Rating PG Created: Feb - Apr 99

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. All characters in this story are fictional. Do not copy or distribute this story without the express written consent of the above author.

Summary: Amanda has to deal with a secret that she kept for twenty years.
 
 

It was late, Lee was still burning the midnight oil. Amanda had just left the office and what seemed only moments later Billy came conveniently strolling into the Q bureau.

"Working kind of late tonight aren’t you, Lee?" Billy asked as he closed the door behind him.

"Well, if you don’t mind these reports a week late, I could go home now." Lee suggested, looking a little drawn and tired behind a pile of papers.

Billy chuckled, "Maybe I could give you an extension. Amanda go home already?"

"That would be great. Yeah, she just left. I thought she might like to see the boys before they go to bed. We’ve both been working late all week; she has hardly seen them at all."

Billy was shaking his head with understanding. "This job will do that to you. I can’t tell you how many things I missed with the girls as they grew up. There were times I thought Jeannie would leave me because of this job."

"It’s been hard on her I know; the boys are growing up so fast."

"But she’s turning into a fine agent; you’ve done a great job training her. So how are you two doing?" Billy tried to ask casually.

"We still hope to have everything cleared up by late Friday, as per your original request. But let’s talk about that extension," Lee repeated with a grin.

"We can talk about that later. How’s everything between you and Amanda?" Billy asked again.

Lee looked at him somewhat surprised and more than a little curious. "Billy, I’m touched that you care. Things are fine, why do you ask?"

"No reason."

"Billy Melrose, don’t try to con me; I know you better than that. Who wants to know about our relationship and why do they care?" Lee was concerned that the truth about them being married might have leaked out.

Billy pulled up a chair. "Nobody’s asking but me. I’ve got something kind of touchy that I’d like you to, hmmm, how do I put this? You need to make some discreet inquiries without, well, without raising anyone’s suspicions."

Lee’s curiosity was peaked. "Billy, have I ever been anything but discreet? What’s up?"

"Well, I think for this, you’re going to need to step discreet up to a new level. This case is going to involve Amanda, and what I’d guess could bring painful memories for her and even for her mother."

"What are you talking about? What could Amanda have possibly gotten into without me knowing about? We’re practically inseparable," Lee queried with growing concern.

Billy went over to the computer, Lee followed him. "This is for your eyes only. Don’t share this with anyone, especially Amanda. I mean it, Lee," Billy warned and from the look on his face he meant it.

"Wait a second, Billy. Amanda and I don’t keep secrets from each other. Maybe you should find somebody else to investigate this."

"I don’t think anyone else could investigate this ‘situation’, not without causing an incident and nobody wants that."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Lee asked impatiently.

Billy logged onto the computer and put in a series of passwords and pulled up a file. "I’m talking about this." He said turning the monitor for Lee to read.

Lee read through the file, quickly at first; then he went back and read it again. The second time he scrutinized every last word. He looked at Billy with his mouth wide open and his eyes wide in disbelief. "Oh my god!"

*** *** ***

It was late on Friday evening, the boys had gone to bed, Dotty was out for the evening and Lee and Amanda were cuddled closely on the couch.

"That was really nice of Billy to give us an extension on all that paperwork or we’d be working until tomorrow night," Amanda said with a relaxing sigh.

He put his finger to her lips, in a warm and loving tone he answered. "Hey, no talking about work tonight. I think we’ve put in enough time at the office. Tonight it’s just you and me, not the Agency or the paperwork, just us."

"Mmmm, I kind of like that idea. You want another glass of wine?" she asked softly.

"Yeah, stay put, I’ll get it, what about you?" Lee replied kissing her on the forehead before he got up and headed into the kitchen.

"Sure, why not. I’m sleeping in tomorrow."

Lee came back in with two glasses of wine. "Here you go," he replied as he handed her a glass and sat down beside her. "A toast. To us and our extraordinary future."

Amanda giggled. "You mean clandestine future."

"Oh be quiet and drink your wine," he said, shaking his head and wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

They sat quietly together, just enjoying the peace and quiet. Amanda glanced over at Lee; he seemed to be a million miles away.

"Penny for your thoughts."

"No, you’d think I’m crazy," Lee laughed.

"I would not."

"Yes, you would."

"Try me."

"You promise not to laugh or get mad?" Lee asked as he tried to figure out how to talk to her about the ‘situation’. He was about to take a poke in the dark.

"Cross my heart," she answered as she crossed her heart with her hand.

"I was just thinking if we ever had a baby, what do you think about the name David, for a boy?"

Amanda looked at him incredulously, almost choking on her wine, taken somewhat by surprise by his question. "Where did that come from?"

Lee shrugged innocently. "I just watch you with Phillip and Jamie, you’re such a natural with children. I thought that maybe you might want another baby. So what do you think about David?"

She shook her head no. "No, not David. Maybe Lee Jr., or Matthew after your dad. But this is crazy; I’m not planning on having another baby. With our jobs, no way, how could you even think about that?"

"I told you that you’d think I’m crazy." Lee reminded her.

"Well, maybe you had too much wine tonight." She reached over and grabbed his glass out of his hand. "I’m cutting you off for the evening."

"I still like the name David," Lee stubbornly suggested.

With that last remark, Amanda got up with the wineglasses and headed in the kitchen ignoring his last comment; she needed some breathing room.

‘Strike One.’ Lee murmured as he followed her into the kitchen.

"So what’s wrong with the name David?" he asked hoping to open a conversation with her.

"Nothing, I just don’t like the name. No specific reason. Now will you quit." Lee noticed that she was getting upset.

"OK, so we don’t name our baby David. But I don’t want any Lee Jr.’s running around out there. One Lee Stetson is enough, don’t you think?" He asked, wrapping his arms around her from behind as he nibbled delicately at the nape of her neck.

"Oh, I don’t know about that." She turned to face him.

"So no more kids, eh?"

She looked into his eyes. "Lee, if things were different, I would love to have a family with you. But for one thing, nobody knows we’re married; don’t you think having a baby would complicate our lives just a bit?"

Lee smiled back at her, feeling a little guilty about the conversation. She was being honest and open and he was being deceitful. But he continued with a different approach. "Yeah, I guess. It’s just, I grew up an only child. I always wanted a big family. What about you?"

She looked at him, thinking for a moment before she answered. "I already have a wonderful family; I have you and mother and two marvelous boys."

‘Strike two!’ Lee thought to himself.

"Didn’t you ever want a sister or brother growing up." He asked trying to sound spontaneous.

"Lee, what does this have to do with us?" She headed back into the family room evading his questioning.

"I’m just curious, OK. Isn’t this a conversation a husband might have with his wife?"

"I guess. But we aren’t exactly the Cleaver’s now are we? I’m divorced with two boys from a previous marriage, we’re both spies and nobody knows that you and I are married. So can we please drop the subject?" she whispered at him with a firm tone.

‘Strike three!’ He thought as he shook his head.

Amanda sat down on the couch again reaching up with her hand trying pull him down next to her. "Talking wasn’t exactly what I was thinking about for the rest of the evening."

"So you didn’t marry me for my witty conversations."

"Will you come here," she replied, as she pulled him to her and started to kiss him intimately.

"Oh no you don’t. I’m getting tired of taking cold showers at midnight. Let’s not start anything that you don’t intend to finish. It’s getting late; I better get out of here."

