Disclaimers: The characters in this story are copyrighted by Warner Brothers and Shoot The Moon Productions. I make no money from these characters; I simply like to share their world for a short time.
A/N Just a little glimpse into Lee's and Amanda's thoughts on their lives and relationship. Hope you enjoy! (Constructive reviews are always welcome.) A special thanks to Bruce Boxleitner and Kate Jackson—as well as the rest of the cast—for portraying these characters so wonderfully.
Kiss. Oh how she loved to kiss her boys goodbye every morning as they headed off to school. And she definitely took advantage of those kisses as often as she could. She was sure that, in a few years, they would no longer want her to show that kind of open affection. They would always need and want her love, but as they grew older . . .
She still remembered her first kiss from a boy. It had been at a school dance when she was barely fifteen. The boy had asked her to dance, and when the dance was over he had given her a hasty peck on the cheek. It certainly was lacking in the romance department but was sweet nonetheless.
She had dated her share of both good and bad kissers throughout high school and college. Joe had started out so-so, but as time went on she had managed to teach him a thing or two about the art of the kiss. It was a shame that someone else would now benefit from her lessons. Well, that was just life, she guessed.
She had tried to teach Dean some of the finer points, but he was not a good student. Maybe that was part of the reason why she had broken up with him?
Lee, on the other hand, definitely didn't need any lessons. She swore she could still feel Sandy Newcomb's lips on hers . . . not to mention the sweet wedding kiss they shared in San Angelo. The thought of a real kiss from Lee Stetson . . . well, that was enough to set her heart racing. She just prayed that it would happen someday!
Kiss. Yeah, he knew the group-way too heavy metal for him. And just what was up with that make-up, anyway? Ok . . . he had to admit . . . they did have one song that he kind of liked—"Beth." The lyrics kind of summed up his life. Even if he did find someone to settle down with, his lifestyle wasn't going to permit him to be home every night. Family life and the Agency just didn't mix. As he had told Amanda right after they met, he was a loner. He liked it that way . . . no one to tie him down . . . no attachments.
That's why he dated so many different women. Dinner, a few heated kisses, maybe a little "dessert," and they moved on. It wasn't like he could tell them what he did for a living. Actually, the kisses proved to be an excellent distraction. When any of the women in his black books got too inquisitive, he simply silenced them with kisses. He had gotten quite good at it, too! After all, his kissing skills had been honed from an early age on the likes of generals' daughters, senators' nieces, society debutants . . . the movers and shakers of DC. There were simply too many women and too many kisses to remember.
Oh, but the few he did remember . . . when he was on undercover assignments—as Sandy Newcomb . . . in San Angelo . . . wait . . . those kisses had been shared with his lovely partner! She was definitely NOT one of DC's movers and shakers. But he could still taste her luscious lips on his.
Hmmm . . . if there was a "Beth" that could call him home from all his wanderings, it would definitely be Amanda.
Kitchen. Hers certainly was the center of her home. It was the setting for most meals, especially breakfast—the most important meal of the day. Many afternoons her boys could be found working on their homework in the breakfast nook—an extension of the kitchen. She and her mother had some of their best talks there over tea or hot chocolate. And it was, after all, the room in which she hid the marshmallows!
She tried to keep it cheery, so it was done in shades of blue. As she had told Lee when they were working the Connie Beth case in the Betsy Ross Estates, blue was the only color for a kitchen! Even though it was only her second case with Lee, she could tell he had no feel for what was needed to make a kitchen—or any other room in a house for that matter—special!
While her boys liked food . . . and food came from the kitchen . . . they weren't especially fond of the other thing that the kitchen contained—the sink. Needless to say, they were not happy when it was their turn to do the dishes. But they usually performed the task with little complaining and only slightly wet shirts!
Lately, however, she found herself excusing the boys from clean-up duty more and more frequently. She really didn't mind doing the dishes—it gave her time to think . . . and stare out of the window above the sink. And what did she think about most? What—rather who—did she frequently see peering back at her through that window? Her handsome spy, of course! She had always loved spending time in the kitchen, but now . . . well . . . seeing his face outside that window was the highlight of her day!
