"What kept you?"

"It takes time to get these, you know." The woman opened her bag and brought out a couple of invitations. "Did you get the plans?"

"Yeah. Fletcher was kind enough to provide me with all the information we'll need. Too bad he won't remember anything in the morning..." The man and woman started to go over the security reports and plans for the upcoming Ball.

Friday morning...

"'Insucessful,'" Lee said walking through the door to Q-Bureau.

"What?" Amanda looked up startled by the unexpected appearance of her husband's voice.

"You wrote, and I quote, 'the mission was insucessful in so far as no information was exchanged.'"

"What's wrong with that?"

"Amanda, I don't think that we're allowed to invent our own words. You're just lucky that I caught it before my meeting with Billy," Lee teased as he placed the copy of the report on her desk.

"And there's no likely chance that it was a typo? You do realize that the 'u' key is right next to the..." Lee leaned in and kissed his wife.

"Lee, Billy wants that repor... You should remember to lock the door if you want to smooch on the job." Amanda and Lee quickly separate when Francine's voice broke their moment.

"I was... uh..."

"We were going over..."

"Yeah, sure," Francine cut in. "I caught you two again and if either one of you says you were rehearsing, I'll scream. Now, Lee, Billy needs that report on the Galindez operation ASAP and he means yesterday. Amanda, you're replacing Fletcher at the Embassy Ball this weekend and there's a staff meeting in five minutes, don't be late." Francine left before either Lee or Amanda could say anything.

"What got into her?" Amanda shrugged her shoulders as she gathered the files they needed for the staff meeting. Lee shrugged his shoulders and they left their office.

The past two weeks had been tough on them. Other agents began questioning the fact that Scarecrow and Amanda King seemed to no longer work on cases together. The only thing that got them throu ¶gh their enforced separation were the quiet moments in their office or after work. Both prayed that they would be allowed to work together soon.

"Any questions?" Everyone mumbled no and hurried to get to their assignments. Lee and Amanda waited while the room emptied. "Amanda, Lee, is there something that I can help you with?"

"How long?" Lee asked.

"Pardon me?"

"Sir, Lee meant how much longer are we going to be separated?" Amanda answered quickly. She had noticed that Lee's patience was starting to wear thin during the meeting.

"Not much longer." Billy could see that they were starting to feel the strain of not being able to work together as often as they had been able to before, but in the last two weeks he saw his best agents adapting to the separation, although Amanda seemed to be handling it better than Lee. Amanda smiled and squeezed Lee's arm before thanking Billy.

Dulles Airport...

The courier passed through customs easily. When he was told that the Duchess had specif Èically asked for him to deliver the Jewels to her in person, he nearly died of shock. Parker Sutherland walked out into the main concourse of Dulles and was greeted by an Embassy Aide.

"Parker Sutherland?"

"Yes."

"Do you have the package?" Sutherland patted the briefcase that was handcuffed to his left wrist and nodded. The aide escorted him out to the limo and they headed for the beltway.

At the Embassy...

Natasha Petroff paced the sitting room. The Jewels were supposed to arrive today. She was nervous and with good reason. The last time Moose and Squirrel, or the Jewels as her family called them, had been outside of her homeland was just before the outbreak of World War Two.

Boris sat in his study watching his wife pace back and forth. He was worried about her. Ever since the letters started coming three weeks ago, Natasha was constantly worried about the Jewels coming to America. He understood some of her worries, but he knew that no matter what he tried to keep her mind off the Jewels, she would begin to worry again.

"Natasha, kedvenc, don't worry. The Jewels will be safe. Ur Sutherland is the best in the business, you had seven different agencies check his background." Boris smiled remembering what Natasha was doing before all the security nonsense began.

"I know, but I can't help it, kedvenc. I have this feeling that something will go terribly wrong." Natasha turned away from her husband and leaned back into him. Boris knew that all he could do was hold her and pray that the Jewels did indeed arrive safely and that no harm would come to Parker Sutherland.

"Lee, something's wrong with this."

"I know. You're going to an Embassy Ball, without me I might add, and I'm stuck doing all the paperwork from the last three days." Lee was still irked that he didn't even have a clue as to what Amanda's part was in her new assignment. Amanda had been in a meeting with Billy for almost two hours and was now reading through a stack of papers that Francine had dropped off.