"You don’t have to leave so soon. We don’t have to get up early tomorrow."

"Amanda, I’m exhausted and I know you are too. I’ll see you in the morning." He kissed her and headed out the door. As he walked to his car he mumbled to himself. ‘Damn it, Amanda, why didn’t you ever tell me about him?’

Amanda leaned against the closed door, almost glad that he was gone. A quick shudder went through her body. ‘No, Amanda, don’t go even think about him; that was a long time ago.’ She thought and she turned off the light and headed upstairs.

*** *** ***

Lee arrived at Amanda’s house late in the morning. He knocked on the door and Dotty came and let him in. He was carrying flowers.

"Good morning, Lee," Dotty said cheerfully.

"Morning, Dotty. Where’s Amanda? I didn’t see her car in the driveway." Lee asked with disappointment apparent in his voice.

"She just ran down to the store; something about you needing cream for your coffee. She’ll be back in a few minutes. Nice flowers," Dotty commented as they both walked into the kitchen.

"They’re for Amanda." Lee hedged but smiled.

Dotty raised an eyebrow as she turned to finish the morning breakfast dishes at the sink. "You don’t say. And what did you do now?"

Lee laughed. "What makes you think I did something just because I brought flowers?"

"Yes, I forgot, we’re talking about Lee Stetson; he brings flowers just because. I just thought that since you left before I got in last night, and didn’t even finish that bottle of wine…" Dotty smirked, still not convinced about the flowers.

Lee couldn’t resist the opportunity to talk to Dotty alone about the ‘situation’. He knew he might not get another chance. "Amanda cut me off before we finished it. She thought I was getting a little drunk. I was talking to her about having a baby."
 

Dotty’s head snapped back towards Lee, a big smile formed on her face. "Are you trying to tell me she’s pregnant?"

"Sorry to disappoint you, Dotty, but no. She made it pretty clear last night that she’s doesn’t want to have another child."

Dotty looked at Lee and started to lecture him. "Well aren’t you putting the cart before the horse anyway? You two still aren’t even engaged."

Lee chuckled. "She’s not ready yet. She can take all the time in the world; I’m not going anywhere." He teased.

"She doesn’t need more time; she needs a psychiatrist. I just don’t know what she’s waiting for." Dotty commented shaking her head as she turned back to rinse the juice glasses from breakfast.

Lee hesitated, not sure what reaction Dotty would be but decided he had to try. "Well, I guess there won’t be any little David’s running around here anytime soon!"

With that, Dotty crashed the glass she was cleaning into the sink, cutting her finger, blood spurting all over the sink.

Lee dropped the flowers on the counter and grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her finger, applying pressure to slow down the bleeding. Dotty looked flushed; Lee helped her to a chair. "Are you all right? Let me take a look at that finger."

Dotty was shaking slightly; Lee couldn’t help but notice. He wondered how much of that was because of her cut and how much of it was because of what he just said. Lee looked at her finger, it was a clean cut, didn’t look that deep.

"Don’t think you’ll need any stitches, just a bandage will do."

"Stitches? What happened?" Amanda asked in alarm as she walked in the door and seeing her mother looking quite pale and shaky.

"She cut her finger on a glass. It’s a clean cut, just needs to be washed and bandaged."

"Thank you, Dr. Stetson," Amanda replied with concern as she looked at the bloody towel. "Come on, Mother, let me help you clean it up."

Amanda helped her mother to the bathroom and finished wrapping her finger with gauze and tape. Dotty was unusually quiet. "Are you all right, Mother?" Amanda asked with growing concern.

Dotty nodded. "I think I’ll go lie down for a while. Will you excuse me?"

Amanda nodded and watched her mother head to her bedroom. She headed back to the kitchen. Lee had most of the broken glass cleaned up.

"I leave for just a few minutes and you manage to trash the place." She joked uncomfortably. "What happened here?"

"We were just talking," Lee answered casually as he threw the last of the broken glass into the garbage and put away the dustpan.

"About what? That cut on her finger doesn’t explain how she was acting. Did you tell her we were married or something." Amanda had a quizzical look on her face.

"Or something," Lee mumbled. "These are for you," he said as he picked up the flowers he had left on the counter trying to change the subject. Somehow, he knew that if he told her what they were talking about she’d probably go through the roof.

"Oh, Lee, they’re beautiful. Let me put them in some water." She went to the cupboard and got down a vase and filled it with water. She walked back over to the table putting them in the middle. She looked at them again smiling broadly. "Thank you, they’re lovely." She bent down and kissed him; he kissed her back and pulled her down onto his lap.

"Maybe we can finish what you started last night," he suggested as he kissed her again, deeply.

She pulled away. "Maybe later, Mother’s upstairs, remember? You never did tell me what you two were talking about when she cut her finger."

"I think her last comment to me was that she thinks you need a doctor; no wait, I think she suggested a psychiatrist," Lee laughed. He hoped that would be the end of the conversation, at least for now. He still hadn’t gotten any answers, but he needed some time to regroup.

"Lee, spill it. What the heck is going on? Mother was a wreck, I haven’t seen her like that in, I can’t remember when." Amanda got off of his lap, she was getting irritated.

"We were just talking about our conversation last night," Lee answered innocently.

"And which conversation was that?" Amanda asked cautiously.

"You know, about you and I having a baby…"

"You didn’t?" Amanda yelled.

"Yeah, I did," Lee shrugged innocuously.

"She doesn’t even know we’re married and you’re talking to her about a private conversation we had about you wanting a baby?" she snapped, irritated at him.

"Hey, I’m sorry. She asked about the flowers, it just kind of came up."

"I can’t believe how insensitive you can be. Lee, you know how much she pushes me about getting married, and you have to give her ideas that we’re talking about having a baby." She turned away from him.

"Insensitive? Because I talked about having a baby with you? I kind of like the idea, I still do. You're my wife. We’ll just have to work on another name." Lee was becoming frustrated; he was getting no where and didn’t know what else to do.

Amanda’s face went white. She turned slowly to face him; she looked him straight in the eye. "You told Mother you wanted to name the baby David didn’t you?"

"I mentioned it, why?"

She just glared at him with a disgusted look and then changed the subject. "I think I’ll go check on Mother. I’ll see you later."

"Later? I just got here." Lee shouted.

"I’ve got a lot to do around the house. Why don’t you call me later?"

"What about our picnic? You’ve been looking forward to this all week. Don’t you think you owe me an explanation?" Lee was aggravated now.

"Owe you an explanation for what? For not wanting to have a baby? Ahh, you’re unbelievable! Amanda shook her head and headed upstairs. "I’m going to check on Mother; I think you know your way out."

Lee was speechless; he couldn’t believe she just asked him to leave. He watched helplessly as she walked away.

End Part 1

***
 
 

Family Secrets Part 2

Lee went over to the National Archives to do some research. He wasn’t getting anywhere with Amanda or Dotty, and at the moment there was little to go on. He was there for hours when he finally found some information. It wasn’t much, but it was a start. Like it or not he needed Amanda, it was time for them to have a heart to heart.

Lee drove home to his apartment; he tried to think of what to say to her, how to tell her. But no matter how he went through it in his mind, he knew the information, if it was true, would hurt her and Dotty, deeply. He sat on his couch and stared at the phone, picking it up and putting it back down. Finally he picked up the phone to call her, but there was a knock at the door.

