Dr. Smyth sat at his desk reading over various reports, mostly activity reports. Two reports were of interest to him, the physical evaluations of Lee Stetson and Amanda King. Stetson's habit of ducking out of the evaluations had decreased over the last four years. He scanned the reports for the highlights and then read the footnotes. Stetson and King were in perfect health according to the reports, until Dr. Smyth dropped his cigarette holder right into his lap as his jaw hit the floor.
He picked up the receiver of his phone and called Melrose.
"Billy, I want to speak to the King woman right now." he said with his normal condescension.
"She is undercover with Stetson right now and won't be back for another ten days. What's this all about?" Billy said from the other end.
Dr. Smyth stood immediately and hung up the phone and exited his office. Within minutes, he quickly pushed open Melrose's office door and went over to the desk.
"Get her out of there Billy."
"Do you know how long it took Stetson to build up the contacts to get in there? Removing them now would set us back half a year if not more!" Billy replied angrily.
"I don't care Billy, you get her out of there and at the Orion Club by tomorrow at noon for lunch."
"Tomorrow! I can't even get a message to them that fast. I would have to send in extraction and replacement teams. That takes time to get together."
"Fine, but I want Amanda King at the Orion Club no later than Sunday at noon."
Dr. Smyth approached T.P. Aquinas at T.P.'s favorite hang out, the ice cream shop. Smyth sat down and without preamble said, "I need a couple of books Aquinas. One may be a bit of light reading, the other a lot heavier, but with the exception of where they intersect, I want it all."
"What are the titles?" Aquinas asked.
"Lee Stetson and Amanda King, and I want them by eight Saturday night."
T.P.'s eyes widened with shock. This was no subtle scan of a person's life, this went very deep. This type of review was so rarely asked for that T.P. wondered what Symth was up to, but he knew Smyth too well to ask. After their latest run-in with each other, there was no love lost between them.
Smyth stood and turned to depart, then with a sideways look, said "One more thing, this is for my eyes only. No one else is to know about it."
T.P. just nodded without saying a word.
Lee and Amanda were sitting at a black jack table, and Amanda was winning again. They had been there for four days and were no closer to the missile parts than they were when they got there. Their contact said that the seller would be there sometime in this two week window but couldn't get more specific. While the parts weren't from U.S. missiles, they were still parts for a nuclear missiles. The Soviets had finally come forward that someone from within one of their missile facilities had made off with plans for their nuclear missiles. Those plans were put into production somewhere in the U.S., and they were posing as a couple who were under duress from an outside source to get their hands on the parts.
Amanda looked up from her hand on the blackjack table and spotted something familiar. A blond with her back to them was wearing a white and blue sequined top with blue pants. The woman said something to her companion slipped into the ladies bathroom as he walked out of the room.
"Sweetheart, I need to go powder my nose, be right back." she half whispered to him.
"All right, but don't take long. Our friend could arrive at any time." he then held her hand to his lips with a smile.
She slipped off of her chair, then turned back to him.
"Cash me out please. I think that I am about gambled out today." then she slipped away.
She got into the ladies' room, and her suspicions were confirmed. Francine was standing there apparently waiting for her. Amanda signaled toward the stalls.
"I already checked Amanda, we're alone."
"Francine, what are you doing here?"
"Orders from on high, you are to go home. You have to be at the Orion Club by noon on Sunday."
"Why?"
"Dr. Smyth gave the order for you to meet him there."
"Why would he want to see me?"
"He wouldn't say, but you have to leave in the next four hours to make the next flight out."
"It is a three hour drive to the nearest airport."
"I know, but it is important that you get there. I will leave first, then you count to twenty, leave, get Lee, and meet me at your room."
"Right."
Francine left the bathroom starting Amanda's silent count. Francine went to the bar, noticeably keeping an eye on the bathroom door. At twenty Amanda left and made straight for Lee.
"Sweetheart, I think that I would like to get changed for dinner. This might be good enough for the casino, but not for a fancy dinner party."
"All right, I will meet you there in an hour?" he said with a bit of surprise that she would be so fussy about what she was wearing.
"I need you to come with me, I can't zip that dress by myself." she said with asperity.
Lee now knew that something else was up, she didn't have a fancy dinner dress with a zipper. He nodded then followed her to their room. When they got inside, they were surprised to see Leatherneck sitting on the sofa.
"What the hell are you doing here Leatherneck?" Lee demanded.
"Let's wait for the lady to arrive, she knows what's going on, I just came along as part of her cover." Leatherneck replied but without his folksy accent.
