*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Author: Reggie

Rating: PG for some mild curse words (nothing that’s not said on a non-PAX edited episode)

Summary: Filler for Charity Begins at Home

Disclaimer: These characters, with the exception of the car dealers, do not belong to me. We all know who really owns ‘em. A couple turns of phrase are borrowed. One from The ACM Kid by Gregory S. Dinallo & one from Charity Begins at Home by Rudolph Borchert & Marshall Goldberg. Also, any disparaging sounding remarks against Chevrolet or any of its products or salesman is purely for humor and entertainment purposes and are not intended as slights against the company.

Author’s Notes: First, let me say that I love the stories that have Lee teaching Amanda how to drive a stick shift by using the Corvette. However, in the last year plus, I have become more and more convinced that Lee’s ‘Vette is actually an automatic. Reverse taillights that light up, as he gets ready to pull away; one episode where he clearly puts the car in park. So, if you’re convinced it’s a stick, please suspend your disbelief for this story.

Acknowledgements: Thanks to Betas Fling & Amy, who provided advice, insight and the necessary push when I was dawdling in posting this, my first fic.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

"Dammit! Why did he have to take my car?" Lee Stetson thought for the umpteenth time in two days.

He still couldn’t believe that, out of all the cars entered in the car show, and all of the cars in the parking lot, Perone’s thug had to steal his beloved Porsche to make a getaway. Not only steal it but also allow it to cascade over a cliff to its fiery death.

Of course, Lee had to admit that he couldn’t really blame the guy. If Lee were being chased, he’d want as fast a car as possible, too. Hell, that was why he had bought the Porsche in the first place. The young Lee Stetson had figured that, with a car faster than your average sedan, he could either catch or outrun the bad guys more easily, depending on the circumstances. Plus, the car was a hit with the ladies.

"OK, OK," Lee smiled to himself. "Maybe it’s not such a hit with one lady, but what does she know? She drives a station wagon."

Lee definitely needed a car, but he wasn’t sure if a domestic one was really a viable option for him. Do Americans REALLY understand speed, hairpin turns, precision engineering? However, as a secret agent for the United States of America, Lee felt a certain patriotic duty to see what Detroit produced. So, here he was at the Chevrolet dealership.

As he pulled the rental car into the lot, he nearly had to slam on the brakes as he spotted the Corvettes on display. "Of course, a Corvette! They sit low to the ground. They’re designed for racing. They handle like a dream." Yes, if Lee was going to get a domestic car, the Corvette had definite possibilities. He reminded himself to remain detached in order to get a good deal on the price, but when he spotted a couple of silver ones parked side by side, he knew it was meant to be.

In fact, the salesman barely had to hype the features of a V-8 manual transmission before Lee agreed to negotiate. Just as they finished discussing the price and features, another salesman and buyer strolled past to the far end of the lot.

"Yeah, my car suffered a lot of hail damage during that big thunderstorm, since I had to leave it in the airport parking lot while I was out of town."

"Well, Mr. McGuire," said the salesman. "I think we can find you the automotive embodiment of your personality."

Lee almost guffawed as he clearly read the word "SUCKER" in the salesman’s eyes.

The salesman working with Lee stepped into his office to gather the paperwork, while Lee admired his new purchase. He thought back to the moment he watched his poor Porsche explode. Amanda had been at his side, genuinely sorry for his loss. Lee once again spotted Dean, now seated behind the wheel of a 4-cylinder Chevette.

"So, he drives himself to the airport now. Guess they really did break up. Wonder what prompted that?" Lee asked himself, half knowing the answer. No, Amanda might not be impressed by his car, or even by him much of the time. There was, however, no denying that she really did go for (how had he teased her?) all the "danger, excitement, and intrigue" that this job provided.

"And," he somewhat grudgingly acknowledged, "she proved to be pretty valuable this week." When Lee had asked her to help him, he’d fed her some line about the whole operation depending on her, and he had to admit that she came through for him.

Lee chuckled as he thought, "She’d make a good agent if she would just learn to fire a gun and drive a stick shift, so we could make a quicker get-away . . . Wait a minute."

With that, Lee’s eyes fell upon the OTHER silver Corvette. It was identical in every way to the one he was buying. Identical in every way but one — it was an automatic, which meant if Amanda were ever to drive it, he wouldn’t have to worry about her stripping the gears.

"Sure, she still needs to learn how to drive a stick, but until I have a chance to teach her (did I really just think that?), this car could be a solution." He grinned from ear to ear as he searched out his salesman and thought about swinging by Amanda’s house to show her the car.

Two minutes later, Lee stood in the doorway of the small office.

"I was just going to bring you these papers, Mr. Stetson," said the salesman.

"Actually," Lee replied, "I think I’ve changed my mind."

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*