AN: Saved by the Bells time! Have a short chapter covering the main beats from it. Tausend Dank to all the reviewers. You keep me going even when I wanna give up, haha.

/

"You're going to Bermuda?"

"It's just for two weeks."

"Two weeks?"

Amanda slouched onto Lee's couch, deflated and defeated.

First he went off-grid for some top-secret mission. No calls, no heads-up, nothing. Then the first thing he did when he got back was book a flight to Bermuda. And now he expected her to drop everything, for fish? Jamie's party was right around the corner and her to-do list was stacked enough, thank you very much.

"I thought this was supposed to be urgent." I thought we were going to talk.

"It is. These guys are my pals," Lee said, casting an affectionate glance at the fish tank in question. A school of Siamese fighting fish swirled lazily amongst the reeds. One betta swam up to his face, flashing its fins like a silk dancer. He snapped his head back to Amanda. "So, can I count on you to take care of them?"

She crossed her arms. "You could've just told me this on the phone. It's not like I haven't housesit or fed fish before."

"And spare you the joy of seeing my face? What, didn't you miss me?"

Amanda sighed quietly. There was an open suitcase on one side of her and a set of house robes on the other, identical except for the embroidering along the seam—'LEE' and 'SHE'. She quickly looked elsewhere. A second suitcase sat by the aquarium, filled to the brim with rumpled clothing. Nearby, Lee dug through a pile of newspapers for a comb.

"I missed you, I just don't miss this apartment," she said.

Lee violently dropped his toiletries into a valise. "What's wrong with my apartment?"

"It has a certain fragrance to it."

She peered into his luggage and spied an open box of condoms, spilling its contents over his snorkel gear. Well, at least she needn't worry about a repeat of their earlier blunder. Lee practically teleported across the room to zip the bag closed. He shot her a wry smile.

"Listen, I really appreciate this, partner."

"'Funny how I'm your 'partner' whenever it's convenient for you. If I moved to Nairobi, you probably wouldn't notice until your plants needed watering." She gingerly picked at a sock on the coffee table. "Tell you what—while I'm here, why don't I tidy up your apartment a bit?"

"Uh, no, no you don't need to do that." His voice went a little higher than usual.

"Please, I insist." She lifted a cottage cheese carton by its lid and dangled it between two fingers. Was it legal in this state to grow penicillin?

Panic flitted across Lee's face but he didn't dare argue. Collecting himself, he sauntered to the aquarium and saluted its denizens. He was oblivious to Amanda rolling her eyes behind him.

"Men, this is Amanda King. She'll be taking care of you, so you do everything she says, huh?" He turned and began gathering up his bags. "Is there anything else I need to tell you? Vice versa?"

Amanda set her jaw in a straight line. There were heaps she needed to tell him, but apparently he had better things to do. Well, she wouldn't stand in his way. Lord forbid she be a spoilsport.

"No no, you have a blast in Bermuda."

She bent over, plucked a forgotten tennis racket off the floor and gave it a deft toss. Lee snatched it out of the air. He tucked it in his right armpit and smiled sheepishly.

"Have fun," he said.

/

Lee hated this, sitting on his hands like a toddler in timeout.

His emotions were in flux. Amanda was many things. She attracted trouble like a magnet to metal, but she also had a knack for getting out of it. Her luck was uncanny. She was reliable, loyal as a golden retriever, although he'd never phrase it that way to her face. Even her inane babbling was a comfort to him.

And now she was with Zinoviev and his goons.

He hopped to his feet and paced laps around Billy's office. They'd been through the ransom tape countless times. Aside from a voice match, there were no leads, no time for a switchboard trace, no clues, nothing. Dirk was discussing the trade with the Intelligence Oversight Committee, but Lee already knew what their decision would be. He squeezed the fish food packet in his fist.

When they learned she wasn't Scarecrow it was over, just like that.

"This is my fault," Lee said to no one in particular. Himself, maybe.

Billy looked up from his blotter. "Lee, we're not supposed to take this personally. Our objectivity makes us effective."

"Amanda is dying in my place, that's as personal as it gets."

"If it were another agent would you feel the same way?"

That pulled Lee up short. "I- God, Billy, I don't know. Does it matter?"

"It might. Is there something between you two? What was she doing in your apartment?"

He avoided Billy's austere stare. He cared about Amanda, yes, but not enough to cloud his judgement. Things were tepid between them. For whatever reason, she was distant these days. It wasn't for lack of attraction. He could tell that much.

He shook himself like a wet dog. "For crying out loud… She was feeding my fish. I'm fond of her. That's it."

Billy studied him, inscrutable. Something seemed to click in his mind.

"Oh, Lee... You didn't. Not a single mother."

"I don't see how any of this is relevant to the situation at hand," Lee said gruffly. He didn't deny, just deflected.

"Good grief," Billy muttered. He sounded disappointed but not necessarily surprised. He moved somberly from his desk, pausing only to pat Lee on the shoulder. "This one won't be easy. Give it some time."

Lee stared at him for a second, then shied away. His lips tightened into a thin, grim line.

"I can't live with this one, Billy."

/

The bonds fell away with one final tug. Wordlessly, Lee engulfed her in his arms, smothering her sobs into his shirt. Holding her so close was like a revelation. Anagnorisis. He could feel her trembling against his chest and feel her breath on his skin. A few tears even rolled down his neck to dampen the fabric below.

How strange to think that the air he felt could've been snuffed out with the single, slightest flick of a finger. Just one trigger squeeze. One bullet. That's all it would take.

He'd never felt more small in his life. Except, perhaps, when his parents had died.

Then Amanda spoke and Lee was smiling for her sake as much as his.

"I was-" She shivered. "I was scared."

"I know, I know," said Lee. Although he was not the comforting sort, he made do with soft words and gentle rocking. "So was I."

/

All things considered, Jamie's birthday celebration could have gone worse, and they had Lee to thank. She'd never expected him to use his IRS connections to blackmail Pretzel the clown into showing up. All this for a nine-year-old he barely knew.

It was… sweet, in a disturbing sort of way.

She threw away the last of the wrapping paper and stretched out on the sofa. There might be hope for him yet.

"Are you going to bed, dear?" Dotty asked.

"In a bit. I think I'll knit and watch the fireplace."

"Suit yourself. You've certainly earned it," Dotty said, already ascending the staircase.

Amanda waited until she heard Dotty's door close before untangling the yarn. She threaded a baby-blue strand and clacked her needles together. She needed a new project, something simple and gender-neutral. Her eyes tracked the progress of a burning log while her thoughts tindered a fire of their own.

Humming, she began to knit a pair of baby booties.

AN: I'm of the school of thought that most colours should be gender-neutral, but especially blue, so don't read tooo much into this. I'm not dropping a hint or anything I promise, shfgddgdh.