PRIVATE SHOOTING LESSON
A/N – This story takes place after 'Over The Limit' (S03E03) - a one-shot where Lee tries to improve Amanda's shooting skills. It was in part inspired by The List, a "Bones" story by gawilliams (and a great read). Also to Dave who as always does a fantastic job of editing for me.
Amanda sighed heavily. She was sitting next to Lee in his Corvette and they had just spent the better part of three hours at the Agency shooting range. There had been no noticeable improvement in her aim, or willingness to shoot at 'innocents', no matter how much Leatherneck or Lee harangued her.
Even if she thought the 'date' at the Rialto to see 'Annie Oakley' was real, they were well and truly late for it now. Not that she felt like going to a movie anymore. The long hours at the shooting range had left her weary and depressed.
"Please take me home," she said dejectedly.
Lee gave her a quick glance, taking in the despondent mood, before returning his attention to the road. "How about we go to a quiet place for a little to eat. You must be starving."
"No, not really. Besides," she added rather snidely, "won't Leslie miss you."
Giving a small nod of acknowledgement to her tone, he answered, "Actually, she's gone back to New York. I also told her I wasn't able to commit to a long-distance relationship. Not with the life I lead anyway."
Bitterly and not quite under her breath, she said, "Oh good! The Midnight Rambler's back on the streets."
He kept silent, knowing that the jibe was well-deserved. "I'm sorry I was so inconsiderate on this case."
Amanda nodded. "Must've been the lack of sleep," she said mockingly.
Again, Lee kept silent. She was batting a thousand and not wrong about anything.
They completed the drive in a strained silence and finally pulled up in front of 4247 Maplewood Drive. Before Lee could get out to open Amanda's door for her, she was out of the sleek silver sports car and walking away.
Lee leaned over to call, "Good-night," out the window, but Amanda was already halfway up the path and probably out of earshot. Lee groaned softly as he eased the Corvette away from the kerb and drove off. He was going to have to come up with something pretty special if he were to make things right between them again.
~~ SMK ~~
Lee scanned the upstairs windows of Amanda's house and his gaze settled on the one which he knew was her bedroom. He took a pebble from the handful he'd collected and pitched it at the glass. His aim was true and the sound of the impact would have been hard for anyone to ignore, but it took over a dozen shots before Amanda's angry face appeared at the window and she drew up the sash.
Her voice was an angry snarl. "Whoever's down there, I'm calling the cops if you don't quit it right now!"
Lee stepped forward into the light from her window. "Amanda, can you please come down? I really need to talk to you."
There was a groan and a few mumbled words that Amanda King didn't usually use. "Can't this wait?"
It could have waited, but Lee was feeling terrible and desperately needed to ease his conscience. It had taken him the better part of the evening to come up with the perfect plan to win her over.
"No, I have to talk to you now," he replied, quietly but firmly.
The sash went down and Lee walked around to the back door. Moments later, the outside light came on. The door opened and she hurried him into the house.
"What the heck couldn't wait, Lee?" she demanded.
He took in her state. She had on a baby-blue knee-length nightdress and her dressing gown, a darker blue, was open. Her hair was mussed and her eyes were slightly puffy from just having been woken. In short, she was adorable and he was a little turned on by it.
"I've got the use of a cottage in the mountains and I wanted to know if you were interested in coming?" he said.
"What the…?"
"So I can give you some shooting lessons", he added quickly, in case she misunderstood. "You won't have to worry about Leatherneck or the Agency, you know. You can relax and it won't be so stressful, cause it'll just be the two of us…" He was beginning to ramble and knew well enough to stop.
Amanda looked at him. He'd obviously had little or no sleep, his hair was dishevelled and he was still wearing the same clothes as before, when he'd dropped her off. He looked rumpled, vulnerable and very cute.
Sighing, she looked at him askance, not sure what his angle was and not really caring at that stage. She was tired and wanted nothing more than to have him gone so she could go back to bed.
"Okay, sure," she surrendered.
"Really?!" He cleared his throat. "Really, that's great. I'll pick you up around ten."
"What? You mean today?" She sighed, but, knowing that she'd give in eventually, she saved herself the trouble of an argument. "Fine."
Lee smiled. "Great."
~~ SMK ~~
The drive took over three hours, but as Lee turned the car into the dirt track that led to the cabin, the beauty of the surroundings stunned her. The day was sunny with a lovely fresh breeze. When they stopped in front of the cabin, Amanda stepped out of the car and gaped in admiration. The 'cottage' was impressive - almost a house - and the surroundings were "picture book".
"Oh Lee, it's beautiful!"
He smiled at her enthusiasm. "I'm glad you approve."
He lifted their luggage out of the trunk and deposited it on the porch, before opening the front door to usher Amanda in. The inside of the cottage was even more stunning. Everything was panelled in glowing wood. The furnishings were in low autumn colours. It was gorgeous.
