AN: Magic Bus time. This one took a little longer because I've been dealing with a leaking water heater 'n stuff. Needless to say, reviews are the main reason I update. I'll try to get around to replying to the newest ones soon! Love y'all.

/

"Amanda, are you having an affair?"

Crying out, Amanda yanked her head from the bottom cupboard, furiously rubbing where it'd struck the wood. The base of her skull throbbed to its own tempo and she sat up so fast that she almost flopped back to the floor. Dotty scrutinized her by the sink, as still and serene as a statue.

"What?" Amanda managed.

Dotty's stone-face flickered into something more perturbed and apologetic. She wrung out a washcloth and began to babble, much like her daughter was prone to do.

"You are just so preoccupied lately. I mean, you vanished this morning with scarcely a word, you're gone so much at such late hours-"

Guilt churned in Amanda's gut. As always, her mother's assessments were disturbing in their accuracy. Amanda found herself thinking about Lee a lot as of late, and never innocently. Her favours for the agency rarely interfered with her motherly duties, though.

"Mo-ther…"

"And don't think I didn't notice that picnic you packed, or the odd phone calls, or the panda on the porch a couple nights before that-"

"Mother, please." Amanda groaned. Already she could feel a headache coming on.

Evidently she needed to be more careful. Everything her mother had said was true, though not to the extent that she believed. There was no "affair" between her and Lee Stetson. Half the time they were together, he treated her like an annoyance, and for the rest, he acted like she was the most attractive woman in the world. It was impossible to know where they stood from one moment to the next.

The stuffed panda bear was one such example. Amanda had no idea what to make of the gift, left without a word on her doorstep. The large lunch that Dotty caught her making was indeed for Lee, though she wasn't sure why she'd bothered. He would never appreciate it. Still… she'd wanted him to have something healthy and nourishing for the road.

"Amanda, look—this is your house and you can do exactly as you please. I am just concerned… You split with Dean so suddenly, so out of the blue, and I'm starting to wonder if there isn't more to that," Dotty continued.

So she hadn't overheard after all. Amanda closed the cupboard door to hide the relief on her face.

"Dean and I just weren't meant to be," she said firmly.

"In hindsight, I can't help but agree. But Amanda, if there is another man-"

"The only men in my life are Phillip and Jamie, and right now, they're all I need."

"Well, I am awfully glad to hear that. Not that it's any of my business, but I do worry. No one understands the temptation more than me. Did I ever tell you about that vacuum salesman from Topeka? Oh, he had the longest eyelashes…"

But Amanda was no longer listening to Dotty. A familiar face popped up in the window and she was held captive by hazel eyes. Lee jerked his head once, impatiently, then disappeared from the frame before Dotty finished turning. Dotty turned again and her daughter was gone, out by the shrubs where Lee sat huddled.

/

Amanda was absolutely miserable.

At the crack of dawn, the Survivors rousted the campers from their bedrolls, fed them a serving of stale soup, and ran them three miles through the woods. Amanda was accustomed to early mornings, and she wasn't opposed to some hard exercise, but the root soup was one step too far. With every jarring step it frothed and foamed in her belly, and more than once, she was struck by the temptation to heave into a bush. She swallowed down the bile and pushed through the urge.

'Naturalistic'... more like 'nausea-inducing'.

She raced side-by-side with Lee for what felt like hours, stomach roiling as she ran, until their group came to an embankment for a break. The trees opened somewhat to reveal a riverside clearing. Water bubbled merrily over the stones and the grass dwindled into sporadic patches. Together they collapsed under a sycamore, heaving and huffing atop the shaded soil.

Amanda stole a glance at Lee and felt her breath quicken. Today was her first time seeing his legs. His pants never made it past his thighs in her kitchen and living room. They weren't half bad legs—quite toned, actually. Not that she would ever tell him that.

These days Lee gave her a much wider berth. In general, he behaved better in the field and his flirtations were limited to innocent remarks. That part of him hadn't vanished, by any means, it was just kept under a tight rein. His advances were replaced by something more safe and stifling. She almost missed their old camaraderie.