"Well you are certainly full of surprises." Amanda said a bit brightly.
At that moment, there was a knock at the door. Lee answered it and saw Francine standing there. He waved her in quickly.
"From your notes, you two are playing a couple trying to buy missile parts for someone who is threatening you both. I can work with that." Francine said without preamble, showing just how fast the clock was ticking. "You two meet us in that little park on the side of the hotel in about half an hour. There a fight will ensue, and you two will run for your lives away from us." She said nodding at Leatherneck.
"Sounds good so far." Lee replied.
"Lee, I know you are not going to like this, but I will be playing a tough, so I brought these." From out of Leatherneck's pocket came brass knuckles.
"Really?" Lee asked with asperity.
"Really, since you have to honestly be scared of what I am going to do with you."
"Okay, just make sure not to hit me to hard with that. The last time I got clocked by you, you nearly broke my jaw."
"I remember."
"Amanda, I will be threatening you with a gun, so just swing that purse of yours as hard as you can at me." Francine told her. "Well, maybe not too hard."
"Will do Francine," Amanda said as she turned to go to the bathroom. She quickly turned again. "What about our things here?"
"We will make sure that we get your bags back to you, just take anything small that you don't want to get lost or left behind." Francine told them.
Amanda then went into the bathroom. While she was in there, Francine and Leatherneck left to get into position. Amanda came out of the bathroom and rummaged quickly through their bags for anything that they really needed. She grabbed a few items and threw them into her purse.
"Ready?" Lee asked.
"Yes, let's just get this over with." Amanda said in a worried tone.
"What's wrong?"
"That's what I want to know, why would Dr. Smyth do this to us? We have been planning this for months." she said with annoyance.
"I don't know, but we don't have much time to get to the park then to the car and out of here."
They got to the park and the plan worked flawlessly for once. There were the threats, then the fight followed by the flight of Lee and Amanda. They made just enough of a scene where the seller of the missile parts who was watching really believed that Leatherneck and Francine were his potential buyers. Now that their "middlemen" were gone, he could really do business.
Amanda and Lee arrived at the Orion Club at 11:45 a.m. Sunday morning and were shown into the billiard room. Shortly thereafter, Dr. Smyth walked in carrying two large folders.
"Well, if it isn't Amanda our littlest agent and Mr. Stetson, her fearless protector." he greeted them snidely as he waved them both to sit down at a table in the corner of the room.
Before Lee could come to her defense, she said "Sir, I would prefer to be called Mrs. King."
"Are you sure you really want to continue to use the name of your ex-husband who so recently bestowed it upon another?" he said as he placed the two folders on the table in front of them with pages folded over. "I am fairly certain that you would be happier to use another, and I am surprised you thought that not using it would keep us from knowing." Then he pointed to the forms that were showing. It was their tax returns, and they sat back from them quickly enough to know that they had been exposed by their honestly in just one thing. "You trusted the IRS to keep your secret, did you?" he smiled somewhat threateningly.
"What? Why?" was all Lee could stammer out that the truth was known.
"The two of you have been acting rather strangely. Like that trip to the west coast where you were shot Amanda. The story Lee fed us was so very thin. From the records we retrieved, you were more likely on your honeymoon. Were you not?"
The two of them just nodded since they couldn't deny it any longer.
"Well, well, well. I think that I will address you as Mrs. Stetson now, and you Mrs. Stetson have been something of an experiment since the day that your husband here crashed into that interview of yours at Honeywell Typewriter. The rules have been bent to the breaking point or if inconvenient just broken. How is it that one of our best agents could commit treason on your behalf and end up more decorated than ever. The two of you together have been accused of treason, and you scored a big one for the good guys there as well. Mrs. Stetson, you have turned this agency upside down and backwards at times, and somehow have gotten good results. You have been entrusted with some of the most sensitive investigations within the agency. You have done such good work that you even have me out on a limb with you." Amanda and Lee both looked shocked at that declaration, but could not yet say anything. "Yes, you two, I was the one who recommended that Mrs. Stetson, then Mrs. King, be made a full time agent which makes her my responsibility. So when you, my dear Mrs. Stetson, do something irresponsible, it makes me look bad. You know how I do not like that. We have never had an agent in your condition in the field. We do not even have a rule in the book for it, but it will be there very soon, thanks to you."
At this point, Lee found his voice "Amanda is not irresponsible, she is one of the most responsible agents I have ever worked with in the field. What in the hell are you talking about?"
