Feathers and Leathers

by Leemanda

When Lee is kidnapped, Amanda receives vital information from a surprising source.

TITLE: Feathers and Leathers

DISCLAMER: The characters from Scarecrow and Mrs. King are the property of Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Productions. I have borrowed the characters without the consent or knowledge of Warner Brothers or Shoot the Moon. I am making no money from them. The extra characters and storyline are mine.

TIMEFRAME: Season 3

SUMMARY: When Lee is kidnapped, Amanda receives vital information from a surprising source.

RATING: PG/M - some mild violence, mild language and sexual references.

AUTHORS NOTES: This is my first attempt at fan fiction. References made to earlier episodes. This story stands alone and is not related to any actual episodes.

FEEDBACK: Constructive criticism eagerly welcomed.

Lee was cuffed behind his back, with a hessian sack over his head. A large hairy, unkempt man pushed Lee from behind, using Lee as a battering ram to open the wooden door. The door rebounded from the wall and hit Lee in the shoulder as the men passed through. He pushed Lee down into the chair by one shoulder, making Lee wince.

2 Hours earlier:

Lee stood on the balcony outside the embassy ball. The night was balmy and a light breeze carried a faint smell of honeysuckle from the trees below. He shifted into the shadows and took a slow sip of his martini. Lee needed some fresh air. He had been dancing with Maxine, a particularly enthusiastic young blond from the Steno pool, for the last hour. He could smell her sickly perfume on the lapel of his black Ralf Lauren jacket. He had spent most of the evening trying to find an excuse to pry her off him, but she was very intent on making him aware of her plans for the ultimate end to their evening. His head was starting to ache from her irritating fake baby voice, and high-pitched giggle at everything he said. He could have told her the animal shelter, filled with puppies had burned down and she would have slapped his lapel playfully and giggled. Lee had received momentary blissful reprieve when Maxine had excused herself to go to the Ladies room. There was a time, not so long ago, when Lee would have revelled in this attention, but tonight he felt irritated and unsettled. He could almost hear Amanda's voice 'Lee isn't she a little young?' 'Does her mother know she's out' ' Haven't you had enough to drink' ' Here I brought you some water' Amanda was always jud…. no judging wasn't the word, fussing?... mothering?...teasing? Whatever it was, while annoying, it was also endearing. He almost missed it tonight. He took another sip of his martini, pulled a face at the now warm fluid and placed it on the railing.

Amanda, was going to accompany him tonight but cancelled at the last minute, she had other commitments. Lee had childishly not asked what her plans were at the time, he frowned to himself, he was starting to care about Amanda's social life too much. Lately he found himself prone to fits of unwarranted jealousy. He even found his hackles rising when he had walked into a recent training session between Leatherneck and Amanda. Leatherneck had been training Amanda how to undo handcuffs with one hand. He had walked in to find leatherneck on a chair with Amanda behind him, her body pressed close to his as she leant up against him, one hand behind her and the other manipulating the cuffs behind his back. Amanda released the cuffs and almost jumped back from Leatherneck when Lee cleared his throat. " Ah the old entry and escape, how's she doin' Leatherneck?" "Oh just fine, Mrs king has a real knack for this sort of thing. Ok Mrs King let's finish up for today, see you next week" Leatherneck gave her a wink and nodded at Lee as he walked out the door.

She was supposed come with him as, what she referred to, as window dressing; she was never gunna' drop that one, she was like an elephant.

He had received a call from one of his contacts from the Barnsorm list. Misty had contacted him advising that there was some important information to be delivered to him at the embassy ball, information that threatened national security. The contact phrase 'Have you tried the guacamole'? His response ' Yes, I believe it comes from Guatemala'.

As usual Amanda was supposed to dance a few dances with him and then mingle while he met his contact. They had argued when Amanda had tried to find out from Lee who his contact was and what it was about. Lee honestly didn't know anything about what his contact, or what they needed to tell him, but he trusted Misty that it was important. Amanda had not believed him and thought that it was the whole 'need to know' issue coming up again, that Lee didn't trust her …. She could be so incredibly frustrating. She had however, initially agreed to go with him anyway. A few hours later she received a call. When the call had finished she had turned to Lee and said apologetically " I'm Sorry Lee but I can't come with you tomorrow night" " Ammanndaahh, what am I supposed to do for a dat.. er cov…well, I can't go by myself" Amanda's jaw tightened, her nostrils flared, "Oh Stop whining Lee. Now I'm sure a good lookin' fella' like you shouldn't have any trouble, you must have loads of window dressing in your little black books, is it still only four?, or how about the Steno pool, what about the nice new blond one, what's her name now, Milli, Minni?"

"Maxine" Lee had corrected too quickly " WHATEVER!" Amanda slammed Lee's report down on his desk, blowing loose papers onto the floor. Amanda looked at them blankly "Sorry". Amanda turned grabbed her bag from her desk and slammed the door to the Q bureau " What?" Lee called out, arms outspread, as she left. Lee ran his fingers through his hair, clenched his teeth, sat at his desk and sulkily pushed the folder forward. After a minute of brooding, he stood up, strode across the room, flung open the door and proceeded to storm down the hall towards Billy's office. Francine stopped him. "Scarecrow wait, he's in there with Amanda" " Aman…Wha? Oh just great!" " Lee it looks pretty heavy" Francine motioned with her head towards the window; the blinds were still partially open. Billy was sitting across from Amanda holding her hand. Even from a distance he could see that she looked upset. Billy and Amanda stood up, as they walked to the door, Lee strode purposefully over to Maxine and, in a voice meant for the whole office to hear, asked her out to the ball. As Amanda walked out of Billy's office, Lee loudly told Maxine that he would pick her up at seven, hoping that Amanda would hear. If Amanda had heard, she didn't acknowledge.

"Goodnight Francine" Amanda spoke through watery eyes. Francine touched Amanda's arm with genuine concern "Hey are you alright Amanda?" " Yeah I'm fine, thanks for asking, see you next week" she turned toward Lee who now had Maxine hanging off his arm staring adoringly up at him. Amanda nodded at him "Lee" "Amanda". Man he felt like a heal. He wanted to run after her, hug her, hold her close, stroke her hair and tell her everything would be ok. But she got into the lift and was gone.

Amanda had been right, he had no problems finding company for the evening, and Maxine, or Maxi as she had asked Lee to call her, would have been the perfect date two years ago, but tonight he realised he missed Amanda's company. He missed the smell of her perfume and the way it stayed with him and on him until he went home and regretfully had a shower; A cold shower. He missed her nervous prattle, her gung-ho interest in everyone, and the way she saw mystery and intrigue at every turn. He missed the feeling of her hand in his, his hand in the small of her back, the feel of her light nervous touch on his shoulder when they danced, and the way her cheeks flushed when their eyes lingered on each others for too long. He particularly missed the feel of her body pressed against his during a slow dance.

