Author's Note: Story takes place about four months after "Do You Take This Spy"

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters copyrighted by Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Production Company. It is meant for enjoyment purposes only, I retain the right to the plot and not the characters. Do not distribute or copy this story in part or full without the express written consent of the author.  Written July 2002-November 2002
 

Author's Other Note:  This is an interactive story which has several optional endings.  ALL optional endings  are available to read at the end.  I hope you all enjoy something a little out of the ordinary.  Feedback is always welcome:
 

*** *** ***
 

Dotty was upstairs tidying the boys' room when the doorbell rang. She hurried down the stairs and answered it.

"Special delivery, ma'am," the courier announced, handing her a clipboard to sign.

Dotty quickly scrawled her name and the courier handed an envelope over to her.

"Thank you," Dotty mumbled absently as she stared at the package. She recognized the sender's name immediately and her heart began to race.

"Have a good day," the courier replied courteously before walking down the path and out the front gate.

Dotty held the thin package in her hand protectively, staring at it for a few more seconds before she finally closed and locked the front door. She wondered what information would be revealed inside. She lingered at the door for a few moments before she walked over to the couch. Finally she sat down and stared at the manila envelope contemplating whether or not she should open it… after all, what business was it of hers?

Her doubts and suspicions about her daughter's true relationship with Lee Stetson had been aroused back in February. She remembered the day she received the ominous phone call from Lee that Amanda had been mysteriously shot on her alleged vacation.

*** *** ***

The first few days she was in California were a blur while Amanda was in critical condition. Dotty really hadn't given their relationship much thought, but when Amanda's condition finally stabilized, Dotty's suspicions began to mount. She remembered a conversation she overheard at the hospital one morning…

"Hello, Mr. Stetson, your wife is looking much better this morning," the staff nurse commented as she exited Amanda's room and she saw him approaching.

"It's the wonderful care she's receiving here. I can't thank you enough for that," Lee replied without thinking.

The nurse grinned as she walked towards the nurse's station, but Lee knew immediately that Dotty, who was only a few feet away in the hallway, had overheard the verbal exchange.

Dotty arched a curious eyebrow and then repeated blankly... "Your wife?"

Lee hardly missed a beat. He touched Dotty's shoulder gently and whispered hastily. "They would only let in immediate family because she was in critical condition…" he swallowed guiltily. "So I, um, I told them I was her husband."

"I see," Dotty nodded skeptically as Lee quickly led them both into Amanda's room before she could ask any further questions.

"Mother! Lee!" Amanda greeted them both eagerly and the exchange in the hallway was temporarily forgotten.

*** *** ***

Dotty sighed as she stared at the package on her lap. She'd never done anything like this before. Years ago she would have never gone behind Amanda's back to pry into her personal affairs, but she really wanted some answers. She thought it over for a few months before she finally called a private detective to look into Lee Stetson's background. Even then it took her a couple of weeks before she decided to go through with the investigation.

She remembered how the private detective finally convinced her. "It's for your daughter's own good."

Eventually she agreed as she rationalized. "It was for Amanda's own good… wasn't it?"

Lee Stetson was definitely a smooth operator. He always had a plausible explanation for everything. She stopped and shook her head. Amanda had had some really weird excuses and explanations over the last few years. Maybe it was just that quirky job at IFF after all. Perhaps Dotty was so eager to see her daughter marry again…

"Well, Lee Stetson would certainly be quite a catch. He's handsome and debonair… he drives a gorgeous car. He's always thoughtful and respectful," Dotty mused to herself. "Phillip adores him and Lee has certainly gone out of his way since Amanda returned from California to coax Jamie out of his shell. Dotty, this is really none of your business!" she exclaimed angrily as she threw the package onto the coffee table.

She closed her eyes hoping that the little voice inside her would tell her to leave it alone, but instead she just kept mentally rehashing the events that happened back in February…

*** *** *** ***

Lee stayed a few days after Amanda's health improved. He was at the hospital day and night, but quite reluctantly he had to return to DC and IFF. Dotty remembered his departure very vividly, hugging Lee just before he left the hospital for the airport. Amanda was stable, but he still didn't want to go. Dotty had left Amanda's hospital room to give them privacy but when Lee came out he looked like he was leaving his best friend or was she more?

"If anything changes call me immediately," Lee pleaded anxiously. "If she needs anything…"

"Lee, don't worry. Everything's going to be fine," Dotty reassured him gently, but knowing that he'd still worry. "Amanda's doing much better. She'll be out of the hospital in another week or so. We'll be back in Virginia before you know it."