Lee headed to the door and opened it, expecting to find Amanda. But his smile quickly faded as he saw Billy at the door.

"Nice way to greet your boss. Can I come in?" Billy asked as he pushed on by.

"Sure," Lee shrugged as he watched Billy head into the living room. "What’s up?"

Billy was looking around. "You alone?" he asked apprehensively.

"Yeah. I take it that this isn’t a social visit," Lee questioned sarcastically; he was pretty sure why he was visiting.

"Just wondering how things are going. Have you turned anything up yet?"

Lee sank down onto the couch wearily. "They’re not. Other than a visit to the National Archives this afternoon, I don’t have anything. When I even mentioned his name to Amanda, she clams up. Mrs. West’s behavior was unexpected to say the least. Billy, discretion isn’t working, I think I need to try a more direct approach, at least with Amanda."

Billy shrugged. "You know her better than anyone. I’d like you to head up to Canada and check this out personally."

Lee looked at Billy, startled. "Alone?"

"That’s up to you. If you think Amanda can handle this, I’ll send you both, but if there’s going to be a problem, any problem at all, she stays here." Billy insisted.

"When do you want us to leave?" Lee asked, resigned. He wasn’t looking forward to this at all.

"The sooner the better."

"All right, let me get her over here and see how she reacts when I tell her what’s going on. I’ll get back to you this evening. Hopefully we can head out first thing in the morning - together."

"I’ll see to the arrangements. Good luck," Billy replied and headed towards the door.

"I’m going to need it," Lee grimaced as he walked him out the door.

Lee headed back to the phone. This time there were no interruptions. He still didn’t know how to tell her. He called her number and waited apprehensively for her to answer, still very unsure of how she was going to take the news.

"Hello."

"Did you get everything done around the house?" he asked, hoping that somehow the right words would come to him.

"Most of it," she answered grumpily, still angry at him.

"Think you’re close enough to being finished for a quick trip?"

"Trip to where?" Amanda asked cautiously.

"How’s Canada sound?"

"CANADA? You’ve got to be kidding," she asked sharply.

"How about you pack a bag for a few days and meet me at my place? Is an hour enough time for you to get ready?"

"You’re serious? An hour?" Amanda was stunned.

"Well, as Billy put it, the sooner the better."

"You are serious. What’s going on?" Amanda asked with sudden intrigue.

"It’s too complicated to go over the phone." He hedged, needing more time to work out what he was going to say. "It’s an unsecured line, remember? I’ll fill you in when you get here." Lee thought to himself, ‘This certainly isn’t something I’m going to tell you over the phone.’

"I’ll be there as soon as I can." She promised, misreading the tone in his voice. "I need to shower; I’m a mess, then I’ll pack." She hung up the phone and hurried upstairs.

** *** ****

She arrived at Lee’s apartment almost out of breath an hour and a half later. He greeted her at the door.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked with a quizzical look, she noticed there was no suitcase.

Lee gave her that special smile. "Not yet. I thought you might help me pack."

She dropped her bag on the floor. "I don’t believe this! I raced over here, in record time I might add and you haven’t even started yet? Just what have you been doing?" She looked at him with a distrustful glance, slightly upset. "What time is our flight and where exactly are we going? Canada is a big place."

"I don’t have the details from Billy yet on the flight, but we’re heading for British Columbia - Victoria specifically. We probably won’t leave until morning. I wanted to brief you tonight and set up a game plan."

She sat down on the couch, kicked off her shoes and folded her arms across her chest. "All right, this had better be real, Stetson, or you’re in big trouble."

Lee took a deep breath. The last thing he needed was for her to be angry with him before he even got a chance to explain. "Oh, this is real all right. You want something to drink?" He stalled, still unsure of how to begin.

"No, I don’t want anything to drink." Amanda snapped. "Can we get down to business here?"

"Amanda, I want you to listen to everything I have to say before you jump to any conclusions. Our intelligence on this information is sketchy at best, we need to follow up on it and prove or disprove its validity."

He was trying his best to prepare her, but was there anyway to honestly do that? He was starting to think he should just go to Canada himself, investigate the entire situation before he dropped this into her lap. Then maybe he’d have more time to figure out how to tell her.

"Lee, isn’t that what we do everyday?" she asked pointedly. "What’s so special about this case?"

He was lost in his own trouble thoughts and didn’t hear her.

"LEE!" She exclaimed loudly.

He shook his head, trying to clear it. "Amanda, just promise me you’ll stay calm."

"Will you please get on with it?" She complained impatiently, thinking this was just a stalling tactic. "Or is this just an elaborate hoax to get yourself out of trouble?"

"OK, OK!" Lee reluctantly started. "Billy showed me a file the other night just after you left the office. It was about a Vietnam veteran who was thought to be MIA, and presumed dead. But he’s surfaced in Canada; apparently he’s been living there for some time now."

"That hardly seems like an Agency matter; sounds more like a military matter to me. Why are we getting stuck with it? We’ve got enough work to do," she said exhaustedly.

"Usually it would be military jurisdiction, but with relations in Vietnam starting to warm up, nobody wants to create a military hubbub. They thought it would be better if the Agency handled it very discreetly, checked it out and found out what’s going on. You know, make sure there are no security breeches. This guy was apparently pretty sharp."

"So, let me guess, they want us to find out it he was pedaling secrets to the enemy and got a free ride home in exchange?" Amanda answered piercingly.

"Actually they just want us to confirm who he is. At least that’s all for now."

"It seems like an awful waste of taxpayers money," Amanda complained, less than thrilled with the assignment.

"Of course, if he is who he says he is, we might be able to tell a half dozen families what really happened to their sons, brothers and fathers. You can’t put a price on that." Lee reminded her, watching her reaction closely.

Amanda got teary eyed and took a deep breath. "I guess that would be a great comfort to the families." She turned away from him, looking out the window for a moment, trying to pull herself together. "Anything else?"

Lee sat down next to her. Her last reaction was one that he expected. "Yeah, there’s one other thing. Amanda, this guy was a Lt. in the Army, his name is David Franklin West. They think he’s your brother."

She stared at him in utter silence, then after a few seconds she began shaking uncontrollably. There were no words she could find. It was like the wind had been knocked out of her. Slowly she began sobbing, looking at him as if she was lost.

He pulled her close to him and held her tightly; he wished there were something he could do to help lessen her pain somehow. Her emotions were out of control; years of built up anguish being released all at once. He gave her all the time she needed; he knew how hard this must be for her. Finally her crying diminished and her breathing slowly returned to normal and Lee loosened his protective hold on her.

"Would you like that drink now?" he asked sympathetically.

Amanda nodded. "A strong one," she croaked out as Lee headed into his kitchen. A few minutes later he came back with a brandy for her and one for himself.

"Do you want to talk about it? If you don’t, I understand." Lee offered as he sat down next to her.

She leaned back on the couch, bringing her knees up to her chest and sipping at her drink. "Just give me a minute."

"Take all the time you need; we have all night." Lee answered compassionately; he knew how hard this must be for her. He remembered how she helped him through dealing with the loss of his own parents, something he never really dealt with emotionally until recently.