Gazing about in wonder, Amanda said, "Who owns this?"
Lee shrugged. "An influential person who owes me a favour."
"Need to know?" she asked, looking at him.
With his characteristic grin, he answered, "You got it."
He handed Amanda her overnight bag. "Here, go freshen up. I'll set-up a shooting range. The bathroom's up the stairs. Turn left, second door on the left. The bedrooms are on the right. Take whichever one you like."
She picked up her bag and was heading for the stairs, but abruptly stopped and turned to face him.
"Lee?"
He looked at her expectantly. "Yeah?"
She gave him a beaming yet shy smile. "Thanks for this. Sorry I was in such a terrible mood yesterday, but with the case and my dismal efforts at the range, I was very out of sorts."
"It's alright, Amanda. Everyone has those days. As for the shooting, well that's what we're here for."
He smiled at her and she felt her insides flutter.
Looking down, mostly so he couldn't see her blush, she gave him a nod and mumbled, "Well, thanks."
Lee shrugged. "No problem. When you're finished, head out back, through the kitchen." He indicated the incredibly well-appointed galley.
"Sure, and thanks again."
Lee watched her head up the stairs and lost himself in her well-proportioned form. He finally snapped out of his daze when he heard the bathroom door close. Sighing, he headed back out to the car to grab the weapons case that held the small range of firearms he wanted Amanda to be proficient in, or at least get a feel for.
Behind the house, there was an old wooden table on which he arranged a dozen clay pigeons. The owners had a trap-shooting set-up, so there were a lot of targets in reserve, though he had a sneaking suspicion he wouldn't need too many. He was right, but in an unexpected and painful way.
~~ SMK ~~
Lee had just finished arranging the targets when Amanda joined him in the back yard.
"Wow!" she said, looking at the range of guns and ammunition laid out on the table. "You want me to learn to shoot all of these?"
Not missing the anxious tone in her voice, Lee said, "One will be pretty much the same as another. I just want you to get a feel for what else is out there. The bad guys are pretty well armed these days," he added with his dimpled grin.
Unable to resist, she returned the smile. "Okay, where do we start?"
She made a move to pick up one of the guns.
"Uh-uh," Lee said, halting her. "First, eye and ear protection." He handed her a pair of goggles and ear muffs.
He took a Sig Sauer P220 automatic pistol from the line-up of weapons and slid home the clip. He handed the weapon to Amanda and she instinctively turned to face him, presenting him with the muzzle of the gun. He quickly grabbed her hand, pointing the Sig downwards.
"Whoa!" He gave a nervous chuckle. "I'm not the target! Now, the safety's on, but never point a gun at anything you don't intend to shoot."
Amanda nodded and aimed the gun in the general direction of the targets.
"Ah, Lee," she said, clasping the gun grip with both hands. "You do know that I already know how to shoot. It's just the aiming and shooting at people I'm not so good at."
He slid behind her, taking both her hands in his and loosening her excessively tight grip.
"Yes Amanda, I'm aware of that, but for today, we're pretending you've never had a lesson. Okay?"
Gently gripping her shoulders, he turned her. "Turn sideways to the target."
Amanda sighed heavily. She knew this stuff, Leatherneck had taught her. Then her breath hitched as Lee brushed her hair back from her neck as he turned her. She tingled at his touch as he continued to instruct her, "Look down your shoulder and along your arm…" He moved his hand the length of her arm and brought her hand up to point at one of the targets.
Amanda tried to keep her breathing even as she felt his breath on her neck. 'Nope, Leatherneck never did this,' she thought, as Lee continued coaching her. "Straight line, down the sights."
Lee felt her breathing increase and pulled her closer. "You'll get a much better result if you slow your respiration."
'That's easy for you to say, Buster,' she thought as he gripped her shoulders lightly and breathed in and out with her until her breath came slow and even.
"That's it." He steadied her arm. "Okay, hold it firmly."
He reached over, took off the safety catch and pulled back the slide to chamber the first round.
"You don't need a death grip," he said, seeing her whitened knuckles.
She relaxed her hold, along with her breathing. Not an easy task considering what Lee's proximity was doing to her.
"Nice," he said, as he felt her loosen up.
To make sure she had the right stance, Lee held her hips close to his. He felt her breathing grow erratic again and smiled, realising the effect he was having on her.
"Don't forget, slow even breaths, in and out," he murmured.
It took a moment for her breathing to return to a slow measured rhythm.
Lee nodded his approval. "Okay, now focus on one of the targets and squeeze the trigger gently."
Amanda fired a round and the clay pigeon flew to pieces.
She dropped her hand. "Whew!"
"Feel any different?" he asked.
She couldn't figure out what he meant. She did feel different, but she was sure he wasn't referring to what his close hands-on approach was doing to her.
