, or that that hostage was me since Phillip and Jamie were listening and that she couldn’t let on that she knew who I was…and since she couldn’t do that, what if one of the agents saw the door opening and suddenly got trigger happy…”

         “But that didn’t happen. Besides…” Lee’s voice was soft and tender as he brought a hand up and gently caressed Amanda’s cheek. “You know I would never let anything happen to you, don’t you?”

         Amanda felt her cheeks getting warmer and lowered her eyes slightly. “Yeah, I know.” She glanced up at Lee and their eyes locked. Leaning into him, she watched as he brought his lips down to meet hers and she closed her eyes in anticipation. Suddenly, she felt him sway and opening her eyes, she caught the sight of the grimace that crossed his face and she instinctively tightened her arms around his waist to steady him. “Oh, Lee. I forgot about your leg.  We need to get you off of it.”  Removing one arm from around his waist she turned to help guide him out of the kitchen.

         “A-man-dah.” Never letting go of her, Lee held his position and ran his now free hand through his hair in frustration. “I’m fine.  I just lost my balance a little.”

         Amanda shook her head and turning, pointed a finger into his chest. “No way, Buster. You got shot and you need to rest your leg or it won’t heal properly.” She nudged him a little and put a step forward. “Now, I’m going to walk you into the other room, get your leg propped up on a pillow, then I’ll come back in here and finish these dishes.”

         Lee let out a huff of frustration and then, realizing that he had a bargaining chip, he shook his head. “Unh-uh.” Seeing Amanda’s expression become more determined, he smiled at her. “I promise to go sit down and put my leg up…only,” he curled his lips into a pout, “if you join me.”

         Amanda let out a long sigh. “Lee, I can’t just let these dishes sit. If you don’t wash them right away, they crust over and then you have to soak…” Her words were cut off when Lee captured her lips with his.

         Lee turned to wrap his other arm around Amanda, momentarily forgetting that he didn’t want to put any pressure on his injured leg and abruptly ended the kiss when pain shot up through his left side. “Okay, you win. I’ll get off my leg.”

         Amanda regained her composure and leaned in to support Lee. “Good.” She smiled with satisfaction as she led him out of the kitchen. Realizing that Lee was leaning into her a little more then she expected, she shook her head with concern.  “How did you manage to get shot anyway?” 

         Lee shrugged slightly. “I let my guard down. I figured they were both computer geeks, so I never expected either one of them to be carrying concealed weapons.”

         Reaching the couch, Amanda shook her head as she helped ease Lee down onto the cushions. “That’ll teach you never to underestimate a suspect again…especially since one of them wasn’t a computer geek at all.” 

         “Hey, what’s one more scar.”  Lee joked lightly as he watched Amanda head into his bedroom to retrieve a pillow.

         “Lee Stetson.” Amanda admonished as she came back into the living room, with Lee’s pillow in hand. “Wounds of any kind are serious, and shouldn’t be taken lightly, especially not in this business.”  She walked over and placed the pillow on the coffee table, then bent down to help raise Lee’s leg up.

         “You’re right, but if I dwell on the more dangerous aspects, then I can’t effectively do my job.” Lee reached out and pulled Amanda down onto his lap.

         Amanda leaned forward, trying to get her feet back on the ground.  “Lee…the dishes…”

         “Can wait.” Lee wrapped his arms around her tightly to keep her from escaping. “Amanda, if I’ve learned anything from my years in this business, it’s that if I don’t seize the moment, something always comes up and the moment’s gone.” His voice took on a deeper tone as he gazed into her eyes. “Especially when the moment concerns you and me.”

         Amanda leaned back against him and readjusted to get more comfortable.  Seeing him wince slightly, she tried to pull back up. “Maybe this isn’t the best idea.”
         Lee only tightened his arm around her more. “I like this idea just fine.”

         Amanda looked at Lee with a hint of concern as she gently touched his injured leg. “Does it hurt a lot?”

         Lee shrugged. “I’ve had worse, a lot worse. I compare this one to a bee sting.”

         “A bee sting indeed.” Amanda shook her head and rolled her eyes. “You sound like Phillip when he twisted his ankle after he fell off his skate board last week and then tried to shrug it off as nothing just so he could go play basketball.” She chuckled as she remembered the incident. “Do you know he actually told me that if he were younger, he’d have just asked me to kiss the booboo and make it all better. He’d told me that’s how much it didn’t hurt.”

         Lee waggled his eyebrows. “I like that idea, and I don’t think I’m too old for you to kiss my booboos.”

         Amanda felt herself getting a little warmer and was pretty sure her cheeks reflected the warmth she felt. “Well, you know, if it weren’t so high up on your leg, I’d be all too happy to oblige.”

         “Oh, I don’t think it being on my thigh should stop you.” Lee grinned devilishly at the brunette in his lap.

         Amanda swatted him playfully. “Get that mind out of the gutter right now, Lee Stetson.” Afraid that her eyes would betray the fact that she wasn’t entirely sure that she wanted Lee to get his mind out of the gutter, she focused her attention on a button on his shirt.  The idea of kissing him anywhere that wasn’t normally hidden by clothing wasn’t exactly something she was opposed to at all; however, she knew that their relationship was still in the early stages, and she wasn’t ready for it to move to that level, at least not yet.

         “Okay, my mind is leaving the gutter,” Lee smiled and winked. “But, since you won’t kiss my wound, can I at least request a kiss on the lips?”

         Amanda nodded and leaned forward. “That is one request I would be more than happy to grant.” 

The End