It’s DeJaVu Author: Vikki

Timeframe: This story takes place mid-third season, somewhere between Reach for the Sky and Dead Men Leave No Trails. I don’t believe cannon is broken, although it might be nudged a bit.

Beta: Sorry. I have read enough Fan Fiction to know what a Beta is - but, I don’t know exactly how to acquire one. I do have some background in business writing, which is obviously a whole lot different than fiction writing.....

Note: I have been dabbling in Fan Fiction for a while, but this is the first time I have gotten up the nerve to actually post something. I don’t object to constructive criticism, but I do object to nastiness.

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Amanda King sat at Lee Stetson’s desk in the Q Bureau, mentally preparing herself for her assignment. She felt distinctly uneasy about it. Or, more accurately, she felt distinctly uneasy about how Lee would respond, if he found out. He had been upset when she had “spied” on him for Harry Thornton; he would probably be furious over this. It didn’t matter that in this case, as in the previous one, she didn’t really want to do it. It didn’t matter that in this case, as in the previous one, she would be acting under direct orders.

It didn’t even matter that in this case, as in the previous one, she would be doing it for the good of the Agency. Lee would still see it as a betrayal of his trust. He had erected certain barriers between himself and the rest of the world, and he would see her actions as an attempt to breach those barriers.

Amanda sighed deeply. They had come a long way in the past few years. She had progressed from an irritation whose presence in his life Lee barely tolerated - to an acknowledged partner and friend. They had even fallen into a comfortable, playful flirtation. But maybe it was time to admit to herself that she was as close to Lee Stetson as she was ever going to get. No matter how much she cared about him, no matter how much she loved him, he was never going to let her past those emotional barriers - and it

simply wasn’t healthy for her to continue to hope for something she was never going to attain. There were plenty of nice, normal, emotionally healthy men in the world; maybe it was time for her to give one of them a chance.

Amanda gave herself a mental shake as she realized that it was 8:45am. She had only fifteen minutes until she was expected downstairs in the Medical Lab. She hurriedly reviewed her meeting the previous afternoon with Billy Melrose and Dr Quorn, one of the Agency’s top researchers of chemical warfare. The two men had explained to Amanda that the Agency was running controlled tests on a powerful Russian truth serum, the newest in the DejaVu series. Ten highly experienced field agents had been selected to participate in the tests. Each had been given details of a mock assignment, with instructions that the information was top secret. No one without a Vermilion security clearance was to be given access to this particular operation. Then, each agent was questioned while under the influence of the new DejaVu drug.

So far, the results of the tests had been quite impressive, Dr Quorn had confided to Amanda. Four of the agents selected for the test had given full details of the top secret assignment after one dose of the drug and a short interrogation. Five of the remaining six had resisted the effects of the drug when questioned by the standard interrogation team - but had given in quickly when questioned by a familiar person. Lee Stetson, on the other hand, had been questioned twice by the interrogation team, once by a coworker, and once by his section chief - and he alone had resisted the effects of the drug. He was to be questioned one more time, and Dr Quorn had selected Amanda to handle the interrogation. The doctor wanted to know whether Lee’s resistance could be weakened by someone who he knew and trusted - his partner.

Amanda had tried to extricate herself from the assignment. She pointed out that she had never actually interrogated anyone. She also pointed out that she would be so uncomfortable attempting to interrogate someone that she wouldn’t be able to concentrate. Neither argument worked. Mr Melrose and Dr Quorn told her to simply do her best, using whatever means she felt comfortable with. They also told her that her “interview” with Lee Stetson would not be observed, recorded or taped - and that Lee himself would have no memory of it afterward - so she had no reason to feel nervous. It was results, not methods, that mattered to them. When she had reluctantly agreed, they had simply given her one key word, “Rudolph,” and told her to get whatever information she could.

Now Amanda sat in the Q Bureau, mentally bracing herself for the interrogation. She was about to get up and head for the Lab, when the door opened and Francine Desmond walked in. “Oh, I didn’t know you were up here, Amanda,” Francine said, her tone clearly conveying that it was not a pleasant surprise. “I was hoping to use Lee’s desk for a few

hours. I know he’s going to be, uh, otherwise occupied this morning, and we’re having some phone problems downstairs.”

“That’s okay, Francine, it’s all yours,” Amanda returned quietly, as she got up from the desk and headed toward the door. “I’m going to be otherwise occupied myself.”

Francine looked sharply at Amanda, “You’re going to interrogate Lee, aren’t you,” she asked in a disbelieving voice. She shook her head as though trying to dislodge an offensive thought. Without giving Amanda a chance to answer, she continued, “I suggest you take a magazine or two. You’ll be bored out of your mind. I did his third drug trial. Four hours of the most boring interrogation in Agency history. It’s a good thing I didn’t have my gun with me; if I’d heard his mantra one more time, I would have used it, “ Francine smirked at Amanda.

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

Amanda opened the door to the interrogation room and paused for a moment to survey her surroundings. The room was small, with an unexpectedly cozy feel. She decided that was because, unlike the majority of the Agency, it had no overhead fluorescent lighting. The only light emanated from two small lamps resting on wooden tables placed at either end of a comfortable looking sofa. The only other piece of furniture in the room was an equally comfortable looking armchair. Lee Stetson was stretched full length on the sofa; he appeared to be sleeping.

