***Disclaimer: Believe it or not, I don't own any rights to Scarecrow and Mrs. King (although....) they belong to a bunch of really smart people who probably don't want to sell. I didn't intend any infringement, just fun. Though I don't own the characters (except those I created myself and I'll sue the pants of you if you use them (just kidding)), I would like to keep the rights to this story. It is an original creation, but if you want to use it on your webpage...great! Just e me first. Or second.

This takes place a bit after "The Wrong Way Home," Lee and Amanda are close, but not that close.

Author: MargravineMaKaM ([email protected])

Title: Quoth the Raven...

Rated: PG (I guess, no sex, sorry)

Written: March-April 2000

*****

Jeff Connors, the incredibly nervous, newly appointed leader of the organization, looked at the agent sitting in front of his desk. "I want you to spend a few weeks at this public school, learning how to be a teenager again."

The agent cocked an eyebrow at him and asked simply, "Why?"

"Though you are new to the agency, we want you to be the next Raven."

"Raven?" the agent gasped shocked. This was completely unexpected.

"Yes, you will be Ambassador's assigned to the family, especially his daughter. You will go to her school and follow her, keeping your identity a secret. Understand?"

"Of course."

*****

"Hey, batter, batter, batter! Hey, batter, batter, batter!" Jamie King chanted from the outfield. Amanda King stood poised, bat behind her ear, eyes narrowed, waiting for the pitch. Quickly glancing over his shoulder to check first, Phillip King wound up for the pitch. With as much force as he could, he threw the ball. Amanda tensed, waiting, waiting, until...crack! The bat hit the ball dead on. Mouths opening in awe, the King boys watched as the baseball flew over the neighbor's fence. Home run. Unbelievable. With a whoop of delight, Amanda dropped the bat and started to circle the bases.

"Gosh, mom," Jamie said as Amanda tagged first, an old rag on the lawn, "you should be on the team. We'd never lose with a swing like that."

"All you need is practice!" Amanda said rounding second, which just happened to be a pot of Dotty's favorite pansies.

"Amanda!" Dotty called from the kitchen. Amanda felt guilty, thinking her mother had seen their theft of her flowers. Her mother's next words, however, assured her she was safe for now, "Mr. Melrose is on the phone for you. He says it's urgent."

"Let me just tag home, Mother!" Amanda called back, touching third, Jamie's bicycle.

"Amanda," Dotty reproved her, "I can't tell your boss you can't come because you have to tag home."

"All right, Mother," Amanda groaned, bypassing home and heading into the house.

"Yeah!" Jamie and Phillip cried. "Forfeit! We win the game!" The boys began their victory dance, knocking over the pansies in the process.

Amanda sighed, thinking about her mother's certain wrath, and entered the house. She walked over to the phone, brushing her hands off on her pants before answering, "Hello, sir. What can I do for you?"

"Amanda," Billy said, "I hope I didn't call at a bad time?"

"No, sir. I was only just about to tag home for the game winning run."

"Sorry about that," Billy apologized, "but could you come to the office immediately? Something very serious has come up."

"Serious, sir? What?" Amanda could practically see her mother's ears prick up, even though Dotty pretended to continue to wash the dishes, Amanda knew she was listening intently.

"I'm sorry, I can't say anything more on the phone."

"All right, sir, I'll be there in a little bit."

"Thank you, Amanda," Billy said and hung up the phone.

"They call you in again?" Dotty asked frowning at her daughter.

"Yes."

"Why?" Dishes forgotten, Dotty put her sudsy hands on her hips, not even noticing what she had done.

"Mr. Melrose didn't say, but I'm sure it's important." Amanda washed her hands and ran them through her hair, trying to manage the wind tossed mass.

Her mother quickly wiped her hands off on the towel on the counter and faced her daughter. "Important enough to call you in to work on your day off? Amanda, they take advantage of you," Dotty said, brushing down a stray hair on her daughter's head.

"No they don't, Mother," Amanda denied, leaving the kitchen.

Dotty followed not dropping the subject. "Yes, they do. You just can't see it. You need to tell your bosses that you have a life, and you can't be called away from it whenever they tell you they need you. It's not as though the future of the nation rests on your job skills."

Amanda's eyes widened at her mother's inadvertent stumbling on the truth. "Mother, I don't mind. I like to contribute," Amanda said as she grabbed her coat out of the front hall closet.

"Are you going in like that?" Dotty asked pointing to Amanda's ancient Boomer's shirt and muddy jeans.

"Oops," she said, quickly running up the stairs. She could go to the office casually, but not that casually.

"That girl doesn't know how to say no," Dotty muttered to herself. "She'd probably jump on a train if a stranger walked up told her to."

Amanda came down the stairs in a more presentable and straightened up. "See you later, don't wait up. I don't know how long this will take!" Amanda called walking out the door. "Duty calls!"

"You'd better call to let us know what time you're coming home!" Dotty yelled after her daughter. "I'm going to have to teach her how to say no when she comes back." With a sigh over the fate of her daughter, Dotty went back to the dishes.

*****

"Stetson! In my office. Now," Billy Melrose ordered from his doorway. "Mrs. King would you join us as well," he said more politely seeing Amanda enter the Bullpen.

Scarecrow and Mrs. King looked curiously at each other. Though they tried to deny it, even to themselves, they were the best team in the entire IFF.

"So what's this about, Billy?" Lee asked as he closed the door. "I was working on the Reynolds investigation, and I know Amanda has the day off. Are you sure this couldn't wait until tomorrow?" Lee unconsciously held out one of the seats in front of the desk for Amanda, who looked questioningly at her boss as she took the proffered seat.

"No this couldn't wait!" Billy Melrose almost shouted. "Raven has gone rogue," was the terse and cryptic codicil.

Lee's eyes widened at this bombshell. He began to pace, running his fingers through his hair. Amanda just sat there looking bewildered—she had no clue as to what was happening.

"When?" Lee gasped.

"As far as we know, this morning, early," Billy replied looking just as worried as Scarecrow.

Amanda gathered her courage and asked, "Who is Raven?"

The two men didn't hear her; they were so wrapped up in the calamity.

"Why? Raven? Why?!" Lee asked, obviously trying to put the pieces together in his mind still unable to believe it.

"We don't know. Last report was normal. Raven checked in right on time yesterday. Today, Raven-"

"Sir!" Amanda interrupted. "Who is Raven?"

"Sorry, Amanda," Billy replied, "I forgot you didn't know who, or rather what Raven is."

"Amanda," Lee began, "Raven is not a person; it's a position. Raven is an agent specially trained to guard vulnerable foreign Ambassadors and their families. Especially the ones that are in very...touchy...positions. Over the years there have been a dozen Ravens—they have been FBI, CIA, NSA, and even from this department. They have also been civilians. Nobody but the head of the FBI knows who Raven really is. It's one the most secret positions in the entire nation."

"And now," Billy continued, "Raven has disappeared. And we want to know why." Billy looked around nervously, checking to be sure that his office was secure. Seeing the blinds open, he went over and closed them. Before they shut entirely, Amanda caught a peek of Francine's very interested face. Confident of the security, Billy turned back to the two sitting in front of his desk. "Lee is right about everything but one thing: the head of the FBI isn't the only one who knows Raven's true identity. I also know it."

"If you know who it is, why don't you put an APB out on him and bring him in?" Lee asked.

"Dammit, Scarecrow! It just isn't that easy," Billy said, looking scared for the first time. "Raven was assigned to the Rayinish Ambassador. When Raven disappeared, it wasn't alone!"

"No..." Lee breathed, "Not the Ambass—"

"No," Billy interrupted, "Not him. His daughter."

The initial relief that the Ambassador wasn't in danger faded as it became obvious to Scarecrow just what was at stake here. Wars were started over smaller things. Amanda, however, was looking more and more confused. "Sir," she asked. "What is it you want us to do?"

"I want you to find Raven. The FBI handed this one over to me, and I am handing it over to you two. Don't mess up. The security of more than one nation is at stake." He crossed behind his desk and picked up one of the files sitting on it. "Here," he said, handing the folder to Lee, "this is all the information we have."

Lee opened the folder and began rifling through it. "Billy, this is all the usual mumbo-jumbo: 'Agent failed to report in, subject missing, all attempts to reestablish communication—failed.'" He raised his eyebrow at his diminutive boss. "What really happened?"

"All I know Lee is that Raven was new to the job, less than two months out in the field. The last Raven stepped down when this new assignment appeared. He just wasn't suited as well for it. Several months ago, the Rayinish Ambassador began receiving threatening letters, saying that if he didn't step down immediately certain terrorist acts would be committed.

"Rayinish?" Amanda asked.

"Rayin is a recently formed country. Their beginnings haven't been very peaceful. There has been a lot of violence there. Besides this, the country hasn't made a choice between Democratic and Communist governments. The Ambassador is in Washington to try to get aid in exchange for democracy. The country is almost bankrupt, but in a very strategic location. The climate over in Rayin has been unstable for the country's entire history. A few more terrorist acts of sufficient force could push the country into an all out war. It could even drag other countries in. We could be looking at a possible World War III. The Russians would back the Communist faction; the U.S. the democratic. The Ambassador and his family threatened, especially his daughter. She was the most vulnerable party. Two months ago, that was made very clear. Somebody made a grab for Judy Morgane in broad daylight. The FBI decided to put Raven on the case. Raven was supposed to infiltrate the private school the Ambassador's daughter attends and keep a discrete eye on her. Everything was going as planned until yesterday. Raven didn't check in and Judy disappeared from the lady's room at school. So far the press hasn't gotten wind of the story and it's up to you two to see that this is resolved before they can even opened their mouths. The Ambassador's credibility cannot be put on the line. Find Raven."

"Billy," Lee said, noticing an omission in the report, "there isn't a picture in here. How are we supposed to know what Raven looks like?" He tapped the papers impatiently.

"Scarecrow, we don't go around handing out pictures of our most secret operatives. Besides, Raven isn't the only thing at stake here. Our intelligence has informed us that Rayin agent Ten entered the country at the same time the Ambassador did. Ten may be behind this."

"Who is Ten?"