"Well, now that your marriage has come to light, it puts her condition into better perspective. I think that the two of you would be interested in the highlighted area on Mrs. Stetson's medical evaluation, the one that said that she was in perfect health and also says that she should not be in the field on assignment."
They picked up the report gingerly and read it. They turned to look at each other, and Lee's face showed a vast array of emotions in a very short time surprise, joy, sadness, apprehension, and more. Amanda's face was the same but softer as she looked down into her lap. The last line of the medical report was "PREGNANT".
They heard in the softest tone that they had ever heard from Dr. Smyth, "Let me be the first to congratulate you both."
"Thank you" they replied, Lee showing obvious distraction and Amanda with concern.
"This does mean that Mrs. Stetson will be confined to desk duty until that becomes untenable for her, then she will be on leave. As for you Mr. Stetson, we will have to wait and see what will happen. I am giving you time to acclimate to this change by giving you the rest of this week and all of the next as paid leave. I am sure that you both have a lot to talk about. Also, I think that Billy should be informed of everything we have discussed tomorrow while Ms. Desmond and her partner complete your case." And with that, Dr. Smyth turned to leave. "Oh, and speaking of Ms. Desmond, she too may be onto your secret. I see you are wearing wedding rings, yet those are not ones issued by the Agency. She does tend to notice these things," then he opened the door and left. It was only after that Amanda noticed that his ever-present cigarette holder had been missing during the conversation.
They turned to each other and just held onto each other for a very long while. Lee let her go slowly and looked into her eyes and said "Let's go home Amanda." She knew that he meant Arlington.
That night at the hotel, Francine and Leatherneck were getting ready for bed. They too were posing as a married couple, but unlike when Lee and Amanda first started working together, these two just slid into the same bed together easily enough. Francine turned on her side to face the window, her back to Leatherneck. He settled to sleep with a few pillows propping him up facing the door. Both had their guns close by them.
Francine turned her head a little "It's nice working with you again, it's been too long. I never knew what happened."
"It's a long story, and I might tell you one day. The short of it was that I was burning out and needed a break. Just go to sleep, we have a lot to do tomorrow taking over this case."
"Right." Francine said as she closed her eyes to sleep. Right before she fell to sleep, she muttered "Thank God I didn't have to work with Fielder."
Sometime during the night, her hand slid into his, an old habit that didn't break over time.
Since they had planned to be away for two weeks, Amanda had Joe take the boys. Her mother had gone to see her aunt Edna. Amanda and Lee had the house to themselves for the next few days. That night they talked and talked until way past midnight. For the first time since they were married, they slept in the same bed in the Arlington residence. Lee was surprised how good it felt to sleep in this house. It was quiet outside and inside. They spent a whole week in the house preparing it for two big events. The first was Lee moving in, and the second was the baby. There would no longer be a guest bedroom, but they weren't thinking about having guests over too often.
It took less time than they both thought to get most of Lee's personal belongings moved over. Over the last few months, Lee had gone through everything in his apartment and gotten rid of most of the hold overs from his bachelor spy past. It was even easier for Amanda to give his half of the closet. They were both surprised how easy and fast the rearrangement of thier lives took, that they had all day Saturday to practice what they were going to say during dinner on Sunday when everyone was home. Amanda knew that she had to include Joe in announcement, which gave Lee pause, but he understood why.
Sunday afternoon arrived, and both were nervous. Dotty arrived home first and noticed right away that dinner was cooking and the dinning room table was set for six. Amanda met her at the door.
"Are we having company Amanda?" she asked.
"Well sort of mother, Lee will be joining us as will Joe. Why don't you get settled and come back down to help me get things ready for when the boys get here." Amanda said.
Lee had been standing at the foot of the steps, and with his wonderful smile, helped Dotty get her suitcase up to her room.
"Thank you Lee."
Amanda and Lee were so fast at keeping Dotty busy, she didn't notice the changes to the house right away. It wasn't half an hour later when the boys and Joe arrived. Amanda met them at the door, and Lee started chatting with Joe. By the time the boys had cleaned up, dinner was done.
When everyone was seated at the table, they said a quick grace then loaded their plates. They ate and talked of little things. After a few bites of desert, Amanda took Lee's hand. Lee was the only one who knew just how nervous she was because he was just as nervous.
"Phillip, Jamie, mother; remember when I went away last February?" Amanda asked.
