Summary: Francine finds herself falling for an unlikely East
German "informant." Meanwhile, Amanda and Lee discuss their future,
and the iron curtain starts to crumble.
Timeline: May 1989 (Two years after the end of the series) Presumes everyone knows about Lee and Amanda's marriage, but not their careers.
Brief History Lesson: Gorbachev visited West Germany for the first time in May of '89. Shortly thereafter Hungary lowered the iron curtain, and in September opened it's border w/ Austria, thereby allowing East Germans to get to the West. The Berlin Wall then fell on November 9, 1989. The reunification took place on October 3, 1990, and Hungary became a full member of NATO in March of 1999.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction; I dare not claim to rewrite history, just put a little SMK spin on things. Of course, I can't claim ownership of any public or historical figures, but they do make for nice backgrounds. Francine, Lee, Amanda, Billy, and everyone else are property of Shoot the Moon and Warner Brothers. I'm just taking them out for a little apocryphal spin. Johann (Johnny) Findling is my own. If I were making money from this I wouldn't need to count heads for a living. Finally, please have your insulin handy, this could get a little too sweet for some of you.
Notes: Thank you to my two beta readers. You did an
awesome job of keeping me honest. And thank you Amber, who gave me the
idea to make Johnny a guy, and the line about Francine's skill with men.
As always, any feedback you feel led to send in my direction would be
great. Please let me know if you like it, you hate it, or any other
suggestions or ideas on how to improve my writing.
Sunday, April 30, 1989
Dulles Airport
9:45
pm
The Lufthansa ticket clerk watched the slender blond pacing in front of her counter. "Are you sure there's nothing I can do for you?"
"No. No. I'm fine. I'm just waiting for someone. Thanks for asking." Francine checked her watch, and then moved to sit in the one of the padded vinyl chairs omnipresent in Dulles' many waiting areas. He was late. Didn't he know that no one kept her waiting?
"Miz Desmond?" A tall man dressed as a luggage handler approached her.
"Yes. . ." She raised a perfectly arched eyebrow at him.
"You are Miz Francine Desmond?" He spoke with a thick, but unidentifiable Eastern European accent.
"Yes . . ." She eyed the man cautiously, waiting to hear what he would say.
"I have a delivery for you."
"Oh, of course." She had been expecting a person, not a package, but she shook off her confusion and quickly returned to business.
"You will need to sign the forms first." Without looking, she took the proffered clipboard and affixed her signature to three sheets of paper.
"There." She handed the clipboard back to him, and was surprised to see him quickly, and efficiently affix a seal to each page. He then removed the bottom two and handed the top page and a large wicker basket to Francine.
"Danke Shön, Frau Desmond. Have a nice evening."
"No, wait. There must be some mistake." She looked down at the basket, aghast.
"No mistake. You signed for it." The man turned on his heel and started to briskly walk away.
"But this isn't what I was expecting. What am I supposed to do?" Her voice was growing shrill.
"Guten Abend, Frau Desmond. Viel Glück."
"That's Fräulein Desmond!" She felt obligated to get in the last word. Then, looking down at the contents of the basket, muttered, "Great. Just great!"
* * * *
Sunday, April 30, 1989
The Agency
10:45
pm
"You had better have a good reason for dragging me out of our warm bed, on a Sunday night." Amanda protested, but her husband simply smiled. He had been extremely secretive since receiving a phone call from Francine half an hour ago.
"You'll see."
As they rounded the corner, and could see the activity in the bullpen through the glass, Amanda stopped short. "That . . . that's Francine."
Lee held in a laugh. "M-hmm."
"And that's . . ." Amanda was stunned speechless.
"A baby." Francine was standing next to the coffee maker holding her tiny bundle as though it were a suitcase full of plastique explosive. Her make-up was smudged and her hair pulled into a hasty pony-tail. Although, Amanda noted, her clothing was still impeccable.
"Maybe I should offer to help her." Amanda felt guilty watching
Francine struggle with the child, who was currently
screaming at the top of
its lungs.
Lee shook his head. "This is probably good for her. It will help her get in touch with her maternal instinct."
"Some mothers eat their young."
"Maybe you should . . ." Lee suggested as they watched Francine continue to hold the child at arm's length.
"I'll just go in, and . . ." Amanda was already walking through the door.
