Welcome to America, Mr. Brand - tagalogue

Written by Robert W. Gilmer (excerpts from the episode belong to him)

Amanda watched Mr. Brand ... Mr. Pott ... step into the elevator. Just before he elevator doors closed, he gave her a little wave good-bye. She shook her head and smiled.

"You're really going to miss him, aren't you?"

Amanda turned with a start at Lee's voice, not even aware that he was still nearby. He had headed down the hall after saying good-bye to James. "Yeah, a little bit," she replied, amazed that he had read her thoughts. "He may have been a bit unusual in the way he went about things..."

"Unusual? That's not exactly the word I'd use!" Lee raised his eyebrows a little. "How about eccentric?"

Amanda planted her hands on her hips and stared at him. "He was right, wasn't he?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "He spent the past seven years keeping a close watch on Dobbs, and his research really paid off with this one."

"There's just one question I have." Amanda put her left hand in the pocket of her skirt and lifted her right to gesture as she spoke.

"What's that?"

"If Clayton Dobbs has been involved in all of these illegal dealings for over seven years, why hasn't anyone caught him or even reported him?"

Lee reached out to grasp her elbow and gently pull her towards him as he stepped backward to one side of the hallway. At first, Amanda was a little surprised at the action. When he nodded at the other agents and government personnel who were walking to and from their destinations, she understood and agreed with him. It was best that they stay out of the way as they conversed.

His hand still on her arm, he returned to the question she had posed a moment ago. "No one has caught him, because he has enough money to buy them off. When he doesn't do that, he kills them."

"Just like he did with Mr. Munson."

Lee nodded. "Exactly."

She put her other hand in her pocket. "Well, I'm glad he was stopped before anything bad happened to the money printed here in the States. If it weren't for James, we never would have known about any of this."

Lee leaned nonchalantly against the wall and studied his fingernails. "Yeah, we owe him a big thanks, but I think that promotion at MI6 will be a good start."

"I believe it will. Of course, I think you owe James an even bigger thanks than our government does." She nodded, her lips pursed.

He gave her a curious glance. "Why do you say that?"

"If it weren't for him and his Cobra Death Grip, you might be really hurting right now!"

"Oh yeah." He nodded. "You've got a point there." He pushed himself away from the wall and stood straight. "You know, I still can't believe he made that up. I'm amazed that it worked! Dr. Chow never knew what hit him!"

"That was obvious by the way he avoided you a moment ago! I'm still thinking about what I heard when I called you during your last session. What was all of that noise, anyway?"

"Oh, that!" Lee replied through clenched teeth. "Dr. Chow decided he was going to use the phone cord as a noose." He gestured with his left hand to demonstrate. "Guess he thought that was better than handing me the phone so I could take my call."

Out of instinct, Amanda's hands came out of her pockets and reached towards him. "Oh my gosh!" She almost touched his neck, but held back and instead lightly touched the lapels of his suit jacket, then clasped her hands in front of her. "Is that why you were out of breath when you finally answered?"

"Yeah, that and the fact that I had just gotten through being knocked flat on my back with the promise that a time-out as I wanted wasn't going to be granted by Dr. Pain!"

"Oh, Lee! I'm so sorry!" She reached up to run her thumb and forefinger along the lapel of his jacket, then unnecessarily smoothed it. "And all of the field agents have to take an exam with Dr. Chow every year?"

"Annual exam, yeah."

She couldn't help but feel a little bit of trepidation at that piece of information. Oh, she knew she wasn't an agent, but Mr. Melrose was beginning to give her some training, and if the time came when she had to face Dr. Chow...

"Amanda, I know what you're thinking, but you don't have to worry about it. If you ever get to the point where you're standing across from Dr. Pain, you can just swing your purse or a briefcase at him to ward off his attacks!" He grinned.

"Very funny, Lee!" She reached for an imaginary purse and lifted it into the air. Lee playfully ducked, and they both laughed. At the odd looks from a couple of people who walked by and saw them, Amanda lowered her arm and composed herself. "So, what's on the agenda for tomorrow? No more 'babysitting' assignments, I hope. You still owe me for the last one with the 'grabber'."

"If I remember correctly, you said I owe you for this one as well."

"Now that you mention it, you're right. I was actually going to forget about this one, since it turned out to be an enjoyable time with James, but since you brought it up, why not?" She shrugged and grinned. "So, pay up!" The demand was accompanied by extending her hand, making it look as if she expected monetary remuneration.

Instead of replying, Lee took both of her hands in his and began to run his thumb across the back of her fingers as he pinned her with a soft, but teasing look. "What did you have in mind?"

Amanda fought hard to control her breathing and knew that her pounding heart could be heard outside of her chest. There was no way she could concentrate enough to form a reply to his question with him looking at her that way or caressing her fingers the way he was. She almost wanted to pull her hands back, but a part of her enjoyed the attention. It was similar to how she felt when Lee had requested that she and James accompany him and Francine to the garden party at the estate where Clayton Dobbs had been staying. Only this reaction went a little deeper.

It had given her a very warm feeling inside that he had wanted her along, not only because they were involved in the case but because he had begun to accept her company. He may not admit it, but she could tell by his actions that she was the first person that came to mind whenever he needed a partner for an assignment, at least for something that didn't involve shooting. They had really come a long way in their relationship, and she looked forward to how things were going, even if it meant stepping into uncharted territory.

"Can't come up with anything, huh?" Lee's voice interrupted her thoughts, and she focused her attention on him. "Maybe I can come up with a way to make amends!" One corner of his mouth turned up in a crooked grin.

She forced herself to remain calm, then decided that two could play at this game and turned on all the charm. "I never said I couldn't come up with anything, but here in the hallway may not be the best place to tell you what I had in mind!" A saucy grin and a squeeze of his hands followed.

The look on his face in response to her words was well worth the resolve it took her to pull it off. First, there was shock, then surprise, followed by uncertainty and finally interest mixed with amusement. Amanda knew she was being a lot more daring than she'd ever been, but with Lee, it seemed to come easy. Besides, if he was going to tease, why shouldn't she? Fair was fair, and he certainly had it coming to him.

Now, she just had to come up with something to go with her bait. Knowing Lee and this line of work, it wasn't going to be easy to catch him off guard. If anyone was up to the challenge, she was. They had been dancing around this line for far too long, and she looked forward to when she could give him a taste of him own medicine. If anyone had told her two years ago that she would be where she was right now, about to plot revenge against a secret agent, she would have laughed. However, like James had said, she'd always wanted something more, and this part of her life certainly qualified as that.

"Well, how about we go get a cup of coffee, and you can fill me in on the details?" Lee's voice once again interrupted her thoughts.

"Scarecrow! I need to see you for a moment in my office!" Billy's voice sounded from behind Lee.

Amanda peeked around his shoulder and saw Mr. Melrose standing in the hallway, then glanced back at Lee. "Looks like that coffee break will have to wait."

He grinned. "Yeah, and just when I was looking forward to hearing your plan to make me pay!"

"Don't worry, the plan's not going anywhere. I fully intend to collect on what's owed me."

"I look forward to it!" He released her hands as he turned to leave.

"You might change your mind when you find out!" She called to his retreating back.

He turned around and winked. "We'll see."

"Yes, Stetson, we certainly will," she added under her breath. Now, she just had to decide if she was going to tell him or make him wait and find out. That all depended on what type of payment she could devise, and whether it would be more fun to spring it on him or give him the opportunity to take the demands and meet them. She certainly had some planning to do, but this was the type that was going to be pure pleasure.

(THE END)

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