Lee had almost spat out his drink the first time Maxine giggled, threw her head back and ran her finger down his lapel. "Oh please Lee darling call me Maxi" laughing through her nose "…hmmm..".

Even though Amanda was not there, in his mind's eye he could see her put her hand on her hip and roll her eyes. He could even her voice. 'Lee why does every woman you date recently, have a name that ends in i or y, and if they don't they turn it into one anyway? Christie, Betsy, Suzi , Maxi….' " Oh Amanda" he had said softly to himself, shaking his head.

Billy had sent Francine along for additional back up, just as a precaution.

Lee and Francine bickered like brother and sister but were just as close. Tonight she was lining up Bernard Layton, a high profile litigator who had spent a lot of time in the social pages. 'Poor sucker hasn't got a chance'. Lee mused to himself. Francine was dressed fit to kill in a floor length sequined black dress, with spaghetti straps, and a split up the left side that stopped just below where the top of her stay up stockings finished. Her hair was in a French role with kiss curls falling loosely around her face. Francine certainly stood out in a crowd.

Lee winced at her Maxine-like high-pitched giggle as she playfully slapped Bernard on his chest but Bernard seemed to be liking it just fine.

Amanda had asked him once if he and Francine had any "history". There had been one night very early in their friendship, at the end of a particularly gruelling case, and after a lot of tequila, that they shared a drunken assignation. They had politely continued on with another couple of awkward dates but ultimately the romance died a natural death. Lee had taken the upper hand and called it quits. Francine was plenty steamed, no one dumps Francine Desmond, but she knew deep down that they were too alike for the romance to work. They were more like siblings. Francine was beautiful, but at the time too strong and intelligent for Lee, and Lee did not have enough fame, money or breeding for Francine. Yes until recently, and for the longest time, Lee had liked his women beautiful, shallow and not too bright. This avoided attachment, sentimental romantic notions of love, and heartbreak.

Oh yes Francine could be shallow, catty and downright annoying, but Lee knew that this, like his bravado, was a coat of armour. Keeping people at a distance meant freedom from pain.

Currently, apart from Amanda, Francine was probably one of his closest friends. This revelation amused Lee. Lee, the great cleave 'em and leave 'em , had two women as his best friends. That would sure make the colonel laugh. ' you're entirely too soft skip, I didn't raise you to cling to no petticoat'. He struggled to come to terms with it himself.

Lee mused to himself that although Francine and Amanda were diametrically opposed in almost every way possible, the one thing that they did have in common was that they both cared about him, could see through his brash exterior and were seemingly immune to his charms. Although there were times when he thought that Amanda may have succumbed just a little, every now and then he thought he caught a look or a glance, then there were all those times that they had lingering eye contact, mild flirtations and when they had almost kissed, for real, not as a cover, but ….. Lee shook his head, she liked him true enough but to what degree he could not tell. There were also times when he felt himself getting lost in her perfume or focusing at a brown lock of hair falling across her forehead. How did he feel about her? He stared intently into his glass and ran his finger around the rim as if waiting for the answer to appear in vibration ripples.

He raised his head and looked thoughtfully across the reflection pool. He raised his glass " To you Amanda" he said with a smiling sigh and a wink. As he brought the glass to his lips he felt a sudden pain at the back of his head, and fell into blackness.

Lee could barely see light through the weave of the hessian bag. The sack had a smell of mould and stale tobacco. Lee felt his hands being cuffed to the chair. The sack was suddenly ripped off his head, grazing Lee's nose as it did. Lee coughed from he dust that flew out of it. It took some time for Lee's eyes to focus. The room was empty except for a small wooden table in the corner, and the chair that Lee was sitting on. The window was small and clouded with thirty years of dust and pollution. He could hear the occasional car, and snippets of muffled music that intermittently increased and decreased in volume. Lee looked at his captors. The fiirst, a huge brutish looking man with a shaved head, and a long matted beard. Lee mused to himself that he looked a little like a rejected ZZ Top band member. He was tall (head and shoulders above Lee) and overweight, a mixture of genetics, muscle and years of dietary abuse. He had a very distinctive tattoo on the right hand side of his neck that extended from the base of his ear to his shoulder. The picture was of a mermaid, long flowing yellow hair, blue tail curved to the left with her arms folded like a "w" in front, covering her naked, ample breasts. She had a gun in each hand. There was clearly some significance for the wearer, but Lee had not real interested in finding out what. He was wearing faded blue jeans with brown marks on the knees, his brown leather belt was worn and on the last hole, and his red checked flannel shirt bore the stains of sweat, alcohol and chilli dogs.

Lee recognised him. Donald Treman. Lee had roughed him up a couple of times and shaken him down for information. Treman was a small time henchman for bigger fish; tough but not particularly loyal, brave or bright.

The other face was not immediately familiar. He was the complete opposite to his counterpart. He was short, perhaps 5 ft 3 inches, skinny to the point where he looked ill, with slightly bulging eyes. He was wearing a charcoal suit, well made but not expensive. Standing side by side they looked almost comical. Lee looked from one to the other and put on his cockiest face. "Treman, who's your new low life friend?" " I, Mr Stetson, am Julian Blain" answered the other man, in an accent that was familiar but difficult to determine, it was almost a mixture of an American and English accent. Lee's head was still hurting from the blow that dazed him. "Perhaps you are familiar with me?". Lee looked at him blankly. The name was familiar to him but from where, he could not immediately remember.

"No I don't think so" lied Lee, "Should I be?" A momentary look of anger crossed over Julian's face, so quick that was barely noticeable. Julian regained his composure and a creepy smile came over his face. "But Mr Stetson, where are my manners. You must be thirsty…Lana!" In walked a slightly built, curvaceous woman in skin tight black leather pants that had the faintest creak when she walked, black knee high zip up boots and a black soft leather jacket that zipped up on an angle from her right hip to her left shoulder. She was wearing a wide brimmed black hat with a fishnet veil that covered her face to just under her chin, She was carrying a bottle of brandy, cognac to be exact, and a large balloon glass. Lee looked at the Label "Savignac de Versailles". South African. Lee looked at the woman and man again. Surely not he thought to himself, his breaths deepening. It can't be.