"Good, we might need it," Amanda whispered. The drink had helped her to calm down, but her mind was cluttered with thoughts and memories of David and questions that she knew Lee couldn’t answer.

Lee reached out his hand for hers and squeezed it gently. "Hey, it’s going to be all right." He winked at her. "We’ve gotten though a lot together, I’m going to help you through this."

*** *** ***

Amanda didn’t know where or how to begin. It had been such a complicated mess… that whole war was. And one thing happened after another. She never really sorted it out in her own mind let alone had to explain it all to someone.

"I really don’t know where to start," she whispered, her voice still quivering. She swallowed again hoping to gain some control over her emotions.

"Why don’t you start at the beginning?" Lee suggested gently. "You know, I’m married to you and I didn’t know you had a brother and you never talk about your dad." He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

She smiled as a flood of childhood memories washed through her mind. "David was my big brother; he was three years older than me." She sighed. "Mother and Daddy had married after he came back from the war. He took a job with the government. Mother moved to Virginia after they were married."

"Your dad was a veteran?" Lee asked surprised. He knew that she never mentioned it to him before even though they had often talked of Lee’s parents and how they met during the war.

"Yeah, he served in the Pacific. He rarely talked about his time in the war; I guess it was too painful for him. I think that was one of the things that made David want to go to Vietnam. He wanted to be like Dad. You would’ve gotten along well with my dad." She observed reflectively, "Frank West, All-American guy, patriotic to the core." Her smile brightened.

"Well at least we know where you got it from." Lee teased, grinning.

"You’ve got that right." Amanda smiled again, pausing for a minute. "Anyway, back to David. He was a great brother, very protective of me. He always listened to my problems and could make me laugh. He was so much fun to be around. He graduated high school in 65’ and was offered an athletic scholarship to college. He was smart too, picked things up incredibly fast, but mostly he was fun. My parents were so proud of him; he was the first in the family to go to college."

"Your dad didn’t go to college after the war?" Lee asked in amazement.

"No, my parents got married in 46 and David was born in 47; he didn’t have a chance." Amanda answered softly. "Anyway, all was fine until Mother and Dad came back from their twentieth anniversary trip to Hawaii, in 1966. David was home from college for the summer, but he just wasn’t himself. He was moody and distant, I didn’t know what was bothering him. We had a big party, as always, on the 4^th of July. He seemed to have a great time visiting with all the relatives and friends. He finally seemed to be at peace with himself. The next day he spilled the news at dinner. He enlisted in the Army and was due in boot camp by the end of the month."

"Oh boy." Lee sat back on the couch, engrossed in the story that was enfolding before him.

"My mother was beside herself, you know, watching the TV news at night didn’t help things any. She wanted him to stay in college. My dad was supportive of David’s decision, at least outwardly, but I think deep down he knew what war was like, especially that one. It was a lot different from the one he’d fought. Mother and Dad argued all night, which in my family was unheard of; they always got along. David was caught in the middle and I was just stunned. I was only 15 at the time."

She stopped for a few seconds as the painful memories temporarily overwhelmed her. She gulped down the rest of her drink. She looked at the empty glass reflectively before putting it down on the coffee table.

"Do you want another one?" Lee asked compassionately.

She shook her head no, took another breath and forced herself to continued on.

"So by the end of 1966 David was in Vietnam. Things were tense at the house for a while, but David wrote often and said he was fine so not to worry about him. But Mother and I both did. He was there for over a year when the plane he was on came up missing, thought to have been shot down over enemy territory. Mother thought the worst, I guess she could feel he was gone. Daddy kept saying he was probably a POW. But regardless, that changed him, he must have aged ten years that week."

"That was a tense time in this country," Lee answered thoughtfully, remembering that time quite well.

"That certainly didn’t help any. The anti-war movements, I think that was killing my father. Anyway, he tried to make life at home as sane as possible, more for me. I was a senior in high school. Then I got accepted to UVA, and started college that fall. It was hard to leave home. Mother and Dad looked so lost when I left for school. My father died of a heart attack six months later, he never knew what happened to David." Her voice trembled at the end as her eyes filled with tears.

Lee grabbed a tissue and dried her eyes as he held her in his arms.

He kissed her gently. "Amanda, this is too much for you to handle. You don’t have to do this." He said compassionately, stroking her hair, trying to comfort her.

She paused again, wanting to finish, needing to finish. "No, I’m OK."

"Take your time." Lee suggested, brushing his hand lightly across her cheek.

She smiled at him, appreciating his support. "When I got home from school that summer, David’s room had been completely overhauled. It was now the ‘guest room’. When I asked Mother where all his stuff was, she just shrugged and said she threw it away. I tried to ask her about it, but it was very clear that any subject about David was off limits. It was her way of coping I guess for losing both Daddy and David. So we never talked about David again."

"Never?" Lee asked in astonishment.

"Never. All noticeable traces of him were gone from the house except for a few family photos and they were no longer prominently displayed. I think she blamed David for my father dying so young. David’s plane was never found; he’s just one of the many MIA’s who never came home."

"Have you been to the wall?" He asked hesitantly.

"To the Memorial?" She looked away, almost embarrassed, shaking her head. "I’ve always had mixed emotions about going there. I guess deep down I always hoped he’d come home, but it’s been over twenty years; I guess it’s a silly dream. Part of me would like to, my Dad would have, but for Mother’s sake I’ve never gone."

"Would you like to go?" he asked tentatively, not quite sure if that was a good idea or not.

"Maybe someday," she sighed. "Maybe I won’t have to now."

Lee looked at her, amazed that despite everything, she was forever the optimist. That was one of the things he loved the most about her. "You don’t have to go to Canada with me if you don’t want to. I…"

"I need to know if David’s alive, once and for all." She interrupted firmly. "Like it or not, I’m your best shot at identifying him. If it’s him, I want him to be part of my life again, part of our family. If it’s not, I need to know that too," Amanda whispered, her emotions still overwhelming her.

Lee nodded in agreement. He could understand her need to have closure; twenty years was a long time to not have any answers. They sat together on the sofa for a long time in silence. Amanda leaned her head against his chest as he gently caressed her until she quietly fell asleep in his arms.
 
 

Amanda was asleep on the couch a few hours later when the doorbell rang. Lee glanced over at her quickly, he hoped it wouldn’t wake her, but he could see her stirring.

"Just relax, it’s a courier from the Agency," he reassured her. "Billy, sent over the tickets and our cover."

She nodded as Lee went to the door and quickly came back into the room. He sat down next to her looking over the information he had discussed over the phone with Billy while she slept.

"So when do we leave?" she asked apprehensively as she sat up, her emotions still quite raw.

"Tomorrow morning from Dulles."

"So are you going to tell me what our cover is?" she questioned wearily, leaning her head onto his shoulder.

Lee kissed the top of her head. "Well, I think you might like this. We’re Lee and ‘Ann’ Stetson, just taking a long overdue vacation." Lee handed Amanda her new ID’s.

"’Ann’ huh?"

"Well, we don’t want to spook him if he’s your brother." He explained logically. "So you’ll be ‘Ann’ Stetson, but you’re still stuck with me as your husband." Lee continued to go through the paperwork until he came across the agency issued wedding bands and engagement ring. He looked at them sitting in the palm of his hand for a few seconds before he put them back into the envelope.

"Changing your mind about being married to me after all?" Amanda asked curiously as she watched him put them away.