"Ten is the most notorious Rayinish agent."

"What side of the government is Ten on?" Amanda asked.

"We're not sure," Billy admitted. "Ten used to work for the old monarchy. When that was overthrown, Ten dropped out of sight for a while. He is just now emerging again, and we don't know for which side."

"We still need to know what Raven looks like, Billy," Scarecrow refused to be put off. "We have to be able to identify him to catch him."

Amanda began to read the file over his shoulder, "It says here 5'8, blond hair, blue eyes, but that could describe just about anyone, from Grere in accounting to Francine."

Billy still looked a little wary, but Lee keept the pressure on him.

"Come on, Billy. How can we do our jobs especially in such a sensitive case as this one obviously is." Lee could understand his boss' reluctance but wanted to do his job.

"Give me your wallet, Scarecrow," Billy ordered. Puzzled, Scarecrow pulled it out and handed it over.

"Billy, I still don't see what..." he trailed off, watching Billy riffle through the photos in his wallet.

"You want to know what Raven looks like? Here she is," Billy shoved one of Lee's own photos into his face.

Lee's mouth dropped open as he stared at the photo. It was of him smiling arms around a woman in her mid-forties and a teenage girl. "Billy," he started, "are you trying telling me that Melanie Marshall is Raven?"

"No," Billy replied, "I'm trying to tell you her daughter, Elizabeth, is."

*****

"It just doesn't make any sense," Lee said as he absently opened the passenger door of his Corvette for Amanda. She didn't even notice as she flipped through the file Billy had given them. Lee shut the door and walked around to the driver's seat. "Lizzy Marshall can't be older than seventeen, eighteen at the most. I remember when she was just a hyperactive kid."

"Well," Amanda began, tracing a line with her finger. "It says here that Elizabeth Michelle Marshall is twenty-three. Looks like more years have passed than you thought, old man."

Lee just gave her a "look" as he pulled the car out onto the street.

"She was undercover, using the name Marsha Bethall. She was posing as a junior at the academy where the Ambassador's daughter goes and was involved in several after school activities: drama club, forensics, student council...really active."

"Not exactly the best way to remain inconspicuous, but then Lizzy never did anything by halves. I remember one time I was watching her for her mother..." Lee just shook his head. "Were did all the years go?"

"Sounds like you were close," Amanda said as he trailed off.

Lee laughed, "Even a kid, she had spunk. She was even able to escape from me regularly. Her mom and I joked that some day she would be a good spy."

"Her mother was a spy?" Amanda asked, as they drove out of the downtown area.

"Yes and no," Lee replied, thinking back. "She would often be a courier for the FBI, sometimes be a secretary, and sometimes be an agent. She could anything. She was like an older sister to me; I really looked up to her." Lee stopped and shook his head again bringing himself back to the present. "I can't believe that Lizzy would kidnap the daughter of a dignitary...what are our orders?"

"Well," Amanda said, flipping through the folder, "first we're supposed to try the Embassy: talk to the Ambassador, try to get a lead."

"And then?" Lee asked turning down Embassy Row.

"We're supposed to go the school, ask some questions, and try to find out where Lizzy...Marsha may have gone with Judy. We are supposed to pose as parents trying to enroll our children in the academy. Same covers as usual—the happy family. You are Leander Stetlan, a prominent filmmaker for IFF and I am your wife Mandi West-Stetlan, a 'social climbing noveau riche mother with shanty roots.'" She paused in her reading and said quietly, "I think Francine wrote that. Any way we want to put our children in the academy to save them from the public school system and their chronic incompetence. Our sons are Phillip J. H. and James M. R. Stetlan...sound familiar?"

"Yeah," Lee replied, smiling at his passenger, "the old happy-family-with-money-routine."

"Happy family..." Amanda repeated quietly, with a touch of remorse in her voice.

"Something wrong?" Lee asked, concerned.

"No," Amanda replied, obviously lying, "nothing important."

"Mm-hmm," Lee murmured. He cleared his throat and, sounding like he was taking a major leap, said, "Have you talked to Joe, recently?"

"No," Amanda replied, "he decided to get back to Estocia. Minister Shamba said he couldn't do without him."

"Just like that, and he's gone again, huh?"

"I seem to have that effect on guys."

"That is not true," Lee denied.

Amanda just looked at him and raised an eyebrow. Lee knew she needed reassurance about their partnership. Lately, they had begun to really click both on the job and personally, and he knew that made her nervous.

"Amanda," Lee said, seriously, "you know I would never desert you, right?"

"I know, I know. I don't know what's gotten into me. It's just that..."

"It's happened before," Lee finished. "Listen. We're partners, got that? Partners. What I do, you do."

"All right, partner," Amanda said feeling better, "let's go nab the bad guys."

"You've been watching too many spy shows," Lee said, focusing once again on the road, a small smile playing on his lips.

*****

"Right this way, Mr. Stetson, Mrs. King," a fruity, slightly nasal voice said. The doors to the Ambassador's office opened, and a secretary led the two agents inside.

The room practically glittered in an extravagant display of wealth. Chandeliers, rare objects d'art, and antique furniture were everywhere. Right in the middle of all this was a woman speaking angrily into the phone. Her back was to the door, and she did not notice the new arrivals.

"What?!" the woman yelled into the receiver. "How could you have lost her?" She visibly gained control and said in a very dangerous voice, "We'll have to try plan B." She paused then continued very haughtily, "If you mess up one more time, you know what the price will be." With that threat, she slammed the phone down in a way that was completely at odds with her previous calm behavior.

"Ahem," the secretary delicately cleared her throat.

The woman whirled around, startled. Eyes wide, she realized she hadn't been alone in the room. She uncomfortably smoothed her elegantly coifed hair.

"Madame," the secretary continued, oblivious to the woman's discomfort, "these are federal agents. They are to help us locate Miss Judy." The secretary smiled, certain of the woman's approval.

For a brief moment, consternation flashed across the woman's face, but it was gone so fast that Amanda wondered if she had imagined it. The woman cleared her throat and gave the two a wobbly smile saying, "Any help will certainly be...appreciated. We've been very concerned about Judy. Actually," she began to speak more quickly, "I was just speaking to two of our own guards. We...they have been searching diligently since this morning."

"Ma'am," Amanda said, compassionately, stepping forward, "I have children of my own. We will do everything possible to return your daughter to you."

"Step-daughter," the woman corrected quickly. "Oh, how unforgivable of me. I am Emellina Morgane. Ambassador Morgane is my husband, and if you'll just wait a moment, I'll just go get him. He's been in conference since we got the word." With that the woman hurried out of the room. The secretary also nodded and discretely withdrew, leaving Lee and Amanda alone for a moment.

Wide-eyed, Amanda wandered around the room. Lee followed her as they gazed at all the expensive art. "Amazing," Amanda breathed, picking up a delicate porcelain vase. "This is just exquisite." She examined the intricate detailing on it.

"It certainly is," Lee agreed, looking at it. "Second Ming dynasty, if I don't miss my guess." He took it and put it back where it came from.

Amanda quickly glanced around before whispering to Lee, "It certainly doesn't seem like this country is bankrupt. All these things are priceless." She heard footsteps approaching and hurriedly switched back to a normal tone, grabbing the closest thing in the shelf. "Look at this wine, Lee. It's extremely rare, I bet there aren't more than ten bottles in the entire world."

"Only nine including that one to be exact," a deep voice said from behind them.

Lee and Amanda turned to see the Ambassador and his wife approaching them. "Do you know a lot about wine, Agent King?" the Ambassador asked politely.

"Oh, I don't know all that much," Amanda said modestly. "In this business, though one picks up a lot. I do know, however, that your art collection is fabulous."

"Well," the Ambassador said walking behind his desk and sitting, "I can't claim credit. Emellina picked out most of the pieces."

The woman saw Amanda holding the bottle and hurried over. She snatched it violently out of Amanda's hands and carefully checked it over.

"I didn't hurt it," Amanda said confused by the woman's scrutiny.

"As well that you didn't," the woman said, snottily. "This is a 'special' bottle for my husband. We would be very angry if anything happened to it."

"Emellina," the dignitary said, "nothing happened to it. Relax." He turned to Lee and Amanda and said, "We've all been on edge since this morning." The Ambassador indicated that they seat themselves in the chairs in front of his desk. His wife carefully replaced the bottle in its place on the rack and moved over to stare out the large window behind the desk.

Amanda was still trying to smooth things over. "You certainly have good taste, ma'am," she said, politely, as she and Lee sat down.

"One of my hobbies," Emellina said distantly, staring out the window.

"Back to business," the Ambassador said suddenly. "How do you propose to find my daughter?"

"First," Lee said, also getting down to business, "we need to know exactly whom she was with when she disappeared and any leads you may have."

"We don't know how she got out," the dignitary said helplessly. "She went to use the ladies room by the theater at school and didn't come out. When too many minutes had passed, her guards, who are both men, by the way, went in to check out the situation. There was no one in there."

"Were there any other exits?" Amanda asked.

"No, and the window was to high for her to gotten out," the Ambassador paused before continuing slowly, "I'm sure you are aware of my country's problems. We have many enemies, internal and external, some of whom would be base enough to use my daughter against me."

"Sir," Amanda said, "If you could make us a list..."

"I'm afraid there are too many to list," the Ambassador sighed. His wife flicked the silk curtains in agitation and moved quickly away from the window to take a seat in the far corner of the room and the Ambassador continued, "Many of them are harmless, just vocal but—"

The Ambassador was cut off as suddenly the glass shattered as bullets flew into the room. Not even thinking, Lee knocked Amanda down to the ground. There were a few more shots, and then, the room was silent. Lee looked down at the woman under him, his nose mere millimeters from hers and whispered urgently, "Are you all right?"

Amanda nodded, her eyes wide. "The Ambassador," she gasped back.

"Damn," Lee swore, stealthy crawling around the desk. There he found the Ambassador crouched under the desk. "Sir, are you all right?" Lee asked the man.

"I'm fine," the man replied, "a person doesn't survive ten years of civil war without learning how to preserve his own skin." Suddenly, his eyes widened and he gasped, "Emellina." Staying low, he hurried around to his fallen wife. "Call security and a doctor," he ordered Lee.