Carefully closing the door, Amanda walked slowly toward the sofa. Lee didn’t stir. Pulling the chair as close as possible the point where Lee’s head was resting, she gingerly sat down. “Lee?” she whispered tentatively. “Lee, can you hear me?”

A slight smile appeared on the handsome face beside her. “Yeah,” he responded slowly.

Unsure how to begin her “interrogation,” Amanda waited a few more moments before asking “Lee, do you know who I am?”

Lee’s eyes remained closed and he continued to smile, as though he were having a pleasant dream. “Uh huh,” he said after a moment, his voice slightly slurred “Mmmanda.”

Amanda smiled. She wished she could just sit here and let him sleep. He looked so peaceful. She was certain he didn’t get enough sleep; the rest would be good for him. Unconsciously, she let out a gentle sigh.

“Don’t be sad, Manda. Don’t like it when you’re sad,” mumbled Lee, startling Amanda slightly.

“I’m not sad,” she assured him softly. Deciding this might be an opening for her questioning, she added “I’m just thinking about the case. You know, your new one. The Rudolph case. Mr Melrose sent me to help you.”

Lee’s faced scrunched into a frown as he appeared to be considering her comment. “Can’t help me,” he finally said in a regretful voice. “Top secret. Eyes only,” he added as an explanation.

Amanda’s right hand reached out to gently brush a lock of golden brown hair that had fallen over his eyes. At her touch, he smiled again. As she gazed at him, an inspiration struck. “Well, you know,” she coaxed, her fingers caressing his forehead, “I have eyes.”

“Beautiful eyes,” Lee whispered; his own eyes remained closed, and his smile became even more dreamy. At the same time, one of his hands reached up and lightly grasped Amanda’s, pressing her fingers against his face.

Amanda felt her heart melt at the sincerity of his unexpected compliment. “You have beautiful eyes, too,” she murmured tenderly. “Really beautiful eyes.” Lee’s only response was to rub her hand gently up and down his cheek.

Amanda suddenly realized the room was getting stuffy and she couldn’t breathe very well. She shouldn’t be doing this, she thought guiltily. This was getting personal; she was taking advantage of the situation. Besides which, she had a job to do. She tried to pull her hand out of his grasp, but he held on tightly, a boyish pout spreading over his features.

“Lee, if you don’t want me to help on your case, maybe I should just get out of your way,” she suggested.

“Not in my way,” Lee insisted vehemently. Then his voice softened again and he added “Like having you around.”

“Really?" she asked before she could stop herself. “Uh huh," he responded.

Unsure how to continue now, Amanda asked the first thing she could think of. “Well, if you don’t want me to leave, but you don’t need my help with the case, what do you want me to do?”

Lee mouth suddenly hardened into a stubborn frown, a look Amanda knew only too well. His eyes slowly opened and looked into hers. “Can’t tell you,” he said . “Issa secret.” To emphasize his point, he put one finger over his lips and made an exaggerated “sssshhhhhh” sound. Since Amanda’s hand was still firmly grasped in his, she felt his soft, warm breath on her fingers, sending a tingle up her entire arm. She really shouldn’t be doing this, she thought again.

Pulling herself together with effort, and trying valiantly to concentrate on the task at hand, Amanda decided to switch tactics again. “Well, if you don’t want me to help, and you don’t want me to leave, I guess I’ll just sit here and watch for a while.”

“’Kay,” was Lee’s only response. He began rubbing Amanda’s hand against his cheek again, and he continued to watch her with an unreadable expression in his hazel eyes.

After several minutes, his eyes began to close again, and Amanda glanced at her watch. She had been in the room for nearly half an hour, and she really wasn’t getting anywhere. Not that anyone really expected her to get the information from Lee, of course, but Francine had been right about one thing: it was going to be tough to sit here like this for four hours. Particularly if Lee slept through most of it. He appeared close to falling asleep now.

“Lee, how do you feel?” she asked, in an effort to rouse him.

The dreamy look instantly disappeared from Lee’s face and the stubborn one took its place. “Don’t feel anything,” he growled.

“You don’t feel anything?” Amanda blinked, surprised by this response. He had looked content, even happy. Was he actually feeling numb? “You don’t feel anything at all?” she repeated.

“Can’t. Don’t want to,” was the gruff response.

Amanda watched in confusion for a moment. What was that supposed to mean? “I don’t understand,” she finally said.

“Don’t want to feel anything,” he grumbled in a childlike, almost petulant voice. She thought he was not going to say any more and was about to change the subject when he added sadly, almost wistfully “Everyone I love goes away. Don’t want to love you. Don’t want you to go away too.”

Tears pricked the back of Amanda’s eyes as the meaning of his words sank in. “Oh, Lee, that’s so sweet,” she said as a warm glow filled her entire being.  “I won’t go away.”

Lee appeared to considering her words. “Promise?” he asked hopefully. He opened his eyes and studied her apprehensively, as though he were trying to decide whether to believe her.

“Promise,” she whispered back. Slowly, Lee’s taut body relaxed. His eyes closed again, and he released his grip on her hand. A smile once more settled across his handsome face. He appeared to be drifting into a pleasant dream and, this time, Amanda decided, she would just let him sleep. She would sit here and read her magazine and let him sleep.

Amanda smiled to herself as she settled more comfortably in her chair. Lee wanted her in his life. He was just afraid. Afraid of loving her. Afraid of losing her. Afraid of getting hurt. Well, maybe he wasn’t such a lost cause after all. She understood now, and she would give him all the time he needed.