"Oh, Amanda thank God you're here!" Francine rushed up to her, and thrust the baby into her arms. "You know what to do with these things, right?"
Amanda shot Lee a look over her shoulder, but he only shrugged. Better not to question the workings of Francine's mind.
"What's his name?" Lee asked as Amanda soothed the distressed infant.
"Johann Findling," Francine scowled in the direction of Amanda and the child. "And no, before you ask, I don't think that's his real name." She shot another glare at the baby, as though the predicament she found herself in were its fault.
"Why wouldn't that be its name?" Amanda momentarily diverted her attention from the child to the agents.
"Findling is German for foundling, and Johann just means John. In other words, this baby is the German equivalent of a John Doe."
"Oh." Amanda paused. "Well, we'll just call him Johnny."
She looked back down at the tiny bundle in her arms, and
cooed, "do you like
that? Hmm?"
"Fine." Lee smiled gently at his wife; she looked so natural with the
baby. Now was not the time for such thoughts,
however, and he swiftly
returned to business. "Francine what happened?" He was still trying to
figure out how a woman who considered children to be a curse worse than a
Biblical plague of locusts had found herself in possession of an infant.
She sighed and sat down on the edge of the desk. It was going to be a long story. "About a week ago I got a call from a woman who said she represented an East German named Johann Findling. She said he had information, but that I couldn't have it unless I got him into the country. I told her that I couldn't just arrange something like that on her say-so. I needed proof." She looked back at Lee as though waiting for his approval.
"And," he prodded as Francine trailed off.
"She gave me the frequencies for Project Nietzsche," Francine admitted reluctantly.
"So it wasn't just luck that led you to crack their operation?" He was ebullient. "I KNEW it."
"Anyway," Francine cut his victory short. "She told me that the information Findling had would be better. I believed her. So, I made the arrangements, and I was to meet him at Dulles tonight. And instead . . ." She gestured to the child who was currently enthusiastically enjoying the contents of a bottle Amanda was feeding him.
"We'll just have to take him to the Agency Children's Home." Lee attempted to keep his tone matter-of-fact, but it belied an underlying reluctance. The home was not known its warmth.
"We can't do that," Francine stated glumly.
"Why not?"
"I signed papers agreeing to take custody of him." She handed Lee the sheet of paper bearing her signature and the official stamp of the East German Judicial Branch.
"You what?" Lee didn't know whether to be shocked or amused, as he scanned the document. "Francine! You can't raise a baby. You don't know the first thing about them."
"I didn't know what I was signing for. The man at the airport told me I had to sign before I could have the package. I thought it was just a formality, and I didn't read them." She glumly anticipated his next question, "Yes, it's binding. Legal looked it over just before you got here."
"Excuse me," Amanda interrupted the conversation. "Sorry to butt in, but you didn't happen to get any diapers with this baby, did you? Johnny needs to be changed."
"I think there were some in his basket." Francine waved her hand in the general direction of the wicker basket that had been used to transport Johnny, and then resumed her discussion with Lee. "What am I going to do?"
"What if Amanda and I take him home with us tonight? And then tomorrow, you can come over, and Amanda will give you some pointers on babies." He didn't have to ask. He already knew his wife would leap at the opportunity. For once, Amanda would be the one with more expertise.
"Lee. . ." Amanda broke in again.
"What?"
"I think I might have something here." She crooked her finger to call him over.
"What are you talking about?"
"Well, I know it's been a long time since I've changed diapers. And I never really used disposable diapers on the boys, anyway. Cloth is so much healthier, but I know that. . ."
"Where are you going with this?" Even after six years at the agency, he had not been able to break her habit of rambling when she got excited.
"I think they've put microdots in the diaper," she said in a rush.
"You have got to be kidding me." Francine had joined the conversation.
"No, look." She pointed to the diaper she had been preparing to place on Johnny. Inside were a score of black specks. "There aren't any in the one he was wearing, because, well, because they would have been ruined. But the other two have them."
"I'll be darned." Lee waved to a young recruit, and handed him the two diapers. "Get these down to crypto right away."
The junior agent shot him a puzzled glance, but only said, "Right away, Mr. Stetson."
"Lee . . ." Amanda spoke up again, "we still don't have any diapers for Johnny."
"Oh, and see if supply has any spare Pampers." He called after the young man.
"Of course, Mr. Stetson."