Amanda grabbed the phone as Lee cautiously looked out the window for the sniper. As she hurriedly reported to the Embassy security what had happened, she watched the Ambassador gently help his wife off the shattered glass on the floor.

"What happened?" she asked dazedly, pieces of crystal falling off her back in a shower.

"Hush," the Ambassador said, carefully making sure she was all right, checking to see if any of the glass had gone deep enough to cut her back. "Security will be here in a moment."

No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the door burst in and armed troops entered, weapons drawn. Lee moved away from the window.

"I don't see anyone," he told the lieutenant identified as the head of security, "but I'll want to look around, see if they left any clues." He helped Amanda to her feet, carefully brushing shards of glass out of here hair.

"Thank you," Amanda said, checking him over as well. Seeing no cuts, she nodded to him, and he turned back to the military men.

"Two of my men will accompany you," the lieutenant said, and the three men made their way out of the room.

Amanda hurried over to the Ambassador and his wife, asking, "How is she?"

"She is just stunned," the man said. He turned to the guards, "Let's get her to the infirmary."

As the guards helped the Ambassador's wife out of the room, Amanda said quietly to the dignitary, "It seems that some of your enemies are more than loud with their voices."

The Ambassador gave her a rueful grimace as he followed his wife out the door.

*****

Later on that morning, Lee and Amanda met back at the car.

"Find anything?"

"A room across the street, clean. No gun. The bullets are the same type issued to every guard and guerrilla in Rayin."

"So, it was probably a Rayin?" Amanda asked.

"We can't be sure. It could be a setup. There just aren't enough clues. I guess we'll have to try the school. The daughter must be the key to this thing."

"First she and one of our best agents disappear, then her father is almost assassinated. There has to be more here."

"Politics in Rayin are very intense. Francine is on her way to take over this end of the investigation. Where is the Ambassador?" Lee asked looking back at the building as they got into the car.

"He's in the infirmary with his wife," Amanda replied, settling into her seat.

"He must really love her," Lee commented, pulling the car onto the street.

"No," Amanda said quietly. "He doesn't."

"Why do you say that?" Lee was startled by the firmness of her statement.

Amanda shrugged, looking carefully out the window. "We've had this conversation before.

"No we haven't."

"Yes we have. Remember, Eva..."

Lee looked pained at the mention of the woman he had loved; the woman who used him for the KGB. "I guess we have had it before."

"Then just trust me," Amanda said. "I know what a person in love looks like, and they were not it. He was concerned as he helped her off the glass, but there was nothing deeper there. Besides," she whispered, "If she was hurt, I'm a Soviet. She was acting."

Lee opened his mouth as if to say something but closed it, staring at the road, pondering what she had just said.

The car got very silent, and Lee drove on.

*****

Lee's Corvette pulled into a spot next to a very posh looking building. The building was in the middle of a very posh school campus. Girls and boys in uniforms gathered in the park outside the building or walked to luxury cars that made Lee's Corvette look like an everyday Honda. There were several limousines complete with chauffeurs waiting outside the front door. A man watched the activity from a window on the third floor a satisfied expression on his face. Lee and Amanda stepped out and looked around the campus. Amanda to appreciate the architecture; Lee to case the joint. Finishing this, they walked towards the main building.

Amanda looked around wide-eyed at all the teenagers in designer clothes. "Gosh," she said, "I guess I know how Cinderella felt coming to the ball." She gestured around at the manicured lawns, perfectly tended flowerbeds, and expensive cars. "All these walking fashion plates make me feel perfectly dowdy. I'm glad my mother made me change out of my Boomer's shirt."

Lee nodded in agreement and took Amanda's hand as they were walking. He glanced over at her as they entered the building. The bright sunlight caught the highlights in her hair...and something else. "Oops," he said quietly, "you still have some glass in your hair."

Amanda's eyes widened as her hand automatically reached to brush it out.

"Wait," Lee's hand stopped hers, "you might cut yourself." Very gently, he reached out and pulled out the sliver of glass. He held it out to her, saying, "Part of that glass slipper, Cinderella?"

"If I am Cinderella," Amanda said, holding out her hand for the piece of glass, "that would make you Prince Charming?"

"Well if the shoe fits..." he said, handing her the sliver.

Laughing, they went into the building.

*****

Stepping out of an elevator, they made their way to a fabulously decorated office and walked to the secretary's desk.

"Mr. and Mrs. Stetlan? Of course. Mr. Artel will see you immediately. It's the second door on the right."

Lee and Amanda walked down the hall and into the principal's office.

"Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Stetlan," a short slightly balding man said as he stood up from behind the desk.

"Please," Lee said as he shook the man's hand, "call us Mandi and Leander."

"Thank you for seeing us on such short notice," Amanda said as she took the plush chair he indicated.

"It was no trouble. Our academy is always looking for new students."

"Well," Lee began, "After seeing your school, were almost positive this would the perfect place for our sons." Lee was impressed by the no-nonsense attitude of the headmaster. Maybe one day, if he ever had children of his own, he would really consider sending them to this school.

Mr. Artel nodded but added, "I'm curious though why you chose to switch your sons' school in the middle of a term. We usually don't recommend that as a wise course of action."

"Yes, I agree," Amanda said, honestly voicing her opinion. "I was of two minds about it myself until just recently at the school where our sons go, a man just walked onto the school grounds and grabbed two of the children. He gave the office employees some phony story about being a private investigator and they just let him in without verification." Amanda paused to see the effect on the headmaster. When she was sure he was suitably shocked, she continued, "I don't know about you, but for us as parents that was just unacceptable; I am not prepared to take that kind of risk with my sons."

"Well, security is very tight at the academy," the principal said, relaxing a little. "We have several students who are children of highly place foreign and domestic politicians. The FBI is very conscientious about checking every applicant out. I'm afraid that you, too, will have to undergo a background check."

"We're not worried," Lee said, "We're just ordinary people looking for the best school for our children. But before we do decide, could we walk around, talk to the students, get a feel for the place? We want to be sure our sons will be happy here."

"Of course, we always recommend a tour before a decision is made," Mr. Artel said, standing up. "Classes have ended for the day, but the students involved in after school activities are still here. Feel free to explore a little. I'll assign you a guide."

"That's very nice of you," Amanda smiled, getting up. They walked out the door and the Principal motioned to the secretary.

"Please assign the Stetlan's a student to show them around," he said.

"Of course, Mr. Artel," the woman replied. "Joey Targete is still around, he'd be happy to help the Stetlans." She beckoned to a young man in a blazer who was doing some office work. "Joey, would you please take Mr. and Mrs. Stetlan around the campus?"

"Sure, Miz K." The boy said, standing up. He turned to Lee and Amanda, "If you'll just follow me..." They walked out of the office, nodding goodbye to the principal as they stepped out.

*****

"And so," the skinny boy said as they rounded a corner, "the school has been one of the top in the area for the past thirty years. Our founders' dreams were realized. And also over time, our campus has expanded to include many foreign and international figures' children. In fact, the children of Ambassadors of Italy, Rayin, and Switzerland go here. Well, I believe that completes the tour, was there anything else you wanted to see?"

"Well is the theater around here?" Lee asked, seeing the opportunity. "We're always interested in the arts."

"Actually, it's just down the hall," Joey said, leading the way.

"Um," Amanda said, "before we go, is there a bathroom around here? I just need to freshen up."

"Of course," the boy said. He pointed to a door at the end of the short hallway. "There is one right there."

"Thanks," Amanda smiled gratefully. She walked down the hall to the door while Lee and the boy exchanged a look about the foibles of women.

Amanda pushed open the door and walked casually over to the sink. As she washed her hands, she gazed around the room. There was indeed a window, several feet higher than her head. She reached up and could just graze the ledge with her fingers. It was big enough to get out, if a person could overcome the height problem. Knowing she was holding the tour up, she walked back to the door, passing the mirror. She stopped and walked back to it. Staring at her reflection, she raised her hand to where the piece of glass was, smiling. Recalling herself, she quickly checked for anymore pieces, but Lee had gotten the last one. She brushed her hair back and walked out the door.

"—the best thing that's happened to me," Lee was saying to the boy as Amanda came down the hall.

"Really? I hope—" the boy broke off when he saw Amanda standing there. By his blush, Amanda supposed she was the topic of the interrupted conversation.

"Sorry to keep you," she apologized to the waiting men, deciding not to say anything.

"No problem, ma'am," Joey said politely. "Shall we go on to the theater?"

"Of course," Amanda said. She then continued to gush, like any loving mother, "Actually, my sons are very interested in the theater, and I think the older one may have a future in acting. I think they got the showbiz bug from their father." She smiled coyly and made goo-goo eyes at Lee as she said this. Lee tried not to laugh, knowing that Joe King was as far from a theater rat as Francine was from a nun.

"Right this way," Joey said leading the way. "Right now they are having practice, so we'll have to be quiet, but I can show you my station."

"Oh," Lee said, "are you in the play?"

"I do the lights and help with the sound," he said. "I am not exactly acting material." They reached a door, set off from the rest of the hallway. "Here we are. I hope you don't mind climbing?"

"Nope," Lee said as he hopped on the ladder behind the boy.

Amanda sighed and followed them up. She hadn't really dressed for ladders, but she grabbed on the rung, muttering to herself, "Duty calls..."

Up in the room, there was another boy handling the instruments. "You're late!" he hissed at Joey.

"Sorry," Joey whispered back, "I had to take some prospectives on a tour." He turned to Lee and Amanda and said, "This is Mike. Mike, these are Mr. and Mrs. Stetlan. They're thinking about sending their sons to the Academy. Mr. Stetlan is a director."

"Really?" Mike said. "Someday, I plan to be a director. Got any advice?"

Lee smiled and said, "Just work on developing your own style. What makes a great film person is originality and innovation."

Just then a shout was heard from the stage. Mike's eyes widened, and he quickly hit a button. "Almost missed the cue. Sorry, Joey, but I have to get back to work."