“Operation Rudolph,” Lee’s voice startled her, she was so lost in her own pleasant thoughts. “We’re going to the North Pole to kidnap Rudolph. Gonna find out what makes his nose glow...” To Amanda’s amazement, Lee spent the next several minutes spilling the details of his top secret “assignment”, after which he burrowed into the sofa cushions and began to snore softly.

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

By 10am, Amanda had given a verbal report on Operation Rudolph to Mr. Melrose and Dr Quorn, and she was waiting for the elevator to take her up to the Georgetown Foyer. She had already decided that the unofficial information she had collected in her interrogation was well worth not only the time and effort, but also the discomfort she would undoubtedly suffer if Lee discovered her involvement. His annoyance might be intense, but it would also be short-lived. And she had much more pleasant encounters to look forward to, if she just waited patiently. Lost in her own very happy thoughts, she didn’t even notice that Francine had exited the elevator she was waiting to enter until she heard a falsely saccharin voice. “Amanda, you’ve given up already? I thought you might hold out for a bit longer before throwing in the towel.”

Amanda didn’t even notice the blonde woman’s puzzled expression as she responded. “Oh, I will, Francine. For as long as it takes.”

Part Two: "It's DeJaVu" 

Lee Stetson walked up the hallway toward the Q Bureau, a spring in his step and a smile on his handsome face. 'I must be developing a tolerance to that truth serum,' he mused. After the other four drug trials, he hadn't been fully conscious until late afternoon - and then he had felt foggy and exhausted for the entire evening. He hadn't even been able to drive himself home, much to his chagrin. Billy had to assign two agency trainees to escort him, one to drive his car and the other to give his driver a ride back to the agency.

But not today! Today, he had been fully alert by 1pm, and he felt fantastic, almost euphoric. Like he had just awakened from a long, peaceful night's sleep full of pleasant dreams and was looking forward to... To what? He didn't know. He didn't recall anything he had looked forward to recently, and most of his dreams were more disturbing than pleasant. Especially the ones involving his partner, Amanda King. 'Stop right now, Stetson,' he chided himself. 'I am not going there! It's bad enough that I have thoughts like that while I'm asleep. I am NOT going to have them while I'm awake. How could I possibly have dreams like that about Amanda, for God's sake! I really need to spice up my social life.' He made a mental note to look through his little black books tonight and line up a date for Friday.

As he entered his office and sat at his desk, Lee shook his head and forced his mind back to the drug trials. He marveled again at how terrific he felt. It must have been a really easy interrogation, he decided. Maybe Billy had assigned one of those trainees to do it. He thought one of them had mentioned a class in Interrogations.

Lee closed his eyes and concentrated. As he had done after each session, he tried to remember something, anything, about the day's interrogation, but his mind remained stubbornly blank. Thinking about the interrogations was pointless. He hadn't even been able to remember who had conducted them, although he suspected that Francine had done the third one. She had avoided him for days afterwards and had shot him disgusted looks at every opportunity.

She had probably taken it as a personal insult if she hadn't been able to get any information out of him - which she obviously hadn't, or he wouldn't have been subjected to two more interrogations. He hadn't picked up a single clue from anyone other than Francine. Dr Quorn was always cheerful but guarded as he put the needle into Lee's arm in the morning and released Lee from the Lab in the afternoon. Billy had been just as uncommunicative when Lee checked in with him before and after each session. The only exception had been this afternoon, when Billy sputtered into his coffee cup as Lee said that he felt great and wouldn't need a ride home.

Lee had tried a couple of times to get Billy fill him in on the findings of the project, but his section chief had told him the results were "need to know" - and Lee didn't need to know. Lee had argued the point. After all, he hadn't volunteered to be a guinea pig: Billy had ordered him to participate. Lee didn't like the idea of people playing around inside his head. It made him uncomfortable enough to have no control over the process; why couldn't he have access to the results? The other agents at least knew they had broken, since they had been released from the study before the arbitrary "five interrogation limit" set by Dr Quorn. Lee didn't even know that much. Well, he must not have broken in the first four sessions, but he didn't know what had happened this morning.

Lee was still sitting at his desk, frowning with his effort to remember, when the office door opened. Amanda King paused in the doorway and smiled hesitantly.

"Hi," she said. "I finished the Jordak report , and I thought you might want to look it over before I give it to Mr Melrose."

"Oh, yeah. Thanks. " Lee grinned. For some reason, it felt really good to see Amanda. She always managed to make him feel better when something was bothering him. As he reached for the folder Amanda was holding, he noticed she was looking particularly pretty today. He also noticed she was acting a little shy; as he looked at her steadily, a slight blush stained her cheeks.

Was it possible Amanda had done the interrogation? The idea seemed absurd, but why else would she be looking at him that way? They were friends; there was no reason for her to be self-conscious around him. Unless she was hiding something... Setting the folder down, he eyed her casually for a moment longer before asking nonchalantly, "So, what have you been doing today?'

Lee thought Amanda looked guilty for a split second, but she responded quickly.

"Oh, well, I've been working on that report for almost three hours. It really shouldn't have taken so long, but I had trouble reading your handwriting on a couple of pages of notes, and then I accidentally hit the delete button and had retype part of it. And then I went over to steno to see if they had finished the wiretap transcription you wanted to attach, but they hadn't even started it, so I did it myself." Amanda shrugged and gave him a nervous smile.