"Different about what?" she asked.
"Did shooting the gun feel any different from the way Leatherneck taught you?" he clarified.
"Oh, yeah…" She cleared her throat. "Much better," she finished, her voice breaking on the last syllable.
He stepped back. "Great. Now, keep doing as I said, and see how you go with the rest of the clip."
Taking careful aim, she went through the list Lee had taught her. Shooting off the rest of the rounds, she hit four more targets dead centre and clipped another two. The last three rounds in the clip went wide. It was still much better than she'd done in the past at The Agency.
Amanda turned, smiling proudly. "Well?"
Lee nodded. "Not bad."
She looked at him incredulously. "Not bad? That was fantastic!"
He gave her his dimpled grin. "Well, it's a start," he said encouragingly.
"Okay, what's the next gun?" she asked, heading for the array of weapons.
Lee gently took the Sig from her hands, engaged the safety and ejected the empty clip. He lay both on the table, then picked up a revolver.
Amanda watched with rapt attention as he loaded the chambers. She loved his hands. His fingers were so long and dextrous. She shook her head to dispel the dreamy sensation as he handed her the gun.
"Wha…?"
"This time we'll try the double-handed police stance," Lee said.
She nodded dumbly as he moved behind her again.
'Darn it,' she thought. 'How am I supposed to concentrate with him behind me like that?'
Pressing against her back, he put his arms around her and held her hands in his, ensuring that her grip and aim were correct. Granted, it was more contact that he technically needed, but he loved getting this close to her. Any excuse would do.
Amanda took a little revenge and leaned against him. She felt his breath hitch and smiled. 'Huh, gotcha Buster,' she thought with a smirk.
Lee cleared his throat. "Ah that's good. I think you've got your eye in on this one. Keep your stance relaxed while I set up the targets." As he disengaged himself from her and headed for the table holding the clay pigeons, he turned back.
"DO NOT start shooting until I say it's alright," he shouted, as he turned.
Watching with rapt attention, Amanda enjoyed the show Lee was inadvertently putting on. He had on a pair of jeans that were worn in exactly the right places and showed of his perfectly shaped rear to its full effect. She was still daydreaming when Lee headed back and called to her, "Okay, you can take your first shot. Remember what I said."
Amanda took aim and squeezed the trigger. The first shot barely clipped the first mark. She took a few deep breaths, regulating her breathing. Going through the list of what Lee had taught her, she again took aim.
The clay pigeon flew to bits.
Suddenly Lee yelped in pain, grabbed his leg and dropped to the ground.
Watching in horror as blood began to seep from between his fingers Amanda gave the uncharacteristic yell of, "Shit!"
Ripping off her eye and ear protection, she cried, "Lee, are you all right?"
Running to him, she realised that she still held the unsecured gun. Dashing back to the table, she carefully put on the safety catch before laying the gun down with care.
Lee watched her with impatient bewilderment as she performed a routine the Three Stooges would have been proud of.
Rushing back to Lee's side, she knelt next to him. "Oh my gosh! Lee, are you all right?"
He looked up at her in disbelief. "No Amanda, I'm not 'all right'. I've been shot. I'm most definitely NOT all right. Why were you shooting in my direction anyway?"
"But Lee, I wasn't even pointing the gun in your direction," she answered, as she began to examine the damage done.
Lee hissed in pain as she quickly examined his wound. There was a hole in the seat of his jeans and the continuing spread of blood on his perfect buttock.
"Ouch. Do you think you might be able to do something to help?" he asked, through gritted teeth.
"Oh, okay. Of course." She thought for a few moments before the first aid training she'd helped her sons with for their Junior Trailblazers medical badge kicked in. "Give me your shirt."
Sighing and groaning a little in pain, Lee removed his shirt and handed it over.
Amanda took a couple of seconds to admire Lee's bare chest. It wasn't the first time she'd viewed his naked chest, but it was worth studying again.
Lee bought her out of her contemplative haze. "Uh, Amanda? You gonna do anything with that?"
"Oh sure, sorry. Just a little distracted…" She noticed Lee smirking. "…trying to remember how to tie this…" She put the t-shirt around his upper thigh. "…without hurting you…" She pulled the half knot tight.
Lee hissed. "…too much." It wasn't the truth, but his smug grin had irked her.
Putting an arm around his middle, she tugged him to a standing position and helped him back to the house.
There was a downstairs bathroom that he guided her to. Putting down the toilet lid, she gently lowered him to a sitting position. Blood was seeping through the t-shirt and noticing the blood and she asked, "Do you have a proper first-aid kit?"
Lee shook his head. "No, but there's gotta be one around here somewhere."
Amanda looked through the bathroom cabinet first, but found nothing except for a half-used tube of toothpaste and an empty pack of Advil and half a roll of Tums. The other cupboards held nothing other than extra towels and shower accessories.
