SMK Time: Fall 1987
 

Amanda woke up to find her hands handcuffed behind her back. She wasn't sure where she was; the room was pitched in silent darkness. She hoped that her eyes would soon adjust to the lack of light, but after a few minutes she realized it was futile. Amanda managed to sit up and noted that she was on a squeaky cot. Unfortunately that was all the information the small room would divulge.

Her head was aching and she felt dizzy. She rested her head against the cold cinder block wall, shaking it gently in desperation as she tried to clear it.

"Think, Amanda, think," she whispered harshly to herself. "What do you remember last?"

She bit her lip, trying to remember. It was a few minutes before the fog in her mind would lift enough to reveal the sketchy facts she remembered.

"I was in my car," she murmured quietly. She continued her chain of thought in silence. 'Then… a hand… no, it was a cloth…over my mouth and nose…'

"Oh my gosh!" she groaned, not knowing what exactly she'd gotten herself into or why. "How long have I been here?"

But there wasn't anybody there to answer her questions, just the darkness of the room that inundated her.

She tried stretching her stiff shoulders, her neck cracked loudly. Then she began to move her hands. Her right hand was numb from laying on it. As the circulation slowly returned, the pain of 'pins and needles' came with it. She tried to remain calm, knowing that soon she'd have use of her fingers. She'd need them to open the tumblers on the handcuffs. That would be the first step of freeing herself from wherever she was.

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

Meanwhile...

Lee walked into the lobby of the 'Expo Center' and was surprised by the number of people who had turned out. He glanced at his watch, pleased that he'd made it on time. He knew how important this night was for Jamie and surveyed the room looking for him. After a few moments he saw his lanky young stepson standing against the display of winning photographs. Lee smiled as he walked the short distance to meet him.

"Hey, Lee!" Jamie greeted with a big grin. "You made it."

"I wouldn't miss this for the world," Lee commented to his stepson as he surveyed the photographs on the display wall behind him. He saw Jamie's picture with a large blue ribbon on the bottom of the frame. "So that's the shot that got you all this attention. That's a great photo, Jamie, I can see why it won first place."

"Thanks, Lee. I still can't believe I won," Jamie replied as his grin widened even further. Then he looked around. "So where's Mom?"

Lee glanced around the room and shrugged. "I thought she'd be here by now. We split up this afternoon; I had a late afternoon meeting. I guess she got caught in traffic."

They barely got to chat together before Dotty arrived with Phillip.

"I can't believe the turnout this evening," she commented as she hugged her grandson and straightened his tie. "Sorry we're late, sweetheart. The line to the parking garage went around the block."

"That's OK, Grandma, I think a lot of people are running late tonight," Jamie replied as he scanned the room again looking for his mother.

Dotty scanned the crowded room as well then glanced over at Lee expectantly. "Where's Amanda?"

"I guess she got tied up at the office and got stuck in traffic," Lee presumed.

"I think half of Virginia is here tonight," Dotty nodded in agreement, then turned her attention back to Jamie. "Now, don't be nervous when they hand you your award. Make sure you smile. I want to get a picture of you accepting it."

Jamie rolled his eyes but didn't have the opportunity to reply before there was an announcement over the loud speaker.

"Will all the prize winners please come to the podium?" the master of ceremonies announced. "And the remaining guests please take your seats."

"I think that means you," Lee nodded to Jamie. "We'll catch you later."

Jamie took a deep breath and then headed to the podium. Lee surveyed the room again and looked at his watch. He was becoming rather concerned as to where Amanda was. He caught Dotty staring at him and he smiled weakly, not wanting her to sense something was wrong.

He put his hand gently on her shoulder and suggested gallantly, "Shall we?"

The program ran on for over an hour. Lee had sat on the aisle with a view of the door in the hopes that he could spot Amanda when she arrived, but either he'd missed her entrance or she decided to sit in the back and not interrupt the award presentation.

After the ceremony was over and all the publicity photos had been taken Jamie caught back up with his family.

"Let me see that check," Phillip exclaimed eagerly.

"It's not a check; it's a savings bond," Jamie corrected proudly.

"OK, let me see the savings bond!" Phillip asserted.

Jamie held it out for him to see, beaming with pride.

"My grandson, the photographer," Dotty chattered with delight. "How about we go out for some ice cream and continue this celebration?"

"Sounds good to me, as long as I get to take off this stupid tie," Jamie complained, tugging at the knot in his tie.

"You can take off the tie when you get to the car," Dotty informed him sternly, swatting gently at his fingers.

"I'll have to take a rain check, Dotty, I really should get back to the office," Lee informed his mother-in-law. He tried to hide his growing anxiety regarding Amanda's whereabouts. "Congratulations again, Jamie; we're all very proud of you. I'll see you back at the house later."