"No, problem," Joey said, as he gestured Lee and Amanda towards the ladder. "We're going to meet Mr. Lewes. He's the director," he told Lee and Amanda.

When they were back in the hallway, Amanda asked Joey, "Is it only the two of you who do all the lights and sound. That sounds like an awful lot of work for just two people."

"Oh no," Joey explained, heading toward another door. "Judy Morgane and Marsha Bethall usually help us, but they're both absent today. That's also why you were allowed to go up there. If Ju were here, her bodyguards would have stopped you."

"Bodyguards?" Amanda asked, pretending to be alarmed. "Are bodyguards needed at this school?"

"Oh, no," Joey quickly said, "Ju is the daughter of a visiting dignitary; bodyguards are common for them."

Amanda let her face show relief as they walked into the theater. The group on stage was just heading off for a break. "Hurry," Joey said. "This would be the perfect time to talk to Mr. Lewes." The group walked quickly down the aisle. "Boss!" the boy called and a short, balding man turned to greet them. "Boss," Joey said, "these are Mr. and Mrs. Stetlan. They are thinking about sending their sons to the Academy. Mr. Stetlan is a director for a documentary film company.

"Really?" the director asked, sincerely interested. "What have you filmed?"

"Nothing much," Lee replied, "Frogs, buildings, you know, nature and historical stuff."

"Well," Mr. Lewes said, eyeing his cast who at that moment were getting an eyeful of the handsome director and his beautiful wife who stood before him, "don't tell any of these star struck actors and actresses what you do for a living. They won't let you leave without trying to convince you they are the perfect subject for your next film."

"Thanks for the advice," Lee said, sensing a true kindred spirit. "Filming frogs was bad, but at least they didn't mouth back. Why, I remember this one day when Mandi and I were out in this swamp, it was the middle of the night, we were lost, it was cold...you can't imagine a worse time."

"I don't know," Lewes said, getting into the game of one-up-manship. "We put on this play last season, and I swear the scenery guy didn't know which end of a drill was up. The scenery kept falling in the middle of the acts...plays are the worst places for disasters."

"I know you theater guys have it rough, but nothing can compare to the time when Mandi were supposed to film this old lady about German haunted castles. We went all the way out to Germany when she disappeared. Let me tell you, explaining to our producers why we didn't have a star was enough to give a person ulcers."

"At least your star disappeared before you began filming," Lewes contradicted. "Why, just last week, somebody tried to kidnap one of my light people, right in the middle of a show. Then she and another light and sound technician don't show up for school and we have opening night tomorrow."

"Wow," Lee admitted, "that is rough. In film there's always editing; plays are live. Normal people who think directing is all glamour and fame have no idea what we really go through."

"You said it," Lewes said and the two were silent in a moment of reflection. Lewes drew himself out of it when Amanda delicately coughed. "Forgive me, Mr. and Mrs. Stetlan, I know you are here to interview the students. We are going to resume in about seven minutes so if you could keep it down to that time..."

"No problem," Amanda said, nodding to the director and hauling her "husband" away. "Haunted castles? Frogs?"

"I just wanted to be convincing," Lee smiled at her as they walked toward a cluster of students.

Amanda walked forward, taking the initiative. "Excuse me," she said, politely. "I was wondering if any of you could spare a moment or two to talk to my husband and myself?"

All eyes in the group turned to her. The eyes of several of the girls negligently swept over her and fastened on Lee. Scarecrow, for his part, turned on the Stetson charm full blast. He came up and put his arm around Amanda's waist. Amanda looked at him, knowing he had no idea what he was doing to these teenage girls.

"We are thinking about enrolling our sons in the Academy and were looking for the opinions of the students." Lee said, smiling his thousand-watt smile.

One of the starry-eyed girls goggled at him but managed to get out, "The Academy is fantastic. Are you interested in the theater? I'm the star of this play." She batted her eyes at Lee, and drew herself up trying to look more mature.

Seeing all the signs of a puppy-love crush and recognizing a flirt when she saw one, Amanda quickly jumped in, "One of our sons is...is it fun?"

"Sure," one of the boys replied, "we put on great shows and have great parties afterward!"

One of the other guys elbowed him but he continued, "Why, just a few days, Marsha Bethall had a huge one at her cottage—"

"Shh!" the flirt hushed him.

He smiled sheepishly at the two agents, "It's all in good fun..."

Amanda smiled, "As long as it's fun..."

The flirt looked about to say more to Lee when he broke in, "Thank you for your time." Lee quickly ended the conversation, having heard the one piece of information he needed. "Mandi," he said, making the goo-goo eyes at her, "we have to get going."

"Oh, gosh, look at the time," Amanda said looking at her watch. She turned back to the group in front of her, "Thank you for talking to us."

"No problem," the flirt said, still staring at Lee, "come back anytime. Really."

Lee and Amanda made their way out of the theater. Amanda tried to keep her laughter back but could only hold it in until they got into the hallway. Lee looked at her as she burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" he asked innocently.

"You don't know?" she asked, her eyes dancing.

"What?"

"I think you made a conquest back there."

"Back there?"

"That girl, had a definite crush going."

"That girl was barely out of puberty."

"Kind of like those girls you used to date?" Amanda asked facetiously.

Lee just glared, "That's not funny."

"What's not funny about it? The legendary Stetson charm nabs another victim."

Lee tries to change the subject, not wanting to go into his past, "Speaking of victims..."

"Did you hear what you needed to?" Amanda asked, suddenly all business.

"Yeah," Lee said as they exited the building. "Melanie had a small house on the bay; she used to go there to unwind. It was registered under her dead husband's name which isn't the same as Lizzy's last name. I'll bet nobody has thought to check it out." He said all this as he put his hand on the small of her back and led her to the car. With a bow, he opened the door and helped her in.

"More of that legendary charisma, Scarecrow? Or should we change your code name to Prince Charming?" Amanda asked with a smile.

Lee just frowned and shut the door.

*****

"There it is," Lee said as he pulled the Corvette in front of a small colonial house facing the bay. "Melanie used to come here to sail—she loved the water."

"Let's park farther up the street," Amanda suggested. Lee nodded and put the car into drive again. "So what's the plan," she asked him as they coasted to a stop again.

"Well," Lee began, "we could just go up to the door. Maybe Lizzy isn't here; it could be Melanie. I could say I am looking for Melanie. Lizzy knows me but she doesn't know what I do for a living. You could talk to her, keep her busy, while I see if Judy is in the house. We'll wing it from there."

"Don't we always?" Amanda asked, smiling fondly at her partner. She was rewarded by his ten-thousand-watt smile as they got out of the car.

They walked back to the little house admiring the view. "I've always loved to have a view like this," Amanda said, looking at the ships in the water. "The boys would just love it."

Lee just listens thoughtfully, realizing once again that there were more layers to this woman than he had ever guessed. "Here we are," he said as they reached the door. He reached up and rang the bell. They heard the chimes echo through what sounded like an empty house. They waited nervously for several minutes, before Lee tried the bell again. Several more moments of tense waiting ensued, until Amanda said, "I don't think anyone is home." Lee nodded reluctantly, and they turned away. Just then the door opened a crack. Lee spun around, automatically reaching for his gun. Before he got it out, however, a young looking redheaded girl looked out.

"May I help you?" she asked looking from Lee to Amanda.

Amanda was about to turn away; they were looking for a blonde, not a redhead.

Lee however recognized their quarry. "Lizzy?" he asked, feigning astonishment. "My god! You've grown so much. Your hair!? Is your mother home? We were just in the neighborhood—"

"Cut the crap, Lee," the girl cut him off. She scanned the vicinity, reached out, and pulled them both into the dimly lit hallway. Even in the low light, they could see her eyes snapping with anger... and the gun she had in her hand. Lee once again reached for his weapon but she stopped him with a gesture. "Don't," she ordered in a cold voice. "I don't know who you are working for, but you won't get it."

"Lizzy? What's going on? We just came by to see your mother," Lee protested innocently, trying to distract her while Amanda got within striking distance.

She wasn't fooled and said to Amanda without taking her eyes off Lee, "I wouldn't." She waved them toward the living room and motioned for them to sit down. "I know exactly who you are Scarecrow; but I don't know exactly which side you are on."

"Which side?" Lee asked truly puzzled. "We both work for the same side."

"I'll bet that's what they told her when they tried to grab her too," Lizzy said not relaxing a bit.

"Lizzy," Amanda said slowly, "if you are in trouble, you can tell us."

"Sure. Right."

"Please," Amanda said, her expressive eyes telling Lizzy what words could not.

Lizzy looked closely from Lee to Amanda and finally nodded, "All right, I'll listen, but I can't guarantee I'll believe what you say."

"Where is Judy," Amanda asked.

Lizzy looked indecisive for a moment. "In the back room sleeping," she reluctantly replied, taking a seat in a battered chair where she could keep an eye on Lee and Amanda as well as the window.

"I'll go check on her." Amanda said, starting to get up.

Lizzy vetoed that with a shake of her head, saying, "Please don't. She had a very rough morning."

"What did you do to her?" Lee asked, his eyes afire with anger.

Lizzy's eyes widened in shock. "You think I did something to her?!" she exclaimed incredulously. "Lee you know me better than that!"

"I did know you once," Lee replied implacably. "Raven."

"I haven't changed that much, Scarecrow," she said coldly, her face a mixture of helplessness and determination. "I had to remover her—she was in too much danger."

"Why didn't you inform your superiors, or her guards," Lee demanded. "Or, for god's sake, why didn't you call me?"

"Dammitall Lee," she cried standing up and beginning to pace. She finally decided to trust them. "Who do you think I think is behind it?" She continued to glare at the two agents sitting on the sofa. "I know what you think; that I'm too young, too inexperienced to be Raven. And you know what? You're right. Never mind that I am one of the few agents in both our services who can pose as a teenager. I don't have the training; I don't have the experience, so why do you think I became Raven. For all those reasons. I was the perfect choice if a person wanted to make a hit. I was set up. And yes, I heard that Ten was in the country. That was part of the reason I went to ground. I think somebody set me up."

"Who?" Amanda asked shocked.

"That's what I intend to find out," the young woman said determinedly.