Lee nodded and looked over his shoulder one more time into Amanda's hospital room. He swallowed hard, trying to regain control of his emotions. "I'll be counting the days," he finally muttered softly.

Dotty knew he wanted to say more. It was obvious he didn't want to leave. She sensed that he felt in some way it was his place to be there, but just what was the entire truth of their relationship?

That question brought her back to her present situation yet again. Dotty had wanted answers desperately. She'd carefully prodded both Lee and Amanda to no avail over the last few months. She knew she wouldn't get anything more than she already had from either her daughter or the charming Lee Stetson. Now, sitting on her lap were at least some of the answers, but did she have the right to pry?

*** *** *** ***

Dotty thought back to the day that her daughter was discharged from the hospital.

"Mrs. King, these are your personal belongings. You may want to check the list to make sure everything's in there. Your watch, a necklace…"

"I'm sure everything's in here," Amanda interrupted as she quickly scribbled her name on the form and snatched the thin pouch from the nurse.

"Amanda, why don't you let me put that in your suitcase for you?" Dotty suggested as she reached for the package.

"No, Mother," Amanda replied nervously as she tucked it deeply into her over night bag, clutching it protectively. "You've got so much to carry already."

Dotty smiled, but could tell that whatever was in the bag was extremely private and important to her daughter. Her suspicions were aroused even further after that brief exchange. However, she didn't say anything, but it only made her wonder more...

*** *** ***

Dotty was still contemplating her decision when she heard someone try to turn the knob on the front door. She swallowed hard and then grabbed the manila envelope that sat on the coffee table and stuffed it under the sofa's cushion. Only moments later Amanda and Lee walked through the front door in a rather intimate embrace.

"Mother," Amanda gasped with surprise and quickly put space between herself and Lee. "I thought with the door locked that… um… that nobody was home."

"I, ah, didn't realize it was locked…" Dotty faltered anxiously, noticing that both her daughter and Lee looked a little surprised by finding her home and hadn't noticed her own alarm at their unexpected entrance.

"It's a good idea to keep the door locked anyway," Lee suggested. "Safe is better than being sorry. You don't know who you can trust these days."

"Yes, that's very true," Dotty agreed as her eyebrow raised slightly. "Are you home for the day?"

"Unfortunately, no, Mother," Amanda admitted anxiously. "We have to go out of town and we might not get back tonight, so I stopped in to pick up a few things…"

"Out of town again?" Dotty replied with a mixture of surprise and curiosity. "Where to this time?"

"Out to the Blue Ridge. We had some problems in the editing room. Some footage was lost so we need to re shoot it," Amanda quickly explained.

"Won't it be dark by the time you get there?" Dotty questioned doubtfully.

Amanda glanced over to Lee nervously. He gently nodded and pushed her towards the stairs. He walked into the room towards Dotty while Amanda raced upstairs to pack.

"Actually, we're planning on it," Lee explained rationally. "We're doing a documentary on bats and we have to film them at night while they're swarming. The lighting on the shots we took a few weeks ago was all wrong so we need to redo them."

Dotty shuddered at the thought of the little creatures flying around in mass. "That sounds like it's a rather distasteful assignment," she commented.

Lee shrugged. "They're really an unjustly maligned mammal. If they weren't around, the mosquito problems in the area would be horrendous."

"If you say so," Dotty remarked dubiously, still quite uncomfortable with the thought.

A few moments later, Amanda hurried down the stairs with a small overnight bag. "We should be back tomorrow night unless we run into more technical problems. I'll call if we're delayed further," she promised as she kissed her mother's forehead.

"Ready to go?" Lee asked his partner.

Amanda nodded. "Yeah, I just grabbed a few necessities. See you tomorrow night, Mother," Amanda called out as they hastily exited the house.

"Bats!?" Dotty mumbled in a mixture of disbelief and concern. "Sometimes I'm not sure who's gone batty, you, my dear or me…"

Once she heard Lee's car drive down the street Dotty reached under the sofa cushion and extracted the envelope from its hiding place. She stared at it once again and wondered aloud. "Maybe this isn't any of my business. Maybe I shouldn't open it???"

*** *** *** *** ****

Does Dotty:

Open the package, finds out they're married and confronts Amanda?

Open the package, finds out they're married and confronts Lee?

Open the package, finds out the truth about their marriage, but says nothing?

Destroy the package without ever reading the information inside?

Other?????

Go Read:  The Optional Endings
 

Back to:  IFF Film Library

Go to:  Robin's Stories