********************************************************************************7 YEARS EARLIER

Lee crouched behind a large wooden box. A large man in has late forties was standing near a 44 gallon drum drinking cognac (Savignac de Versailles). Beside him stood a beautiful dark haired woman in her early twenties and a thin awkward looking man about the same age, perhaps a little older. The older man was Daniel Blain. A notorious American business criminal living in South Africa. He specialised in smuggling anything for the highest bidder through his import/export company. On this particular occasion, Lee was there to follow up a lead. Word had it that Blain had made a deal with the Russians to smuggle explosives and information to them, provided by a government source, outlining the American presidents whereabouts during his next tour. Lee was there to intercept the shipment and arrest Daniel once and for all, but he had to catch him red handed. Lee shuffled a little closer so that he could take some pictures. As he did the small camera he was holding in his hand slipped out and clattered on the hard cement. Lee swore silently under his breath. The woman turned around with a start, pulled a small handgun out of her thigh holster and shot at Lee, the bullet grazing his temple. Lee returned fire. Before he knew what was happening all three were firing at him. One of Lee's bullets hit Daniel in the heart shattering the cognac bottle as the bullet passed through it, spraying the contents onto the woman. A spark caused by a bullet hitting the metal drum ignited the fluid. The woman screamed in agony as the fire engulfed the top half of her body. Lee ran from the building. It was full of explosives and would go up any minute. As Lee ran, the building exploded behind him throwing him forward and into darkness. When Lee awoke he had been in the hospital for three days. Billy had told him the warehouse was incinerated and there was nothing to be found at all. No bodies were ever found, but nothing could have survived the fire.

The woman lifted her veil. It was Maxine. Her hair was in the same style as it had been for the ball, clipped in a long ponytail just below her right ear. Maxine pulled her long flowing blond hair aside and pealed off a strip of prosthetic makeup to reveal deep scarring, starting from somewhere inside her jacket, up the left side of her face. " Hello Lee darling" Maxine cooed. Lee stared at the woman he knew as Maxine in shock. Julian spoke " That's right Mr Stetson. Lana and I escaped like you just before the building blew. We were both injured when the warehouse exploded. Lana has had extensive plastic surgery on her face, but as you can see there is more to be done, and as for my leg…" Julian tapped on his left leg producing an empty thud " But our funds are limited, particularly when you don't exist. You Mr Stetson will be our ticket to any semblance of a normal life again. We will send a message to your government. We will demanded five hundred thousand dollars and a safe passage to Switzerland where we will change our faces and names and disappear for ever, in exchange for the life on one of their top agents".

"Our government will not negotiate with criminals" stated Lee with more bravery then he felt. " Then that… is unfortunate for you Mr Stetson" stated Julian " Treman!" demanded Julian "Bring the camera. First Mr Stetson we are going to have a little fun with you. A little fun for a little insurance". Lana placed the tray with the cognac on the corner table. She pulled a knife slowly out of her boot and walked over to Lee. As she walked toward him she turned the knife backward and forward in the air so that the little amount of light in the room glinted off the blade. Lee clenched his teeth and fixed a stony gaze on Lana. She sauntered toward him with a look on her face that was hard to determine, relief? satisfaction? Lee struggled with the cuff's behind the chair. Lana stood directly in front of Lee, bent down in front of him and looked directly into his eyes. She ran the back of the blade down his right cheek from the corner of his eye to the corner of his mouth. " Such a pretty face… like mine was. Now when I look in the mirror I don't even see me." Lana Laughed "You were so easy Scarecrow. For a top agent you are certainly predictable, I didn't even have to try. How could you believe that any woman could be useful for anything other than.. window dressing? One fake phone call to get rid of Amanda and you made a beeline straight for me. Blond bimbette. Your are a very foolish man."

He could see the pain in her eyes. " You took everything away from us all those years ago. Everything!" Lee looked deeply into her eyes " Maxine .. Lana" whispered Lee "I'm sorry" for a moment Lana appeared to falter a little, "I was just doing my job, I never intended for any of you to get hurt. No one would have if you had not started firing; but your father's business hurt and killed people, innocent people, woman and children, and would have continued to do so". Lana stood up, looked down at Lee for a moment and then brought the back of her clenched fist across Lee's left cheek, just below his eye. Lee could feel his eye swelling shut and a trail of sticky warm blood ooze out of the wound and start to slide down his cheek. Lana looked at him with a look of what appeared to be a mixture of satisfaction and distain. She straddled Lee's legs, sat on his lap, wrapped her left hand around the back of his neck for support, leant back, took the knife in her other hand and lightly sliced through his shirt and into the first few layers of skin on his chest above his heart. Lee gritted his teeth as beads of sweat trickled from above his temples and down his face and into his eyes. Lana stood up, stepped back, then wiped her blade on his shirt. She turned, and walked out of the door without looking back.

Lee breathed in and out heavily through his nose, his chest sinking deeply as and the air exited his lungs.

Julian looked at Treman. " You know what to do, let me know when you are done". Treman removed the tape from the camera and shot a smug look at Lee. "For once the pleasure is all mine Stetson" he sneered bowing and rolling his hand in an 18th century regal wave. Treman started laughing and left, closing the door behind him. Lee could still hear him laughing as his heavy boots clomped into the distance. 'Damn it' thought Lee.

Lee sat there for what appeared like an eternity. His throat was parched, his tongue felt thick and furry, his head throbbed, the wound on his chest burned, his wrists hurt, his hands were numb, his shoulders ached, the cut on his face stung and he could barely see out of his left eye. Lee suddenly felt desperately tired. 'How could you let this happen scarecrow?' 'best spy in the country my arse' 'best spy in the country', Lee had to smile briefly to himself as he heard Amanda's words echo in his head . How he wished he was tied to pipe with Amanda now, rather than hand cuffed here alone. Although he hated it when she was in danger, right now he would give his right arm to be listening to her nervous ramblings, and have her fuss over his every little scratch. Hell she would probably even help him escape with a Bombers support badge and a tube of lip-gloss. They had been in some tight scrapes together. He remembered the annoyance he used to feel pretty much every time she opened her mouth. She just seemed to have a way of getting under his skin. She had even got him to bare some of his inner soul the very first time they worked together. She was the first person he had opened up to on any level regarding his ex partner, and, at the time, he didn't even like her. She was so homey and patient and bossy and strong yet vulnerable, and smart. For all of the groans and eye rolls her theories on life and survival based on The Junior Trailblazer Handbook had caused him, she had gotten them out of more scrapes then he could count. 'Stop getting sentimental Scarecrow and think of a way out; But from what he could see there was no way out. Not this time. No one knew where he was. He didn't know where he was.

Francine and Billy stood at the front of the briefing room. Ten other agents including Amanda were seated on the cold plastic chairs. Billy started " Thank you all for coming in on such short notice, I suppose your all wondering what I've called you in for. There's no easy way of saying this but…. Scarecrow's been captured by Julian Blain". There was a collective gasp and concerned mumble by everyone except Amanda. Amanda just looked at everyone with a slightly confused look.

