Title: Four Minutes
Summary: According to Amy, they only kissed twice, so what happened in the interim?
Spoilers: The term spoilers only apply to revelations about unaired episodes. All aired episodes become part of the canon, and thus I allude to them without warning. This piece begins at the end of the first episode of the fourth season.
~*~*~*~
"Is this a bad idea?"
"Very bad."
All movement stilled except for the racing of his heart and the soft puffs of her breath, warm and redolent of tannins, wafting gently against his face. After several motionless moments, she lifted her gaze to meet his, and he watched her pupils contract and hazy desire fade from her eyes.
"Right. You're right." She pulled away, raking her fingers through her hair as though in smoothing her snarled curls she might calm her tangled emotions.
The gulf between them suddenly seemed much wider than the six inches she had retreated along the sofa.
"So what do you want to watch?"
It took a second for Amy's words to penetrate Bruce's thoughts. He rubbed his face to clear his head and then responded in a voice still rough with awareness. "What…" He paused to clear his throat. "What were you watching when I arrived?"
"Nothing. I was flipping." She indicated the remote control.
"That's fine."
They sat in silence as the lights from the television flickered over them, one channel replacing another in rapid succession.
"I thought there might be a movie on." Amy's voice sounded strained.
"It's okay," replied Bruce, unduly absorbed by an advertisement for no-run nylons.
The silence moved between them, hissing and humming. She looked around for a way to quiet its whisper.
"Maybe you'd like some more wine?"
"Sure."
They reached for the bottle simultaneously, his hand covering hers as she grasped the neck. Both jerked away, wary of every intimacy. Amy hid her eyes for a moment before shooting a glance at Bruce; he was screening a smile behind his fingers. They burst into laughter at their skittishness, and the tension in the room dissipated.
"I'd better go."
"Yeah." Eyes twinkling, Amy nodded and rose.
Bruce preceded her to the door, and then turned, his hand grasping the knob.
"Judge Gray…"
She chuckled, shaking her head, and placed her palm on his chest.
"I think it's time you called me Amy, don't you?"
She leaned into him, raising her face for one more kiss.
"Goodnight, Amy," he whispered against her lips.
Then he was gone. As Bruce's footsteps echoed down the hallway, Amy rested her back against the closed door and smiled.
~*~*~*~
Acknowledgements: Thanks as usual to Stacia, who reads everything I write and lots of stuff I don't. Special thanks to my husband, who watches Judging Amy with me every Tuesday; his ear has helped me improve the dialogue and excise the clichés. His patience is especially commendable as he thinks fanfic is rather silly.
Disclaimer: Judging Amy and it characters are the property of Barbara Hall/Joseph Stern Productions, in association with CBS Productions and Twentieth Century Fox Television. I wrote this story to explore a few possibilities and intend no copywrite infringement.
Archiving: Fanfiction.net only.