Title: Talking
About Nothing
Disclaimer: All
characters contained herein are the property of Warner Brothers Television
Productions and Shoot The Moon Productions. I just want to borrow them to play a little.
Author:
WhizGidget
Written: February
10, 2001
Rating: G
Timing and
Assumptions: Any time after the engagement, before the wedding. Oh, this is a story solely done in dialogue
in answer to a challenge.
Comments? Love 'em. Good and Bad. That way I know
what I did right and wrong. Flames? We're having a cold spell here in
California, so I could use a good fire…
"Amanda?"
"Hmm…."
"You know, I was
thinking. Maybe we shouldn't hide
anymore."
"I thought you
wanted to protect us."
"I did. No. I do."
"Then why the
change of mind?"
"I want to be
able to tell the world about us. I
don't want to hide anymore. Our work is
all about keeping secrets… this isn't a secret that I want to keep."
"I don't want to
keep it either, but this is important! – wait…"
"Hi, Billy"
"Hello, sir. How
are you today?"
"Fine, Amanda,
and yourself?"
"Very good, thank
you."
"What can we do
for you, Billy?"
"Did I interrupt
something? I thought I heard you two
talking."
"No, it was
nothing."
"That's right,
nothing important, sir."
"Nothing.
Important."
"That's right."
"Yup."
"Yup…. Ok. Listen up, you two… we've got word that
"Hibernation" has been activated, and that one of the ranking officers in the
KGB is the reason it's up. Apparently,
he's disappeared. Supposedly, allegedly,
he's rumored to be heading for the United States. To defect."
"Why would he
want to do that, sir?"
"Because he's
heard the same things we have. That the
Iron Curtain is starting to wave in the wind. Because he wants to play for the side that knows where they stand before
the shooting starts."
"So why
Hibernation, Billy?"
"He's also taken
his secretary with him."
"So?"
"She's
supposedly, allegedly, his lover."
"And so?"
"So, if he left
her behind, she would most certainly be in danger. Possibly tortured for his destination whether she knew it or not,
but definitely in danger of losing her life… Amanda are you ok?"
"Yes, sir."
"You look a
little pale, Amanda, are you sure you're ok?"
"Mr. Melrose,
sir, Lee, I'm fine. Are you sure she
would be in danger had he left her behind?"
"Certain. All the bulletins are out for her. She's not as well trained as he is. It will be hard for him to move around while
protecting her. And if she is found,
then his weak spot is compromised."
"What will happen
if they catch them?"
"Possibly dragged
back to Russia. Possibly executed."
"Sir. That's awful."
"That's life,
Amanda. Billy, what does this have to
do with us?"
"Just an
FYI. Listen, nothing's going on other
than this, and right now, we're not involved because he hasn't hit our soil, and
our security or contacts aren't compromised. Take a extra day off tomorrow, and don't worry about it if you cut out
today."
"Thanks, Billy."
"Thank you, Sir."
"No problem. You can get back to your important
discussion."
"What?"
"You know, Lee…
that important nothing that you and Amanda were discussing. See you later."
"He drives me up
a wall sometimes."
"Do you think he
knows?"
"Knows what?"
"About us?"
"Doubt it. We've been pretty careful around The Agency
to be business as usual."
"I know, but I
wonder…"
"Amanda, he
doesn't know. No one knows. And that's the problem. I don't want to sneak around to have dinner,
and make up excuses about what we do at night, and I want to go anywhere in the
city and not have to worry about being spotted by someone we know who will
spread rumors around the office about-"
"About what?"
"Oh. Francine,
what can we do for you?"
"Hello, Amanda, I
just wanted to drop off these files. Rumors about what?"
"What rumors?"
"Lee, I clearly
heard you say something about spreading rumors around the office about
something, and I wondered what it was. So what rumors are you talking about?"
"uh… The one that
has Effram asking you out for dinner at L'Etoile, of course."
"Really… the last
time that rumor went around was three years ago Christmas and he was drunk."
"Well, he's sober
now… and serious."
"Francine,
listen, Effram is really nice, and he really does like you a lot. Maybe you should give him a chance."
"Really,
Amanda. You are so… so you. I'll just let you two get back to what you
were talking about… which was…?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing? Really… Hm."
"Someone should
put a muzzle on her."
"Amanda!"
"Well, it's
true."
"What if she'd
heard you?"
"Well, then
she'll get me back somehow, sometime. Like she always does. Now can we
get back to our original conversation?"
"What original
conversation?"
"Lee. You know what we were talking about."
"Yeah. Nothing."
"Lee… what about
that Russian agent and his girlfriend. Would they really use her to get to him?"
"Amanda, you know
as well as I do that nothing's sacred in this job. Some will use whoever they can get our hands on to get to the
people they want. And if they're
family, or if they're emotionally involved, all the better."
"Ugh."
"What? You look
pale. Are you ok?"
"I just
remembered Birol. You're right. That poor woman."
"They don't have
them yet. And they may never. She may have some good instincts and they
could hide for years. We could have."
"But we would
have been lonely. Your friends and
'family'. My boys. It would have been lonely. They're probably
feeling really lonely right about now."
"Perhaps."
"Hm."
"Amanda, how did
we get so far off the subject?"
"What subject?"
"The two of
us. Not hiding anymore."
"Oh, I don't
know. Too many interruptions, I guess."
"Let's get out of
here and stop the interruptions. Billy
did give us a long weekend."
"Hmmm."
"What?"
"Oh, nothing."
"Nothing, huh?"
"Yup."
"So when are we
going to finish this conversation?"
"What conversation?"
"Amanda. Us. No secrets-"
"We don't keep
any secrets from each other."
"That's not what
we were talking about, and you know it."
"I know. But I just keep thinking about those two on
the run, and-"
"Amanda, we're
targets for each other already because we're partners. Partners are involved in this business up to
their eyeballs in each other's lives. That's just the way it is. I
just as easily could be a target to get to you. And that's why-"
"Why we shouldn't
advertise this. Why we should keep it a
secret-"
"Why I can't ever
tell anyone that the reason I go home, alone, every night to my bachelor's
apartment is that I'm in love with my partner, who's one of the most incredible
people I have ever met."
"Oh Lee, that's
so sweet."
"And
frustrating."
"I know. My mother thinks I'm involved, she's dying
to know who with, but she keep trying to set me up with single men she meets in
the supermarket. One of these days
she's going to invite one of them home for dinner, and there won't be any way
around it."
"I know."
"So where do we
go from here?"
"I don't
know. Cross that bridge when we find
it?"
"And until we
find the bridge?"
"What else? Enjoy a long weekend with nothing to talk
about…"