"Thanks, Lee," Jamie crowed as they joined the throng and began to exit the exhibition center. Lee used the crowd as a diversion and easily slipped away, glad there was no further mention of where his wife was.

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

The blood was finally circulating through Amanda's hands, giving her fingers back some dexterity. She fumbled at first with the tumblers, trying in vain to get them to open and extricate her hands from the cuffs. Knowing that would be the first step to regain her freedom only made her aching head pound even more. She stopped; allowing her shoulders to relax and again leaned her throbbing head against the wall. Its coolness reduced the pounding.

"OK, Amanda," she encouraged herself. "Just close your eyes… relax…. Pretend you're back in the Q-Bureau and Leatherneck is right there with the keys. You've done this how many times? You can do it. Just take your time."

She followed her own instructions, even closing her eyes in the darkness. It seemed to help her relax enough and within a couple more minutes she felt the tumblers line up and the handcuffs sprang open.

"Good girl," Amanda cheered herself on in relief. She took a deep breath and slowly stood up. The room spun a bit at first and her legs wobbled, causing her to reach out for the wall for support. She then slowly followed the cinder block wall cautiously feeling her way around the room one hand at a time, trying to get a feel for the layout of the darkened cell she was in.

It took several minutes of moving around before she found a change in the wall structure. She assumed it was the door in the small eight by ten chamber she was being held in. Reaching down she searched for the doorknob, feeling its cold metal grasp. She swallowed hard as she gripped it tightly.

"Please turn," she commanded in a whisper, but the handle defied her and refused to budge.

She let out a long slow breath as she gritted her teeth in frustration. She felt each of her sleeves, but neither of them had a half rake. Then she reached for the collar on her blouse and sighed with relief as she felt the lock pick. Her concentration was so astute that she barely noticed the sweat dripping from her brow. Slowly and methodically Amanda worked the half rake down to the edge of the seam.

She wiped her forehead moments before she freed the lock pick from her blouse. The moisture on her shaking hands allowed it to elude her grasp. Amanda listened in dread as the lock pick dropped and bounced on the floor with an exasperating clinking sound.

"Oh my gosh!" she moaned softly in despair as she got down on her hands and knees, desperate to find it.

Suddenly the small cell seemed like a huge void. Amanda's fingers tried to methodically sweep across the tile floor left to right. Her fingers smashed into the wooden leg of the cot.

"OUCH!" she yelled out in pain, and she yanked her hand away as a splinter bit deep into her finger. She leaned her head against the wall in the small cubicle and bit her lip in frustration. She willed back tears, not allowing them to fall. She needed to stay calm and focused. She was a trained agent; she had to treat this situation just like another exercise.

"OK, Amanda, stay calm," she coached herself, then continued on her private conversation. "How far could it have gotten? It's a small room…"

She nodded to herself, feigning confidence, and again began to systematically search for the small lock pick. It seemed like it took forever, but she finally felt the thin metal on the floor and grasped it tightly in her hand. Slowly she stood up, felt for the doorknob and began to work it into the lock.

With her hands shaking it was difficult to get the feel of the lock but she persisted. It seemed like an eternity before she heard the lock 'click'. With her heart pounding loudly, and no weapon to protect her, Amanda slowly turned the knob and began to cautiously open the door. She had no idea what lie on the other side…

End Part 1
 
 
 

Initiations - Part 2

As Lee drove to the Agency he called the house on Maplewood Avenue and then the Q-Bureau hoping to locate his wife. Unfortunately, Amanda didn't answer the phone at either location.

"Maybe she had car trouble?" Lee rationalized out loud. "Her car could have overheated in traffic."

He knew that she would have left a message for him at the Agency if there had been a problem. So he maneuvered his car through the still busy streets of DC and pulled up in front of the Agency.

"Are there any messages for me?" he anxiously asked the receptionist on duty as he bounded in the front door.

"Dr. Mease called regarding the reception Friday night," she replied after checking her message board.

"OK, thanks," he replied with a frown and shook his head as he rushed up the stairs to the Q-Bureau taking them two at a time. He reached their office expecting a note from Amanda, but there wasn't any. He called the house again from the office, wanting to believe that their paths might have crossed, but still there was no answer.

"Damn it, Amanda, where the hell are you?" he cursed loudly as he slammed down the phone.

He headed down to the bullpen. Maybe something was brewing and she didn't have time to leave a note. However, when he reached the bullpen it was surprisingly quiet. He looked around for Billy or Francine but neither of them were there.

"Pretty quiet here tonight," Lee commented to Agent Johnson as he looked around.

"Yeah, it sure has been," Agent Johnson replied with a shrug.

"You haven't seen Amanda by any chance, have you?" Lee asked non-chalantly.

"Your wife walk out on you, Scarecrow?" Johnson teased, but then sensing Lee wasn't up for any good-natured ribbing he replied. "No, I haven't seen her at all tonight."

