Amanda woke up the next morning feeling a lot better. Stretching she rolled over and smiled. Lee was still sleeping. The dark smudges under his eyes were starting to fade. He slept like a kid; on his stomach, limbs all over the place. She'd wake up with a crick in her neck if she slept like that.

His bare back was smooth and inviting, a ripple of muscle here and there as he shifted his position. Straddling his thighs, Amanda began dropping kisses along his shoulder and down his spine. Feeling the tension that lingered in his muscles, Amanda began a gentle massage. As Lee woke up, she increased the pressure, working away until he seemed to melt back into the pillows. Finally, she moved to the side of the bed so that he could roll onto his back. "Thank you, that was amazing." He pulled her on top of him again and spent a long time just kissing her, his hands travelling up and down her back. "I'll give you a massage once your wounds have healed." He promised.

"That's a promise I'll hold you to." Amanda warned. He laughed.

"Get up. I'll take your dressings off so you can have a proper shower. I think we should walk over to the bakery across the park for breakfast." Amanda froze.

"It's too soon."

"No, it's not. The sooner you start going out again, the sooner you'll be comfortable in public. Your injuries won't show if you cover up a little."

"Lee-"

"A-man-da." He frowned at her for good measure. "You need to do this. I know it's scary but if you think about it, it really shouldn't be. We're going to walk outside a few hundred yards, in a safe neighbourhood, in broad daylight. There is absolutely nothing to be worried about."

"What if the same thing happens as yesterday?" Amanda asked. She thought she was probably past the hypervigilance now, but she wasn't past worrying about the possibility of over-reacting to some unexpected event.

"It won't. I'm not leaving you out of my sight for a minute." Lee told her. "I'm going to call the Agency and make sure that Claudia and Quidd come here instead of us going there. You're doing better, I'm feeling better, and I think that staying somewhere more familiar is a good plan for the next few days. Once we've both had a bit more rest, things will start improving."

"Okay. But remember, I told mother that you'd be by this morning to collect some clothes for me."

"Oh yeah. I'll give Francine a call –"

"Lee! I don't need a babysitter. And Francine has work to do."

"Amanda, I don't want to leave you here by yourself and I can't exactly take you with me, can I?" Amanda shook her head. "So, until Claudia gives the all-clear, I won't leave you alone. You've been through a lot and for once you're going to let the rest of us take care of you." Lee gave her a stern look. Amanda thought he looked adorable.

"Oh, alright." Amanda grumbled as Lee reached for the phone. The conversation was short but when Lee hung up he had a satisfied grin.

"Francine'll be over in about an hour. So come on, get dressed. We're going out for pastries." Muttering to herself about how agents could be bullies, Amanda headed for the bedroom. By the time she'd changed her clothes, her natural optimism was resurfacing. For all that she considered it something of a mandate to take care of others, there was something quite sweet about all these big, strong agents bending over backwards to take such good care of her. Even Francine was being uncharacteristically kind. Amanda supposed that as long as she had to be side-lined, it was nice to know that Lee had some backup if he asked for it. Pulling his hoodie over her t-shirt again and pulling on some oversized sunglasses, Amanda considered her reflection. Covered as she was, it was almost impossible to notice her bruises, especially those that had started to fade from green to yellow. The jeans were a bit snug and if anyone looked too closely they'd see the bulge of dressings but she thought she'd be okay.

"Quit procrastinating." Lee ordered indulgently from the bedroom doorway. "You'll do fine. Just squeeze my hand if you start to feel anxious and we'll talk about it, okay?" Amanda nodded and took the hand he offered.

As soon as they were out of the building, Lee pointed across the green. "See, it's just right over there." Amanda nodded and took a step forward, her death-grip on Lee was perhaps a bit excessive but he didn't complain, setting a strolling pace as they made their way around the small park. Five minutes later, he was ordering them each a croissant and a cappuccino. Amanda looked longingly at the few tables and chairs that were set out in the sunshine. They'd timed their visit well, between the morning rush and time when stay-at-home mothers came out to socialise. Most seats were free. "Do you want to give it a go?" Lee whispered by her ear. "Or do you want to stay inside?" Amanda hesitated and then straightened her back in preparation of the challenge ahead.

"I want to go out and enjoy the freedom of sitting in the sunshine." She told Lee, leaving him to carry their coffees and pastries out.

They spent an hour at the small café. Within a few minutes, Amanda relaxed against the chair-back and raised her face to the warmth of the Sun, closing her eyes behind. Lee felt his own tension subsiding. He'd known it was a gamble to bring Amanda out like this but he was determined to help her get back to normal and this was something they'd enjoyed a few times when they'd been in his neighbourhood during the day. She was perhaps a bit quiet still, but he was seeing more and more of his Amanda emerge. With a few false starts, they managed to piece together a reasonable conversation. "Will you tell mother I'll call her again tonight?"