"That's what the Agency intends to find out," Lee corrected her.

Lizzy rounded on him, her eyes blazing. "Oh?" she asked, snidely. "Do you have a way to catch Ten? Do you know what they are planning? Do you have a plan?"

Caught off guard, Lee could only stare at her.

"I guess not," the red head said in the silence.

The tension increased as the two real agents squared off, personalities warring for dominance, until Amanda could stand it no longer. "All right," she asked, "what's your plan?"

"Ju and I are about the same height, weight, and we even look alike. I'm going to trade places with her."

"You can't—" Lee started.

"Don't," Lizzy interrupted. "Don't tell me how to do my job." Once again the tension in the room increased. "Lee, this isn't working," she said. "You are just going to have to accept the fact that I'm not the little girl you remember. I've grown up and have responsibilities. And now, one of them is sleeping in that room back there, in mortal danger, and you are trying to tell me I can't help her?"

Lee stood up. "I'm not trying to tell you how to do your job," he began. "It does take a little getting used to to see you as an agent, but I am just trying to do my job too."

"Then let's work together on this! We can both complete our missions," Lizzy suggested.

Lee hesitated for just a moment, "All right."

"Good," Lizzy nodded. "First we have to ensure Ju's saft—" she broke off as they heard a car door slam outside. "Shit!" Lizzy cursed, leaping up and diving toward the windows. She pulled back the drapes, her eyes widening. "Move!" she shouted. "Move! Let's go!" She pulled Amanda up and pushed Lee out the door. "The back door is to the left, the last doorway." She turned off to the right and disappeared down another hall.

Amanda started to follow her but Lee grabbed her arm. "Come on," he said. "She can do her job."

They hurried out of the house, Amanda lagging behind, watching the room, while Lee scanned for people in the back yard. Seeing none, they ran for the dubious safety of the woods behind the little house. They had just gotten under cover, when the two girls came flying out of the house. They were no more than twenty feet from it, when a sudden fireball engulfed the house. The explosion knocked the two girls off their feet, debris flying all around them. They hit the ground with an audible thump, Lizzy shielding Judy with her body. Lee and Amanda quickly reached out and pulled the dazed girls into the woods. They knelt there staring at the burning house, trying to get their wits back.

"They won't give up, you know," Lee said. "When they don't find any bodies, they will keep looking."

"I know," Lizzy said. "We need to get Ju to safety. Obviously this wasn't it." She paused, looking accusingly at Lee, "Someone must have tailed you."

Lee didn't answer because there was no answer.

"We'll take her to my apartment," Lee said. "She'll be safe there."

"No, we won't," Amanda contradicted. Lee just looked at her in confusion. Amanda shifted her eyes from Lee to Judy and back to Lee again. They want a scandal. Don't give them the ammunition they are looking for, her eyes told him.

Realization dawned in his face and he replied, slowly, "No we won't. But where can we put her?"

"Excuse me," a new voice chimed in. The three agents tuned to look at the object of all the trouble. "Please," Judy Morgane said, "don't talk about me as though I were not here. I am neither a pronoun nor an imbecile. I want a say in my future. I want to know who these people are, what they want, and who you people are." Her serious face showed that she was not going to take any putting off.

Once again the agents exchanged looks. "All right," Lizzy finally said. "We're government agents," she began reluctantly. "My name is Elizabeth Marshall. I was assigned to watch you, to make sure that while you were in this country, nothing happened to you. Your father and mother have some very serious enemies and they were intending to use you against them and against both our countries. That's why I asked you to dye your hair. We have to maintain your security."

"All right," Judy accepted this calmly. "What do we do now?"

"We get you somewhere safe," Amanda said. "Lee, how about my place?"

"Amanda," Lee said, "won't your mother recognize her?"

"Well, they've already switched hair color. No one will recognize her as the ambassador's daughter," Amanda replied. "We can say she's the niece of one of the ladies at work who was suddenly called away. I volunteered to let her stay with me until she gets back."

"Francine..." Lee began then nixed that idea. "No not Francine. I guess your place is it, Amanda." He turned to Judy. "All right?" he asked.

She nodded and said, "I don't want to interfere with your work, I just want to help."

"Sounds like someone else I know," Lee said smiling fondly at Amanda.

"Let's get going then," Raven said taking control once again.

The two groups split up, Judy going with Amanda and Lizzy remaining with Lee. Lizzy looked around, seeing nothing unusual, "There is a mini-mall farther down the street; that should be a good place to contact the Embassy."

Lee nodded in agreement and they headed to his car.

They pulled into the parking lot, getting out of the car. "Give me your phone, Scarecrow," Raven ordered. Without a word he handed it over. Lizzy punched in some numbers and took a deep breath. "Got a mirror?" she mouthed at him. Without a word he handed over a small mirror from his pocket. She took it and closed her eyes. A moment later she said "I want to speak to my father!" and began to cry, "Daddy? Oh, my god, Daddy!? I'm so scared!" She began to take gasping sobbing breaths as she examined herself in the mirror. Never loosing a beat with the phone conversation, she mussed up her hair, checking the effect, unsatisfied. "I don't know where I am!" she sobbed, pulling our some mascara from her own purse. "They left me!" A pause while she smeared some of the black makeup under her eyes, still crying, "I don't know. Somewhere by some water." She continued to act, rolling her eyes at Lee. "Some agent found me, I don't even know who kidnapped me." She calmed down a little. "You want to talk to him? All right, just come get me soon!" she said and handed the phone over to Lee. Satisfied that she looked suitably like a distraught recent kidnapee.

"Mr. Ambassador?" Lee spoke into the phone. "It's Lee Stetson, my partner and I were able to locate your daughter. All right we'll discuss it there. Did you have someone to send out to pick her up, or would you like me to bring her in? All right here's the address," Lee gave the information and hung up. "Well, they're on their way," he said to Lizzy. "Ready?" She nodded and they sat down to wait.

*****

Meanwhile, back at the bat cave... Amanda was showing Judy around her house.

"So," Amanda said as they walked down the stairs, "this is where I live with my mother and two sons. You are going to love them. They and my mother should be home soon."

"Amanda," Dotty asked from the other room, "who are you talking to?"

Amanda was slightly startled, not expecting her mother to be there, but replied, "Oh, hello, mother." Dotty came into the room and Amanda introduced her to Judy. "I'd like you to meet Judy. Ju, this is my mother, Mrs. West. Mom, Judy is the niece of one of the ladies at work, you've heard me talk about Francine before...well anyway, Francine was called out of town suddenly and she asked me if I wouldn't mind having her niece stay with us for a little while...I know I should have asked..." Amanda trailed off, having run out of breath.

"Amanda!" Dotty said. "It's just fine if Judy stays with us. I'm pleased to meet you," she said to her unexpected guest. The entire time she was thinking to herself, I knew she didn't know how to say no.

"The pleasure is mine," Judy said, her musical voice alive with laughter.

"What a wonderful accent," Dotty remarked and turned to Amanda, "You know I'm always interested in the things you do." She turned to the kitchen saying, "I'll just make some coffee and tea and you ladies can tell me all about the mix up."

Amanda held Ju back, whispering, "Don't tell her everything." Amanda paused, then continued, "In fact don't tell her anything. She doesn't know I'm a spy."

"Don't worry," Judy assured her. "My father don't know I'm a spy either." Amanda looked at her confused as she continued, "I don't usually tell anyone, but I think you need the information. My code name is Ten."

Amanda's eyes widened in shock as the girl went into the kitchen.

*****

"There's the car," Lizzy said as a black sedan turned the corner.

"Ready?" Lee asked standing up.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Lizzy said taking a deep breath.

The car coasted to a stop in front of the two agents and two men in suits got out. As they came around to where Lizzy and Lee stood, Lee committed their looks to memory. One was tall and fat with a full beard; the other was short and pole-like with a clean- face. Shorty came up to Lee first.

"Agent Stetson?" Shorty asked.

"That's me," Lee smiled, putting out his hand. Shorty just ignored it and Tall One came forward.

"On behalf of our Ambassador and our country, we thank you, Agent Stetson," Tall One said in stilted tones.

"It wasn't any problem," Lee said cautiously. "Judy wasn't that hard to find."

"Was there anyone with her, when you arrived?" Shorty asked.

"No," Lee replied. "Whoever grabbed her disappeared before I got here. Judy didn't see him either."

"We'd better hurry," Tall One said nervously, "uh...the Ambassador is anxious to see his daughter."

"Of course." Lee agreed.

"Please step this way, Miss," Shorty said, guiding Judy to the car.

"I should go with you," Lee said following. "The Ambassador wanted my report."

"No," Shorty said. "The Ambassador will be in touch with your agency. Good day."

With that they "helped" Lizzy into the car, Shorty going to the driver's seat, Tall One sitting in the back with Lizzy. Knowing something was up, Lee headed to where his car was parked, hopped in, and turned it on.

As the sedan pulled down the street, Lee followed at a discrete distance. It only took a moment before the agents in the car realized they had a tail and took steps to shake him. Lee followed as best as he could but soon the car was in rush hour traffic and was lost among all the commuter cars.

"Damn!" Lee swore, swinging the car around to the Agency. "At least they were headed toward the Embassy." He was going to do a check on those bodyguards before heading that way himself. He just didn't trust those guys.

*****

Later that day at the grocery store...

"Thank you for offering to help me with the grocery shopping," Amanda said as she unloaded the full cart. "I didn't realize how low we were on food." Amanda had been carefully avoiding the subject of government intelligence agents since they had arrived at the supermarket.

"Anything to get away from your mother," Judy said also putting bags into the trunk. She laughed, "Have you ever considered recruiting her? She'd make a formidable interrogator, better than many of those who've interrogated me."

Amanda shook her head. "I still can't believe you are a spy, too." She gathered up her courage and asked, "For which side?" Realizing the faux pas, her eyes widened. "Gosh, I'm sorry," she said, "I know I shouldn't have asked that."