"Thought it would be nicer to wear the ‘real’ things for a change, unless you object?" he confessed.

"That sounds kind of nice," Amanda said softly, smiling tenderly.

"I just wish the circumstances…" Lee hesitated.

"Yeah." She cut him short, not wanting to discuss anything further right now.

"I’ll go get ‘our’ rings. Be right back." He got up, gently caressing her face with his hand as he walked past her and into the bedroom.

End Part 2

****

Part 3

The flight to Vancouver was a long one. They took a seaplane flight from Vancouver into Victoria’s Inner Harbor and headed for their hotel. It was a charming little seaport town with their hotel overlooking the small harbor. Amanda was still somewhat overwhelmed, not her usual touristy self. Lee missed ‘his Amanda’. Normally she was a chatterbox and she should have been gawking about at the Parliament or the Empress Hotel, which were hard to miss and quite stunning. Lee noticed how withdrawn and quiet she was.

Lee tipped the bellman and headed back into the room. Amanda had flopped down on the bed. "You OK?" he asked with growing concern.

"I’ll be fine, just a long flight." Amanda responded quietly, but still very distant.

He came over and sat next to her on the bed. "Why don’t you take a nap, get some rest?"

"I don’t think I could sleep." She admitted as she sat up and leaned her head tenderly into his chest. He put his arm around her to support her. "So where and when do we start?"

"I thought you might want to relax for the rest of the day; we’ll see your brother tomorrow." He suggested he was worried about her and didn’t want to push her too much. This whole trip had come up so quickly, he wanted her to take some time to adjust to the possibilities.

"Lee, you need to separate me, your wife, from me, your case. If we weren’t married, you’d have me talking with my brother before the afternoon was over, wouldn’t you?" She looked up at him; she knew she was right.

Lee blushed as he looked down at her. "But you are my wife, and I want this to go as smoothly as possible for you. You know, Billy, was worried about sending you up here; I think he should’ve been worried about sending me up here."

They embraced each other tightly, both emotionally wrapped up in this case much more than either of them would like to be. Amanda finally broke their hold. "So how are we going to meet him?" She asked anxiously, so far Lee was only telling her the absolute minimum, it reminded her of the way it use to be - ‘need to know’ basis only.

"He’s managing a restaurant down on the harbor front. I thought we might have dinner there tomorrow night and see if we can strike up a conversation with him."

"What’s wrong with tonight?" she asked impatiently.

"Amanda, don’t you think you ought to slow down?"

"I’d like to get this over with!" she shouted, losing her temper and getting up from the bed.

"Hey, calm down, that’s exactly what I mean. I don’t think you’re ready for this; you’re way too emotional." He followed her across the room; he placed his hands on her shoulders to comfort her.

"We’re talking about my brother who I thought was dead for the last twenty years; how do you expect me to be? Waiting another twenty four hours isn’t going to do anything but drive me crazy." She shouted and turned to face him, her calm façade was dwindling.

"Amanda, please give yourself some time to adjust to all this." He suggested helplessly.

She whispered back to him. "I’ve lost him for twenty years, Lee, don’t make me wait."

Lee still wasn’t convinced that it was a good idea. But one look into her eyes and he knew he wouldn’t be able to refuse her. "I’ll make reservations for dinner tonight then." He reluctantly agreed as he held her close.

"Dinner? How about just a drink. I haven’t seen him in over twenty years and you expect me to recognize him and then eat dinner like I don’t know him?" Amanda tried to laugh, but she wasn’t joking. She hadn’t eaten much since before Lee told her that David could be alive. Her stomach was in knots.

"How about a quick bite to eat now? You didn’t eat much on the plane." He suggested.

"Airplane food? Can you blame me? Lee, I’m really not hungry."

"Amanda, you have to eat something. I know you don’t have any appetite, but starving yourself isn’t going to help. So let’s get a quick bite to eat and then tonight, if you’re too nervous to eat, I won’t have to worry." He looked at her with pleading eyes. "Please."

Amanda knew he was right. Besides maybe some fresh sea air would help her clear her head. "OK, maybe a light lunch."

"Great. Come on, we’ll find someplace quiet." Lee reached out for her hand and they headed into town.

*** *** ***

Later that evening, the sun had set and the cool damp air was beginning to penetrate the harbor. A thin layer of fog was forming just above the masts of the sailboats anchored in the harbor. The lights of the parliament building made the water in the harbor shimmer magically. But Amanda had taken little notice to what normally she would have taken great delight in.

"You about ready to go?" Lee called to her, waiting for her on the balcony of their hotel, surveying the sights. ‘This is a beautiful city, Amanda, I wish you could enjoy it.’

"As I’ll ever be, I guess," she replied drably, as she finally came out to the balcony to join him, still oblivious to the sights around her.

"Hey, come here, you look beautiful." He pulled her to him and kissed her tenderly. "Just a quick drink at the bar, then a light dinner. I don’t expect a full-blown confession tonight. OK?" He tried to reassure her, but he knew from the look on her face that she was terrified.

She smiled at him, she knew he was trying desperately to make things easier for her, but she felt so empty and alone at the moment. Part of her wanted David to be her brother, but if he was, why didn’t he come home, what secrets did he have to hide? She wanted to know the answers and yet she didn’t want to know; it was eating her alive.

"Come on, before we both lose our nerve." Lee reached out and took her hand, trying to be strong for her, but he too knew that the answers out there could be painful.

They walked in silence to the restaurant. Ignoring the street performers and the other tourists who were enjoying the cool fall evening at the harbor front. Lee was carefully watching Amanda; he was still not convinced she was ready for this tonight. He had only told her yesterday that her brother might still be alive. Finally he stopped in front of ‘The English Pub.’

"This is it," he said.

She looked up at the small wooden sign and at the charming little restaurant; it looked enchanting and inviting. For a moment she seemed to relax.

"Are you sure you want to do this tonight?" he asked again, trying to protect her.

"I’m OK. The sooner we get this started the better." She smiled nervously.

They went into the crowded restaurant and told the maitre d’ that they’d be waiting at the bar for their table. They sat down at the corner of the bar, which gave them a good view of the small restaurant. The bartender came over and took their drink order. He started chatting with them when he brought them their drinks. Amanda was looking through the crowded restaurant.

"Are you expecting someone?" The bartender asked, noticing how Amanda was surveying faces in the crowded restaurant.

Amanda blushed, embarrassed about being so obvious. "Oh, no! We’re on vacation, this place is just so quaint."

The bartender smiled. "So where are you folks from?"

"Virginia, just outside of DC," Lee volunteered.

"Hey, David, our manager is from Virginia originally." The bartender advised. "If I catch him, I’ll send him over to your table. Things should quiet down in a little while."

Amanda almost choked on her drink, but Lee replied casually, "Hey, we’d love to chat with him."
 
 

When they were served their dinner, Amanda ate very little, spending most of her time playing with the food on her plate. Lee tried valiantly to engage her in conversation, but her mind was on David. She was looking out the window watching the once bustling street now quiet, her mind was drifting when she was jolted back to reality.

"Is there something wrong with your dinner?" David, the manager asked, looking at her uneaten plate of food.

She jumped, then looked up at him, her mouth wide open.

"I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to startle you. I’m David West, the manager here. I understand you’re from Virginia."