Kitchen. His was usually a disaster. He rarely had food in his refrigerator. If anything was there, it most certainly looked more like a science experiment than anything remotely edible.
On the rare occasion when he did decide to cook—usually for one of his dates—the dishes remained stacked in the sink for days. While he had learned to cook from Barney, there were always plenty of grunts pulling KP duty; clean-up was left to them. Pity none were available in his DC apartment!
On the few times that Amanda had visited his apartment, she had managed to both clean out his refrigerator AND his sink. The refrigerator might be bare, but at least the green furry things were gone. The sink was clear, and the dishwasher would be blinking "Clean."
The last time she had come over, she arrived with a grocery bag full of essentials—milk, eggs, bread, homemade brownies. Oh yeah . . . homemade brownies were definitely essential! She was certainly trying to make his kitchen seem a little more "homey."
Now her kitchen . . . that was the epitome of cheerfulness. It truly was the center of her home. He should know—he had spent plenty of nights lately looking through her kitchen window. Once everyone else was in bed, he would tap on that window hoping to have her company for even just a few minutes. These glimpses of domestic life were beginning to show him just how much he was missing back at his apartment.
Hmmm . . . maybe someday he could be a part of the scenes in that kitchen instead of an outsider looking in?
Kindness. She tried to teach her boys kindness, just as her parents had taught her. They were forced at an early age to learn to share; her mother coming to live with them had meant that the boys had to move into the same bedroom. Both boys were quite young, so the adjustment had been easy. As they grew older, however, she knew the challenges would be greater. She hoped, at least, that they were kind to others, even if they weren't always kind to each other.
Some people said that she was too kind, but that was just her nature. She was always ready to lend a hand to someone in need. Sometimes all that was needed was an encouraging smile. Other times it could be a special delivery of her famous poppyseed cake or other baked goods.
Sometimes being kind was a challenge, however—like with Francine. Luckily she had found Francine's weakness when they were trapped in that Marvelous Marvin's freezer. Francine might be the master of snarky comments. Just show her a little kindness with a gift of chocolate, however, and she would purr like a kitten.
She liked to think that one of her greatest acts of kindness had been taking the package from Lee that day at the train station. Of course she hadn't known Lee at the time, but she did know that the man in the waiter's uniform was in trouble. Was she just being kind . . . or could it have been those incredible hazel eyes staring at her and pleading for her help? It didn't matter. For in doing so, she had met one of the kindest men she had ever known.
Kindness. Not a word usually associated with Scarecrow. It wasn't even really associated with Lee—at least not by those who were mere acquaintances. The consummate spy didn't have time for acts of kindness, did he?
To the Colonel, kindness didn't exist on its own. Being kind was simply part of duty. And little Lee learned early that you always did your duty. Perhaps that is why the people who knew him well knew he was actually one of the kindest people around. How many times had he gone out on a limb for Billy and Francine? Not that those acts of kindness weren't reciprocated! He knew he owed them more than they owed him—by a long shot.
Unfortunately, there were people at the Agency who didn't have kindness in their vocabulary. Dirk refused to authorize a trade for Amanda; he would have rather sentenced a civilian mother of two to deportation to Russia—or worse. That's why Lee had performed his duty, gone out on that limb, and risked treason charges to trade her.
Then there were other people at the Agency who were the epitome of kindness. Well . . . there was at least one person. Amanda was always bringing in fresh baked goods and homemade cookies. If anyone needed extra help with a file, typing up a report, or just about anything else for that matter, she was available to help—and did so with a smile on her face. If she was ever going to make it in the intelligence community, however, she really did need to learn how to say no.
Hmmm . . . he certainly hoped she never said no to any of his requests for help. Although somehow he doubted that she would!
Knight. As a little girl, she had always dreamed of a knight in shining armor coming to her rescue. Of course he was always riding a white horse! Many times she needed rescuing from dragons—usually the fire-breathing type. But those dreams were just fantasies . . . the result of a young girl with an active imagination.