"It's all right," Judy reassured her. "Yes, I am a spy. A yes, I am on your side, or more precisely on my father's side. I work for our government—usually just surveillance, courier duties, noticing who has been politicking for what...that sort of thing." Her eyes grew distant and she said candidly, "This is my first real assignment as Ten. I was supposed to make sure nothing disrupted the negotiations. I guess I failed."

"I don't think there was anything you could have done," Amada tried to reassure the girl. "At least you now know there was a conspiracy."

"True..." Judy admitted.

"How did you know?" Amanda asked as they unloaded the cart.

"It was silly, actually," Ju admitted reluctantly. "My agent were too close this morning. They are supposed to follow at a respectable distance, but today, they were too close. I ducked into the washroom to get away from them for a moment. Marsh—Lizzy was in there. She told me it was them who had tried to grab me at play practice last week, and I really believed her. We got out the window and from there..."

"You were just lucky you were able to get away with so little fuss..." Amanda paused, looking at the girl curiously, unsure about what to say next. "I don't mean to be rude," she began, stopping with the groceries for a moment, "but aren't you a little young to be involved in this sort of thing?"

"Actually, my youth works for us," Judy said seriously. "Who honestly notices the teenage daughter of high ranking foreign ambassador? Besides, I'm in a perfect position to get more information than most spies have access to. Think of what your government could do if the First Lady, suppose, was a spy?"

"I see your point," Amanda nodded as she shut the door to the station wagon. "Was that someone was trying to grab you?"

"Honestly, I don't know. I truly believe that they didn't have a clue about my other life. That's why I can't fall into anyone's hands. I know too much—they will get far more than they bargained for."

"Well," Amanda said, walking around to the front door, "we certainly bought more food than I bargained for. Shall we head back?" She opened the door and started to get in but stopped. "Judy," she said with a mischievous smile, "if you thought my mother was bad with all the questions, my sons are going to seem like the Spanish Inquisition."

Judy groaned dramatically and started to get in when something caught the corner of her eye. Straightening up, she saw a luxury foreign car drive down the street. She gasped in surprise.

"What?" Amanda asked alarmed.

"That's my car," Judy gasped.

"Your car?"

"Well, the Embassy's car."

"Oh. They probably picked Lizzy up and are taking her back to the Embassy."

"No, they're not," Judy contradicted. "The Embassy is not that way at all." She looked indecisive but said, "Come on." She got into the car and continued, "Let's follow them."

Amanda just stood there watching the car make a turn that would take them farther away from downtown. "I don't know," she said reluctantly. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"No," was the prompt reply, "But have you a better one?"

"No," Amanda sighed and started the car up.

*****

"Now, Judy," Tall One said, squeezing Lizzy's arm painfully, "do tell us who you were with."

Lizzy doesn't answer except to cry out in pain as the man cut off her circulation. "Where are we going?" she finally gasped out.

"Don't you worry," Shorty said from the driver's seat. "You won't be hurt as long as your father does exactly what we want him to."

"You won't get away with this," she told the two "agents."

"Child," Tall One said pityingly, "you have no clue about international politics. Your father will do exactly what we tell him to or not: it doesn't matter. Either way we win. If he betrays his country for you, he'll lose all credibility and everything he's been negotiating for will collapse. If he doesn't try to help you, he'll still lose his credibility. No matter what, our side wins."

"Who is your side?" Lizzy asked, feigning fright. "Are you Communists?"

"Let's just say something similar," Shorty bragged. "Our organization will soon be as feared by the Americans as the Communists are. And you will be an important part of it."

Lizzy tried to struggle away from the man's grasp, but a quick backhand left her unconscious. She slumped to the seat, and the car drove on.

*****

The car slowly made it's way down a narrow street. On either side were huge warehouses and factories, most of them abandoned. The agents in the car were so busy arguing they didn't even notice the station wagon tailing them. Lizzy, however, did.

The car turned off the street onto another and parked in front of the fourth one down. The agents got out of the car, roughly pulling Lizzy with them. "Hurry up," the big mustached one ordered. Desperate to get out of the open, Lizzy obeyed.

"Well," Amanda admitted, coming to a slow stop before the street the other car turned on, "if I wasn't suspicious before, I would be now." She stopped the car and spotted a pay phone a block down. "Stay here," she ordered Judy, "I'm going to call for backup." Ju didn't say anything as Amanda got out and cautiously walked to the phone.

Quickly, she dialed the Agency's number. "Amanda King, special clearance," she identified herself. "I need to speak to Lee Stetson." Amanda tapped her foot impatiently as the call was put through. Finally, she heard her partner's voice.

"Stetson here."

"Lee, it's Amanda."

"Amanda," Lee said, putting down the file he'd been looking through, "you're the one person who doesn't have to identify herself." He picked up the file again and said, "Two agents picked Lizzy up. I tried to follow, but some how they shook my tail. I came back to the agency to do some checking...those agents have only been on rotation for a few weeks...they started at about the time the rest of the trouble started. When you get back here, we'll have to do some more checking on them. They are shady characters."

"No kidding," Amanda said.

"What?"

"You may not have been able to follow them, but Judy and I certainly were."

"Which way did they head?"

"Lee," Amanda said, "we're at that old warehouse district about twenty minutes from my house. Hurry up and get here, we'll check it out."

"Amanda," he said, "you stay put! Do you hear me?" The phone went dead. "Amanda!?" he tried again. "Damn!" he swore, slamming the phone down and grabbing his coat and keys.

Hurrying back to the car, Amanda was not very surprised to see that Judy had left. Knowing without a doubt where to find the teen, she cautiously made her way to the warehouse. Amanda opened the door as carefully as she could and slipped in. There, hiding behind some boxes was the daughter to the Rayin Ambassador. The huge warehouse was echoingly empty, except for discarded boxes and assorted rubbish strewn over the floor. The only remnant of the former use of the building was an office at the top of a rickety flight of stairs. Amanda took all this in with one glance and made her way quietly to the crouching girl. Coming up behind her, Amanda whispered, "You don't listen very well."

Ju jumped at the sound of Amanda's voice but relaxed slightly as she identified the person behind her. Her only answer to that statement was a snort of derision.

"Don't worry," Amanda assured her, "I don't either." For a moment they shared rapport but called themselves back to the situation. Amanda knelt behind the boxes and whispered, "Have you seen them?"

"No," Judy said, "But I could guess where they are." She indicated the office. "I bet they are up there. It is a perfectly defensible position. They'd see us before we even got close."

"Plan?"

"None."

There was a long silent moment, before Amanda quietly cleared her throat.

"I have one, but you're not going to like it," Amanda reluctantly admitted.

"What?"

"Get caught."

Slowly, Judy nodded in agreement.

*****

With a shake of her head, Lizzy came to. At first she was startled, she couldn't see anything and her hands were tied behind her back, but then the memory returned. Obviously, the two men still accepted that she was Judy Morgane.

"So, you're back with us," she heard Shorty's voice say. "I'll bet you think you're brave for standing up to the bad guys, but what you are is stupid."

"You are in over your head here, Ju," Tall One said from another part of the room. "Don't try to play in the big league with us."

"I'll bet you two think your brave, too," Lizzy snarled. "Good job. You managed to kidnap a teenager after failing only once." She knew she had to keep them off balance—stop them from noticing that they had the wrong person.

"You had better keep your feelings to yourself, child," Tall One said in an ice-cold voice. "You wouldn't want to loose that pretty head of yours."

"Enough banter," Shorty said. Lizzy heard a chair scrape across the floor, then moan as the man sat down. "You are going to tell us everything you have overheard your parents say to anyone about their negotiations. Every little detail."

"I don't know anything," Lizzy gasped, surreptitiously trying to undo her bonds. Where on earth was Scarecrow; he was supposed to be her backup.

"I'm sure you don't," Tall One said, pleasantly, "and we will use any means necessary to learn exactly what you don't know."

The threat in his voice was obvious and Lizzy knew that trouble was ahead. What have I gotten myself into? she thought as the man cruelly wrenched her head back. She felt a prick against her arm and a numbness began to spread across her limbs...

"Now," Tall One said, "let's start at the beginning."

*****

Tall One finally lost his patience. Everything the girl said was pure gibberish. She kept muttering about a scarecrow, a raven, and a king but would say nothing else. The king could be the former monarch of Rayin, but he had no idea what two birds had to do with anything. His eyes as cold as ice, he backhanded Lizzy. Once again, she slumped into unconciousness. Shorty glared at his partner, face red with anger.

"Why did you do that, the drug was working!" he shouted, temper frayed at the lack of progress.

Tall One just stared back, menacingly. The men faced off, the tension thick enough to cut. Suddenly, the tense tableau was broken by a horrific crash from the warehouse floor. The crash was quickly followed by a scream.

"Fluffy!!!!!"

The agents lock eyes as the shout comes again.

"Fluffy, where are you??!!"

Tall One indicated to Shorty to go check it out. Nodding, Shorty pulled out his gun and made his way down the stairs. He looked around but saw no one. "Who's down here?" he shouted.

Amanda popped out from behind some boxes startling the agent. "Oh, thank goodness," she gushed, faking a Brooklyn accent. "Have you seen a big, orange kitty cat with a baby blue collar and a white stripe on his tail? My cat Fluffy ran away again. It always takes us hours to find her, and she's never in the same place twice—"

"What are you doing here?" the agent demanded.

Amanda gave him a look of pure pity. "I told you why. Looking for Fluffy, of course. Have you seen her?"

"Mom!" Ju yelled from behind the agent. Startled, he whirled around, waving his gun. Judy continued, ignoring the man with the gun, "I don't see her anywhere."

Finally noticing the gun, she stopped short and gasped.

The man grabbed Ju's arm and put the gun up to her shoulder. He did not recognize the daughter of the Ambassador, seeing her only as the child of a woman with a very loud and annoying voice who was poking around where she had no business being.

"Hey!" Amanda cried indignantly, "Let my daughter go!"

The man waved the gun at Amanda and said, "Up the stairs."

Amanda was about to protest but thought better of it. As she started up the rickety steps, grabbing the railing for balance she did say, "We are American citizens, you can't do this to us. We have rights."

The short man didn't respond except to tell her to open the door. Amanda followed that direction and entered the room. She saw Lizzy tied up and cried, "What is going on here?"