Watching her closely, Lee didn't think she was lying . When he had stopped in the Q Bureau this morning before heading down to the Medical Lab, the file had been on his desk, and the report hadn't even been started. He was certain it would have taken *him* over three hours to turn his notes into a coherent report. Besides which, Amanda almost never told him out and out lies; most often, if she didn't want to admit something, she changed the subject or "answered" his question with a question of her own.

On the other hand, she usually rambled when she was flustered, and one of her hands was nervously twisting her heart-shaped pendant. For a moment, he was distracted by the vision of her slender fingers against the deep red of her sweater. Red was a good color on her. It brought a warm glow to her skin and darkened her soft, brown eyes. Thinking of her eyes caused hazy memory to float through his mind, but he couldn't quite bring it into focus. Shaking his head again in an effort to clear it, he decided to steer the conversation into safe territory. "Is that a new sweater?"

"This sweater? Oh, uh, yeah. I just bought it last night. There was a big sale at Arlington Mall. A lot of stores had 50% off sales, and Mother really wanted to go. She thought we might be able to find some new jeans for the boys; they really wear out jeans fast. " Amanda stopped suddenly in mid-ramble and smiled apologetically. "That's probably more than you needed to know."

"No problem," Lee said slowly. For some reason, now that he thought about it, her sweater looked vaguely familiar. He was almost certain he had seen it before, but if she had just bought it last night.... No, he was being ridiculous. She couldn't have done the interrogation and the report at the same time. But why was she acting so nervous?

Picking up the folder, Lee began to glance idly through the neatly typed pages. As he did so, he could sense Amanda backing slowly toward the office door. "Well, I'm sure you're busy, and I don't want to bother you, so I'll just be going," she said.

Lee spoke without thinking. "You're not bothering me. I like having you, uh." He paused, slightly confused by the thought he had almost revealed. Looking across at Amanda, he could see that her eyes had widened. "I mean," he began again, "I like having someone to type up my reports."

"Right. Thanks. I'm glad I could help. Look, I have to get going. Mr Melrose told me I could take off a couple of hours early today. I have a parent-teacher conference at Jamie's school. But I promise I'll finish the Waterhouse report for you first thing in the morning." Without waiting for him to respond, she quickly slipped out into the hallway and closed the door behind her.

Promise? Promise? Lee's brow furrowed in concentration as he again tried to focus on a shadowy memory. Hadn't Amanda promised him something else? For the life of him, he couldn't recall what it might have been. With a sigh, he decided he must be more tired than he had realized. He would go home and take a nap. Thinking of his earlier plan to spend the evening with his little black books, he decided he wasn't feeling up to the effort. Maybe he would invite Amanda to have dinner with him Friday night. Yes, that was just what he needed: a nice, relaxing dinner with a good friend. And maybe she had heard something about the DeJaVu research.

She was really good at picking up bits and pieces of information around the Agency; she even did data entry for the Medical department occasionally, when things were slow in Field Section. Well, if she knew something, he would get it out of her. He grinned as he grabbed his car keys and headed toward the office door. First, he would need a good bottle of wine....

Part Three – “Smokescreens”

Amanda King put her car into ‘Park,’ turned off the lights, and unbuckled her seat belt. She took a few deep breaths in an effort to soothe her slightly frazzled nerves.

She needed to calm down. While she finally had reason to believe that Lee Stetson’s feelings for her were more than platonic, she still needed to take things slow. She couldn’t push him; she had to wait until he was ready. Easier said than done. Sometimes, when he looked at her with those gorgeous hazel eyes, when he flashed one of his dazzling smiles, even when he closed his warm fingers over hers, it was difficult to keep her own emotions in check. She might have a great deal of self-control, but she was only human.

She wondered wistfully whether he would ever be ready. When Lee asked her to dinner — just a casual evening with a good friend, he had explained — she knew immediately that his motive was neither casual nor romantic. He had spent the last two days trying to get information out of anyone he thought might have access to the DeJaVu study. He hadn’t specifically mentioned it to her since the afternoon of his last Dr.ug trial, but she had felt his questioning eyes on her several times. He suspected that she was withholding information from him, and he was going to make an attempt to get it out of her. Tonight. 

What should she say to him? She had asked herself the same question a hunDr.ed times, and there was no good answer. She simply couldn’t tell him the truth. How could she possibly explain what had happened during the interrogation? On the other hand, she doubted she was capable of looking him in the eye and telling him a direct lie, at least not a believable one. So that left the option of telling him she knew some of the research results but wasn’t allowed to divulge them. The thought made her wince slightly. This might be the last meal they shared in a very long time. 

As she exited her vehicle, Amanda smoothed the fabric of her jeans and straightened the sleeves of her soft, white sweater. She wished she could have worn her new red one — Lee seemed to like it on her — but she felt that would have been pushing her luck. Dr. Quorn and Mr. Melrose had assured her Lee wouldn’t remember anything from the interrogation, but how could they be certain? No, she wasn’t going to wear something that might trigger a memory she preferred to stay buried.

White was probably a better color for tonight, anyway. Amanda smiled as she recalled a conversation with one of Joe’s law professors many years ago. “If you ever find yourself the defendant in a criminal trial, Amanda, be sure to wear white,” the elderly attorney had lectured her solemnly. “White always helps ladies appear innocent.” Amanda sighed and wondered whether his advice applied to an interrogation by dashing a federal agent.