"Scarecrow," Agent Yashida called out from her desk in the corner. "I thought you knew…"

"Knew what?" Lee asked.

"Amanda's getting 'initiated' tonight," she answered matter-of-factly.

"What?!" he snapped loudly, extremely agitated.

"They're initiating her," she repeated.

"Exactly who is 'they'?" Lee demanded with fury.

"Scarecrow, calm down," Agent Yashida responded defensively. "It wasn't my idea and I'm not participating, so don't shoot the messenger."

"Just tell me who and where," Lee snapped.

"Francine and a few others agents. My guess is they've got her down on detention level now. I overheard them talking about it just after shift change…." Yashida began to explain nervously.

Lee flew out the bullpen doors and darted for the elevators. He waited impatiently for the elevator doors to close and suffered the interminable slow, long ride, seething with anger.

"Initiating her!" he fumed through his gritted teeth. "I'm going to kill Francine! Amanda's not some 22-year-old green agent that you can take out afterwards and get drunk…"

When the elevator door finally opened on the detention level Lee strode down the hall with a vengeance. He threw opened the door to the first of eight holding cells. Each of them had an outside lobby where the subject could be observed unobtrusively by special cameras. It wasn't until he reached the end of the hall that he found Francine and several other agents in the anteroom.

As Lee burst into the room they all turned, surprised by the sudden noise. At the very same moment the door to the holding cell opened cautiously.

Francine turned back to a nearly blinded Amanda and called out to her. "Not bad, Amanda, for a rookie."

Amanda squinted as her body pulsed with adrenaline. "Francine?" she stuttered as her eyes slowly adjusted to the light.

The other agents clapped and whistled, but Amanda wasn't laughing and neither was Lee.

"Are you all right?" Lee asked with concern, frowning at Francine and the agents who participated.

Amanda's head snapped over to the outer door where Lee was standing. She hadn't noticed him at first, and hadn't realized that he had just walked in.

"I can't believe you were in on this, too!" Amanda croaked out, hurt apparent in her voice. She swallowed hard as her emotions crashed down on her, but not wanting to break down in front of the other agents she rushed from the room, pushing Lee aside.

"Amanda!" Lee yelled after her. Then he glared over his shoulder at Francine and the other agents who had gathered for the 'Initiation'. They were no longer laughing. "I thought that Billy had been rather clear that 'Initiations' were no longer tolerated, or do you need somebody to decode your memos?"

With that said, he turned and ran after his wife. He hoped to catch her at the elevator, but as he reached it, the door closed…

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

As Amanda drove home, she began to calm down. The clock on her cars' dashboard told her what she already knew… that she'd missed Jamie's award presentation. She knew her mother would harangue her for that, and rightly so. This wasn't the first time, and recently she'd been missing both Phillip and Jamie's events on a regular basis. The Agency seemed to always be at the forefront of her life.

Her mother was in the kitchen when she got in, so she knew slipping past her would be impossible.

"Hello, Mother, where's Jamie?" Amanda asked directly, hoping to avoid the inevitable line of questioning.

Dotty shook her head at her daughter reprovingly. "Didn't you forget something tonight?"

"No, Mother, I didn't forget Jamie's award presentation. I got tied up at the office and couldn't get away," she answered simply, not wanting to get into an argument. "Where's Jamie?"

Dotty nodded her head. "He's upstairs getting ready for bed…"

Amanda didn't wait for further debate. She turned and went up the stairs to apologize to her son. A few moments later she knocked on the boys' door.

"Come in," they called out in unison.

"Hi, fellas," she greeted, then looked over at Phillip. "Could you give us a moment alone, Sweetheart?"

"Sure, Mom," Phillip replied and ducked out of the room.

Jamie continued to hang his suit in the closet and didn't look up at his mother.

"Jamie, I'm really sorry about missing your award presentation this evening," she said with a guilt-wracked voice. She patted the bed as she sat down.

Jamie reluctantly sat on the edge of the bed.

"I really wanted to be there tonight," she continued him in a soft voice.

"But you got busy at work," he said finishing her sentence for her. He shook his head in disgust. "I can't believe you missed tonight. You promised. Even Lee made it on time."

"Lee made it," she asked, swallowing hard.

"Uh huh," he answered with a nod.

Amanda let out a heavy sigh. That information confirmed that her husband hadn't been a part of the hazing she just endured. She scooted over on the bed and wrapped her arms around her youngest son.

"Jamie, I know how empty the words 'I'm sorry' sound. I wish there was some way to make it up to you."

"After you and Lee got married, I thought you'd be around more. But now I realize it wasn't Lee's fault that you were never here," he replied somberly.

Amanda winced at the harshness of his tone.

"You're right, Jamie, it wasn't Lee's fault. My job is important, you boys know that, but you and Phillip are the most important people in my life," she reiterated, but knew how inadequate the words sounded.

