All characters remain the property of Warner Bros and Shoot the Moon Productions.

"Okay, so the fish food is right here, and if you can just check the filter and the temperature every other day that should be all the men really need to survive."

Amanda stooped down to watch the lazy movement of the fish in the tank for a moment before looking back up at Lee with a grin. "How is it possible that this tank is so pristine and the rest of your apartment is so…" She let the sentence drift off as she gestured to the cluttered room.

"Well, the one lesson I learned growing up is that your men's comfort always comes before your own," answered Lee, without thinking as he attempted to get his bag to close around a tennis racket. "Besides," he went on quickly trying to cover up that accidental slip, "The apartment isn't that bad!" He surveyed the room for a beat before adding, "I mean, yeah, it's untidy, but…"

"You're a pack rat, Butch," Amanda teased him. "Don't even try to deny it."

"I am not! I just have an eye for collectibles, that's all!"

Amanda leaned down and picked up a stack of takeout menus from the coffee table and began flipping through them, lips twitching. "Oh yes, I imagine the Smithsonian will be looking for an archive like this someday – the history of DC junk food places that have been shut down by the Health Department." She began picking up some of the dirty plates and glasses scattered around the room. "Tell you what, I'll just straighten up a bit before I go, so that you don't come home to too many science experiments."

"No, no, you really don't need to do that!" Lee said wildly.

In response, Amanda held out a coffee cup that was half full and had a dead fly floating in it. "I do if you don't want the Health Department closing this place down too."

Lee looked around helplessly, knowing that she was going to do it anyway – he'd just given her a key to his apartment and carte blanche for two weeks. "Maybe I could just get the doorman…"

"I won't snoop, Lee," he heard her say and turned to see her looking at him, head tilted to one side. "If that's what you're worried about."

Lee flushed, ashamed he'd assumed she'd do exactly that. "Sorry, force of habit… spies and their privacy, you know," he hedged.

"Oh yeah, I know. There are days where I still wonder if you've even told me your real name," Amanda replied with an eye roll, as she walked into the kitchen and began to run the water. "So – Bermuda, huh? That'll be fun."

Lee gratefully seized the change in subject. "Yeah – white sand beaches and blue skies. You ever been?"

Amanda looked up laughing. "Oh my gosh, no. Closest I ever got to that was my honeymoon in Myrtle Beach."

"Oh - sorry," he apologized. "I mean, I'm sure Myrtle Beach was great."

"Yeah, it was," said Amanda, staring out the window over the sink for a moment, smile flitting briefly across her face. "I mean, it wasn't glamorous, but I was straight out of college and Joe was going into law school – we didn't have a lot of money for a big trip and besides, we didn't much care where we went as long as we were together." She turned her attention back to the sink. Lee waited for her to continue the story, a little surprised when she changed the subject back instead. "But I'm glad you finally managed to get some time off – you deserve it. I hear your takedown of Rostov was amazing – Francine's been on a real roll with her Sound of Music jokes."

"Yeah, it was nice to get that guy off the most wanted list. And it will be even nicer to get away for a while," he agreed. "But what about you? Didn't I hear you were taking some time off next week?"

"Yep, but I'm not going anywhere, I'm just taking some time off to organize stuff for Jamie's birthday. I had to come up with a new plan – Dean told him he'd try and get Pretzel the Clown from the station to come to his party but after we broke up, I didn't want to ask him."

Lee barely restrained his own eye roll. It was so like Amanda to use her vacation days to make sure someone else had a good time. "So what's the new plan?"

"Well, we're still going to have a party, of course, but we're going to take him and some of his friends over to that theater in Rosslyn that plays second-run movies for half-price, you know the one?" She laughed when Lee shrugged his shoulders and looked confused. "No, of course you don't. Anyway, they're showing that movie about the guy trapped in a video game that came out last year - Jamie really wanted to see it but even though it was a Disney movie, it was rated PG and he was only six and a half, so it was out of the question."

Lee ignored the fact that he had no idea what movie she was talking about and went with the flow. "But now that's he's almost an old man of eight, he's ready for it?"

Amanda's eyes twinkled at him. "He's a very mature eight." She shrugged lightly and went on with washing the dishes. "I mean, what he really wants is a trip to Epcot Center, but that's a bit beyond the budget for now." She glanced up and caught the tail end of Lee's hastily hidden grimace. "Oh I'm sorry – that sounds like I'm jealous of your trip and I'm not! You really do deserve a vacation and it's not like we're not ever going to get to go – just not for a while until I get some money saved up."

Lee restrained himself from making an offer to help pay for a trip knowing she wouldn't accept it – and wondering what on earth was making him even think of offering it in the first place. He'd heard a lot about Jamie and Phillip, of course, but it wasn't like he'd ever met them - or was likely to - but still, they were the centre of Amanda's world and he felt the tug of wanting to please her by pleasing them. It was a new feeling for him and he raced to shrug it off.

"Guess I'd better get going if I'm going to make my flight," he said with a twinge of guilt that he was leaving her elbows deep in soapy water. "You know, you really don't need to do that."

"Too late – I'm mostly done now anyway," she smiled at him. "Go have a good time, Butch, and I'll see you in a week."

"Yeah." he walked to pick up his bag and head to the door. "Amanda? Try to stay out of trouble, okay?"

Amanda looked at him wide-eyed. "Why, Butch, what trouble can I possibly get into between my house and your apartment?"

Lee shook his head and sighed. "I shouldn't have asked."