"Sit," was all she was told. The same order was given to Judy.

Eyes wide they took the seats indicated and were soon as tied up and helpless as Lizzy. After being sure the bonds were tight, Shorty walked over to the Tall One.

"Well?" Tall One asked with some asperity.

"They say they were looking for a cat, but I don't know..."

"There might be more?" the Tall One asked.

Shorty nodded. "All right then," Tall One replied. "We'll have to search. You check outside, I'll search the floor."

"What about them?" Shorty indicated the three women.

"Lock the door," Tall One answered. "They won't be going anywhere."

The two agents walked out the door, shutting and locking it behind them.

When she was sure they were alone, Amanda whispered, "Are you all right, Lizzy?" She was already busy with the knots tying her hands back.

Lizzy shook her head, just waking up. "Whaa—" she asked.

"Raven," Ju hissed. "Are you okay?"

The use of her code name shook all the cobwebs out of the girl's head. "I'm fine, the drug they used on me was wearing off anyway and that slap knocked the rest out of my head, I think," Lizzy whispered back getting her bearings, then her voice hardened, "What are you doing here? I thought the point of this exercise was to keep Judy safe."

"Hmmm..." was the only reply she got.

"Amanda," Ju said, "hop your chair over this way."

Amanda nodded and soon the two were back to back. Moments later, they were free. As soon as they were emancipated, they got Lizzy loose.

"Ooh," Amanda breathed, tentatively touching the black and blue mark that was forming on the girl's cheek.

The girl winced away but said, "So, what's the plan?"

"Well," Judy admitted, "we figured we'd make up one together.

Lizzy just looked at her in astonishment. "No plan. Great."

"Come on," Amanda said, jumping into the conversation, "with three agents in one room, it can't be that hard."

"Three agents?" Lizzy asked confused.

Amanda pointed at herself, at Lizzy, and at Judy. "Raven," she said, "Meet Ten."

Lizzy raised an eyebrow at the schoolgirl. "Well," she said as Judy nodded, "that certainly puts a different spin on things." She walked over to the door, but it was locked tight. The only window in the room opened to a two-story drop. "Let's assess our options. The door: locked and exposed. The noise of breaking it down would call instant attention to us. There is no cover to allow an escape. The ceiling: too small for any of us to crawl out. No visible ducts large enough to crawl out. The window: two-story drop, no way to sneak out."

"Options?" Ju asked.

"We'll have to do two at one time," Amanda said. "That way at least one will have a chance to get out."

"Right," Lizzy agreed going over to the window again. "Okay, here's the plan." She sat down on a chair to think. "I'll go out the window, you two go out the door."

"The window is a two story drop..."

"We'll use the chairs to break down the door and shatter the window," Lizzy continued not even noticing the interruption. "We'll have to time them at exactly the same time. Once the door is open, you two get to the floor and to cover. I'll dive out the window, landing in those boxes over there. I'll intercept the Tall One. He'll undoubtedly call for back up as soon as we begin. Shorty will be up to you guys to handle."

"Won't you be hurt going out the window?" Amanda asked concerned.

"I might be stunned momentarily, but the boxes will break my fall. Any questions?" Lizzy was all business.

Slowly, Amanda and Judy shook their heads.

"Good," Lizzy got up and picked up the chair. "We only have one try. Ready?" She got the chair in to position. Amanda and Judy also picked up chairs and nodded. "Let's do it!"

Without a second look they all threw their chairs. The window shattered at the same time the door exploded outward. Lizzy followed the chair out barely a second later. Amanda and Ju hurried down the stairs without looking back.

At the first sound, the Tall One whirled around. He was frozen to the spot, however, as first a chair and then his captive flew out of the office. He recovered himself as Lizzy landed in the boxes with a huge crash. Lizzy shook her head dazedly and staggered to her feet. Perhaps the only thing that saved her was the fact that there were too many objects in the way preventing the Tall One from getting a clean shot. As he made his way toward the stunned girl, he pulled out his gun and called for his partner. Amanda and Judy quickly made their way to the door to prevent his entrance.

Shorty entered, gun drawn, his eyes immediately fastening on the two women heading toward him. Without hesitating, he pointed the weapon straight at Amanda. She froze, her mind whirling. A movement behind the agent caught her eye, and she quickly identified Lee. The only problem was the bullet would be firmly in her chest before he could get close enough to deflect Shorty's arm. With a burst of adrenaline and a moment of inspiration, Amanda screamed, "Fluffy!"

Shorty was distracted for a crucial few seconds, and Lee was able to jump him from behind. Amanda didn't even notice Ju scurry off to help Lizzy—she was so intent on the two men in front of her. Shorty was surprised, and the man reached for Lee's arms as they encircled his neck. With an unsuspected strength, Shorty pried Lee's arms off and managed to turn around to face him, gun still ready. Amanda quickly grabbed a board off one of the piles and swung with all her might. Her aim was true and the gun flew out of Shorty's hand. He screamed in pain as he grabbed his injured hand. With that, Lee was on him again. A right hook to the jaw, a judo kick to the stomach, a quick palm to the chin were enough to knock him to the ground. Shorty rolled to the side, coming to his feet to face Lee. He knew he had to win this fight or he was going to end up in jail. With a look of determination, he came at Lee swinging. His fist caught the agent in the cheek, and he quickly followed that up by grabbing Lee's jacket and throwing him against the wall. The two men continued to wrestle, Lee's professional training balanced by Shorty's mad desperation. Lee was taking a beating, but Amanda had a plan. Hefting the board again, she swung, connecting solidly with the short man's head. Shorty crumpled to the ground, out cold.

"Home run," Amanda told her partner. All Lee could do was smile.

*****

Over on the other side of the compound, Lizzy wasn't faring well against Tall One. She had landed a couple of good blows but Tall One was able to block most of the ones that would be the most punishing. Reaching for his gun, he aimed at the girl. She flipped sideways in a stunning gymnastic move, and the bullet missed by a wide amount. Knowing she had to disarm him somehow, Lizzy took stock of the situation. Suddenly, a box landed on Tall One's head, blocking his vision. He swore, grabbing for it, but before he could get it off, Ju knocked the gun out of his hand. It skittered across the floor, too far to be reached. Ju came over to where Lizzy stood as the man ripped the box off his head.

"Do you happen to know the Kome twist?" Ju asked the other girl, body tense, ready to fight.

"Yes, indeed," Lizzy replied with a smile. She held out her hand to the Rayinish agent as their enemy came closer.

Ju grabbed the outstretched hand and together, they executed a blinding combination of martial arts moves and gymnastics. Tall One just stood paralyzed as the two whirls of motion bore down on him. Each girl connected solidly several times, and by the time they were finished with the move, Tall One was unconscious on the ground. Ju pulled out the rope that had held Lizzy in place in the office and said, "Did you want to do the honors?"

"With pleasure," the polite reply. After tying up the big man, she turned to Ten and said, "We make a good team, hmm?"

"Indeed."

Lee and Amanda hurried over to the two girls. Lee's face was worried when he saw the bruise that had by this time spread across most of Lizzy's cheek.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Lizzy said, "but I failed. We know their plan, but these two were not obviously behind it. They aren't quite communists, but they certainly aren't the force behind the plot to discredit and kill the Ambassador."

"They don't have the brains," Ju agreed.

"They aren't working for the USSR?" Lee was surprised that the Russians weren't behind the plot. The agency had been sure that it was a Communist plot to undermine the Rayinish government.

"No," Lizzy said. "They admitted to being like communists but not them exactly."

"In my country," Ju began, "we have several privately supported organizations that oppose democracy. The reason I was assigned to this mission was that we had word that an agent for one of the groups was in my father's entourage." She stopped before regretfully continuing, "Whoever it is, they are a pro. I still hadn't found any conclusive evidence as to their identity before I was kidnapped."

"We could interrogate these men," Amanda suggested.

"It's likely that even they don't know who was giving orders," Lee said. "If this person is as much a professional as this plot would suggest, they would not have given their identity to these losers."

"Where does that leave us?" Amanda asked.

"Square one," was Lee's unhappy reply. He looked again at Lizzy, seeing not only a bruise spreading across her face, but blood as well.

Following his gaze, Amanda gasped, "Lizzy, you're bleeding." She reached for a handkerchief, dabbing it carefully on the cut on the girl's cheek. She was a mess, blood on one side of her face, a huge greenish-yellow bruise on the other.

"Probably all the glass," Ju said, indicating the shards that were all across the floor.

A strange look passed across Amanda's face, and Lee, catching it asked, "What?"

"Give me a moment," Amanda said, walking away from the group, her face intense with concentration.

The others just looked at each other, wondering what Amanda was thinking. She suddenly whirled around. "Lee," she said urgently, holding the glass shard that had been in her hair, "the Ambassador helped her off the glass!"

"Who..wha—" Lee asked confused.

"He helped her up off the glass."

Lee still wasn't getting it, "The Ambass—Emellina Morgane?"

"My stepmother?" Ju was just as confused.

"He had to help her off the glass. It was under her!"

Lee's eyes widen as he to puts two and two together. "She had been by the window...probably to give a signal!"

"Hold on a moment," Ju said trying to follow the conversation. "What are you talking about?"

"Judy...your father and stepmother—could she be working for the other side?" Amanda asked carefully.

Ten frowned. "She is on the opposite political side than my father is."

"What?" Lizzy asked shocked. "She's a communist?"

"Their marriage was a political one," Ju said matter-of-factly. "Her family was very rich and powerful and could have financially supported the guerrillas for several more years. By marrying her, my father guaranteed her family's support, and she got a position of power."

"Could she be trying to kill your father?"

"Yes," Ju admitted. "He is still in danger. Let's go. We've been taken advantage of since the beginning, and I for one am going to put a stop to it. The times of us being the victims are over."

"Never more," the Raven agreed, already heading to the door.

"The bottle of "special" wine..." Lee said remembering the other strange thing the woman had done.

Amanda nodded and they quickly followed the two girls to the cars. "Quoth the Raven," Amanda muttered under her breath, remembering the apt poem.