They all nodded while eating. Amanda cast a worried glance to Lee, and Joe noticed it. Joe sat back in his seat and took a very good look at his ex-wife. He knew her very well, and her body language was screaming at him. Something big was coming their way. He stayed quiet, but for an odd reason, his stomach sank.
"Well, Lee and I got married that weekend." Amanda continued.
With that, all forks except for hers and Lee's dropped. Dotty's mouth opened several times, and the boys just stared.
"Married?" Dotty asked, her voice higher than usual.
"Yes, mother married, and now pregnant."
Joe got up and came around the table stopping between Lee and Amanda. He proffered his hand to Lee.
"Congratualtions," he said.
Lee shook Joe's hand. Then Joe leaned down to kiss Amanda on the cheek. When upright again he looked back over at Lee.
"You are a very lucky man Lee. I wish you both the best." He looked back at Amanda. "But why did you want me here for this news."
"Joe, Lee will be living here now. I am hoping you will not object to that." she said with a hint of a plea.
"I approve Amanda. I know you are a good man Lee, I feel comfortable having you living here with my sons." Joe said, though both Lee and Amanda both heard the hint of doubt in his tone. "Boys, you did well with Carrie. I want you to show Lee the same respect. You understand me?"
Both boys nodded while still taking in the information. Dotty was still in a bit of shock, and to relieve her anxiety, she cleared the table. While in the kitchen, she started to notice the little things she had been kept from noticing before. She saw things like the wine rack and the expansion of the album collection on the shelf in the family room.
Joe left shortly after dinner was over to go back home to his wife. Joe and Amanda had set up more visits for the boys over the next few months to make things easier on Amanda during her pregnancy, at least through the rest of the summer. The rest of the evening was filled with questions which Amanda and Lee answered. After the boys went to bed, Dotty rounded on the couple. That they got married in secret really irked Dotty, and she let them know her disappointment. It was an hour or so before she calmed down then went to bed herself. Amanda and Lee finished the clean up. They too went to bed in that house. While it had been relatively quiet the past week, Lee finally got the full experience of living in a suburban house listening to the boys and Dotty settle in to sleep that night. Oddly enough, Lee got the best night of sleep he can remember that night with Amanda in his arms and her family on all sides even though the room was pitch black.
The next morning Amanda and Lee had to go back to work, though they were annoyed that she was now going to be stuck behind a desk. That was until they reminded each other why. Lee was amazed how Amanda was able to so quickly include him in the morning hussle around the house. He woke first to get a shower, then she took hers, and the rest of them took theirs after the couple left for the office.
When they got in that Monday morning, they walked into the Q Bureau. No sooner had they arrived than they got a phone call to report to Billy's office immediately. As soon as they got down there and to the double doors, Billy bellowed for them to come into his office.
"What in the hell is this about Amanda being assigned to desk duty due to health reasons?! You look fine to me!" he yelled.
"Sir, I think you should sit down." Amanda said calmly. After a week of letting her condition sink in, she was able to keep her calm. Billy sat down. "The medical condiction is prenancy. I am not sure how far along I am yet, but it isn't long."
Billy's jaw hit his desk. "You're PREGNANT?!" And with that everyone in the office knew. Francine had been typing up her report on the case she had taken over for them. She spun her chair around so quickly, she nearly got dizzy.
Billy looked at Lee with a keen look which Lee could only nod to. Lee, who had been standing behind Amanda and a bit to the left, took Amanda's left hand in his, showing the wedding bands. "These are the real thing." And Lee smiled that impish smile that even Billy could not defend against. When the couple left Billy's office, everyone was staring at them.
With a gentle tightening of Lee's hand on Amanda's elbow, Amanda said after she took off her identification tag, "Well, I guess I should go get this updated, shouldn't I?"
With a smile, Lee replied "Yes, it is a bit out of date."
It was the very dense Beaman who asked "How is it out of date?"
Francine and the rest of the agents just stared at him, but then turned back to the couple when Amanda said "I am Amanda Stetson now Beaman, you really need to keep up."
With that one sentence Francine's face went through a host of emotions but settled on neutral as she stood and congratulated them. To cover her confused emotions, she asked Amanda "By the way, when you hit me on the head with your purse as you were escaping us, what did you have in there? I was expecting it to be heavy, but it felt like I was being hit with a pillow."
"Remember when I went into the bathroom right before we left the room? Well, I have a few sharp objects in there, so I wrapped them in toilet paper as to not hurt you." Amanda said with a shrug. "Oh, and I added a whole roll to give it more weight."