Dashing out of the room, she headed toward the kitchen, the other place one would keep a first aid kit. Ripping open the doors to the cabinets, all she found was a few tins of soup, a mouldy scrubber and a mostly empty bottle of dishwashing detergent. For an upscale house, it was severely lacking in the most basic essentials.
"I guess who ever owns this place brings and takes everything with them," she mumbled aloud, as she headed back to the bathroom.
"Nothing," she reported to Lee who was beginning to look a little pale.
"What about pain-killers?" he asked through gritted teeth.
Amanda opened the cabinets again to double-check. "No, there's nothing." She paused for a moment. "Oh, wait. I should have something in my bag. Stay here. I'll be right back," she said, rushing from the room.
Lee watched her leave and thought with some exasperation, 'Where the hell does she expect me to go?'
Running back into the room, she smiled triumphantly and held up a small packet of Tylenol Extra Strength. She filled the water glass and handed it to Lee with two of the tablets. "There you go. That'll get rid of some of the pain."
Swallowing gratefully, Lee smiled and handed the glass back to her. "Thanks, Amanda."
"I think maybe I should have a look at your…" she stuttered to a stop. "Well, where you were shot."
He stood awkwardly and turned.
Kneeling in front of him, she gently removed the t-shirt and looked at the hole in his jeans and leg. The bleeding had mostly stopped, but she couldn't see anything through the hole in the material.
"Lee," she started a little hesitantly. "You're gonna have to take your jeans off. I can't see anything, other than it's stopped bleeding."
Sighing, Lee stood. Looking at Amanda, he cleared his throat. "Do you mind?"
"What?" Realising what he meant, she blushed deeply and faced the wall as he undid the button of his jeans. "Sorry."
He grunted in reply as she heard the zipper.
'This is so embarrassing,' he thought.
Amanda realised then that the door from the bathroom cabinet was open in the perfect position for its mirrored door to show her her partner slowly and painfully lowering his jeans. She'd seen his bare chest before, smooth and well-muscled, but suddenly she saw more of him than he had intended, when he pulled his boxers down with his pants.
'Oh my,' she thought, her face burning with embarrassment and excitement. 'When I call him 'big fella', it's a really accurate moniker.' She analysed the rest of him. All of him. The treasure trail of light hair that led from his belly button to the blonde hair of his pubis, the rather larger than average penis below which hung…Amanda closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This was wrong! But oh…one eye cracked open. He was so very symmetrical and impressive.
Lee groaned as he realised his boxers had gone down with his pants and pulled them up, glad that Amanda was facing away.
'I'm never going to be able to look at him the same way again,' she thought.
"Okay," Lee said, in a small voice.
Amanda took a deep breath and hoped that her face was no longer a burning red. She turned to face his back and once again knelt to inspect the wound. "Lee, I really can't see anything. We're going to have to get you to a hospital."
Groaning again, Lee bent and lifted his jeans up again. "You're going to have to drive," he said, doing up his fly.
Considering the ride they were about to take, Amanda thought a moment.
"Amanda," Lee said, trying to get her attention. He wanted to get out of here and to a hospital.
"Just a sec," she replied, grabbing a towel from the rack.
Lee watched with barely concealed impatience as Amanda draped the towel around her leg at her thigh, overlapping the edges. Rolling the towel from the top, she quickly made a 'donut' out of the linen.
She handed it to him. "For the ride back. It'll keep your leg from hurting too much."
She helped him outside, and then locked up the house. Lee instructed her on putting the weapons back in the case and soon they were on their way back to DC.
~~ SMK ~~
At the hospital, it was determined that Amanda hadn't shot him, but that it was a ricochet from one of the bullets. The fragment had worked its way in quite deep and it took quite some time for it to extracted.
They were driving home in silence when Lee suddenly blurted out, "I'm sorry, Amanda."
She turned to him. "What on earth for?"
"I really wanted to help with your shooting, and make up for the ass I was with Leslie. That was such bad form on my part." He didn't look at her as he said this.
Pulling up in front of his apartment, Amanda reached over and placed her hand on his cheek, moving his face to look at her. "Hey, it's alright. I guess we'll just stay at the Agency's shooting range…"
"…no bullets," they said in unison with a chuckle.
"Mind if I come inside while I wait for my cab?" Amanda asked.
Lee nodded and smiled. "It would be my pleasure."
The End
A/N 2 – I've never actually held a gun, let alone shot one, so most of the 'shooting lesson' itself was taken from a scene from Torchwood (S01E03 – Ghost Machine). Therefore any and all inaccuracies are solely my fault, but in the vein of good entertainment (hopefully) you'll let it slide. Thanks for reading. Also, I apologise for the OOC moments of Lee and Amanda at the end.