Lee looked at Amanda but she couldn’t speak. "Lee Stetson, my wife ‘Ann’. We live in Northern Virginia, please, why don’t you join us?"

David pulled up a chair and looked over at Amanda. "You do look familiar," he said as he smiled over at Amanda.

Amanda looked at Lee in shock. She couldn’t believe he said she looked familiar. How was she going to even talk to this man? Was he her brother? A million questions were rushing through her head all at once. Amanda coughed, trying to give herself a moment to pull herself together.

"Ah, I have one of those faces." She finally managed to choke out. She stared at Lee for help.

Lee interrupted, understanding Amanda's signal. "Perhaps you’ve met in Virginia. How often do you get back there?" Amanda only nodded, still too shocked to speak.

David shook his head, "I haven’t been to Virginia in years. I’d probably get lost these days trying to get around. I love it here, I don’t think I’ll ever go back."

Amanda smiled politely, she was trying not to stare at him, but was having a hard time. Lee finally engaged him in conversation which allowed her to scrutinize ‘David’ as closely as she could without making him feel uncomfortable.

David was tall, Amanda guessed 6’2" and he obviously took care of himself, he was lean and muscular. His dark brown hair was beginning to recede, similar to that of their father’s when he was that age. It was peppered slightly with gray. His eyes were dark brown, like Amanda’s. She knew it would be hard to identify her brother by sight, it had been over twenty years. They were both just kids when he left. It could be him, but she just wasn’t sure. But the thought of him sitting only a few feet from her suddenly overwhelmed her.

Amanda broke in. "If you two gentleman will excuse me, I need to freshen up."

When she returned from the rest room a while later, David was gone. The once buzzing restaurant was now quieting down. The table was cleared and Lee had paid the check.

He smiled at her as she walked over to his side. "I assumed that you didn’t want dessert. You ready to go?" Lee asked, putting his arm around her waist and kissing her cheek lightly.

"Yeah. I’m really sorry, he must think I’m awfully rude," Amanda answered uneasily.

"No, I explained that we just got in this afternoon." They walked the short distance back to the hotel, Lee held her close to him, as if he was trying to protect her. Neither of them spoke, she wasn’t ready to talk to him yet; he could sense that. He was right; she was moving too fast.

*** ***

Lee woke up in the middle of the night - alone. He sat up in bed and looked around for her. He finally noticed her silhouette on the balcony. He got up, put his robe on and quietly walked out onto the balcony.

"Can’t sleep?" He asked as he wrapped his arms around her slender body, his chin resting lightly on her shoulder.

"I guess you were right, I wasn’t ready to talk to him yet," Amanda whispered, as she leaned against him.

"Come on back to bed." Lee suggested in a loving voice, "It’s cold out here." He reached for her hand and gently led her back inside, out of the cool, damp night air.

Amanda sat down on the edge of the bed. "I thought for sure when I saw him I would’ve recognize him. I thought I’d know for sure. But I just don’t know. He could be David; he’s the right height and build. Lee, I’m just so confused." She buried her head in his chest.

He stroked her hair gently and in a soothing voice. "Sweetheart, you met a man tonight for five minutes; even if he is your brother that’s barely enough time to know. I told you I didn’t expect much from tonight’s meeting. I would’ve been skeptical if you came back and told me it was him. Give yourself a chance to get to know him at least a little before you try to give me a positive ID. It’s been twenty years."

He helped her out of her robe and they both headed back to bed. He pulled her close to him, her body cold from being out in the damp night air. He lay quietly next to her listening to her breathing until he could tell she fell asleep; then he finally found sleep again himself.

*** *** ***

The alarm went off and Lee sat up in bed, turning it off. Amanda moaned. "Tell me you really didn’t set the alarm on purpose."

"Sorry, sleepyhead, time to get up," he answered as he kissed her good morning.

"Lee, I thought this was supposed to be a vacation. You sleep late when you’re on vacation."

"No, our cover is that we’re on vacation, there’s a difference." He reminded her.

"Then let our ‘cover’ think it’s the weekend. Can’t this wait? I’m exhausted." She moaned again and rolled away from him on the bed. She hadn’t slept well since Lee had given her the news about David. She wanted to hide in bed for a while and let the world slip away.

"Nope. I’ve arranged a flight seeing charter for this morning," Lee replied, trying to be cheerful.

Amanda turned to him with an odd look on her face. "So do you want to explain to me how a flight seeing charter relates in any significant way to our case? Sounds like another argument with Billy on your expense report to me."

Lee stalled, he didn’t want to tell her. "Come on, you can get in the shower first; I’ll go get us some coffee."

"I’m not going. I’m tired, we haven’t had a real day off in two weeks. We flew all the way across the country and took a float plane here; I don’t want another plane ride," Amanda answered defiantly.

Lee gritted his teeth, he had hoped to put off his explanation until after she had something to eat. But he realized he had no choice. "You have to come; David’s a pilot, he offered to take us for a flight up the coast today."

"Nice of you to warn me," she grimaced, her stomach tensing.

"I’m sorry, but if I had told you, you wouldn’t have slept a wink last night now would you? He offered to take us, it’s the perfect opportunity."

"I can hardly wait," Amanda answered sarcastically as she got up and reluctantly headed for the shower.
 
 

David picked them up at their hotel and drove them across town to the airport. The flight was a beautiful one; David pointed out the sites. Amanda did engage David in various conversations during the trip, they seemed to find a common ground. When they landed at Port McNeil, Lee and Amanda had a quick lunch at a small café, while David picked out the seafood for his restaurant. David loaded the fresh fish and seafood into the plane, signed the paperwork and signaled for them to get ready for the flight back.

Amanda finally seemed more at ease. Lee was pleased by her unexpected change in demeanor. The flight back seemed to go by quickly; they were all chatting and laughing. When they arrived at the airport, Lee helped David load the fish into the trunk of his car and headed back into town.

"Would you mind if I stopped by the restaurant to dropped this off before I take you back to your hotel. It’s my night off, and with you there, I won’t get lured into staying, eh?" David asked.

Lee chuckled. "That happens to you too?" He looked at Amanda who shrugged a non-committal shrug and replied. "We don’t mind."

They stopped in front of the bar and got out. "David, I want to thank you for the wonderful flight. I can understand you not wanting to go back to Virginia. Victoria is such a beautiful place."

"Virginia has some beautiful places too ‘Ann’. But this is my home now." David smiled, remembering fondly his childhood days of long ago.

She smiled at him. "If you gentleman don’t mind, I think I’ll walk back to the hotel."

Lee glanced at her with a concerned look and kissed her tenderly on her cheek whispering to her, "Are you OK?"

She kissed him back. "I’m fine, just need to stretch my legs, take a little walk."

A while later, David drove Lee back to the hotel. Lee again thanked him for the day and headed up the elevator to their room.

"Amanda!" Lee yelled when he came into the room, but there was no answer. He paced the room waiting for her, it seemed like hours but Amanda finally came in.

"You’re back already?" She said as she came in and kissed him.

He had a distressed look on his face. "I’ve been back for a while, I was starting to get worried. Where’ve you been?"

"I went down to the ferry dock; I must have lost track of time, I’m sorry." She said with a far away look in her eyes.