"Lee! I'm not talking about the assignment. Well, I am, but it's really nothing, but it could be something..." Amanda trailed off when Lee glared at her. "Lee, I'm not thrilled that I have to go to a ball without you either, but we have to do what we have to do. Now, I have to get caught up on everything that is going on with the Embassy and find a costume for the ball..."

"Okay, Amanda. Enough, please." Lee's voice had a harsh edge to it. Amanda stopped talking and looked down at her hands. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lash out at you. I'm just so.."

"Frustrated?" Amanda offered raising her gaze to meet his eyes.

"Yeah. And I miss you." Lee smiled as a small smile spread across his wife's face.

Amanda smiled and set down the guest list that she was looking over. "I miss you, too." Silence fell between them. Lee leaned in to kiss her and Amanda shouted, "That's it!"

"What?"

"I know what's wrong." Amanda started searching through the stack of papers. Finally she handed Lee two sheets of paper. Lee looked at them questioningly.

"Okay, what am I looking at?"

"The guest list from yesterday and the guest list from today of people attending tonight's Embassy Ball. Up until today there were only 145 people coming, now there are 147."

"So, two people confirmed their invitation late."

"No," Amanda said shaking her head. "The Embassy only sent out 145 invitations. They wanted the Ball to be small because of the Moose and Squirrel setting that's on display for the next week."

"Moose and Squirrel setting? Who owns them, Boris and Natasha?" Lee started to laugh.

"Yes. Now quit laughing. You have a ton of paperwork to do and I have to do some research." Amanda grabbed a pad of paper from the desk and the guest lists in Lee's hand. Before she left, she blew him a kiss and walked out, leaving Lee standing in front of her desk with a look of amazement. She had never been in such a rush before.

At two in the afternoon, Amanda came back to find Lee practically buried in books and papers. Amanda struggled to keep her laugh in, but failed. "I really wish I had a camera."

"You wouldn't!"

"Oh yes, I would." Amanda couldn't remember the last time Lee looked so cute, especially with a yellow post-it note stuck to his temple.

"Did you find out anything?" Lee asked sobering up a little. Amanda nodded. "Well?"

That's for me to know and for you to wonder about." Amanda paused, "Are you doing anything tonight?"

"No. Why?"

"Well, I was wondering if one- do you know how to tie a Windsor Knot and two- would you like to come to the Ball with me?"

Lee thought for a moment, "Yes, I know how to tie a Windsor Knot and yes, I would love to escort you to the Ball."

"Good." Amanda smiled. She had found the perfect way to keep her cover and see Lee at the same time. "Meet me at the Embassy at seven."

"Meet you at the Embassy?"

"Yes, Darling. Meet me at the Embassy. I'll be there looking over the security. Your costume should be coming along any minute, now."

"Really. And what, dare I ask, shall I be going as?"

"A spy." Amanda didn't know if he had even watched The Avengers, but hopefully he had some idea. "Oh, and hand me this when you get the chance to talk to me, so I know it's you." Lee took the card she offered him and looked at her questioningly.

"'Mrs. Peel, we're needed?'" he read aloud. "I take it then, you're 'Mrs. Peel'?"

"Yes. Oh good, here's the costume. Thanks, Jerry. Lee, I have to run. I'll see you at seven and don't be late." Amanda was out the door before he could respond. Lee opened the box that Jerry McFeeley, the message boy, had brought up while his wife was talking. The door opened again and Amanda poked her head back in, "And, Sweetheart, you might want to take the post-it note off your head." Amanda laughed and shut the door.

Lee reached up and grabbed the post-it note and put it on top the book nearest to him. He returned to the box sitting on Amanda's desk and pulled out a smaller box that was heavy and a black suit and a handwritten note attached to a video tape.

"Is he out?"

"Like a light. What about him?" the Squirrel, pointed at the unconscious man in the corner of the room.

"Fletcher? We'll keep him here for now." The Moose said as he opened the briefcase handcuffed to another unconscious man, Parker Sutherland. "Bring over the paste jewels, kedves." Katya handed Boris the replica of the Moose and Squirrel stones and placed the real gems in the specially made pouch. "By the time they figure out that the Jewels are fake, we will be long gone."