"Hit the lights!" barked Billy. The images of Lee were projected onto the screen. Everyone looked in horror at the scene that played out before them. Amanda let out an audible gasp as she watched Lee being struck across the face, and then the knife trailing across his chest leaving a trail of blood. The camera focussed mainly on Lee, providing close-ups' of the assaults inflicted by Lana. At no time did the camera rest on the assailants face. The only distinguishable feature was the long flowing blond hair. There was no sound except for the voice over of Julian demanding five hundred thousand dollars and safe passage to Switzerland. He advised that his intent was not to initially kill Lee Stetson but to put him through as much pain and torture as his actions had put their family through seven years ago. Amanda felt tears prick at the back of her eyes; her breaths became quick and deep. 'Pull it together Amanda' Amanda took a deep breath and composed herself. " You've all been given..." started Billy when he was interrupted by Amanda "Sir wait" Francine sighed and rolled her eyes "What is it Amanda?" "Can you just go back a few frames?" " Really Amanda we don't have time for this" Francine replied with frustration in her voice. " Please Sir I thought I saw something. I thought I caught a glimpse of the woman's face, I thought she looked kinda' familiar" "Oh really Amanda…" " Now wait a minute Francine, Let's just see if Amanda's right, so fare I'm prepared to look at anything, given that we have nothing" He gave Francine a meaningful look. "Ok rewind the film, you say when Amanda" The frames of the film went backward, and as if by magic, the slash on Lee's chest was removed with the same force that it was inflicted. Amanda yelled stop at the precise time that the assailant's fist was leaving Lee's upper cheek. " Look Sir, Look at the reflection" The technician played around with the frames a little until the exact moment you could see the reflection in the window. It was distorted and became more so as the technician tried zooming in and out, but eventually they could get a clear enough picture to make a reasonably accurate identity. " Maxine" stated Amanda "I'm sure of it" Francine squinted as she looked at the fuzzy picture on the screen. "You may be right Amanda. I'll pull Maxine's file" with that she walked out of the room. She was back a minute later with a manila folder. She pulled out an 8inch x 8inch picture and held it up beside the picture projected on the screen. It was a match.

Billy turned to the crowd of agents " Well you all have your briefing folders, please read them carefully. We'll meet back here in one hour" said Billy before turning on his heals and striding purposefully back to his office. Billy stormed into his office, shutting the door with more force then he intended. He adjusted the blind so that it was closed and placed his head in his hands. He heard a soft knock at the door. Billy smiled softly to himself "Come in Amanda" Amanda walked into Billy's office "How'd you know it was me Mr Melrose?" "Scarecrow is missing, you're his partner. I know my people". Billy could see the concern in Amanda's face. " Mr Melrose, who are these people?" Billy gave Amanda a brief account of what happened seven years ago. "Do you think they're gunna' kill him?" Amanda's voice was audibly wavering. Billy looked at Amanda "I'm afraid that is their ultimate intent if they don't get what they want Amanda, and I think they're going to have fun doing it to." Billy could see the fear in Amanda's face. "But I am sure that between us out here, and Lee in there everything will be fine." Billy paused and looked thoughtfully at Amanda.

"Amanda, did Lee say anything about where he was going?" Amanda tried to think. "Not that I can recall, the last conversation we had was two days ago, as you know he got a phone call from one of his Barnstorm contacts, he wouldn't tell me who or what it was about except that, someone was going to contact him at the embassy ball but that's all I know. What about Francine, she was there too wasn't she, didn't she see anything? ". There was a knock at the door and Francine walked in " No, at the time Francine was otherwise engaged…" Billy frowned at Francine while she shifted awkwardly from one foot to another " Well if you think of anything else Amanda…" " You'll be the first to know".

Francine spoke " Well I'll bet my Raspini original pumps that Maxine is Lana. Maxine appears to have no real history before here, and get this Maxine Owens died 29 years ago at age 3 months. Oldest trick in the book" Francine shook her head "And guess what else… referees … never heard of her". " How in the hell did this happen?" yelled Billy thumping his hand on the desk. " Well it appears that the hiring officer went on extended holiday leave about the same time Maxine started working here. Intel is trying to track her down now, but I don't like our chances". " Our main concern is Lee now" sighed Billy. "We need a plan and we need one fast".

Amanda walked away with a heavy heart. She paused before opening the door to the Q-bureau, she was so used to opening the door and seeing Lee running his fingers through his hair when he was worried about a case or trying to balance his expense account, or seeing his big smile as she walked in the door, or on occasion changing into new shirt. She always loved catching a glimpse of that tanned, gorgeous, perfectly chiselled back or chest. Once she even caught him sleeping, laying back in his chair with his feet up on the desk. For fun she had slammed the door and Lee had almost fallen off the chair in fright. Amanda had laughed. Lee had just looked at her "Very funny Amanda". Now when she opened the door it was only the images in her mind that greeted her.

Amanda sighed and sat down at her desk. Amanda read the brief again, she also read the dossiers of Lana, Julian and Treman. Amanda looked at the picture of Treman and mused to herself that he looked like a rejected member from ZZ Top. She paused and looked at Lana. Amanda thought that Maxine still had a vague resemblance to Lana, in the eyes. She may have had plastic surgery and changed the colour of her hair, but you could not mistake the eyes. Amanda wandered over to Lee's desk. Lee hated her "snooping" he would chide her if he found her looking through his things. " It's for a good cause Amanda," she said aloud to herself.

His football jacket from when he worked undercover on one of their first missions was laying over the back of his chair. She picked it up and mused to herself that this was when he had kissed her for the first time, not for real, just as a cover. She had been going out with Dean then, but … she quivered a little at the memory of that kiss. She buried her face into the collar and inhaled the familiar mixture of Lee's very expensive aftershave and a mild musky sweat smell. "Lee where are you?" she said out aloud. She popped on his Jacket , hugged it tight around her, and sat down at his desk. She picked up item after item; Ticket stubs to Top Gun, comb with one tooth missing, signed baseball, expense reports, crumpled receipt from Drumonds pharmacy for a perfume called "Lady Stetson". Amanda rolled her eyes. "Don't think you're gunna' put that one through buddy", a piece of paper with the name Misty and a phone number. Amanda was just about to throw it in the bin when she paused to look at the number again. There were no symbols after the name. Lee usually put little symbols after the name so that he could remember what he told them his job was. She hated that she knew this about him. She studied the name and reached for the phone. She stopped and drew her hand back. She reached for the phone again and dialled the number. It rang once, Amanda was starting to feel silly, the phone rang again, Amanda thought she should hang up and was just about to, when halfway through the third ring a mans voice answered with a grunt. "Oh I'm sorry" Said Amanda. " I must have rung the wrong number, I was looking for Misty, is this 555-0199? "

" MISTY GET YOUR TAIL OVER HERE! PHONE!" Bellowed the male voice. Amanda heard the clatter of high heals " Hello?" The voice on the other end of the phone was male with a feminine lilt. " Misty?" queried Amanda in confusion

" Yes" answered the voice "Who's asking?" " Oh My name's Amanda King I'm a friend of.." The mans voice interrupted her " Amanda darrrling, thank goodness you called! You are of course looking for that gorgeous man of yours." Amanda was puzzled " You mean my partner Lee" " Oh yes of course your partner. Listen darling you don't have much time. I think they've got him hold up in the back storeroom of The Tail Feather Club. The back entrance is on the corner of Franklin and Washington, now I gotta' go before they catch me or my feathers are plucked" The phone went dead " Excuse me sir…Misty?" Amanda hung up the phone and dialled the number again.