He took her in his arms, holding her close to him. "It’s just you haven’t been yourself the last couple of days, you’ve had a lot to handle with your brother…"

"He’s not my brother." She stated firmly and moved away from him; she needed space. It was hard for her to utter those words.

He reached out for her and turned her to him, to look at her face to face. Carefully studying her face, he asked with trepidation, "Are you sure?"

She nodded at him.

"What tipped you off?"

"It wasn’t anything in particular; it’s a lot of little things."

"You want to elaborate a little on that?" Lee was a little skeptical; he had thought the way the day had gone, that it was just the opposite. They seemed to be getting along so well, wouldn’t that be a sign that he was her brother? Was she trying to protect him?

"It’s just the little things that I remember. For one thing, David hated fish," she confided.

Lee looked at her with concern. "Amanda, he was doing his job, that doesn’t mean he likes to eat fish."

"OK, my David was left handed, like you, this David signed the paperwork with his right hand."

"That’s really not a lot of proof," Lee confided nervously, he wanted more.

She stared at him with a burning look, hurt by his insinuation. "You brought me up here to help you figure out if this person is David or not. I tell you he’s not David Franklin West. He’s not my brother," she yelled at him, her face close to his.

"Billy wants facts for my report, not feelings." He answered trying to remain objective, one of them had to be.

She slid the sliding glass door open and stormed onto the balcony, needing fresh air. "I can stay up here for weeks and tell you piece by piece why he isn’t my brother, but how would you have me prove it. If you want proof, ask him for a blood sample." She turned away, she was angry at Lee, at the situation.

"Amanda, I’m sorry, I just want you to be sure." He came up to her, carefully touching her shoulders, gently in support.

"Lee, I am sure. This isn’t easy for me." She was trying to hold back tears of grief, she had just lost any hope of finding her brother alive and he was quibbling with her. "I’ve just lost my brother again, for the second time."

He wrapped his arms around her. "I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do?"

She shook off his arms. "I’d just like to be alone for a while."

"Amanda, I’m not leaving you alone in a hotel room." He argued, wanting to be with her now, he didn’t want her to be alone in a strange place.

"Would you prefer I go for another walk?" She looked at him knowing the answer.

"I’d prefer that I stay." He countered quietly.

"Lee, I know you’re worried about me, but I’m OK, really. I’m not going to do anything crazy. You’ve done everything and more to make this easier on me and I appreciate it, honestly I do. But I need to deal with this my way," she whispered softly, almost pleadingly, her eyes piercingly looking into his.

"OK, OK! I’m going." He hugged her tightly, wanting to take her pain away but he understood, kissing her tenderly again his lips lingered on hers.

"I’ll be fine." She said as she pulled away from him, turning her attention to the harbor feigning interest. But her mind was on a jungle, years ago in a place called Vietnam.

*** *** ***

Lee walked around the harbor front for a while. His mind wandered; he believed Amanda, he knew she wouldn’t lie to him. But he needed answers, not for himself, but for her.

A while later Lee found himself at David’s apartment door. David was surprised to see him. "Lee! Did you forget something in my car?"

Lee pushed him aside, walking into his apartment not waiting for an invitation. "No, I just want to talk to you. I know who you aren’t, but what I’d really like to know is who the hell you ARE!"

David was looking at him like he was crazy. "Lee, what are you talking about?"

"I just left my wife, ‘Amanda’ West Stetson alone in a hotel room to deal with twenty years of pain. We came up here on the slim chance that you were her long lost brother, David Franklin West of Arlington Virginia; he was MIA in the war. Now I think you owe her an explanation as to who you really are and why you’re using his name."

David collapsed into the nearby chair. "Oh boy!" he exclaimed as he looked at Lee nervously. "I never meant to hurt anyone. How did you find me anyway?"

"We work for the government, we have our ways. Now enough of the small talk, I want the truth and I want it now," Lee yelled.

"Have a seat." David invited as he pointed to the sofa. He took a deep breath before starting. "I met David in Vietnam. He was a great guy, a good friend. We use to drive our C O nuts because we looked alike and we’re both named David. I’m David Eric Westland of Alexandria, Virginia." David extended his hand to Lee.

"Nice to meet you. But why the name change?" Lee asked still pushing for answers.

"It’s a long story. David and I were best buddies. We were inseparable, if it hadn’t been for him the first few months over there, I would have never made it home. I was chosen for a mission, he knew I didn’t want to go. So he volunteered to go too, that’s the kind of guy he was, always thinking of the other guy. When we went to board the planes, we got separated, ended up on different planes. Ours was hit seconds before his, some of us bailed out, a few of us even made it to the ground. His plane exploded in midair, instantly, there were no parachutes, no survivors."

"Why didn’t you tell anyone? They thought all this time he was MIA." Lee was furious, yelling at him.

David explained slowly, his facial expression changed, his voice was hushed. "I spent the next three weeks in the jungle in enemy territory before I was captured and the next few years in a prison camp before I was repatriated to the US. I assumed that they knew he was dead." David was talking from the heart. Lee could see how painful it was to relive these terrible memories.

"But that still doesn’t explain why you changed your name to his," Lee asked persistently.

"I got back to the US to antiwar rallies. I was never welcomed home. You have no idea what that’s like after being over there. I couldn’t stand being ‘home’ anymore. I started drinking, my family threw me out. So I headed to Canada. I went to Ontario first and just worked my way across the country. One day a letter caught up to me from the US Army, it was addressed to David E. West. Must have been a typo or something, since David’s initial was F for Frank, not E for Eric. But I thought it would be a good way to escape from my past. So I finally sobered up, for good this time. I knew David was dead, so who would I be hurting?" David shrugged.

"Come on," Lee said, standing up suddenly.

David looked at him, not understanding what he wanted. "What?"

"You’re going to tell my wife what happened to her brother," Lee explained.

"I can’t do that." David choked back, his face devoid of color from reliving some very cruel memories.

"Yes, you can and you will." Lee grabbed him by the arm and pulled him out of the chair. "You impersonated her brother, you owe her that much. Besides, she needs to hear it from somebody who actually knew him. She’s wondered all these years what happened to him. Amanda is a wonderful person. When she figured out you weren’t her brother, she walked away thanking you for a lovely day. How many people would do that?"

*** ***

Lee opened the door to their hotel room. David waited in the hallway. Lee called out to Amanda.

"I’m just resting." She called back.

"Are you dressed?" He yelled, "we have company."

She got up and headed towards the door, but stopped when she saw David. Her expression changed. "Hello," she replied with little enthusiasm.

Lee saw her facial expression. "Amanda, can the three of us sit down and talk?"

"I’ve had enough talking for one day," Amanda answered as she turned and started to walk away.

David spoke up. "Amanda, I did recognize you last night. Your brother must have shown me your picture a thousand times."

Amanda stopped suddenly. Lee thought she was going to faint and hurried to her side and steadied her. "You knew David?" she croaked out.

David nodded. Lee helped Amanda to the edge of the bed, her knees finally giving out on her. David sat down opposite her in a chair and explained again, this time for her. They sat for over an hour. David answered each of Amanda’s questions about her brother and how he died. She had tears in her eyes, but somehow refused to let them fall. When she had no more questions David got up quietly, Lee walked him to the door.