"Yeah, right," Jamie mumbled, less than convinced and pulled away.

"Jamie, I know you're angry with me, and you have every right to be," she consoled. "But don't ever think that you're not more important than my job."

He stood up and silently went over to his dresser, picking up his savings bond again and tucking it safely into his dresser drawer. Amanda watched him. Then he picked up his plaque. His fingers carefully tracing over his name etched in the metal. Her heart tugged heavily.

"Pretty impressive plaque," Amanda remarked with a lump in her throat, trying desperately to reach her son. "How about we take it downstairs and hang it up?"

"Tonight?" Jamie queried with reserved excitement.

Amanda noted the change in his tone.

"Yeah, I think we should have an awards ceremony of our own. What do you say?" she asked hopefully. "And tomorrow night, we're going out to dinner to celebrate your award properly."

"You mean it?" he inquired as his eyes lit up.

"You bet I do," she replied with enthusiasm. "Anywhere you want!"

"Anywhere, huh?" Jamie quizzed. "I'd like that!"

Amanda stood up and reached out putting her arm across her son's shoulders and together they walked downstairs.

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

Amanda and Lee sat on separate couches and watched in relief as Dotty finally retreated upstairs to bed after the impromptu award ceremony and plaque hanging. Amanda stared silently at Jamie's plaque that now hung above the mantel.

Lee had wanted to talk to his wife since he had gotten home, but didn't want to interrupt the ceremony. Amanda had given him clear signals that the issue was off limits until they were in private.

"You OK?" Lee queried awkwardly as he finally heard his mother-in-law's door close upstairs. He still wasn't sure if he was on solid footings yet.

She shrugged and sighed non-committally. "Yeah."

"Now that wasn't very convincing," Lee remarked, sighing heavily as well. He stood up and joined her on the other couch. "Amanda, I swear to you I had no idea that anyone was going to 'Initiate' you."

"You mean they actually have a name for what they did to me tonight?" she remarked, a little louder than she wanted to.

"Well, unofficially, of course," Lee swallowed hard.

"So how come I never heard of this before? I can't remember anyone else ever being 'Initiated'. You could have warned me," she admonished him.

"It used to be one of the old rituals - to sort of welcome new agents into the fold. They'd snag them, knock them out with something, then throw them in the holding cell and when they finally managed to get out, they'd get them drunk. It was discontinued back in the late 70's, and officially banned a few years after that when one of the agents died after inhaling chloroform."

"Ah! Chloroform, that explains my headache," she grumbled as her hand gently rubbed her still aching temple. "So why me? And why tonight of all nights?" she complained with a mix of frustration and anger.

"I'm sure Francine had no idea about the award presentation. She'd never intentionally do that. I guess that's her way of telling you she thinks of you as a qualified agent. You should take it as a compliment," Lee suggested half-heartedly.

"A compliment?" Amanda exclaimed furiously. "I was chloroformed in a parking garage and locked in a pitch black holding cell when I should have been celebrating with my son."

"Shh, Amanda, the boys are going to hear you," Lee warned.

"I really don't care!" she fumed. "Do you know what it's like to look in your sons face and apologize for the umpteenth time that you've missed another milestone in his life? And for what, a stupid hazing? It's bad enough when it's real Agency business and national security interferes…"

"Amanda, settle down," Lee cautioned again as he glanced over his shoulder to the stairs.

"Do you have any idea what I was thinking when I woke up locked in that cell in the dark?" she objected with an angry tone, ignoring his warnings.

"Yes, I can imagine what was going through your head. Probably the same thing that was going through mine when I was at the 'Expo Center' waiting for you," he reminded her, but his voice was carrying upstairs as well. "But yelling isn't going to change anything, so just calm down!"

Amanda didn't get a chance to respond.

"Mom, Lee, is everything all right?" Phillip and Jamie asked nervously as they peeked into the family room, concerned about the tone and volume of their voices.

"Yes, fellas, everything's fine. I'm sorry I yelled," Amanda replied, regretting that she hadn't heeded Lee's warning.

"Did you get arrested tonight, Mom?" Phillip asked as he tried to piece together parts of the conversation he just overheard. "Is that why you were late?"

Phillip and Jamie stood at the step near the family room with a mixture of intrigue and worry on their faces. Amanda swallowed hard trying to figure her way out of the tantrum she'd just thrown.

"No," she said shaking her head. How could she explain it to the boys? After a moments'

thought she resorted to the truth. "Have you ever heard the word 'hazing' before?"

Jamie nodded. "Yeah, it's what fraternity guys do to the new pledges."

"Exactly," Amanda nodded. "Well, now that I'm full time at IFF and finished all of my training, some of the agents decided that it was time for me to be 'Initiated' or hazed. So they locked me in a holding cell and I had to get out without a key."