"Engaged". Amanda wrote the name of the club and the address down on a piece of paper.

She took Lee's jacket off and hung it carefully over the back of his chair, looked down at it and traced her finger along it before running out of the office with the number and address.

Amanda rushed up to Billy's door and knocked at it earnestly. "Come in". Amanda babbled out the story to Billy and Francine. Francine immediately sat at Billy's computer and franticly punched at the Keys. "Amanda are you sure that you got the address right? According to this there is just an old abandoned warehouse there." " Yes I'm sure Francine, Misty said that he suspected that Lee was held in a room at the back of The Tail Feather Club" " Well it's the best and only lead we have, Good work Amanda" smiled Billy. "Francine put together the team let's go" "Right away Billy" Said Francine " Oh Amanda dear, pull everything you can find on The Tail Feather Club, here you can use my pass" she removed her security pass from around her neck and handed it to Amanda.

Amanda expertly punched the keys. Her eyes widened, and the printer whirred to life. Amanda bobbed impatiently as the paper slowly and noisily rolled out it's secrets. Amanda ripped the paper from the printer and ran over to Francine's desk.

" Francine will you look at this. The Tail Feather Club was purchased with cash last year by a James Thomas, and guess what?" she asked raising her eyebrows

"He doesn't exist" sighed Francine "Doesn't exist" nodded Amanda. "So what exactly is The Tail Feather Club" asked Francine. "Well" Amanda looked a little flustered " Well from what I gather It's a kind of burlesque club where men dress up in women's clothing… you know high heals… feathers…" Amanda blushed and cleared her throat. "OKAAYYY" said Francine.

Twenty minutes later Francine and Amanda were standing inside Billy's office.

"Billy we have a plan" smiled Francine looking at Amanda and then at Billy. Billy looked at the ladies suspiciously. "Why do I feel a headache coming on? Amanda you're not a full agent, I don't want you in the firing line". " I'll be fine Billy I promise. First sign of trouble I'll be back at the agency sooner than you can say Jack rabbit". Billy gave her a dubious look. " Francine take good care of her" " Sure thing …Er Billy, we're going to need an advance on our expense accounts"

It was night, a black van, lights turned off, pulled up outside the abandoned warehouse behind The Tail Feather Club. Francine spoke into the walkie talkie.

" Blackbirds ready to fly"

" Baby bird in the nest with a broken wing" came the crackly reply. Francine turned to Amanda "Lee's still alive, injured but alive. You ready for this Amanda?" She nodded. The two women got out of the van. Both were dressed like Lana. Both of them had to stifle a giggle as their black pants creaked. They gave each other a reassuring smile and simultaneously pulled the veils over their faces. Amanda had donned a blond wig under her hat.

Treman's face was illuminated temporarily as he lit up a cigarette in the dark alley. Lana appeared out of nowhere and walked up to him, but she was different somehow. He laughed to himself, the freak was always dressed in black from head to toe, but why was her face still covered, and her walk was slightly different, he had studied it enough. He pulled a gun out from behind his back, pointed it at her, she stopped. Lana would never stop. He pulled the trigger, the shot rang out and Francine fell to the ground. She had leapt to the side at the last moment and landed heavily on her knee. She was not hurt badly, but she could not walk on her shattered left knee. " Damn" she muttered under her breath. Another shot rang out from the darkness, penetrating his right thigh and Treman fell to the ground. Two agents came out from the darkness, pinned Treman to the ground, cuffed him and held a gun to his head. " What's going on out there" Julian called, drawing his gun. One of the agents cocked his gun . " Nothin'. Thought I saw Somin'… Turned out to be a cat". "Well calm down, the last thing we need is a whole lot of cops crawling all over the place. Lana go out and check on Treman and while you're out there go to the car and search through your bag of tricks. Time to make another video, Mr Stetson looks bored".

Lee was sitting in the chair, for how long he had no idea. He was overcome by hunger and thirst. He had been in the same position for so long now, every sensation in his body was altered, every nerve ending screamed.

Outside a sleeping dart flew through the air and hit Lana in the arm. Lana grabbed the dart, looked at it and fell to the ground. Amanda and another agent walked over to Lana and dragged her into the shadows, next to Francine " You up for this Amanda?" Francine asked, " Because if you're not, we can go to plan C", Plan B had been for Amanda to take Francine's place if anything went wrong. "I'm fine Francine, just make sure that I am covered and the back up comes in on time. " Will do Amanda, good luck". Amanda grabbed a riding crook out of Lana's hand " Show time". Amanda stood up and squared her shoulders. She hesitated a moment before opening the door. Julian did not even look at her as she entered the room. Amanda was shocked at what she saw before her. Lee slumped in a chair in the middle of the room. The left side of his face was bruised and bloodied. It was swollen so badly that his left eye was almost swollen shut. Blood covered the entire front of Lee's shirt. Amanda felt the tears prick behind her eyes. All she wanted to do was to rush over and comfort him. " Treman" Julian bellowed out. "Where is that useless lump?, Oh well let's get started anyway." Julian positioned the video camera. He walked over to Lee and splashed water on him to rouse him out of delirium. Lee's head lifted with a start. " Time to play Mr Stetson. Looks like you were right about your government, so Lana and I will raise the stakes and have a little fun to. LANA!" Julian motioned to her without even looking at her. Amanda had her head turned away and the veil pulled down just to be sure. The camera was focussed on Lee. Amanda walked over to Lee and tried to look into his eyes so that he could see that it was her through the veil but his eyes were glazed and unfocused. Lee it's me Amanda she willed inside her head. Amanda walked towards Lee with the crook in her hand. She turned it around so that the leather handle was pointed toward Lee. She traced the wrist strap down Lee's muscular chest and back up towards his chin. She forced his head up. " Now Mr Stetson, Let's play. Lana has developed her torture skills into a fine art. I'm afraid she is going to cause you a lot of pain" With that Julian laughed and pointed the gun towards him. He cocked it " In case you try any funny business". Amanda walked behind Lee and held the crook across his throat, positioning her head behind his. She leaned close into him. "Lee" she whispered in his ear. At first the thought he was hallucinating. "Lee" Amanda whispered again. With her other hand she pulled a large knife out of her boot, held it up for the camera. As she positioned her hand behind Lee's shoulder she carefully turned it around so that the handle of the knife pointed towards Lee's back. She prayed that she had positioned it enough behind Lee so that Julian would not see the truth. Amanda jabbed the handle softly into his back. Although Amanda had not used any force, Lee flinched and screamed out in genuine pain. Amanda carefully placed the knife back into her boot and slid the half rake out of the seam of her jacket. She fumbled with the cuffs behind the chair, undoing cuff's one handed was difficult.

