AN: Some notes: -Episodes will not always be written in airdate order. -I dislike Alexie as a romanization. Thus, "Alexei". -Often I will combine a couple scenes to be expedient/cover the gist of an episode, and older drafts of the script will occasionally be referenced, as is the case with this chapter. -'Considered ending this chapter earlier but there's also a small bonus scene that I couldn't resist. It's my favourite in the whole series and one of the few that made me laugh out loud. -From this point on Lee doesn't get a whole lot of POV chapters. This is because Amanda is privy to information that he is not.
/
Weeks passed before Lee called on her again.
Unless otherwise coerced by Billy, Lee was leery of involving Amanda in Agency matters. This was an exception. Her SSBI was already underway, but it would be a while before it was completed to satisfaction. For now, everyone seemed to trust her. Besides, how much clearance and training did one need to watch a damn kid?
Mrs. King didn't have many uses, but she definitely qualified for this.
A knocking at seven forty-five dragged him off the couch, grumbling and cursing. He opened the door to Amanda in the hall. She was bright-faced, with rosy cheeks and a modest mascara. The only sign of something off was a minute twitching in her hands.
Even now, she acted like a timid deer around him.
"What are you doing here?" Lee said through gritted teeth.
"You wanted me here, remember?" She squeezed past, skirting the overlap and sash of his robe. "I had to take the boys to school and since I was already halfway here, I figured I'd come a little early. No point in going all the way home and all the way back. What is all this stuff?"
She loitered in the middle of the main "chamber", rotating to take in the dozens of toys lining every available surface. There were model kits, sports equipment, a gaming console, complete with games, and stuffed animals. A particularly large and fuzzy panda caught Amanda's attention. She reached out and grasped it by the muzzle, gazing adoringly into black button eyes.
"Oh, I picked up some odds and ends for him," said Lee. He shambled to a desk and hoisted up a carafe. "Coffee?"
Her head bobbed once. "Mhm."
Grunting, Lee let his wrist fall limp. Last night's respite on the sofa had done nothing to lighten his mood. He strolled sluggishly to the kitchenette, half-dead but aware of Amanda's feet padding behind him.
"I didn't know you liked kids," she said.
"I don't, usually, but Alexei is going through a rough time right now. I guess I felt bad for the guy."
The boy had just lost his parents, possibly forever, and Lee couldn't help projecting a little. The similarities between Alexei and a younger Lee were uncanny. They shared the same flippant attitude, the same disregard for authority, and the same pain.
OK, so he was projecting a lot.
Even without looking, Lee could detect Amanda's amusement. "Seems like you're spoiling the kid, buying his affections and all…"
"Is that a crime? Sometimes kids need a little spoiling."
A little spoiling would've certainly done himself good when he was a frightened, lonely five-year-old. The Colonel wasn't big on gifts, or affection, or kids in general.
"Stimulation is all well and good, but what kids need is food and you haven't got any," Amanda said, drawing him out of his thoughts.
Lee immediately felt himself becoming defensive. Glancing over, he spied her headfirst inside his refrigerator. The precariousness of her position piqued his interest, but only briefly before he tossed the carafe onto the counter.
"And just what the hell do you call that incredibly expensive Camembert?"
But Amanda did not answer. Looking sickly, she swayed on the spot, one hand slack against the fridge for support, the other clutching the cheese in question. A spike of momentary concern jabbed at Lee's insides.
"Amanda?"
She shook herself and jerked the wrapper away from her face. "Sorry. I guess the mould made me a little light-headed."
In one swift motion, she closed the fridge, wound back her arm, and chucked the cheese underhanded. It sailed a good five feet before landing in the trash. Slapping her palms together, she faced a startled Lee.
"If you're going to keep a kid on the premises, you should really grab some groceries that aren't spoiled to a paste. It's like chemical warfare in there," she said. One thumb jerked over her shoulder at the offending fridge. "Where is Alexei, anyway?"
"Getting dressed," he snapped before grabbing the coffeepot. He poured the dark, bitter mixture into two mugs, massaging his temples afterwards. Amanda watched him pensively. She never maintained eye contact for more than a few minutes at a time.
"Are you always this punchy in the morning?"
"Are you always this perky?" he spat.
"I guess I'm just what you'd call a morning person!" She fumbled for words, smile fading against Lee's wooden stare. "I guess you're just… not what they'd call a morning person."
Snorting, Lee creamed the coffee, stirred it to perfection, and offered her the second cup. There was a tiny shiver exchanged as her fingers brushed his. She cradled it in both hands and sniffed the steam, sighing softly.
"How long do you need me to watch him?"
In four great gulps, Lee downed the contents of his coffee cup. He welcomed the buzzing in his brain.
"It'll only be a couple of hours while I go into the agency. Unless Alexei has pillaged it, there's a wad of cash waiting on the end table. Nothing complicated, just watch him. I'll have one of our people follow you around, just in case."
Something sparked in Amanda's eyes. "In case what?"
"Well, y'know… just in case some of our friends would also like to get their hands on Alexei."
"Really?"
It struck Lee that Amanda looked positively adorable this morning. He liked the open innocence of her eyes and the way her mouth went wide at any hint of conspiracy. She might not admit it, but Lee could tell that his work entranced her. In that moment, there was no resisting the temptation to tease her.
"Yes Amanda…" he said, coming close enough to share her air. There was a hitch in the usual rhythm of her breath. "Danger, excitement!" Another, longer step brought their foreheads together. "Intrigue…"
For a fraction of a second Lee caught her nose going pink and a shy smile straining at her mouth. Her thighs trembled and seemed to spread an inch. Then she moved to the side, skittish at the attention.
"Oh shut up."
Lee threw back his head with a jaunty laugh. He was thoroughly awake now, for reasons unrelated to the caffeine he'd guzzled earlier. It was fun seeing her so flustered. Cruel? Maybe. Fun? Yes.
The poor thing, going to that pathetic weatherman every other night…
He gave her back some space then went off to the bedroom. Just as Alexei left, Lee entered with a skip. He started to strip, shedding his housecoat while smug in the knowledge that Mrs. King was still clinging to his coattails like a lost calf. As he was pulling on fresh boxers, he heard voices on the other side of the door.
"So what's your deal? You dating the fed?" Alexei asked sourly.
"I occasionally help the fed. I am not involved with the fed."
"Good. You two'd make a lousy couple."
Lee stifled his chortles inside a shirt. The kid had sense, he'd give him that.
/
"Throw my drink in my face," Lee whispered with utmost calm.
Amanda stared, torn between confusion and joy. On the one hand, she wasn't entirely sure if he was serious. On the other, she was tired of being treated like a glorified babysitter. Who was she to pass up a chance to take Scarecrow down a peg?
One might say that it was her patriotic duty.
She ripped her eyes from Lee's and snatched the snifter from his grip, splashing his face with relish. The performance should've ended there, but Amanda was on a roll now, and couldn't resist some ad-lib.
"And frankly Ricky-Joe, sex with you was always a MAJOR disappointment," she said, seething righteously. She thrust the glass back into his hands, pirouetted, and stormed from the seedy saloon.
In her head, she replayed the image of beer dripping down Lee's chin, and remarked that a little dishonesty wouldn't hurt his cover...