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

Lee paced from his kitchen to his living room, making sure everything was ready.

He had wanted to cook something special for Amanda tonight, but he had gotten out of the office much later than he intended. Luckily, one of his contacts worked at The Blue Fox; with just a quick phone call, he had been able to have a complete dinner delivered on barely an hour’s notice. Now, the salad was in the refrigerator, the lasagna and bread were in the oven on ‘warm’, the table was set, and the wine was breathing on the sideboard.

He was a little surprised at himself for going to so much effort. Amanda might not know any more about the DeJaVu research than he did. Well, he was going to find out tonight. First, he would relax her with dinner, wine, and friendly banter. Then, he would light a fire and settle her comfortably on the sofa. She would be putty in his hands. No, not literally in his hands. He determinedly squelched the image that tried to form in his mind. This was Amanda, he reminded himself. His hands were not going to be involved in this operation.

Lee glanced at his watch. She was due to arrive in a few minutes. He paced a few times around his living room and ran a finger under the neck of his dark turtleneck sweater. He shouldn’t be feeling so nervous. He’d had dinner with Amanda dozens of times. It must be guilt, he decided. He felt guilty for inviting her to a casual dinner when he had an ulterior motive. His relationship with Amanda was generally open and straightforward. At least as open and straightforward as a relationship could be when it involved someone in his business. Wait a minute, he chided himself. He didn’t mean ‘relationship’. He didn’t have a relationship with Amanda. He meant his friendship with Amanda. Yes, that was right. Friendship. He glanced at his watch again. Almost on cue, he heard a soft rap on the door. 

Taking a deep breath in an effort to shake off his uncharacteristic nervousness, he made his way to the apartment door. He opened it to find Amanda standing in the soft glow cast by the hall lights. There was a shy smile on her lips and an enigmatic look in her large, brown eyes. Damn she looked beautiful!

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

Amanda hummed softly to herself as she moved around Lee’s small kitchen. Despite her earlier qualms, the evening had been delightful so far. The food — - catered, Lee had admitted with an engaging grin — had been delicious, and the conversation had been light and pleasant. She told Lee about Phillip’s most recent girlfriend, Jamie’s science project, and her mother’s determination to investigate every store in Arlington Mall during this week’s “midnight madness” sales. Lee told her several amusing tales of his adventures while on assignment in Europe the year before they met. She didn’t quite believe some of his stories: she suspected he skimmed over the more disturbing parts and embellished the comical ones for her ntertainment, but she didn’t mind. It was a sweet gesture; she appreciated his sensitivity to her distaste for the more violent aspects of their job.

After they finished eating, Amanda had insisted on clearing the table and loading the dirty dishes into the dishwasher, while Lee carried their wine glasses and the half empty wine bottle into the living room. It felt oddly comfortable, Amanda thought, to be working in Lee’s kitchen like this. It was something she could easily get used to.

Amanda had finished the dishes and was wiping the counters when she heard Lee’s voice. “Amanda, you don’t have to do all that. Come out here. “ Draping the dishcloth over the oven handle, she went to join him.

Lee was kneeling in front of the fireplace. “It’s pretty cool tonight. I thought you might like a fire,” he said with a winning smile.

Amanda approached and stooped down for a closer look. Although she had been in his apartment several times, she had never paid any particular attention to the fireplace. “Is that gas?” she asked.

“Yeah, see, you can turn the flame higher or lower with this little switch.” He demonstrated, causing the flames to flare up and then recede. “It doesn’t put out quite as much heat as a wood fire, but it’s easier.”

“And you don’t have to stop what you’re doing every fifteen minutes to add wood, either,” Amanda commented lightly. A sudden image of things he might be doing that he wouldn’t want to interrupt caused her to blush and turn her head.

“Hey, are you okay?” Lee queried gently, reaching around to place a comforting hand on hers. She looked up into his eyes and saw they were puzzled and concerned.

Amanda swallowed and forced the troubling image aside. She couldn’t change Lee’s past, whether or not she was going to be part of his future. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she assured him with a warm smile. “I’ve really enjoyed this evening.” 

“Good, now come sit and enjoy the fire for a few minutes,” Lee urged. Pulling her upright, he placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her toward the sofa.

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

Lee settled Amanda on the sofa with her wine, picked up his own glass, and sank down beside her. It was time. He wanted that information. He faltered for a moment, however, when he glanced at Amanda’s face. *Was* there something bothering her? She had denied it, but she didn’t seem as relaxed as he had hoped. Ignoring another wave of guilt, he decided to forge ahead. “You know, Amanda, this has been really great. Dinner and talking and everything. But there is one small business matter I want to discuss with you.” He spoke with practiced nonchalance. Finishing his wine in one gulp, he the placed empty glass on the coffee table and turned to face her again.

“Oh. What’s that?” Amanda set her glass beside his and smiled hesitantly.

“Well, I’m sure you’ve heard about the DeJaVu research at the Agency,” he stated, trying to maintain an even, offhand tone.

“Yeah, I have. Mr. Melrose mentioned it to me,” Amanda replied. She looked nervous, Lee noticed.

“Then you know I was one of the research subjects,” Lee continued.

“Yes, I know that.” For a moment, she looked down at her hands, which were clenched in her lap. Then she raised her eyes back to his.

“The thing is, I’ve been asking around, and no one seems to know what happened during those interrogations.” As he spoke, Lee looked steadily into her eyes.