* * * *
Monday, May 1, 1989
4247 Maplewood
7:00
am
"Amanda, dear, I think it's wonderful that you and Lee have offered to baby-sit for Francine's nephew, but you're still avoiding the question." Dotty sipped her coffee as she watched Amanda test Johnny's bottle.
"I am NOT avoiding the question, Mother. Lee and I just haven't discussed it. We're happy with our life the way it is."
"Good morning. Where'd our kitchen go?" Lee surveyed the room with a mixture of shock and amusement. Amanda had been busy. A bottle warmer sat on the stove, and a high chair was stationed in the corner next to the table. Baby formula and cases of diapers lined the counter.
"I just brought some of the boys' old things down from the attic, and then called the grocery store to have the rest of this stuff delivered this morning. Francine can take it with her later today." She lifted the baby carefully out of his basket, and then turned to Lee. "You want to try feeding him?"
"Uh, no! I've got to get in to IFF. You sure you and Francine will be okay today?" He looked at the child in her arms with apprehension.
"We'll be fine. I'm actually kind of enjoying it."
"Okay." Lee hurried out the back door.
Dotty looked up from the paper. "He doesn't usually leave this early."
"Mother . . ."
* * * *
Monday, May 1, 1989
The Agency -- Billy's Office
8:45 am
"What've you got Billy?" Lee sat on the couch across from his boss' desk.
"Crypto is having a field day with those microdots, but the news is good." Billy grinned. "The information on that child could lead to the end of Communism as we know it."
"Aren't you overstating things just a little?" Lee found it hard to believe that an infant could hold the key to something as big as Billy was alluding.
"Not in the least. Lee, Gorbachev has been talking glasnost and peristroyka for years. Government media controls are relaxing throughout Eastern Europe. Even Honecker's been talking some about improving ties with West Germany. The time for democracy is right; we've just lacked the key to unlock it."
"And Johnny has it?" Lee still looked doubtful.
"Johnny?"
"That's what Amanda's calling him." Lee suddenly felt compelled to study his shoes.
"Well, yes. According to the information Johnny had on him, the Hungarians are thinking of suspending the travel restrictions between Hungary and Austria."
"That would mean . . ." Lee snatched the paper from Billy's hands. "What do we need to do to make sure this happens?"
"We need to give Niklos Németh an incentive." Billy looked serious while referring to Hungary's current Prime Minister.
"What sort of an incentive?"
"Dr. Smyth has Bush's authorization to put NATO on the table." Billy spoke as though he were repeating the scores to the Oriole's game.
Lee sat back in the couch. "Let me get this straight. We offer Budapest full membership in NATO, and in exchange they let East Germans travel over their borders into Austria. How do we even know this is going to work?"
"We don't, but it's the best shot we've got. Since Kadar stepped down things have started changing in Hungary -- they've even started a Hungarian branch of the Junior Trailblazers. They're ready for democracy, and we're going to help them make that change. " Billy changed the subject. "How are Francine and Johnny getting along?"
"I haven't heard, but I'm sure Amanda's handling everything just fine."
A slight chuckle escaped Lee's lips. "What I wouldn't give to be a fly on
the wall."
* * * *
Still Monday
4247 Maplewood
11:00 am
"You just have to hold his head up a little more," Amanda moved to adjust Francine's arm, as they were trying to give the baby a bottle. It was slow going. She'd convinced Francine to change into a pair of her old jeans and a T-shirt after explaining that no matter how good the dry cleaner, regurgitated baby formula was not goinother. Lee and I just haven't discussed it. We're happy with our life the way it is."
"Good morning. Where'd our kitchen go?" Lee surveyed the room with a mixture of shock and amusement. Amanda had been busy. A bottle warmer sat on the stove, and a high chair was stationed in the corner next to the table. Baby formula and cases of diapers lined the counter.
"I just brought some of the boys' old things down from the attic, and then called the grocery store to have the rest of this stuff delivered this morning. Francine can take it with her later today." She lifted the baby carefully out of his basket, and then turned to Lee. "You want to try feeding him?"
"Uh, no! I've got to get in to IFF. You sure you and Francine will be okay today?" He looked at the child in her arms with apprehension.
"We'll be fine. I'm actually kind of enjoying it."
"Okay." Lee hurried out the back door.
Dotty looked up from the paper. "He doesn't usually leave this early."
"Mother . . ."