Luckily Leatherneck had prepared her for every occasion. Lee suddenly became very lucid. Amanda! She was saving his skin yet again. "Sorry" she whispered "Gotta make it real" she came around to the left side of him and held up the crook as if to strike him across his face. Lee tossed Amanda a glance indicating the he was ready to run, Amanda saw Francine's face in the window, although it was barely visible because of the years of dirt and grime, she could see Francine signalling them to hit the deck. Amanda Grabbed Lee from the chair, pulling him on top of her. As soon as they hit the floor a reign of bullets came in through the window. Julian was shot in the hand arm and right leg. The door flew open and a flurry of agents, including Billy burst through the door, Julian was picked up and placed on a gurney and carted away in an ambulance under agency-armed guard. " Amanda, Lee, you OK?". " Oh I'm just fine Mr Melrose, not so sure about Lee". Lee was fading into unconsciousness again "What are you wearing?" he asked wearily before completely passing out. " What do you care?" Amanda whispered remembering their first helicopter flight together. Amanda reluctantly wiggled out from underneath him " Get him into an ambulance" barked Billy. Lee was also placed on a gurney and wheeled out of the warehouse. Billy turned to talk to Amanda but she was already trailing after the gurney.

Amanda was sitting beside Lee's hospital bed. When Billy walked in, Lee was asleep and making soft snoring and snuffling noises. "How is he Amanda?" " Oh he's gunna be just fine, he just needs a bit of patching up and some IV antibiotics and fluids. Should be back on his feet in a couple of days" "Amanda go home and get some rest, I want a full report by the end of tomorrow". Amanda nodded at Billy and reluctantly stood up. A rather confused Nurse walked in. "Excuse me Mr Melrose there is a..a…a… person outside wishing to see Mr Stetson". " Well who is it?" asked Billy with more than a little irritation in his voice. " Well they say their name is Misty…" the nurse hesitated "Perhaps you better see for yourself". Amanda and Billy looked at each other and stuck their heads outside the door. Pacing nervously in the hallway was a tall figure in six inch silver high heals, silver glittering leotard, mountains of feathers fanning out from their posterior, and a massive feathered headdress. Billy and Amanda looked at the sight opened mouthed for a few seconds "Misty?" they said in unison. Misty spun around and quickly totted over to Billy and Amanda. They both had to stifle a smile. He grabbed both their hands and looked intently at their faces. " Amanda?, Billy?, tell me Lee's fine, I feel so responsible, I just couldn't bear it if…" his voice trailed of as he turned his head and bit the knuckle of his index finger of his right hand, clearly becoming emotional. Billy shuffled his feet a little uneasily. Amanda smiled at him. " Misty Lee is gunna' be just fine. You know what a tough nut he is. Hey and if it hadn't been for you, he may not be here right now." Misty smiled. "Can I see him?" " He's not allowed any visitors for the next few days but I will tell him that you called by and maybe you can come in a few days. Misty sniffed. "OK" "Come on now, your mascara's going to run" Amanda linked arms with Misty, "Can I give you a lift any where" she asked as they walked down the corridor and out of the double doors. " No that's ok, I got a lift here with some of the girls. As they exited the doors, Amanda was stopped in her tracks, her eyes widened. There was a bedazzled mini van in the car park, surrounded my Misty's colleagues all dressed in a variety of sequins and feathers. Misty bent down and gave Amanda a kiss on the cheek. "Look after Scarecrow". Amanda smiled warmly at Misty. "I will" she watched Misty embrace his fellow dancers and waved to them as they all piled into the van in a flurry of feathers and glitter.

When Amanda got home, her mother and the boys were asleep. The house was dark and silent. Amanda almost crawled up the steps and into her bathroom. She peeled of the leathers, had a short hot shower, put on her nightgown and crawled into bed. Amanda fell to sleep almost instantly, but her sleep was not restful. Images of Lee in that chair kept flashing through her dreams like grainy, rolling video footage.

THREE DAYS LATER

Amanda sat glumly at her desk, but perked when she heard familiar voices coming down the hallway. It was Francine and Lee bickering like brother and sister, about what Amanda could not really determine, her heart was pounding too loudly in her ears. She opened the door of the Q–Bureau, her face beaming, "Welcome back Lee and Francine". Francine smiled at Amanda. "It's good to be back Amanda, do you have any idea of what they make you wear in that place?" she turned to Lee "Ok best out of three ready?..., rock ,scissors paper Huh Huh! I win." Francine had produced a rock, Lee had produced Scissors "Now go do some work Scarecrow, Oh and I'd like a BLT on Rye hold the Mayo " and with that Francine hobbled down the hall in a pair of black stiletto's, bright red crutches and silk scarf covering the bandage on her extremely swollen knee. Lee and Amanda watched her turn the corner with bemused looks on their faces. "Where on earth did she get those?" Amanda laughed " Oh you know Francine" mused Lee. They both turned to go into the door at the same time. Lee's hand closed over Amanda's. Amanda felt like her hand was on fire and she blushed. If Lee noticed he did not let on. She removed her hand and Lee opened the door for her. She smiled shyly " Thanks". Lee Sat at his desk, Amanda sat at hers. Amanda looked over towards Lee. His eye was no longer swollen shut and there was a small plaster on his left cheek where Lana had hit him. Amanda swallowed and walked over to Lee's desk. She sat on the corner like she had done so many times before. "Lee….. does it….how are…I mean… Lee, I'm sorry" " For saving my skin?" "No well you know", Amanda shrugged. " It's fine Amanda really. All in the line of duty". " When did you know it was me?" I'm not so sure. I was pretty dazed and confused" "Oh Lee, when I saw you in that chair, I was so scared, I…" Her hazel eyes started to pool. She quickly turned so that he wouldn't see. But he did. "Hey Amanda, where's that brave psychotic dominatrix that came to rescue me? Francine told me how brave you were, and coming from Francine…" Lee stood up and put his arm around Amanda to give her a quick reassuring hug, and realised only then, how much his arms had ached to be around her, he wanted to keep on holding her forever. His stomach did a flip as she leant into him. He knew for certain now that he was starting to feel a whole lot more than friendship for this amazing woman. He regretfully released Amanda before she could sense his confusion. Amanda was disappointed when Lee let her go. "Amanda, how did you know where to find me" " Misty. I found the number on your desk. By the way I have a question about Misty, how did you mee…" Lee interrupted her " Amanda King, how many times have I told you not to snoop!" smiled Lee waving a playful finger at her, "However on this occasion I think that I can forgive you". Lee paused "Amanda why couldn't you come to the Embassy ball?" "Oh Lee I'm sorry, Perhaps If I had been there …" "Perhaps if you'd have been there, neither of us would be here now. You still haven't answered my question" Amanda looked down to the floor briefly and back to Lee "It was the weirdest thing, the call I got that day was to say my cousin died, we'd lost touch since the boys were born, but we inseparable when we were kids. We were very close. The funeral and the wake were supposedly on the night of the ball, but when I called his mother, he answered the phone" Lee took her hands in his "Amanda I'm sorry that I was such a horses a.." " Lee it's ok really, I'm just glad that things are back to normal" They stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds and began to move closer when a tall blond buxom girl about twenty-five burst through the door of the Q-bureau with a load of files in her arms. She was waring a very short black skirt a royal blue silky shirt with big shoulder pads and black high heals. Her long blond hair was in wild curls. "Oh sorry" her voice was sickly and flirtatious. " I hope I'm not interrupting anything." She giggled " Francine asked me to deliver these files to you as she's not able to herself at the moment. You up for dinner tonight Lee?" Lee cleared his throat. " Well actually, I don't think I'll be up to it tonight… er, or any other night for that mater" She looked at Lee with narrowed eyes, turned on her heals and walked out the door without even a single glance towards Amanda. Amanda stifled a smile.