“Oh, I think that’s just how the Medical department works. The only people who know are the people who are supposed to know,” Amanda said with a nervous flutter of her hand and a shake of her head.

“Like you?” Lee watched her carefully. “Me?” Amanda’s voice wavered.

“Yeah. I mean, we’re friends, right? So, you’d tell me if you knew something.” Lee’s voice was low and compelling. He quirked an eyebrow expectantly.

There was a long pause before Amanda responded. “Oh, well, yeah. We’re friends. Right. So I’d tell you if I knew something. Unless, of course, I’d been ordered  *not* to tell, in which case I really *couldn’t* tell, because I might get into trouble. And you wouldn’t want me to get into trouble. Because we’re friends. right?” Amanda shrugged her shoulders delicately and gave him a disarming smile. 

Lee hesitated. He blinked slowly and ran a hand absently through his hair. When she put it like that... Hell, of course he didn’t want her to get into trouble. But she wouldn’t get into trouble just for giving him a few details about a medical study. Would she? His “need to know” warred with his protective instincts. No one stirred his protective instincts quite like Amanda. She was so naive, so vulnerable, so innocent. He wasn’t going to do anything to hurt her. He wasn’t going to let anyone do anything to hurt her.

Silence stretched between them. For some reason, Lee’s throat began to feel Dr.y and his palms started to sweat. He shouldn’t have turned on the fireplace; it was too hot in the room. He noticed that Amanda looked slightly flushed. His brain told him to get off the sofa, turn down the fire, and open a window. His body didn’t obey. He found himself almost hypnotized by the sparkle of Amanda’s heart- shaped pendant above the scooped neckline of her sweater. The tiny diamond chips caught and reflected the flames from the fire as her chest rose and fell with each breath. Forcing his eyes upward, he felt a sudden urge to reach out and touch the silky, chestnut curls framing her face. He looked into her eyes: they were dark and soft and warm. He couldn’t seem to tear his own away. Mesmerized, he felt an almost irresistible desire to lean forward and press his lips gently against hers. He moved toward her slightly. She didn’t back away, and he moved closer.

EEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPP! EEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPP! EEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPP! 

Lee and Amanda sprang apart as a loud, shrill sound shattered the quiet of the night.

“What the hell!!” Lee growled, jumping to his feet.

Amanda rose more slowly. She felt disoriented, and she knew the erratic pounding of her heart was only partially due to alarm. Just a moment ago, she had been almost certain that Lee was going to kiss her. She looked into his face and saw that he had snapped back into agent mode. Trying to focus on the piercing shriek that continued to assault her ears, she finally realized what she was hearing. “It sounds like a smoke detector,” she stated.

Lee turned a full 360 degrees, his eyes scanning the room warily. “You’re right, but I don’t smell smoke in here,” he said slowly. “It must be the smoke detector in the outside hallway. Come on.” Reaching for Amanda’s hand, he moved so quickly toward his apartment door that she barely had time to grab her purse off the end table where she had left it earlier. As he put his free hand on the doorknob, however, he stopped. “Wait here for a second,” he ordered. He strode into his bedroom and returned a moment later tucking his gun into the waistband of his jeans. “I don’t want to go out there unarmed, just in case.”

 Lee took Amanda’s hand again and slowly opened the door. As he pulled her through the doorway, she saw that the hall lights were still illuminated, but clouds of thick, dark smoke cast eerie, shifting shadows on the walls. “Come on, we’d better head for the stairs,” Lee shouted, barely audible over the almost deafening wail of the smoke detector, which was now almost directly over their heads. He reached into his pocket and handed her a handkerchief. “Put this over your mouth and nose.”

Amanda held the handkerchief over her face, and Lee pulled the collar of his turtleneck sweater up to cover his own mouth and nose. Still clasping hands, they moved cautiously through the hallway, down the stairs and out into the chill spring night.

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

Lee stood on the pavement outside his apartment building, one arm Dr.aped casually around Amanda’s shoulders. Most of the residents had been forced to wait across the street with the usual crowd of spectators, but he and Amanda had been allowed to stay closer, just behind the line of emergency vehicles, after he had flashed his federal ID.

The Fire Chief had told them the chaos was caused by a kitchen fire, which had flared out of control and spread through the adjoining rooms. Luckily, although the building’s hallway had filled with smoke, damage appeared to be confined to one apartment. Several people had been treated for smoke inhalation, but there had been no serious injuries. The Chief had been adamant, however, that no one — including federal agents — would be allowed to reenter the building for at least another 30 minutes.

Lee looked down at Amanda as he felt her shiver slightly. The night air was cold, and he didn’t even have a jacket to offer her. He had almost suggested going to a nearby coffee shop to wait, but then he remembered that his apartment door was unlocked; he needed to stay in the immediate area. Watching her for a moment longer, he decided he couldn’t let her shiver for another half hour. “Look, Amanda,” he urged, “it’s really getting cold out here. You don’t have to wait. Why don’t you just head home.”

 Amanda looked at him uncertainly for a moment before responding, “Yeah, you’re right, I should get going.”

Lee took her hand, and they walked to her car in silence. He felt strangely awkward. The memory of those last few moments on his sofa flashed through his mind again. Had he really almost kissed her? Yes, he had, and he didn’t know whether he was relieved or disappointed by the interruption.

