Disclaimer: I do not own of these characters; they are the property of Shoot the Moon Enterprises and Warner Bros. Television. I acknowledge gratefully the hard work of the creators of the series who brought to life characters we like so much we can't let them go.


A/N: A little drabble of a thing that didn't quite fit at the end of "Out of the Wash" and didn't quite fit in at the beginning of the next one... Will definitely make more sense if you've read my previous stories.


Laundry List

"I don't speak French to you enough? Seriously?"

Amanda was sitting propped up against the pillows in Lee's bed, studying the list he'd made, while he snuggled against her side, arms wrapped around her waist. He lifted her arm and began dropping kisses along it.

"But Morticia, you know how it makes me insane!" He finished with a lingering kiss on her palm before looking up with a grin. "I still can't believe you thought anything past the first page was anything but a joke."

"I was so mad that you even had a list that I never read it properly." She began to laugh as she flipped back and forth through the pages. "Oh my gosh, how drunk were you when you wrote this?"

"I wasn't drunk – I was just sleep-deprived. Francine came up with that one." Lee pointed helpfully at 'You use milk chocolate chips in your cookies'.

Amanda sat up straighter and pushed him away to stare at him. "Now wait just a gosh-darned minute! Are you seriously telling me Francine helped you with a list of things that bug you about me?"

He saw the yawning trap too late. "No, of course she didn't! I mean, she did, but she didn't know she did!" He looked up with a pleading expression but Amanda managed to keep her face straight, just one brow raised questioningly and he continued to backpedal. "I told her the stupid things I'd complained about and she made a couple of suggestions for things I could complain about if I wanted to look even dumber. But she didn't know I was actually going to be dumb enough to write them down! AND," he went on with his clinching argument, "your cookies are one of the things I love about you really!" He grinned at her with his most winning smile.

Amanda managed to maintain the death stare for only a few seconds more before giving in with a gurgle of laughter. She leaned down to kiss him briefly and snuggled back into the pillows to keep reading.

"#46: Headbands. What does that even mean?"

"I miss those headbands you used to wear. They were cute."

"Lee, nobody misses those! It hasn't even been that long and I already cringe when I look at pictures of myself. I look like something out of that Olivia Newton-John video!"

"Maybe that's why I liked them.' He waggled his eyebrows at her suggestively while she sighed theatrically. "Alright, so what was on your list then?"

Amanda looked up at the ceiling trying to remember the mental list she'd compiled during the long drive that afternoon. "Oh! Half-and-half!"

"Okay, I'll bite. What do you have against half-and-half?"

"Well two things: first milk is much healthier and second, you always buy the big carton of it."

"I thought you'd be impressed with that. It's cheaper to buy the big carton!"

"Well, it would be if you didn't forget about it half the time and let it grow fur. It's not saving anything if I have to throw it away and give your fridge a Silkwood scrub-down every other week."

"Fair enough." Lee pulled her head down for a long lingering kiss, encouraging her to slide back down the pillows and into his arms. He held her head close to his, hand tangled in her hair, lips tracing her jaw. "You know, I didn't think I'd ever get to sleep with someone who wasn't my wife again – it's kind of hot."

"Number 25," murmured Amanda. "Says things he thinks are sexy but that he should never actually have said out loud." She felt him shake with laughter before giving a small sigh of satisfaction at the way his fingers were already setting her skin on fire, but then drawled out his name with a groan. "Leeee, we should be getting back to my place. The boys will be home soon and I have to start dinner"

"But we haven't finished discussing everything on the lists," he pointed out.

"I don't think there's anything on either list we couldn't discuss later."

"Really? Well, how about 69?"

"Wow, did your list have that many things on it?"

"Nope." He began to slide his hands lower, caressing her everywhere as she shivered under his touch.

"Huh? … OH! Lee!" Amanda slapped him lightly on the shoulder, laughing. "So you have a complaint about that too?"

His head shot up from where he'd been slowly working his way down her body, an almost comical look of horror on his face. "God no! Absolutely no complaints about that - ever!"

"I'm not going to go into the office and have Francine tell me otherwise, am I? Since she helped you draft the list and all."

"Oh God, I am never going to live that down, am I?" he groaned, tossing all his seduction efforts aside.

"Nope – it's now the second best thing on my list," she grinned at him.

"But she was entirely on your side," he pointed out, knowing it was futile.

"That's why it's only the second best thing. Besides, you might be lying. I should probably ask her myself."

"A-man-da! You wouldn't! She'd never let me hear the end of it."

"Maybe I would, maybe I wouldn't. How are you going to persuade me not to?"

Lee looked hopeful at the suggestive tone in her voice. "We have a little while until we really have to be home, don't we?" he wheedled. "I could demonstrate my persuasive powers."

"We do," she allowed. "And you could."

"Well then," he chuckled, lowering his head and beginning to nuzzle her soft skin. She gave a deep sigh of contentment as his "magic fingers" began to work their charms. Eventually he pulled himself back up the bed and drew her for a long kiss before covering her body with his own.

"Persuaded yet?" he smiled against her neck.

"Just about," she answered breathlessly.

He lifted his head to drop another light kiss on her lips, pausing to gaze into her dark smiling eyes. "I love you, wife of mine"

Amanda's smile broadened and she twined her arms around his neck. "I love you too," she replied and pulled him down to kiss her.

It was quiet for a few minutes as they explored the beloved familiar territory of each other's body, until Lee lifted himself on his elbows and looked down with a look of mock concern. "Amanda? If Francine helping is the second-best thing on your list, what's the best thing?"

Amanda gazed up at him bright-eyed for a moment, lips twitching before finally releasing a husky chuckle. "You have to ask? That you made a list, of course."

Hazel eyes twinkled down at her. "But I made two lists!" he answered in a virtuous tone.

"So you did," she agreed, a mischievous look in her eye. "Maybe we should stop and go over that one?"

Her shrieks of laughter drowned out the growl Lee gave as he began to demonstrate exactly what he thought of that idea.