Lee and Amanda worked the rest of the day in relative silence bar a few comments, each lost in their own thoughts.

At one point during the day Lee took some pain killers and ran his hand over the plaster that covered the long cut inflicted by Lana.

Eventually Amanda could take the tension no longer. She stood up and grabbed her bag. " I'm calling it a day Lee. Mother and the Boys are leaving in an hour to visit Joe for the weekend and I'd like to see them before they leave. Can I do anything before I leave" There were so many things she could do for him but Lee brushed these thoughts aside. "Nah, go home Amanda. Got anything planned?" "No not really, maybe put on some classical music, slip into a nice hot bubble bath and read a book, or I might just watch some TV" The Image of Amanda flushed and dripping with bubbles almost made him slip off his chair. " You?" " I intend to buy some very expensive yet smelly cheese, some bubbles of my own, French of course, and watch a Jackie Chan video" smiled Lee "Alone" he added. Why did he feel the need to add that? Amanda smiled. " See ya Lee" " By Amanda"

Lee climbed out of the shower. He wrinkled his nose as he looked at his reflection in the mirror. He touched his left cheek, there was still some minor swelling and a nasty black bruise on his cheek. He smiled a toothy smile and winked at his dimpled reflection. Yup still got it Stetson. Lee ran his fingers through his hair. He pulled on a white t-shirt , faded blue jeans and his baseball jacket. He stopped for a minute and smelt the collar. Was that Amanda's perfume? Snap out of it Stetson, you're imagining things. He Jumped into the car to drive down to the shop to hire a video and buy wine and cheese. He bought the wine but found himself pulling into Amanda's street, without the cheese or Jackie Chan.

He sprung up onto the back porch. Amanda was sitting in the living room her hair tied up loosely. She was watching "Remington Steel", cuddling that enormous bear that he had originally bought for Alexi, and then left on her porch almost three years ago. He remembered how Amanda could not keep her hands off it "You could really buy my affections with this big guy" she had said. He watched her with affectionate amusement. It was one of those classic sexual tension TV moments between the dashing Remington Steel and his partner Laura Holt. Remington and Laura were locked in an embrace and were moving in for, and completing a very romantic and intense kiss. Lee rolled his eyes. He watched Amanda sigh, turn her head to the side, laying it wistfully on the bear's overstuffed belly. Remington and Laura pulled apart and smiled at each other as the credits rolled. With his heart in his throat he tapped on the window. Amanda turned around with a start. She smiled broadly when she saw him and almost skipped across the room. She was wearing a pair of loose fitting grey tracksuit pants, light blue fluffy socks and the pink "Hot Mamma" T-shirt the boys had given to her a few years ago. "Hey Lee", she smiled self consciously " How long have you been there? " "Long enough to see you mooning over Pierce Brosnan" he said an unconvincing English accent. "What do you see in that guy anyway?" Amanda rolled her eyes " Oh please! Tall, dark, handsome, dashing , brave, sophisticated, beautiful accent…. I am a woman in case you hadn't noticed. Besides The Valley Of Gwangi was on the other channel, the boys love it but I just couldn't bare to watch it again. Would you like to come in?". Amanda held the door open and Lee stepped inside. As he walked past he smelt the feint mixture of soap and apple shampoo. She had recently showered just like him, perhaps at the same time as him. Lee had to shake the image of Amanda in the shower with him. Soap bubbles running down her naked flesh all slippery and shiny, hair now plastered around her face and sticking to her shoulders… Oh he had noticed that she was a woman all right. The house smelt like cookies and flowers. Amanda touched her hair self-consciously. She thought that she must have looked a fright. Lee placed the bottle of wine on the counter. Amanda opened the second drawer to look for a corkscrew. She found it and wordlessly placed it on the counter. She reached up to get some wine glasses from the top shelf. Exposing an inch of midriff as she stood on tip toes to reach the glasses.

Lee crossed the room to help her. He reached up and effortlessly grabbed two glasses. He lingered there for longer then necessarily. He had her slightly trapped between his body and the bench. He and Amanda were only a breath apart. Amanda could not even look at Lee. His presence was intoxicating. He looked down at her and swallowed. She looked up at him briefly, smiled and gave a short nervous giggle and ducked out from between Lee and the bench. Don't let your imagination go Amanda. Lee could never see you in that light. He's just here to be nice, or because he's lonely or something. They took the wine filled glasses over to the couch. "Come here Amanda" he motioned to her and patted the couch beside him. She sat next to him, her knees bent and feet curled up beside her. Lee had his arm casually draped across the back of the chair. Amanda was leaning into the side of his chest enjoying the rise and fall of his ribs as he breathed in and out. This was nice. Amanda was lost in blissful fantasies of spending every evening like this. " Amanda..." When Lee spoke she jumped with fright spilling wine all over his shirt. They both leapt up "Oh Lee I'm so sorry, here let me get that, I'll just soak it in some…" and before either of them knew it, she had pulled the t-shirt off over Lee's head. Amanda Froze. She was staring at Lee's perfectly tanned chest and the plaster covering where Lana had cut him. She couldn't help but run her finger over it, "Oh Lee, does it hurt?" Lee gently grabbed Amanda's hand. Amanda looked up at Lee's face, the look in his eyes took her breath away. " I never thought I'd see the day that Amanda King would tear my clothes off" said Lee with a devilish grin on his face and a mischievous twinkle in his eye. Amanda felt sick with embarrassment. She took three steps back and would have fallen backwards over the coffee table if Lee hadn't caught her by the arm " Whoa there Amanda, are you ok?" "No… er yes.. er" She turned and lifted up her head to see Lee smiling at her with a strange twinkle in his eye "Are you laughing at me Scarecrow? because if you are you can leave right now!" Amanda's face flushed, she stomped her foot , folded her arms across her chest and turned around.