Deep in thought, Lee was almost startled when Amanda stopped beside her car door. “Thanks again for dinner. I’ll see you Monday,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Then she surprised him by reaching up and kissing him softly on the cheek before she climbed into the vehicle and closed the door.

Lee watched as she fastened her seat belt, started the engine, and pulled away. He remained frozen in position until her taillights disappeared from view. Turning back toward his building, he shook his head slowly. He had a lot more to think about this weekend than DeJaVu. 

Part Four – “Whatever Happened to DeJaVu”

Timeframe: A few days before Christmas, 1987. The Stetson’s marriage is common knowledge.

The night air was clear and cold, and a light snow dusted the fixtures and few untrodden patches of pavement between the rows of brightly decorated stores. A solitary figure stood near the edge of the plaza, contentedly watching the crowds of holiday shoppers. Lee Stetson smiled; if anyone had told him a few years ago that he would someday enjoy Christmas shopping, he would have suspected an overdose of eggnog or, perhaps, a sharp blow to the head. But now he had a home and a family - and he was relishing every aspect of this season with the excitement and wonder of a small boy.

Lee glanced at his watch and realized it was getting late; shopping had been fun, but he did have other plans for this evening. He was about to walk back up the line of store fronts in search of his wife when he felt her presence at his side. Her arm slipped comfortably through his, and her head snuggled against his shoulder for a moment before she stepped back a pace to look up at him.

“You finished your shopping pretty fast,” she commented, quirking a finely sculpted brow and eying his two large shopping bags suspiciously. “How many scarves do you have in there?”

“Not one,” he responded innocently, lifting the bulging bags slightly as though doing so proved they contained no such items.

“Not one, huh?” She looked at him skeptically and then remarked with mock severity. “Try again, Scarecrow. I’ve known you for too long. I know there’s not *one* scarf in there.”

Lee’s eyes twinkled and a warm chuckle emanated from deep in his throat. “You caught me. There are three, okay? Some people do appreciate a nice, warm scarf in the middle of winter, you know.”

Amanda gave a resigned shake of her head. “Uh huh. And some people already have enough scarves sitting in their closets to. ”

“Enough about scarves, okay?” he murmured, effectively silencing her by pressing his warm mouth against her chilled lips. “Mmmmm. You feel a little cold, Mrs. Stetson. And I can think of a few ways to heat you up that definitely don’t involve scarves.” He wiggled his eyebrows devilishly and bent down to whisper seductively into her ear.

Amanda grinned up at him mischievously. “Well, let’s see. Mother is at a party with Captain Curt, and the boys are with Joe. I suppose I could give up my scarves for one night if you promise not to let me catch pneumonia....” She gave him a soft, tantalizing kiss and pulled away again. “Just wait here while I pick up Phillip’s video game, and then we can head home. The game’s on layaway, so it will only take me a minute.” After one more quick kiss, she disappeared into the crowd.

When she returned ten minutes later, Lee was staring pensively at a large Christmas display. Following his gaze, she wondered whether something so innocent could have caused his apparent change in mood. He had never spoken much about the Christmases he had shared with his uncle, but she doubted that the Colonel had encouraged a belief in red-clad elves and sleighs pulled by flying reindeer. Here was one more thing she needed to get him to open up about, she realized. But not right now: she wasn’t going to let him dwell on the ghosts of Christmas past tonight, when they had an entire evening and an empty house to themselves.

Slipping her arm back through his, she attempted to coax him back into a cheerful frame of mind. “I hope we haven’t used up all your Christmas spirit already. I’d hate to have to get those old scarves out tonight.”

Lee looked down at her and frowned. “I was just thinking about work.” Inclining his head toward the display, he added, “He reminds me of one of our cases.”

Amanda blinked in surprise; for some reason, that was the last response she had expected. Tilting her head to one side, she contemplated what Lee had once jokingly termed their ‘own little holiday tradition - Christmas Eve trapped in a nest of killers.’ Breaking that particular tradition was one of the reasons she had talked him into taking some extra time off this year, and she didn’t intend to let such thoughts spoil their short vacation. “Well, you were kinda cute dressed up like Santa last year at the Titan Toys plant,” she commented slowly, forcing her voice to remain light.

“And you were even cuter dressed up like Santa’s helper,” he returned. She noticed that, although his words were equally light, his tone and expression were grim. “But I didn’t mean Santa Claus, I meant the reindeer.”

Amanda looked at him blankly for several moments. “The reindeer?” she asked in a puzzled voice.

Lee pointed to the lead reindeer in the display, it’s red nose blinking brightly. “Operation Rudolph” he prodded, his frown deepening.

Amanda’s eyes widened as she realized what Lee was referring to. “Operation Rudolph?” she managed to choke out.

He studied her silently for an interminable moment, and when he proceeded, his voice was low and gruff. “Operation Rudolph. The DeJaVu study. Come on, Amanda, don’t pretend you don’t remember.”

Amanda stared at him in shock. Her heart seemed to stand still while Lee continued to frown at her. Thinking back, she recalled how uncomfortable she had been about participating in the the DeJaVu study - and how guilty she had felt about concealing her involvement from him, especially when he tried to question her directly. She had been relieved beyond words when he abruptly stopped asking about it. But that was a long, long time ago. He wasn’t going to hold it against her now, was he? Then she noticed that his eyes had started to dance, and the corners of his mouth were quivering. She let out the breath she was holding and slapped his arm playfully. “Lee Stetson, don’t scare me like that. When did you find out?”