Lee came back into the room. He looked at her still sitting solemnly on the edge of the bed, lost in her grief. He wanted to hold her, to take her pain away. Lee sat down beside her on the bed, putting his hands gently on her shoulders. He didn’t know what to say to her, words were never his strong suit. He could only imagine how she felt. Amanda leaned against him; she too was silent, there had been more than enough said already.

He tenderly started to rub her shoulders and then her neck. He massaged her neck, gently at first, Amanda rolled her head slightly acknowledging his efforts. She tilted her head down, feeling his warm hands on her neck and shoulders. Lee instinctively dropped his lips down to her exposed neck, kissing her ever so delicately. She turned her face to meet his and looked deep into his eyes. She lifted her head up, their lips meeting tentatively, she needed him now; she needed him to touch her, to hold her.

He gazed back into her eyes and somehow understood. He laid her down on the bed; his eyes smiled at her like she was a fine painting. He slowly and deliberately unbuttoned her blouse. He deftly pushed it off her shoulders; his fingers gently traced her silky shoulders. He again met her lips his tongue sensitively outlined them. She parted her lips ever so gingerly, encouraging him to continue. As his tender kisses grew more intense she gradually surrendered her grief to their passion.

Their lovemaking turned more and more intense, both knowing intuitively what touches and kisses gave each other the most pleasure. Their kisses burned like fire. Time was insignificant, they were alone, but more importantly they were together as one. When their energies were spent they lay silently in each other’s arms until exhaustion set in and they fell asleep.

Part 3

*** *** ***

Part 4

They spent the next two days tying up loose ends in Victoria before they headed home. Billy wanted to check out David’s story before they left Canada. Amanda finally did get to enjoy the sights; she dealt as well as could be expected with the reality of her brothers’ death. They arrived back home, Lee carried Amanda’s bag into her house. Dotty was home and welcomed them.

"Hello, Mother, it’s good to be home again," Amanda gushed with a bright smile and a bear hug.

Dotty looked at Amanda curiously; she had only been gone a few days and didn’t expect such an emotional homecoming but shrugged it off. "You two must be hungry." She looked at Amanda. "I know you didn’t eat anything on the plane. How about a sandwich?"

"Sounds great," Lee announced, he was starved. The three of them headed for the kitchen.

"I’ll help you, Mother." Amanda said as she reached for the refrigerator door.

Dotty shrieked. "Amanda, what’s that on your finger?"

Amanda looked down at her hand. They had forgotten to take off their wedding bands. She looked over at Lee; he closed his eyes, realizing too late what happened.

"I don’t believe it; you two eloped didn’t you? You didn’t go to Canada to work; you went there on your honeymoon!" Dotty gasped with wonder.

Lee came over to Amanda and reached around her pulling her close and whispering in her ear. "Well, Mrs. Stetson, I don’t think we’re going to get out of this one."

She nodded in agreement with Lee and slowly turned towards her mother and smiled. "Yes, Mother, it’s true, we’re married."

Dotty hugged Amanda tightly, then hugged Lee. She looked at Lee and scolded him. "I can’t believe you two eloped."

Lee laughed and explained. "When she finally said yes, I was afraid she’d change her mind."

"I can’t blame you there," Dotty smiled, trying to hide her disappointment of not being able to plan a wedding. "When are you going to tell the boys?"

"Dinner tonight," Amanda replied, looking at Lee for his reaction.
 
 
 
 

Lee was nervous at dinner, but he shouldn’t have been. The boys were happy that they had gotten married both had been expecting an engagement for some time. They seemed to be relieved they wouldn’t have to go through the hassle of a wedding. After all the congratulations, things quieted down. Lee and Amanda sat down together on the couch.

"Been quite a day," Amanda said as she laid her head back on the couch.

Lee leaned over and kissed her. "It’s not over yet."

Amanda grinned. "Is that a threat or a promise?"

"Most definitely a promise." He beamed devilishly.

*** *** ***

The next morning they reported to Billy’s office to review the case with him. "Amanda, I’m so sorry about your brother," Billy confided.

"Thank you, sir." Amanda replied politely but she didn’t really want to discuss the subject.

"Your mother will be notified within the next few weeks that your brother was definitely killed in action by formal letter from the Army, as will as the rest of the families of the men on the plane."

Amanda nodded, trying to keep her poise, it was still a painful subject for her.

Lee noticed her discomfort. He got up and handed Billy the original package containing their cover. "We better get upstairs and work on the final report for you." Amanda looked relieved by Lee's suggestion. She got up and quickly headed for the door.

"Aren’t you forgetting something, Lee?" Billy asked before they left his office.

Lee looked at him with a blank face. "Not that I know of."

"The rings! Agency issue I believe," Billy reminded him, looking at the wedding bands on their respective fingers.

Lee looked at Amanda, she whispered to him. "It’s your turn to spill the news, I took care of it the last time."

"No, the Agency issued rings are in the package, these are ours." Lee grinned and he opened the door and he and Amanda quickly scurried out of Billy’s office leaving a stunned Billy speechless.

End Part 4

**** ***

Conclusion

Several weeks later Billy called Amanda down to his office.

"Amanda, I had a friend in the Army intercept this for me. I thought you might like to deliver it personally, instead of, well I’ll leave the decision up to you." Billy handed her an envelope. She opened it carefully and read it without saying a word.

"Are you all right, Amanda?" He asked with concern; she had never mentioned the case or the trip to Victoria again.

She looked up at Billy and with as much confidence as she could gather she replied. "Yes, sir, I’m fine. I appreciate you getting this for me. Was there anything else?"

Billy shook his head no and she quietly got up and left his office.

About a half-hour later, Lee came down into Billy’s office. "Where’s Amanda, I thought she was down here with you?"

"She was only here for a few minutes. Didn’t she come back upstairs?"

"No, I’ve been up there waiting for her to go to lunch."

"Oh boy! Maybe I shouldn’t have given her that letter," Billy said uncomfortably.

Lee looked at him with growing concern. "Exactly what letter did you give her?"

Billy sighed. "I had a friend in the Army intercept the letter to Mrs. West in regards to David’s death. I thought she might want to tell her mother instead."

Lee was angry, staring at Billy with a look of shock. "She has barely dealt with that issue herself. Why didn’t you tell me what was going on; she’s my wife for god sakes."

"I’m sorry, Lee, I thought she’d go upstairs and tell you," Billy answered with genuine concern. "She seemed OK with it when she left."

Lee rushed out the door, shaking his head. He headed out of the Agency and to his car. It didn’t take him long to find her. He had a good idea where she would be. She was at ‘The Wall’, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. She was looking for her brother’s name, he knew sooner or later she would go there.

"It’s over here," he said in a hushed tone as he pointed to the black granite panel where Davids’ name was permanently etched.

She looked down at it. Rubbing her fingers carefully across his name, she closed her eyes picturing her brother in her mind. Lee came over and held her tightly to him for support.

"You’ve been here before?" she whispered with surprise in her voice.

"Yeah," Lee confessed.

"I wish you had gotten to know him; he was so special."

"It seems that special runs in the family," Lee answered quietly, brushing back her hair that was blowing in the wind.

"I thought it was time to say goodbye to him," she replied, turning to him, her eyes wet with tears.

"He’ll always be with you, Amanda. He’s your guardian angel," Lee remarked as he pulled her close to him, holding her tightly.

She smiled up at him. "No, I think he sent you for that job."

The END

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