"Amanda" Lee said in a deep husky voice, resting his hands on her shoulders and gently turning her around. "Look at me Amanda. I'm not laughing, and I don't want to go home, unless of course you really want me to leave". Amanda looked up at Lee. She saw such passion in his eyes that her toes curled in her socks. She softly ran her hand up his chest and over his shoulder. She felt goose bumps rise on his flesh under her fingertips, and Lee gave a little shudder. A playful smile crossed her face. She raised one eyebrow. "You cold scarecrow?" Lee pulled Amanda closer to him and kissed her so softly on the lips she barely felt it, "No, definitely not cold Amanda" then he kissed her again. A tentative, firm Kiss. He didn't want to scare her off. To his pleasant surprise she deepened the kiss, her short fingernails lightly digging into the bare flesh on his back, her tongue darting into his mouth slightly. Lee could not hide the physical response his body had to this. His desire was overwhelming. Amanda buckled slightly at the knees. Lee lowered her to the couch. He broke the kiss and looked down at her, brushed a lock of hair from her brow. He bent down to kiss her again, his hand sliding up her leg from her knee to her hip where it gently rested, aching to go further, but stopping out of respect for this beautiful woman. Amanda ran her short nails softly down Lee's back; Lee arched slightly and let out a small shuddering groan. Amanda smiled into the kiss enjoying the feeling of his body reacting to her touch. Lee's lips moved away from her lips, across her cheek and down her neck. Amanda turned her head slightly to allow Lee maximum coverage. Amanda's hands slid down to the waistband of Lee's jeans. They lingered there momentarily, then made their way over the denim that covered Lee's firm buttocks, Amanda slid her hands into his back pockets and lightly squeezed. Lee arched slightly and groaned again. He stopped kissing her neck and looked at her beautiful face, lips moist and cheeks slightly flushed with excitement. She opened her eyes and look dreamily into his. " Why Mrs King, is that any way for a runner-up mother of the year from Arlington to behave. What would your mother say?" Amanda smiled " You're not the only one with secrets buster", then she slid one hand up to the back of Lee's neck and pulled his lips to hers. Lee was losing his ability to think straight, it was bliss. The hand he had resting on her hip now made it's way slowly up and over her shirt to the base of her ribcage, stopped, his thumb making small light circles, against the side of Amanda's breast . Lee could feel the soft lace of her bra through the thin fabric of her shirt. Lee's fingers ached to be touching her bear skin and pinch and twirl the soft erect nub of her breast between his thumb and index finger. 'Steady boy' thought Lee, this is Amanda, but from the way she was responding to his kisses, there would likely be another time and a place for this to happen. Perhaps not tonight but… he felt Amanda flexing slightly under his body weight, lifting her pelvis towards his, and heard her little mummers of pleasure and desire. Man that was cute and sexy. She pushed him away a little "Lee… um Lee…" " Oh I'm sorry Amanda, I don't wanna' force…." "Well you know mother and the boys are away for the weekend and… oh my gosh I'm not very good at this… I mean you've had lots of female friends… and well…" Amanda was rambling, the way she always did when she got nervous, it was one of the things that used to drive him crazy but over the years had become endearing, one of her Amanderisms.

Lee looked down at her, was she asking what he thought she was asking?. "Amanda, you don't need to be nervous, you are much more than someone in my little black book. By the way, just so you know, I haven't blown the dust of that book.." "Books" corrected Amanda "..for some time" continued Lee. Lee buried his face in Amanda's neck using his teeth and tongue to make her squirm with pleasure. "Lee?" Lee continued to nibble and bite at Amanda's neck enjoying the undulations of her body. " Lee!" she playfully grabbed that hair at the back of his head and pulled him up to face her " Am-an –dahh" Lee protested. "I was enjoying that" " So was I, but I have a question" "What?" "Was I…, am I in one of your little black books". Lee looked at her "Do you wanna be?" "No..,yes…,no.., well it's just that…." Lee silenced Amanda's nervous ramblings by placing his index finger on her Lips. " Amanda you are not a black book type of girl" Amanda opened her mouth in protest, Lee placed is finger on it again. " Amanda black books are for meaningless assignations, and women you can barely remember, women who's names you have to put symbols beside to remember the lies you told to them, or to remind you of things about them. But you Amanda King, know my secrets, well most of them, and I don't need any reminders about the wonderful things about you. Anyway everything about you is burned into here( Lee pointed to his head) and here" ( Lee pointed to his heart). Amanda smiled and her eyes welled with happy tears.

" Oh Lee" Amanda pulled Lee close to her again. Their lips locked in a passionate kiss. Amanda lightly bit Lee's bottom lip. Her nails raked over Lee's shoulder blades, down his back, this time slipping under the waistband of his jeans. Lee's hand ventured up under Amanda's shirt, he ran his thumb gently over the lace of her bra that barely covered her erect nipple, Amanda's breath quickened and her back arched as his thumb pushed the lace aside and finally made contact. The waves of pleasure shot through both Amanda like a lightning bolt. " Oh Lee" Amanda's hot earnest breaths on Lee's neck flamed Lee' passion. Lee stopped kissing Amanda on the lips, lifted her shirt and lowered his lips to her breast…

"AMANDA" dotty called. Lee and Amanda quickly and comically sprang up. She pushed him out onto the back porch, "Amanda oh there you are" Amanda pushed Lee's wine stained shirt under the couch with her foot. " Oh I tell you what Amanda, I am going to write a letter to that airline. Can you believe that we were double booked, now we have to wait until tomorrow morning to fly out." "Oh mother that's too bad, why don't you take the boy's upstairs, then come down here and share a glass of wine and tell me all about it." Dotty eyed Amanda suspiciously.

"Amanda are you coming down with a cold, your cheeks are all flushed" " No mother I'm just fine, I've just been buzzing around the house doing stuff" Dotty sighed and took Phillip and Jamie upstairs while they complained about it not being fair and asking if they could watch the TV. Amanda raced to the back porch hoping she had not missed Lee. As usual he sprung out of nowhere and grabbed her. He gave her a long meaningful look and mischievous smile. " So partner, I've been wondering…. ( Lee was holding the riding crook she had stashed in a box on the back porch) do you think that you'll find a use for this?" Amanda shot him a mischievous smile. " I'm workin' on it",

"Well there's always tomorrow" Laughed Lee. He grabbed her and dipped her in an old-fashioned movie kiss, stood her up again, rubbed her nose with his like an Eskimo and bounded off the back porch and into his car. Amanda watched his tail lights disappear around the corner. She walked in side just as Doty was coming down stairs into the kitchen. " So mother, what time do you and the boys fly out tomorrow?"