"WOW!" Phillip remarked. "That must have been cool."

"No, it wasn't," Amanda grimaced. "Because of their 'joke' I missed a very important night for your brother."

"Ah, it wasn't that big a deal, Mom," Jamie answered, suddenly feeling awkward for the way he treated his mother earlier. "Besides, Grandma took a zillion pictures."

"It was to me, sweetheart, and I really am sorry," she reminded him. "But it's late and you both have school in the morning. So back to bed, both of you…"

They both watched as the boys headed up to bed.

"The truth, what an interesting concept!" Lee jested with his wife.

Amanda shrugged. "They're getting to old for lies and maybe the truth will make them think when they're in college pledging for a fraternity."

"It didn't seem to help Francine any," Lee reminded her.

"Francine!" Amanda cringed at the sound of her name.

"When Billy finds out about tonight, he'll probably suspend her for a few days," he advised.

"Well, he won't hear it from me. Besides, she deserves more than a suspension," Amanda remarked. "She deserves a taste of her own medicine."

"Well, depending on what you have in mind," Lee chuckled and nodded his head. "We

might be able to get Billy to turn the other cheek."

"I was only kidding," Amanda answered.

"I wasn't. I think it's about time we turn the tables on her," he replied as he looked at his wife who looked less than thrilled about the idea. "How about we sleep on the idea?"

"Now, that's the best idea I've heard all night. Shall we?" she asked as she reached over for her husband's hand and stood up.

Lee stood up as well and together they walked over to the stairs began their ascent and flicked out the lights downstairs…

End Part 2
 
 
 
 
 
 

INITIATIONS - Part 3
 

Lee and Amanda arrived at the Agency after handling some morning fieldwork.

"Mr. Melrose was looking for you earlier," Mrs. Marston advised them as she gave them both their badges.

"Thanks, Mrs. Marston," Amanda answered as she looked at Lee. "You want to go down and see what he wants?"

"We can call his office and see if he's still in," Lee replied as he glanced at his watch, not knowing what his supervisor's schedule was.

Amanda nodded. They headed up the stairs to the Q-Bureau and got settled in. Just as Lee picked up the phone, Billy knocked at the door and came in.

"I'm glad you're both here; I wanted to talk to you privately," Billy stated as he locked the door behind him.

"What's up, Billy?" Lee asked curiously as he put the receiver back in its cradle.

"I've heard a lot of scuttlebutt this morning and to be honest I'm hoping it's just another rumor, but I have my doubts," Billy replied tersely. He turned to look directly at Amanda asking her bluntly. "Amanda, we're you the victim of an 'Initiation' last night?"

She sighed heavily before replying. "Yes, sir."

"Why didn't you come to me about this - first thing this morning?" Billy inquired harshly. "I won't tolerate initiations, hazings or any other kind of indoctrinations in my section."

"Sir, we've been in the field most of the morning," she replied softly. "Not to mention I really don't want to get anyone suspended."

Billy glared over at Lee. "Did you have any prior knowledge of this, Scarecrow?"

"Of course not!" Lee snapped back indignantly. "As soon as I found out about it, I went downstairs to stop it, but Amanda was already out of the detention cell when I got there."

"So whose foolish idea was this?" Billy demanded, quite annoyed. He looked first at Amanda and then over to Lee, but neither of them spoke. They both looked down at their desks in silence. "I want a name, Amanda," he insisted.

"Sir, I'd really rather not say," she replied. "I came into the Agency through the back door and it's taken me a long time to gain the respect of the other agents around here. Giving you a name could very easily undermine the foundation and rapport that I've worked so hard on developing."

"Amanda, I have a pretty good idea who was behind this already, and it's easier if you tell me now. If anyone higher up gets wind of this, I might have to turn this investigation over to Internal Affairs and we both know how messy that can be," he reminded her.

"Sir, couldn't we please just let this drop?" she suggested.

"Amanda, I applaud you in taking the 'high road' so to speak, but several years ago an agent died after an 'Initiation'. If I don't nip this thing in the bud now somebody else could get hurt."

"Billy, what if we handled things - unofficially?" Lee interjected as he raised his eyebrow.

"That's all I need, Scarecrow!" Billy snapped back. "I don't want to set off a series of practical jokes. They'll get out of hand…"

"I understand," Lee interrupted quickly, pausing for a second. "What if you were to hand select a few 'special assignments'. What better punishment than giving a low-level, grunt work assignment to a senior agent? That way nobody gets an official reprimand in the file, no suspensions, but a clear warning after the assignment is over?"

"You know, Scarecrow, you really are management material," Billy chuckled as a grin widened across his face.

Lee glanced over to Amanda, then asked Billy for reassurance. "If we do give you a name, you'll promise us there will be no suspension or black mark on this agent's permanent record?"