Amanda tilted her head to the sun, squinting at the treetops spinning overhead. The jog had left her drained and dizzy, and her ponytail had come undone during the first mile. She tried to tuck the loose strands into her visor, but the task proved difficult without a mirror. Intending to start from scratch, she tossed her hat to the ground and ripped out the elastic band.

"C'mere," said Lee, patting his knee.

Swallowing any misgivings, Amanda shuffled around. She scooted back until she was between Lee's legs and her sneakers touched his lap. Cool fingers glided over her scalp. He divided her hair into thirds and began to expertly plait her hair. Amanda didn't bother to hide her shock.

"Where did you learn to do that?"

A soft chuckle drifted over her shoulder. "Little Lee used to have a lot of lady friends who taught him on the playground. Now hold still."

Minutes passed with nothing but the sound of the stream and Lee sorting her hair. She did her best to ignore the sweaty, masculine mass sitting within an arm's reach. To her surprise, it was Lee who broke the ice first.

"So- tell me about your boyfriend. Damian or Don or whatever."

"There's nothing to say," Amanda said shortly. "I broke it off."

"Oh. Well. That's a relief."

Amanda snapped her head around and shot him a sharp look. He backpedalled, shrugging nonchalantly and side-eyeing her.

"He just never seemed your type."

"How would you know? You don't even know him. You barely know me."

"Amanda, I have instincts, ok?"

"Can we just stop talking about Dean, please?"

Feeling febrile, she spun on her bum, snatched up her hair scrunchy, and took the liberty of tying the braid herself. There was a subtle, uneasy shift in the air, like static before a storm. Lee edged back an inch.

"Well, then what about your ex-husband. What's his name?"

Air puffed out of Amanda's cheeks. Her divorce was a can of worms that she wasn't ready to open, perhaps one that would never open. A name, at least, was innocuous. She could give Lee that much. All her basic information was rolling around an agency database, anyway.

"Joe. Joe King."

"You're joking," Lee deadpanned.

Amanda was taken aback by his flat voice. "I beg your pardon?"

"Joe King. Joe. King. Joking? Are you serious?"

"Oh shut up," Amanda said, though she couldn't help but snicker. Without the boys around, it didn't feel quite as taboo to not defend her ex's honour. It really was a funny name, in hindsight. How had she never noticed before?

"Enough about me, I hardly know a thing about you," she said, steering the conversation to safer currents.

A silent expanse stretched between them. Lee shut down like a locked door or a delayed computer. Then, after a couple shifting motions, he spoke.

"Alright, what is it that you wanted to know?"

"Okay," said Amanda, mind scrambling for words. There was so much she wanted to ask and so little time before the next leg of their marathon. At last, she settled on just one question. "Why is your codename 'Scarecrow'?"

Lee flashed a strained smile and Amanda saw a wall go up along the rows of teeth. Almost imperceptibly, he shimmed away by another inch.

"That's very personal."

"Oh, come on…"

"Look I'm sorry! You just happened to ask the one thing that's very personal, that's all." His head cocked a centimetre to the side and she sensed him searching for a different topic. "You look sorta tired. 'All these laps getting to you?"

Without lifting her eyes, Amanda let her fingers sift through the soil. As a matter of fact, she did feel worn out, which was strange because she usually prided herself on being fit.

"I just didn't sleep well last night. Too cold. Plus, the broth didn't agree with me," she said.

Lee snorted. "I hear ya there. Breakfast isn't my favourite on a good day, but that stew…" He shuddered betwixt sentences, then fixed her with a salacious look. "Maybe we can share a tent."

The old Lee resurfaced, as crude and carefree as ever. Although Amanda worked hard to smooth her voice before speaking, some syllables came out stilted and stammering.

"Don't we have a deadline to meet? I doubt we'll be here another night."

"And what a shame that will be," Lee drawled, just as their drill sergeant of a coach began to call for them. Carefully, he hauled himself to his feet, calves coiling and clenching from the effort. Amanda hardly noticed when he extended an arm in invitation. "Shall we?"