AN: Again, 'mixed different versions of the script with the actual aired episode and my own additions. Fond memories of this episode being the first one I ever saw, but also the one with the worst editing for stock footage and stunt-doubles IMO. Oh, well, still love it.

Thanks for over 100 reviews! It really helped get me out of a writing funk. And a special thank you to the guest reviewers, since I can't PM y'all. I read your stuff and I appreciate it.

/

It'd been mere hours since Bo Johnson's private plane landed at his ranch, and Amanda was on the verge of a meltdown.

This was supposed to be a vacation, but she'd left her home in turmoil. The Thanksgiving pageant was a disaster, Pretzel the clown cancelled Jamie's birthday reservation, and her dieffenbachia plant was definitely dying without her. She was worried about spending so much time around horses, and around Lee. The heat gave her dizzy spells, the chili made her queasy, and the livestock made her sneeze.

In short, she was not having fun.

The sun set early, and she and Penelope turned in for some light conversation while Bo and Rheza moved to a separate room. The hours wore on and there was still no sign of the men. Penelope paced the length of Amanda's room, stopping periodically by the long French windows. Amanda was nestled in a cushioned rocking chair, nursing a small mug of tea.

"I know what Bo's up to," Penelope burst out. "He'll go to any length to close that deal."

Amanda sipped weakly from her cup. "Why don't you just relax and enjoy the honeysuckle and the moonlight?"

Easier said than done.

The Princess leaned against a window, looking off for a pensive moment. Her face was pinched, pallid, and not at all regal.

"When Rheza and I were first married, we were inseparable. I think we scandalized the country." She heaved a sigh and Amanda caught the trace of a smile in her voice. "Now, oh… So much of his day is spent with meetings and crises. We argue all the time, mostly about Bo and that oil lease." Dragging her feet, she sank into a different chair and cupped the sides of her head. Tiny tremors travelled down her body. "Oh, I don't know… Maybe that's not the real issue at all."

A sudden surge of empathy poured over Amanda. Penelope may have been a princess, but she was also a woman wrestling with romance, not unlike Amanda herself. First Joe, then Dean, and now Lee. They had more in common than most.

"Maybe not," Amanda said. "Maybe if you could stop being the Prince and Princess and just be Penelope and Rheza every once in a while—maybe be alone—maybe that would help."

"You think so?"

"Mhm. When I was married and things weren't going so well, I had this, um-" Her eyes darted to the foggy film floating at the top of her tea.

"Yeah?" Penelope pressed.

"A sexy nightgown."

The Princess choked on peals of warm laughter. "Did you really?"

"Thong and all," Amanda confirmed, cheeks crinkling. She could hardly believe what she was saying, but at the same time, it was nice getting it all out. "My ex-husband liked it, so when things got rocky I'd put it on, he'd bring a wine concoction to bed, and then things would kinda get better."

"Get going, you mean?"

"You know what I mean."

Penny exhaled wistfully, eyes glazing over. "I never thought to pack a sexy nightgown."

"It could be better without the sexy nightgown."

All at once the room was filled with unladylike snorts and wheezes. Amanda joined in, shaking and fighting with all her might to not spill any tea. After a few seconds the noises died down and Penelope began to look tired again. Her strength seemed to sap away.

"I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't be talking like this. You don't need me dumping all my personal problems on you." She forced a smile. "What about you? Any plans for honeysuckle and moonlight?"

"Oh, gee."

"We'll be here all weekend," Penny said with a suggestive twitch of an eyebrow.

"I'm not really into greasy, retired cowboys."

The light returned to the Princess' eyes as she barked out a laugh. "No, no, none of the ranch hands. We can do better than that. How about that agent, Mr. Stetson? The one in charge of security? He's kinda cute."

Amanda just about gagged on her tea. The irony was unbearable. "I, uh, I haven't had a good look at him all day." She was building quite the talent for lying through half-truths.

Right on cue, there was a tapping on the window. Amanda's eyelids flew wide and her organs dropped like an anchor. Too late, the Princess spotted the shock on her friend's face. She twisted just in time to see Lee slinking innocently out of sight.

"Oho." Leisurely, Penelope stood and moved back to the windows. "Speak of the devil..."

"This is not an 'oh-ho-ho'," Amanda sputtered. "Uh-uh, I don't know what that man wants."

"No? Does, uh, 'honeysuckle and moonlight' ring a bell?" Penelope trilled, pulling back the curtain.

"You have a vivid imagination, your Highness."

"Amanda." The Princess said her name with such meaning that Amanda had to keep quiet. She sashayed to the door, looking more alive than ever. "It looks like the only fun I'm going to have this weekend is hearing about the fun that you are having this weekend, sooo… Would you please get busy and start having some? I am going to bed." She announced it deliberately and loudly, as if for Lee's benefit, then made a revving motion at Amanda. "Just wait a few discreet moments, then give 'er the gas. 'Night."

Waving, Penelope slipped outside, leaving the two spies to their own devices. Amanda moaned aloud and swore on the inside. Her body felt like an oven and she couldn't stop cursing Stetson's timing.

"Does Princess Di talk like that?" she asked the empty room, before Lee's knocking broke through her thoughts. She gestured rudely in his direction. "Oh, come in."

The windows parted, swinging outward with Lee balanced on the handles. He posed for a beat, back leg outstretched, teeth bared in a too-wide smile.

"Hi!" he whispered.

"I thought I was supposed to be undercover."

"You are." Turning furtive, he closed the doors and surveyed the room. The brightness fell from his face. "Why? Is anything wrong?"

"Oh, no no no, that was a very subtle performance at the window. She thinks we're having an 'o-ho-ho~'."

"A what?"

"You heard me, she thinks you're cute."

Lee's voice dropped into a low drawl. "Are you trying to get me outta my britches ma'am?"