In that moment, Francine forgave them both for their relationship with a laugh, just saying "Thanks! How in the world didn't you know you were pregnant though? I mean, didn't you have morning sickness or something?"
"Actually, I thought it was nerves."
"Nerves, you?! Amanda, since when did you develop nerves to get rattled?"
"All the time Francine, all the time." Amanda said softly.
"Well, I won't keep you any longer, go get your ID fixed."
Lee had stayed silent during this potentially explosive conversation. He had picked up the form for Amanda to get the name change done. He even filled it out for her while she was talking to Francine. He handed Amanda the form on a clip board to sign before leading her out of the bull pen and down to the ID office.
About four months later, Amanda went in for another prenatal check up while Lee was undercover looking for another batch of arms dealers sending weapons to the Middle East. She wished she could go with him and then looked down at her expanding belly and reconsidered. The doctor had just finished the exam and was waiting outside the room for her to finish dressing. While she was dressing a nurse knocked on the door.
"Come in!" Amanda said.
"Mrs. Stetson, a man handed me this to give to you." the nurse said as she handed Amanda an envelope.
"Thank you, Ms. Clark. Oh, could you describe the man?"
"Sorry, he came and went so quickly, I didn't get the chance to look."
"Thanks again."
Amanda opened the envelope after the nurse left the room and read...
Room 219
30 minutes
Zulu Blue
Amanda got a chill up her spine reading those words. Everyone knew that she was seated at a desk job during her pregnancy, so who in the world would be sending her a Zulu Blue priority message. She sighed knowing she couldn't disobey the order. Last time she was summoned with Zulu Blue priority was by Harry Thornton. She had a sneaking suspicion it was him again.
"Thank you doctor, I have to get going now." she said to the doctor after he told her the results of her examination.
"That's fine Mrs. Stetson, have a nice day." he said as he walked her out of the ob/gyn section of the hospital.
She went to the elevator and down to the second floor finding quickly room 219. She knocked quietly on the door and was called in by a weak but steady voice. She walked into the room and was right; it was Thornton.
"Hello sir." she said with a smile though it faded quickly when she saw that he was hooked up to a lot of equipment.
"Hello Amanda, please sit down, we have a lot to talk about and precious little time to do it." he said as he pointed to the sofa in the room.
The door opened again, and Paul Barnes came quickly inside.
"How much have I missed?" Paul asked.
"Nothing. She just arrived." Thornton said as Paul closed the door then leaned back on it, barring entry to anyone from the outside. "Now Amanda," Harry continued, "what I am about to tell you can not leave this room, and even Lee can't know about it. If you agree to keep these secrets, even from Lee until the time is right or you have no other choice, then we can proceed with our plans. If you don't think you can handle that, you can go home now; and we will have to come up with an entirely new plan. We both hope that you will work with us on this."
Amanda sat there for a moment, thinking about it. "But one day I will be able to tell Lee?"
"Yes, but hopefully you won't have to. Did you know that you still have your AOS 16 status?" Harry asked.
"I do? But that means that I am still Lee's superior."
"That's right Amanda, for about the last two years you have been his superior, yet you have never used it. Now, please, will you work with us?" Harry plead.
After taking a deep breath, Amanda nodded.
"Good. The first thing you need to know is that Blue Leader was killed four days ago."
At that Amanda gasped.
"Yes, Amanda, I know that's shocking, it is a terrible blow to the Agency. His death has left a vacuum, and Paul Barnes here is going to fill it. With Barnes taking over as Blue Leader, that will leave the Oz network vulnerable. So, the Oz network will still be under his general control, but we want you to take over the day to day operations of it."
"ME?!" she squeaked.
"Yes, you Amanda." Paul said with a serious smile. "We have been watching you since the masked ball where you were recruited by Lee. He may not have known exactly what he was doing at the time, but we knew that you had just been brought into the family, though Celeste only pegged you as a possible member of Barnstorm. I had to keep Oz deactivated until after Serdeych was captured. After we captured him two years ago, I decided to reactivate Toto and make you a member of Oz. It wasn't until after the Nightcrawler incident that I was ready to move on it, but then you and Lee decided to get married. I had to let that settle before moving in, and it has settled quite nicely, though your pregnancy has made things interesting. Your code name in Oz is Glenda and all but one member of Oz knows about you."
"Lee doesn't know," Amanda said, "and you want to keep that from him to until the time is right. And Celeste is in Oz?"