"Sure. Maybe you should try talking to the boys?"

"Yeah, maybe." Amanda agreed, though Lee suspected that she wasn't entirely convinced that she was ready.

"I'll be with you when you do." He promised. "Now, is there anything you'd like to do this afternoon? Quidd and Claudia should be here around one o'clock so that means we'll still have most of the afternoon to do whatever you like."

"I want you to start teaching me self-defence." Amanda told him quietly.

"No."

"But Lee-"

"Amanda, you have healing bruises and burns." Lee reminded. "I'll happily help you learn, but you're going to do it right. You're going to go see Stanley and he'll teach you the basics then I'll help you practice."

"Oh, okay." Lee reached over and took her hand in his, dropping a kiss on her knuckles.

"I promise, we'll get you the training as soon as you get the all-clear from the medics. Maybe you should join my gym and we can work out there." Amanda nodded and smiled. "Which reminds me, there's something I want to talk to you about."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I want to start contributing financially."

"No." Amanda told him just as firmly as he'd just rejected her demand for self-defence lessons.

"Amanda, listen to me."

"I never took alimony from Joe and –"

"It's not alimony!" Lee interrupted, annoyed at being compared to Joe. "You're going to be my wife and that's going to require some changes."

"Fine, then we'll make those changes once we're married."

"Amanda! I don't want to argue with you about this."

"Then don't." She retorted. "Lee, we're fine and it'll look just a bit suspicious if the family finances have a sudden boost."

"Alright! But then I want us to open a joint account for now. I'll start putting money into it. If nothing else, we can use it to pay for the wedding."

"Okay." Amanda muttered. Lee bit back a smile. Amanda was starting to get her self-confidence back. She was arguing with him like she would have before Birol ever touched her.

"Come on, we should head back. Francine will be here soon." Standing up, Amanda cleared the table and took the tray back inside. It was another sign that she was becoming more like her old self by the minute.

Shortly after they arrived back at the apartment, Francine arrived. Settling on the couch with Amanda, they happily began chatting while Lee headed to Amanda's house. Knowing the boys would be at school, Lee considered his chances of getting in and out of the house without an inquisition. They weren't good.

Dotty had clearly been watching for him because she opened the door before he was even around the Corvette. "Mr. Stetson! Come in, I've just put a pot of coffee on." Dotty told him.

"Uh… I can't stay, Mrs. West."

"Nonsense." There was no mistaking her tone. Lee was not getting out of here until she'd said what she had to say. Giving in gracefully, Lee moved into the kitchen and accepted a cup of coffee. "Now then. You caught me quite flat-footed the other day. But now that I've had a chance to think about it, and after speaking with Amanda last night, I'm afraid that I don't really believe that there's nothing between you two." Lee blinked in surprise. This, he had not expected. "Mr. Stetson, I may be a grandmother twice over but I am no fool."

"No ma'am." Lee agreed, scrambling desperately for a believable lie. Unfortunately, he had no idea what her next gambit would be. He didn't need to wait long.

"Mr. Stetson, I know my daughter very well. I know what she sounds like when she's happy, sad, mad, or exasperated. Last night when I spoke to her, she was none of those things." Lee relaxed slightly. Actually, Amanda had probably been all of those things, plus a few more, when she'd spoken to her mother. Mrs. West wasn't batting a thousand, at least. "I don't know what is going on and I'm pretty sure that that's no accident. But let me tell you this: Amanda is a strong, capable woman who went through a lot in her divorce and I will not stand to see her hurt again. So whatever your intentions are with regards to my daughter, they better be honourable."

"Mrs. West, I know Amanda hasn't told you much about me." Lee began. "But I can tell you something that might help. Amanda is my best friend and I'd die before I hurt her or let anyone else hurt her. Please, trust me. I'll always look out for her." Dotty considered him for a moment. The declaration was much more devotion than she would ever expect from a co-worker. She wasn't sure what was going on with Amanda but she was almost certain that this gorgeous, charming man was in love with her daughter. Biting back a smile, she considered the rather impractical extras she'd slipped into Amanda's suitcase. In addition to a few changes of daytime attire, she'd added a few pieces that would be perfect if Amanda and Mr. Stetson were able to find time for something other than work during their trip.

"Very well. I know you're eager to get on the road. I've left the suitcase in Amanda's room, if you'd be so kind as to bring it down?"

"Of course." Dotty's lips twitched as she heard him take the stairs three at a time and head straight into Amanda's bedroom. He hadn't asked for directions.