Lately, however, she had needed lots of literal rescuing. The dragons of her childhood had turned into real KGB agents, terrorists, and the occasional rogue US operative. And many were breathing fire—in the form of guns and bombs!
The knight in shining armor had morphed into a tall, sandy-haired intelligence operative with beautiful hazel eyes and a killer dimpled smile. While he was missing the pre-requisite white horse, his silver sports car made a terrific substitute. And thanks to the Colonel, he had impeccable manners—just like the knights of old.
As Francine had reminded her in the Marvelous Marvin's freezer, she couldn't expect him to come riding in to save her every time. But he hadn't let her down yet. And while he hadn't yet told her of his love for her, she was certain he would do anything in his power to rescue her—even if it meant sacrificing his own life.
Who said chivalry was dead?
Knight. He loved to play chess. He remembered his father teaching him how the pieces moved at a very young age, but it was his uncle who had showed him the strategy of the game in later years. But he seldom had the time anymore . . . such was the life of an agent. Occasionally he and Billy would engage in a friendly game over dinner at Nedlinger's. Ned kept a chess set at the bar for just such occasions. The knight had always been his piece of choice. Any opposing piece that came within close range was usually taken since there were so many options when moving the knight. But he was also fiercely protective of his knights; he would never risk their capture unless he was assured of a checkmate.
He often equated his life with that of the knight. He allowed people to get close but not too close. It seemed that every time he allowed someone to get near him, they ended up dead. He was tired of having his heart ripped out of his chest. He would rather keep people away from him if it meant that they would be safe.
And heaven forbid his heart be captured. He was afraid, however, that just that very thing was happening. Every minute he spent with his lovely partner was another piece of his heart being snared in her charming web.
Hmmm . . . maybe it was time to surrender and allow Amanda to win the chess game? After all, she had had him in checkmate for a very long time!
King. Thanks to the Agency, she could now say that she had met royalty from several different countries—Princess Penny, the Prime Minister of Estocia, and King Eddie of Cap D'Far, just to name a few. While she was embarrassed to admit it, she had actually beaten King Eddie over the head with her purse. Not exactly the proper way to treat royalty, but then he had bothering a young boy and her "mother" instincts had simply taken over!
Of course royalty shouldn't have been the first thing that popped into her mind with the mention of the word "King." It was, after all, her last name. Or rather, it was Joe's last name, which had become hers when they had wed. When they divorced, she had seriously considered going back to her maiden name. But with Phillip and Jaime in school, she knew it would be easier on the teachers and administrators if her last name matched theirs.
Of course if she ever did remarry . . . well . . . she guessed she would have to cross that bridge if and when she came to it. Amanda McGuire? Nah. That hadn't been her destiny. Amanda Stetson? Now that was one she could easily get used to.
King. Up until a few years ago, the mention of the word "King" would have brought a sparkle to his eyes. Life at the Agency had presented him with numerous opportunities to rub elbows, so to speak, with royalty from around the world. And not just royalty, either. We're talking the crème de la crème of society, also. His life with the Colonel had gotten him used to being around military brass, but they were small potatoes when compared with heads of state he had met through his various assignments in the intelligence community.
Lately, however, the fancy parties and foreign dignitaries just didn't excite him like they once had. And King had taken on a new meaning.
When the trouble in Estocia started, he had recognized Joseph King's name immediately. After all, he had done all the background checks when Amanda had joined the Agency. He knew her ex worked for the EAO in Estocia. He just couldn't believe that he had killed the Prime Minister. Amanda never would have married someone capable of murder. Luckily all that confusion has been cleared up.
Now all he had to worry about was Amanda King and Joe King getting back together. The fact that she had kept his last name when they divorced meant that she still felt an attachment to him, didn't it? Well, they did share two incredible boys. He definitely got the impression, however, that she was ready to move on—once she met the right person.
Hmmm . . . But if she ever married again . . . Amanda Stetson sure had a nice ring to it.