"She is the Wicked Witch, and before you think it, don't think that means she is not on our side. She is very loyal to Oz, but she is brutal when working for us. So, now that you know all of this, I will have Toto get in contact with you. He has been invaluable in keeping you and your family safe, when he could. He will be the one who comes over to ask for half a cup of extra virgin olive oil. You will have to make the decision whether or not to reactive the rest of the network and get whatever confirmation you want to show that the reactivation is complete. I just hope that we will never need Oz, since it is used only when the situation is dire. When Oz is put into play, all assets of Oz are put into high gear. For example, Scarecrow would bring in Barnstorm. I want Oz in good hands Amanda, and you have proven time after time that you can do it."
"Amanda," Harry said turning her head towards him, "trust yourself as much as Lee, Paul, and I trust you. We know that you will lead Oz as well as you have lead Lee through those midnight blizzards."
With that, Amanda sat very still and took in all that she had been told. She then whispered "All I did was get on a train with a package, now this?" She shook her head to clear it. She looked up at them "What about Billy and Dr. Smyth?"
"They won't know who Glenda is, though they will know that she is the new head of Oz." Harry said.
"What about me knowing who Blue Leader is?"
"Amanda, I am dying. I have maybe two or three months left to live. Someone has to know who Blue Leader is, so that if he is killed or captured, someone can warn the Agency. Your clearance level will be secretly heightened, and you will have a way to send out that alert without risking your cover. Paul and I will help you get things settled with this for as long as we can." Harry said kindly to her.
"When Toto asks for the olive oil, you will tell him you have a message for Oz. He will straighten up and wait for whatever you want Oz to do to prove it is reactivated." said Paul.
"Okay, I think I will just go home now and make dinner for mother and the boys. I just wish Lee were going to be home tonight. Do you mind if I use your phone?"
Harry nods, and she picks up the receiver and dials the office.
"Hello, Mr. Melrose please. Tell him Amanda is calling." She waits as she is put through to Billy's office.
"Yes, um, I need to go home, I have a splitting headache." She tells Billy. "Yes sir, I don't think I could concentrate on what I was typing. I will be back in the office tomorrow. ... Yes sir, see you then." She hangs up the phone.
She goes to collect her things, but it is Paul Barnes that helps her put on her jacket and then hands her the purse. With a smile at her, he says "I will be in touch in a few days."
Amanda nodded and walked out of the hospital room, out to the parking lot, and drove straight home. When she got there, she just plopped right down on the sofa in the family room and thought of the great responsibility that has just been thrust onto her. All she wanted at that moment is for Lee to walk through their front door and to have him hold her. That she has to keep this a secret from him scared her a lot, but she knew that she can trust him not to get angry when she told him she can't tell him what the secret is.
After about an hour, she started going through what she had in the kitchen to make an early dinner that night. There was a knock at her back door, and she groaned when she saw it was Buck.
"Buck what do you want?" she said exasperated.
"Oh, I was just wondering if I could borrow a half a cup of extra virgin olive oil." he asked.
"Toto" she whispered.
"Glenda I presume" he replied.
"I have a message for Oz." she said to him.
He straightened his posture and even the clothes he was wearing.
"This is a test for the response time of Oz, only. Scarecrow is the last in the line. When he gives his partner a box of five roses, Glenda will know that Oz is ready for the real thing." she told him as she poured half a cup of extra virgin olive oil out for him.
"Understood." Toto, also known as Buck, replied as Glenda handed off the cup of olive oil. Amanda's triple life had begun.
A week after Harry V. Thornton died, Lee came into the office with a box with five roses in it. It had taken seven weeks to completely reactivate Oz. Lee looked pensive and a little angry.
"What is it Lee?"
"Something has happened in the Oz network Amanda, the Wizard is gone and someone called Glenda is taking his place. It is making me a little edgy right now."
"I thought he retired."
"So did I, but it looks like he hadn't until now."
"Do you still trust him, sweetheart?"
"Yes, I still trust him." he said with resignation.
"Then you should trust his decision."
Lee looked at her and expelled a frustrated breath, "You're right Amanda, I will just have to trust that he knows what he's doing. I have to go down to Billy's office, want to come?"
"No, I have a few more reports to look at, and then type up your last one. I should make you do it, but it is just too agonizing to sit here and watch you hunt and peck for the keys."
He gave her a sour look, but then a kiss on the nose with a wink, as he walked out of the office.
After he left, she slipped on a felt glove, took a Post-It out of her desk drawer, and stuck it onto his jacket.
The typed note read...
"Well done Oz, though the next time must be faster. Then it is real." and Lee found it the next morning on the driver's seat of his car.
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