Early May

1988

Part One

Lee entered the Q bureau where Amanda was doing paperwork, and slammed the door.

"What's wrong?" asked Amanda, also looking cross.

"Tough case" he grumbled.

"It's always a 'tough case' with you lately." She didn't look up, but he could sense the hostility in her voice.

"What is THAT supposed to mean?" He demanded, his voice rising.

"You have been so crabby these last two weeks." She replied, "You've got a real attitude problem."

"Oh! I'm sorry I haven't been much FUN to you lately!" He snapped, his voice dripping with annoyance and sarcasm.

At this point, Amanda is not hiding the fact that she is very, very angry.

"You sure seemed as though you had FUN when you kissed Francine the other day!" (She was referring to a recent case in which Lee had chosen to work with Francine, not herself, on a tough assignment).

"All Right! Back to THAT again, ARE WE?! I told you, it was BUSINESS! You know you couldn't have handled that half as well as Francine. It had NOTHING to do with Kissing!" Then, (with added sarcasm) "I know how great you are at shooting and hand to hand combat!"

"Back to THAT againYou KNOW the whole Kristina and Boris Mitchloski thing was NOT MY FAULT!"

Amanda was then referring to a case further back, just after the one Lee and Francine had solved involving the Kruschev list, when she made a mistake that had almost gotten them all killed, But that's another story.

"Besides, maybe if I were busy Enjoying My Wife a little more, there'd be no problem!"

"Excuse me?!"

"Well, Amanda, we never see each other. And I, personally, am not in the mood to see you right now!"

"Feeling mutual!"

They were silent for about fifteen minutes after that, each sitting at his/her own desk, stone faced and quietly fuming, until...

Suddenly calm, Amanda began to speak. She spoke almost in a relieved sort of a way, like the way you seem when you are finally about to tell someone a long-kept secret you have been dying to get out.

"I've been meaning to discuss that with you Lee. It just isn't working. I honestly thought it would, but...well, it just isn't working."

"What isn't working?" He asked, the edge still in his voice. He hardly noticed the change in her tone, for he was still seeing red, so to speak.

"US, Lee! Our marriage, Our lives, Us! We just aren't working out anymore."

The look on his face most closely resembled a man who had just been punched, hard. He looked as though all the air had been let out of his body. "Wuh- - -What?" He also looked shocked.

"You heard me. Lee---"

He recovered from the surprise, and cut her off.

"So maybe we shouldn't BE married! Is that what you're saying?!"

Despite his anger, Lee was silently begging Amanda to contradict that horrible thought.

But instead she made his fear a reality.

"Yes, Lee. That's---That's what I'm saying." She took a deep sigh.

"I'm so sorry, Lee. I love you, I do..."(her eyes filling with tears) "It was just...getting too hard. I'm sorry"

Before he could respond, Amanda rushed from the room, leaving Lee looking both stunned and hurt.