"You have my word," Billy pledged, but he could see that Amanda was still uncomfortable informing on her fellow agent. Finally he suggested the agent's name. "It was Francine wasn't it?"

Amanda nodded in silence...

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

As the end of the week neared Billy called his agents into the conference room to go over the details of an upcoming reception.

"All right, people, settle down," Billy remarked as he entered the conference room and opened his daily planner. "I've just spoken with Dr. Mease's secretary; he's received another threatening letter in this morning's mail. That's the second one this week as well as the phone threats he's received both at home and at his office."

"So are they going to cancel the reception for tomorrow night?" Francine inquired.

"As much as I would like to see him cancel, the University doesn't want to yield to the threats," Billy confided. "So despite my strong recommendation, the reception is going on as planned. We're adding additional security as a precaution."

"No offense, Billy," Lee remarked with concern. "But I've seen the guest list. Mark Mease is the Director of Laser Technology for one of the largest universities in the area. The guest list is a mixture of who's who in the world of medical laser research on both sides of the Iron Curtain. There's no way we can be certain we're not inviting the terrorist to dinner."

"I realize that, Scarecrow, but we'll have our agents in every conceivable position, from lawn maintenance, food preparation and servers, to guests. You all have your assignments. We'll be as secure as we can be. We need to be on the top of our game tomorrow night," Billy replied with frustrated skepticism. "Lee, Agent Bryson is supervising things out at the Mease house. I need you and Amanda to go over to Dr. Mease's office and check out the latest letter."

"You got it," Lee answered.

"As for the rest of you, keep working the streets and see if anyone can come up with a more substantial lead than we have now," Billy replied as he closed his day planner.

The agents groaned at the idea, but none of them specifically commented. Billy looked around the room one more time before closing the meeting.

"Let's hit the streets hard, people," Billy encouraged.

As Billy stood up, Francine hurried after him, following him towards his office. Lee reached for Amanda's arm and nodded towards Francine.

"I wonder who got assigned to the service detail?" Lee surmised with a grin.

Amanda chuckled, covering her mouth with her hand to muffle the sound. Then she whispered to him. "Remember when Francine and I worked for 'Private Parties'? She tried to bribe me to clean the toilet for her!"

Lee and Amanda stood at the door to the conference room and listened as the scene played out in front of them…

"Billy," Francine called out anxiously, obviously upset.

"What is it, Francine?" Billy asked as he reached for his office door.

"My assignment," she complained, as she held the file up in her hand. "I just purchased a new designer gown for this reception, but I've been assigned as a cocktail waitress! Surely that's a mistake?"

"Francine, not everyone can go undercover as a guest. Just be glad you weren't assigned to lawn maintenance. They have several acres out there that needs pruning and weeding before tomorrow night's party," he explained curtly.

"But certainly my skills could be put to better use…" she continued her objection.

"Francine, I don't have the time to argue with you. I'm sure you'll be able to wear your new gown at something else in the next few months. Now if you'll excuse me, I have more pressing matters to attend to," Billy casually remarked as he tried to hide his grin.

Francine stomped out of the bullpen and Billy looked over his shoulder and winked at Lee and Amanda.

*** *** ***

Lee and Amanda spoke with Dr. Mease's secretary at the university and then headed out to his house in the Maryland suburbs later that afternoon. They drove up to a wooded estate to find the various people working on the lawn and gardens.

"Wow!" Amanda remarked quietly as they drove up the long driveway. "Not bad for a university professor."

"His wife's a corporate lawyer, so my guess is that's where the money comes from," Lee explained as they parked in front of the house and admired the rolling landscaping around them. "Come on, we need to fill Bryson in on the latest developments."

They walked up to the front of the house, meeting with Agent Bryson and advising him of the latest threatening letter.

"Great, so despite all our intelligence, we still don't know who's behind this!" Agent Bryson complained, shaking his head. "I don't suppose anyone's thought about canceling the reception for tomorrow night?"

"Billy suggested it," Lee answered ruefully. "But the university vetoed that idea rather quickly. I tried to talk with Doctor Mease, but he was off campus when we got there. I don't suppose the lady of the house is home?"

"Sorry, Scarecrow, she won't be back until later this evening. Other than Agency staff, the only people here are the service staff: the cook, a housekeeper, the nanny and of course the Mease's children," Agent Bryson answered.

"We're just going to take a look around," Lee explained as Agent Bryson let them into the house.

"Smells wonderful in here. I don't suppose the cook planned tomorrow nights menu," Amanda commented as they were greeted with a delectable aroma when they walked in.

"I doubt that. I'm sure it's catered. Despite the opulence of the house, I don't think their kitchen could handle a dinner that size," Lee commented as they both glanced around the foyer at the majestic interior of the house. "Why don't you take a look upstairs and I'll see if I can find anything interesting down here? I'll catch up with you in a few minutes."