With a hearty laugh, Lee gave up his effort to appear angry. Draping his arm around her shoulders, he pulled her close. After a brief hug, he gently ushered her into a quiet alcove between two shops so they could speak more privately. “About a week after my last drug trial.”

“But how....?” She gave him an inquiring look. “Only a few people knew...”

Lee flashed her a sultry smile “I have my ways,” he intoned mysteriously. Then, noticing her worried expression and laughing again, he continued. “It was an accident, really. I was in the bullpen, headed toward Billy’s office, when Gina McMasters walked right into me. She dropped all the files she was carrying.”

Amanda rolled her eyes. “You used to have that effect on the Steno pool.” she quipped. She knew all too well how half the women in the office used to practically throw themselves into her husband’s path - and the other half got so flustered when he walked by that they practically fell over him.

Lee heaved a melodramatic sigh. “And now I’m just an old, married man,” he lamented mournfully.

“Not so old but very much married, and don’t you forget it,” she warned ominously. “And your wife isn’t sidetracked that easily, so spill it, Stetson.”

Lee smiled ruefully. “There isn’t much to spill. I stopped to help Gina pick the files up, and one of them was a report on the DeJaVu trials. I only got a glimpse of the summary sheet, but it was enough.”

“What did you see?” Amanda couldn’t imagine that a quick glance at a summary sheet would have satisfied the Scarecrow’s curiosity.

“Just the basics: dates, times, initials. All of my interrogations lasted four hours except the fifth one; number 5 was only 45 minutes. And the initials beside that one were AK - Amanda King.” Lee gave her a look that clearly said ‘and you should be ashamed of yourself for deceiving me.’

Amanda winced slightly. “I didn’t lie about it, you know. You never asked me whether I did the interrogation.”

“I realized that when I started thinking about it,” he admitted. “But you knew I was trying to find out the results of the study.”

“I couldn’t tell you. Medical studies are confidential. Mr Melrose and Dr Quorn both warned me not to tell anyone; it was a direct order.“ She gave him a guilty look. “I didn’t even want to do the interrogation; I tried to get out of it. Were you really mad when you found out?”

Lee shrugged, looking a little sheepish. “Yeah. For a couple of hours.“

“You didn’t say anything.” Amanda didn’t comment on how much that restraint surprised her.

“I didn’t have a chance. Don’t you remember? That was the week Billy sent you to New York for three days of advanced computer training.“ Lee paused as he thought back. “At first, I was so steamed I wanted to drive up there. But I was stuck in DC., and by the time you got back, I’d had plenty of time to cool off - and to wonder why I would have given you information in less than an hour that I wouldn’t give anyone else in four hours. “

“The summary said you talked?” Amanda asked in surprise.

“No. But I know you, Amanda. You wouldn’t just quit before the time limit. Not that I’m suggesting you’re stubborn or anything....” Lee winked and dropped a light kiss on the tip of her nose. “Anyway, I had a couple of days to let my imagination work overtime trying to picture what might have happened during that 45 minutes.“ He shrugged again. “Believe me, right about then my imagination was getting pretty vivid where you were concerned. By the time you got back, I didn’t think I could bring up the subject without embarrassing myself. Besides, I had some information about Operation Rudolph that I couldn’t disclose to you.”

Amanda shook her head in confusion. “But you told me all the details during the interrogation. Dr Quorn said I got everything.”

“Everything there was at the time. A few things were added later.”

Lee’s words only deepened Amanda’s puzzlement. “Why would they add more details? That doesn’t make any sense. The study was over.”

Lee grinned; he was enjoying both the memory and Amanda’s reaction. “Our study was over. It turns out we weren’t the only ones doing tests on DeJaVu right then. The Russians were doing some of their own.”

“The Russians?” That made even less sense to Amanda. Why would the Russians be involved in Operation Rudolph? She almost giggled as she tried to picture Dr

Smythe leading a joint mission of US and Soviet agents to the North Pole to kidnap Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer from Santa’s winter wonderland.

An amused Lee watched the play of emotions on his wife’s expressive face. “I really shouldn’t say anything, because it’s still classified.” He paused and glanced around to make sure they were in no danger of being overheard. “One of our agents got picked up that week by a Russian team trolling for a guinea pig, and he just happened to be one of the guys who had been in *our* drug trials. So when the Russians asked him for details of the incomplete Agency operation with the highest security clearance...”

“He didn’t...” Amanda gasped.

“Yep. Operation Rudolph was supposed to be code Vermilion - and it was incomplete. So he spilled the whole thing. His partner had a team assembled to rescue him, but Billy told them to hold back until the Russians got a briefing on Operation Rudolph.”

“They didn’t believe it?” Amanda asked in amazement.

“They thought it was code. And with all the references to the big man in red and trekking through the snow - some hotshot decided we were planning a Russian invasion. They were on full scramble for nearly two weeks.”

“Speaking of trekking through the snow,” Amanda said, looking up as a flurry of large white flakes started to swirl around them, “I think we’d better hit the road. The weather guy said we were in for a big storm, and I’d rather be snowbound at home than in the Jeep halfway there.”

”Snowbound at home, just the two of us.” Lee grinned rakishly. “Now that’s a Christmas tradition I wouldn’t mind starting.” Hastily rearranging his shopping bags so that he could take one of hers, he guided her quickly toward the parking lot, ready to enjoy one more delight of this magical holiday season.

The End