*****

Secretaries and soldiers sat or stood, respectively, at their posts, bored. They were just waiting for their replacements to come so they could get some grub. There weren't anymore appointments scheduled until much later that night, and the next hour promised to be extremely boring. Suddenly, the door to the Embassy burst open and three women and a man burst into the room, weapons drawn.

"Where is my father?" Ju yelled to the guards and secretaries in the foyer.

"Ea..eating dinner," one of the women stuttered automatically, recognizing Judy but startled at seeing the guns.

Without further hesitation, the agent called Ten ran up the stairs, Lee, Amanda, and Lizzy not far behind her. After staring stunned a moment, the guards sprung into action. No one should have been able to get past them with guns, even the daughter of their employer.

The upstairs was a maze of elegantly appointed corridors that Judy navigated with practiced ease. Rounding a corner, Ju slid to a halt in front of an intricately gilded door. The other three caught up with her and prepared to storm the room. Raven and Ten stood directly in front, guns pointed, while Scarecrow and Mrs. King, flattened themselves against the wall on either side. With a nod to the other girl, Ten kicked in the door. Faster than the eye could see, the four agents were in the room.

Upon their entrance, the Ambassador and his wife struggled to their feet startled. The Ambassador still clutched the glass of wine he had been about to drink.

"What is the meaning of this?! What..." he trailed off his indignant diatribe when he saw his daughter with a gun. "Judy?"

"Put down the glass, dad. Put it down," she ordered, teeth clenched, never taking her eyes off her stepmother. "It's over, Emellina," she said to the woman in the pristine evening gown who had tried to kill both her and her father that day.

Just then the guards from the front reached the room. Scarecrow and Amanda whirled around, covering the backs of the other two. For a moment there was a tense stand off, until Lizzy said, "Ambassador, you will be happy to know we have discovered the person behind the plot to kidnap your daughter and kill you."

"Who?" the Ambassador breathed, the guns forgotten for a moment.

"Your wife," Ju replied. "If the guards will take her under custody...?"

Emellina Morgane had remained silent throughout the entire fracas, but now, she drew herself up to her full height and said haughtily, "I don't know what you are talking about. Guards, remove these interlopers from our table. We are trying to have a meal."

The guards just looked from one group to the other, unsure what to do.

"Dad," Judy said, desperately trying to get through to him, "she poisoned the wine. She's trying to kill you."

"Preposterous," Emellina said, still not backing down. "Sweetheart, you saw me break the seal." She then turned to her stepdaughter and said, "Darling, the stress of the kidnapping must have gotten to you."

Ju raised an eyebrow and said, "Really? Well then since there is nothing going on here, you can go back to your wine, stepmother. We'll all drink a toast to my safe return."

Emellina just glared coldly at her stepdaughter.

"What?" Ju said in a sugary sweet voice. "Don't you feel like toasting my return?" She walked around to the table, picking up her father's glass, and bringing it to her stepmother. "I would really like it if you would drink a toast to these fine agents who found me."

Emellina still didn't take the glass and as Ju held it closer and closer to her face, the woman backed up as far as she could.

"Not a good year for you?" Lizzy said, backing up Ju. She took the glass from the girl and wafted the sent towards her nose. "What a wonderful bouquet. Fruity, slightly tart and just a hint of...poison." She turned back to the Ambassador and his guards. "I believe this is all the evidence you will need to convict her for the attempted murder of a foreign dignitary." She delicately swished the wine around in the crystal glass, the light catching the amber color. For just a moment, when the chandelier refracted through the liquid at a certain angle, Amanda started, seeing how much it looked like blood.

The Ambassador, eyes hard, curtly gestured to his guards, and they came forward to escort the woman off. With a look of intense regret the Ambassador watched the receding figure of his wife and sank down to his chair, his face in his hands. Quickly, his daughter moved to comfort him, the other three, discreetly withdrawing.

*****

Later that evening, the four agents were having dinner at Emilio's. Sitting discreetly at other tables were other agents.

Ju sniffed the champaign in front of her, "Grapey and....poison." She smiled at Lizzy, "I'm never going to let you live that one down, you know."

"Aren't you underage?" Amanda put in.

"Ah," Judy said with a sly smile, "diplomatic privileges."

"So," Lizzy said, finishing the rest of her desert and bring the conversation back to topic, "I've been assigned to the Ambassador's family on a semi-permanent basis. I'm supposed to coordinate with the Rayin intelligence. What my boss doesn't know is that my contact is Ju."

"Are you still Raven?" Lee asked, already knowing the answer. With her cover broken, she would be no good as the top secret, special agent.

"No," Lizzy said with no regret. "My new code name is Manx. My partner's is Lynx. And we found out that, my boss, didn't intentionally put me in this situation. My becoming Raven was based purely on my ability to pass for younger than I am. And the fact that Emellina Morgane threw the agency off her trail by making it seem that Ju was the one in danger. We focused our efforts on protecting the Ambassador's, rather than protecting him and investigating Emellina's questionable background. So they are installing a more experienced agent in as Raven. I also would have declined to remain Raven in any case. I prefer to work with a partner."

"So you two are going to be partners?" Amanda asked, smiling, remembering a certain other agent who swore up and down he was a loner—until recently, that is.

"Unofficial," Ju put in. "I'm still considered too young to officially work for my government; besides I'm supposed to be undercover. I told my father the gun was a fake, just used to throw my stepmother off balance. He bought it, but my government suggested I find a partner to keep me out of trouble."

"You call it partners, Amanda, Ju," Lizzy put in. She paused dramatically. "I call it babysitting," she joked to the rest of the table and quickly ducked as Judy swung her arm.

Lee and Amanda laughed quietly at the easy friendship between the two.

"Speaking of babysitting," Lizzy went on unrepressed, "I think it's about time we headed back to the Embassy. Curfew."

"You have to leave?" Lee asked, disappointed.

"I think if we don't and we're late, Ju's father will have every agent in the country swarming all over this place looking for us."

"Touché," Judy said standing up. "Lee, Amanda, it was interesting."

"I hope the next time you visit us, it's under better circumstances."

"I don't think any could be worse," Ju admitted.

"I don't know," Amanda said slowly, "you still have to meet my sons."

Judy, Lizzy, Lee and Amanda laughed and the two girls headed to the door, closely followed by half a dozen agents and bodyguards.

When they were finally alone, Lee raised his glass to Amanda and said, "To you, partner."

"Oh?" Amanda asked surprised. "Finally willing to admit we're partners? It's only been what, two and a half years?"

"Old habits are hard to break," Lee said thoughtfully. "I'm used being solo."

"Come on, Lee," Amanda said. "You have to admit we work really well together."

"I can't deny it," Lee said. "I've had a couple of partners before, but none lasted more than a couple of months. Francine was once my partner. She dumped me before a week was up."

"I can't see you and Francine as partners," Amanda said sipping her wine, smiling at the thought of the status-conscious blonde agent and the suave, debonair brown haired agent working together. Without fighting. The idea was laughable.

"Well, we didn't work really well together," Lee said, smiling. "She was way too stubborn, never doing what I told her to, always putting herself in danger, always asking too many questions..."

Amanda glared at him, recognizing herself in his description. She decided to get back at him though, saying, "Amazing that she put up with you for almost a week. I don't see how I could have. Someone telling me what to do, always putting me in danger, never answering questions...it's a good thing you've changed Lee Stetson."

Lee looked at her serious face and as their eyes met, they broke into laughter.

"How did we ever get into this?" Lee asked her.

"It was fate," Amanda said, her face suddenly serious.

"Fate..." Lee said, unconvinced.

"Yes, fate," Amanda said. "Fate knew you need me and that I needed you."

"You needed me?" Lee asked.

Amanda really knew he was asking "I needed you?" but she replied anyway. "Lee, if you didn't have me to back you up, how many times... you could have...should have been...would have been..." she trailed off not wanting to continue the thought. The word "killed" was better left unsaid.

Lee was surprised that she had summed him up so acutely. Before she became his partner, he had been taking too many risks, too many chances, all the time—headed on the fast track to Arlington Cemetery.

Amanda continued, unaware that she had caught him off guard. "Besides, how long do you think I could have been happy as the mother of two boys, PTA rep, and den mother? Do you think I would have been happy in my safe little life, married to Dean, never doing anything more exciting than volunteering at a Boomer's bake sale? Oh," she admitted with a negligent wave of her hand, "for a while that was enough, but I needed more..."

Lee blinked, not expecting this candid admission from his partner. "Oh, I don't know," Lee said. "I don't think you needed me. After all you had Jamie and Phillip and your mother and Dean, and even Joe."

Amanda quickly shot back, "And you had Celeste and Trixie and Colette and what-was-her-name-with-the-blond-hair and—"

"Amanda," Lee interrupted her, desperate to do anything to stop what could go on all night. He smiled his sexiest smile and said, "Would you marry me?"

Thump went her heart and an eternity passed in that beat. The world stopped and a thousand different decisions could have been made.

Did he just say what I think he said?

Did I just say what I think I said?

What should I say?

What if she says yes?

What if she says no?

Did he really mean it?

What would our friends say?

What would my family say?

I'm in love.

I'm in love.

I can't say anything!

Could it work?

We could make it work.

Anything is possible with him.

Anything is possible with her.

I can't hide my feelings anymore.

I can't hide anymore.

We're meant to be.

It can't work.

Can it?

Why did you wait so long?

What would I do without you?

I can't live without you.

Why doesn't she say something?!

I have to say something!!

Her heart beat again and the moment was over.

Amanda knew what the only response to that question was. "No," she answered with a huge grin. "I'm afraid you don't have the correct glass slipper with you, Prince."

Lee gave her a comically disappointed frown, looking like a sad puppy.

Amanda reached over and patted his hand, saying, "I guess that legendary Stetson charm can fail, huh, Prince Charming."

"I don't know that it's failed," Lee said, giving her a significant look as his eyes went from her fact to her hand on his and back to her face, flashing her that thousand-kilowatt-stop-you-dead-in-your-tracks-sexy smile.

They looked at each other and laughed again, smiling over their drinks, secure in their unshakeable friendship.

The End...or is it?