"What am I looking for?" she asked as she walked towards the stairway.

Lee shrugged.

"I know," Amanda answered for him, shaking her head. "I'll know it when I see it."

Lee winked at his wife as she ascended the stairs and he headed towards the kitchen.

A while later, Amanda came out of the nursery and spotted Lee coming up the stairs to find her.

"I'm glad to hear the commotion quiet down," Lee remarked as he reached the top of the stairs. "I've been to quieter day care centers. How many kids are in there?"

"Three," Amanda began. "The nanny was on the phone in the other room and the twin girls were crying, which woke up the baby…"

Lee held up his hands, not wanting further details. "Never mind, I'm just glad it stopped. Did you find anything?"

"No, not really," she replied unconvincingly as they headed down the stairs together.

"No, or not really?" Lee asked as they crossed the foyer and walked out of the house, nodding to Agent Bryson as they left.

"The nanny seemed a bit preoccupied on the phone. She didn't even hang up when the children were crying," Amanda pondered, concern obvious in her voice. "She only hung up after she heard me pick up the baby and quieted him down. I would've liked to know what was so important that she didn't check on the children. Unfortunately, I couldn't hear what she was talking about over all that wailing."

"Maybe she was talking to Mrs. Mease or something?" Lee suggested.

"I don't know, Lee, when she finally did come into the room she seemed less than comfortable with the children. Didn't even offer to take the baby from me. I put him back into his crib once he settled down," she continued, her dislike on the nanny clear.

"OK, so they've got a lousy nanny," he concluded with a shrug. "Anything else?"

"No, that was it. How about you?" she asked.

"Things appeared to be in good shape downstairs. Let's call it a day," he replied with a heavy sigh.

"What about double checking the nanny's credentials?" Amanda persisted.

Lee looked at his wife noting the concerned look on her face, then glanced at his watch. "Yeah, I guess a quick look wouldn't hurt."

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

Lee handed Amanda the file on the Mease reception when they reached the Q-Bureau. Amanda thumbed through it and pulled out the information regarding the nanny. She sat down at her desk and quietly read through several pages. Then she flipped back to one of the first pages.

"I think we have a problem," she remarked thoughtfully as she looked up at her husband.

"What's that?" he asked, intrigued.

"Well, according to the paperwork from the nanny service, the nanny they sent over was born in 1940," she explained.

"Yeah," Lee replied with a shrug.

"But according to the information the Agency pulled up on her social security number, she was born in 1949," she replied as she showed Lee the two clearly different birth dates on the two different forms.

"Could have been a typographical error," he suggested.

"On both the month and the year? I don't think so, Lee. Besides, I met the woman; she appeared to be my age, but look at this resume. According to the nanny service, this woman held her first nanny position in 1962," Amanda remarked as she calculated the dates in her head. "The woman I met earlier today would have barely been a teenager in 1962."

"And not too many people employ thirteen year olds to be nannies!" Lee finished her sentence for her and then kissed her. "Sounds like we may have found our problem."

"Another late night," Amanda sighed as she glanced at the time.

"Who did the background check on the nanny?" Lee corrected as he looked at the agent's signature on the bottom of the file. "Carlos did the background check. I'll call Billy and he can get Carlos to take care of his own blunders. Tonight we're taking Jamie out to celebrate."

Amanda nodded and grinned at that idea. "I'll call the house and tell them we'll be there in a few minutes…"

End Part 3
 
 
 
 
 

INITIATIONS - Part 4 (Conclusion)
 

Lee and Amanda arrived at the Mease's reception as scheduled the following evening. Lee looked dashing in his tuxedo and Amanda radiated in an emerald green gown with an emerald pendant gracing her neckline. It was a pleasant autumn evening and many of the guests had congregated outside underneath the large tent. Amanda and Lee circulated around and ended up relaxing on the patio watching the last of the crimson sky give way to the night.

"I haven't seen Francine this evening," Amanda remarked casually as she sipped at a glass of champagne. "I don't suppose Billy let her weasel her way out of the assignment."

"I doubt that," Lee replied, shaking his head. "Billy was pretty ticked off at what she did. Francine knows better."

Just then, Billy joined them with Dr. and Mrs. Mease.

"Dr. Mease, I think you've met Lee Stetson, but I'd like you to meet his wife and fellow agent, Amanda Stetson," Billy introduced them to each other.

Dr. Mease shook Lee's hand, then took Amanda's hand in his and kissed the back of it gently.

"It's a pleasure to finally get to meet you, Amanda. I'm sorry I wasn't available yesterday, but my schedule has been extremely full. I'd like you to meet my wife, Patricia," Dr. Mease said with loving eyes.

"Are these the two agents who uncovered the nanny's plot?" she asked.

"Yes," Billy added quickly with a bright grin.