Red dusted her cheeks and nose. "Can it, Stetson. You're not that cute."

He traversed the room and its assorted furniture before easing into a nearby bergère, the same one Penelope had once occupied. He crossed one leg over the other, resting his shoe just below the knee. Amanda briefly took in his coiffed hair and trim suit of varying greys. She finished her tea and set the cup on an end table, desperate to distract herself.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"We need to touch base. Francine called with some information that you might find interesting."

"Oh?"

"Listen to this," he said, leaning forward conspiratorially. "Whoever tried to kill the Prince the other day was supposedly working for Endicott Roofing, making repairs at the Embassy. Endicott got the job by bidding incredibly low." He paused for effect and Amanda nodded to show she was following. "Well, Endicott is a tax-loss company owned by a company that's owned by a company that's owned by, guess who?"

"I don't know. Who?"

"Johnson Oil."

Amanda blinked, incredulous at the development. "Johnson? As in Bo Johnson?"

The fake southern accent rematerialized. "Yes ma'am." He offered a fleeting smile before becoming all business again. "What did you come up with?"

"More to do with Bo, funnily enough. The Princess is trying to convince the Prince not to sign off on his oil lease. See, Bo's putting on a lot of pressure. Things aren't the way that they seem around here. Most of the wells he's drilled recently have come up dry, and he really needs this deal. But the Princess doesn't think it would be in the best interest of the country to renew his lease. I don't think she likes him at all."

"Yeah. Something smells, and it ain't horse manure." Tsking, Lee stood and circled her rocking chair. "I'll do some snooping tomorrow, see what I can scrounge up. You stick with the Princess. I don't trust Johnson as far as I can throw him."

Amanda gave no reply. Yet again, a simple assignment had turned sour. She was a daughter, a mother of two-and-a-half, a volunteer, and an English major with a minor in photography. Maybe Francine was right. Maybe she had no business involving herself with the Agency or Lee Stetson. Then again, could she live with herself if something happened to Penelope? Or anyone else?

Lee knelt between her legs, peering up at her through a soft fringe of hair. "Hey, it'll be OK."

"I know, I know…" she said. She didn't need ears to know that she didn't sound convincing.

"The place is still swarming with royal guards. Just stay close to other people and leave the sleuthing to me." He broke off, pondered something, and began closing the gap between them. Their noses bumped together and his breath blew over her. "Is that a new perfume?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. I wanted to smell nice for this trip," Amanda said, tweaking her head to the left.

"And here I was, hoping it was for me." He was close enough for her to feel each syllable on her skin. "We never did finish what you started in Sandy Newcombe's dorm…"

Amanda felt her heart capsize in her chest while her stomach did flip flops. New words overlapped with old ones, and she was dragged back to her kitchen. "I never did thank you for saving my life." Some small, selfish part of her craved the attention. Flirting was the main way that Lee showed affection, and even then, he was closed off. Cautious. His lips burned a trail across her cheek, and without thinking, she tilted to meet them.

The kiss lasted for an indiscriminate minute, ebbing and flowing, stalling and starting. She lolled back her head and felt teeth and tongue latch onto the underside of her jaw. His mouth moved up until it met hers again. On an impulse, she nibbled his bottom lip.

She was a jumbled mess of emotions—arousal at Lee's advances, anger at his behaviour all assignment, and annoyance at the memory of the steno pool, fawning over his every move. Everything tumbled over until the gentle nipping became a harsh bite. Lee reeled back with a yelp.

"'The hell was that for?" he asked.

Amanda became very interested in her empty mug. "I dunno. Felt like it."

There was a quizzical list to Lee's head as he tried to meet her gaze. "First you jump me, then you won't even look at me. I'm getting a little weirded out with all these mixed signals."

Her nostrils flared and her eyes narrowed into slits. "ME give YOU mixed signals? Ha! That's a laugh. Might I remind you that according to you, we aren't allowed to look at each other on a case like this?"

"Come on, Amanda. It's different now. We're alone…"

Her head shook obstinately. "I'm not often in the mood after having my head bitten off hours before."

"Then let me show you a proper apology," he said, thumbing her forearm. "You can bite me all you want."

She was almost tempted. She wanted to, but wanting wasn't the issue. Not right now, when there was life growing just out of sight and guilt crawling like worms beneath her flesh. This farce could not continue.

"I just… can't right now. I want to, but I can't."

Lee backed away in an instant. He looked awkward and more than a little alarmed.

"Could you explain that to me? You don't have to, if you don't want to, but I'm here."

Explain? How was she supposed to explain that the last time they let their guard down, she was the one who paid the price? That she'd been paying the price every day since? She'd accepted the idea of a little Stetson running around, but that didn't stop the hurt whenever he gave the cold shoulder. Certainly Lee had a right to know, but Amanda was entitled to some time, and Penelope and Rheza deserved his undivided attention. She'd explain, soon.

Soon, when there wasn't a prince and princess to protect.

"Thanks, but I should rest," she said in lieu of an answer. "If the Agency is dropping the net on Bo, we need to be on full alert, right? Plus I inhaled so much horsehair today, I could drop. Those allergy pills can only do so much, you know?"

"Amanda, you don't need to give me excuses," he said. "If I overstepped, I'm sorry."

"Same here. I mean, back at the football camp. I practically pounced on you," she rambled.

"It's no trouble," he said shortly. With a wavering smile, he headed for the window like a whipped dog.

It would be easy to call him back, to claim that her cast was bothering her or that she needed help changing clothes. He would be more than willing to oblige. He'd scoop her up like he had at Delano's mansion. He'd carry her to bed and cover her body with his.

And for a time, things would be OK.

He won't want you when he finds out. Not when you're a walking balloon of impending responsibility.

Better to brace herself before then.