"We're both very grateful to you. Our children mean so much to us. To think the problem has been living with us over the past two months," Patricia shuddered at the thought.

"I can understand your concern, Mrs. Mease. We have two children at home ourselves," Amanda replied sympathetically.

"Please, call me Patricia," she answered kindly. "We both thank God you figured it out in time. Now Mark can go on with his research and hopefully do some good in this world."

"We'd all be pleased by that," Lee replied.

"I wish we had more time to chat with you both," Dr. Mease replied, "But we have a lot of guests we haven't greeted yet. Please, enjoy the evening, and thank you both again."

"You're welcome," Amanda and Lee chimed together as their gracious hosts headed back into their house.

"You both really did a great job. Now Dr. Mease won't be distracted by threats and can get on with his research," Billy reiterated with a mixture of relief and pride.

"So, Billy, we haven't seen Francine around this evening," Lee questioned curiously. "She didn't worm her way out of her duties this evening did she?"

Billy chuckled. "Ah, you haven't heard?"

Lee and Amanda looked at each other and shrugged to Billy.

"When they arrested the nanny this morning, the nanny service didn't have anyone who could meet our stringent security guidelines until next week," Billy began to explain.

"You're not suggesting…" Amanda started to ask in astonishment.

Billy was nodding his head. "Yep, Francine Desmond, is now Nanny Desmond!"

"This I've got to see!" Lee remarked as he tugged on Amanda's hand and began walking into the house.

Billy laughed as he followed them through the house and up the stairs to the nursery.

Amanda cautiously opened the door to find a frazzled Francine, whose blouse was wet with dribble, baby powder smattered on her face and hair, and generally looked like she was in the losing end of a combat zone.

"Oh, Amanda, I knew you'd come to help me!" Francine praised happily. "You're so much more qualified for this than I am."

"Ah, sorry, Francine," she answered, trying hard to suppress a laugh. "But I'm working the security detail with Lee tonight. We just wanted to stop in and see how you were… doing."

"But, but, Amanda, you were the mother of the year!" she cried out in desperation.

"Actually, Francine, I lost that contest due to circumstances beyond my control," Amanda explained rather calmly. "But you seem to be… managing. Although you might want to try using the baby powder on the baby's behind. It doesn't do much for your hair!"

"What?" she asked blankly, looking about the room for a mirror. She finally bent down to the children's play makeup station, peered into it, and exclaimed, mortified at the sight. "Oh my gosh!"

Billy, Lee and Amanda howled in laughter at her use of that expression, and Francine turned beet red in exasperation.

"Have a good night, Francine," Lee teased as he and Amanda backed out of the nursery quickly. "Motherhood really becomes you!"

Billy tried to cover his grin as he watched Lee and Amanda leave the room.

"Billy, you've got to find somebody who's more qualified for this assignment!" Francine pleaded as the two little girls danced around Francine's legs tugging and clutching at her torn pantyhose.

"Francine, consider this your official 'Initiation' to the job of motherhood!" Billy replied as he emphasized the word 'Initiation'.

Francine swallowed hard, the dawning of why she was subjected to this torture finally very apparent.

"You, you, um, found out about that?" Francine stammered. "Amanda…"

"No, Amanda never said a word," Billy quickly corrected her before he continued his lecture. "You can thank the usual office grapevine for spilling the beans. If it hadn't been for Amanda's insistence, you would've been suspended. She made me promise that there would be no mention of this in your permanent record."

"Billy, I was just…" Francine stuttered, but Billy interrupted her.

"I don't want to hear it. I'm really disappointed in you, Francine. Consider yourself lucky that your service record remains unblemished. Unless, of course, you'd rather take a three day unpaid suspension?"

Francine swallowed hard and replied meekly. "No, sir."

"Fine, then consider yourself warned that if anything like this happens again, it WILL show up on your permanent record," Billy rebuked angrily, then he sniffed the air in the room and looked at Francine with a serious face. "I think you may want to check the children's diapers again. I think one of them might need to be… changed."

The look of dread on Francine's face was more than Billy could take without laughing out loud, so he too, backed out of the room.

"I feel really bad," Amanda confessed to Billy and Lee as the three of them chatted quietly in the upstairs hallway. "She's totally in the dark; she doesn't have a clue of what she's doing. Maybe I should go in there and help her."

"Leave her be, Amanda, and that's an order! A little taste of her own medicine might bring Francine down to earth for a while," Billy remarked.

"But, sir, a whole evening with three very young children can be quite an ordeal," Amanda reminded him knowingly.

"And chloroforming you the other night and locking you in a detention cell wasn't?" Billy asked her quickly. "I offered her a three day suspension. She chose her medicine; she'll survive the evening," Billy answered.

"I just hope the children survive!" Amanda laughed as the three of them walked down the stairs and rejoined the reception.

The end

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