SOS Episode Fillers

Part 4 – One for the Road

A Pre-TAG wrap-up - Late afternoon on the wedding day…

The passenger's celebrations had been interrupted as the ocean liner was evacuated. The passengers were being put up a local luxury hotel until a replacement would arrive the following morning. The ship was in the process of being searched thoroughly and the entire crew was being held for questioning in the Ballroom by a combination of law enforcement agencies.

When Lee and Amanda finished giving their statements in the Private Dining room, Amanda was escorted back to their cabin to change and pack. The wedding dress was looking a little tattered and torn, and there was not much left to the borrowed and blue. She wanted to fly home in something a little more comfortable.

Lee entered the ballroom to converse and say his 'good-byes' to Orlando, Emeliano, and the agents in charge. He was still in his tux shirt and pants, but had no recollection of where he had discarded his tux jacket. His bow tie was undone and hanging around his open collar and his sleeves were rolled up. Julie watched with a stunned expression as Lee chatted good-heartingly with the agent in charge. As the exchange was ending with a handshake and a slap on the back, Lee felt someone's eyes upon him. Turning he caught Julie's questioning gaze. With a couple additional words to the agent, he motioned for Julie to come with him. In a stunned silence, Julie picked up her bags and followed Lee out of the room.

Clearing his throat, he explained, "I just cleared you to go back to the hotel. You won't have to wait."

Julie shook her head slowly as if trying to help her brain process the information. She stared intently at his face as she asked, "You're one of them?"

Lee forced a small smile, "Something like that."

"You were here on a case?"

Lee nodded slowly. Suddenly he was afraid of where this conversation was going. He wanted to clear the air with their new friend, but the way she was looking at him was putting him on the defensive – again!

"Amanda was working too?"

Lee nodded again.

"I saw you get married this morning. It looked so real. You're genuinely scared. Or are you already married – no, you're not. How long have you been together?"

Lee, feeling like he was going through a Class A interrogation and knowing Julie could read him like a book when it came to his feelings, he silently wished he had Amanda's confusion skills. He forced himself to answer slowly without panicking, "we aren't 'together', we're just partners, co-workers, friends."

"Hmmm," Julie paused. "Well, you play a pretty convincing couple."

"Uhh, thanks." Relieved for a second, thinking he was off the hook.

"You know you really ought to tell her how you feel," Julie advised with a smile.

"W-w-what?" he stammered. 'Why does she do this to me?' he thought to himself.

"Anyone can see that you have deep feelings for each other. There are sparks when you touch. I know without a doubt you love her and I think you know that you can't live without her. I saw her turn you into putty with a fingernail. You love her and she-" Julie's impending extended lecture was interrupted when Amanda rounded the corner with her bags.

"Hi!" she smiled at them.

As Julie laughed at him, Lee excused himself quickly to go change and pack. He had no idea why that woman's lectures got to him so much and left him so rattled. He was not about to admit that she was right, well at least not in front of Amanda. Things had gotten confusing enough without any public revelations.

"He seems afraid of you again," Amanda remarked. "He doesn't bat an eyelash at a KGB agent holding a gun on him, but runs away from a friendly cruise director?"

"Must be something I said," mused Julie. "So, you're one of them too?"

"Well, just on a part-time basis. I just help out when they need me. Julie, I'm really sorry for not telling you the truth. We just can't you know?"

"Its OK. I think you did tell me how you truly feel about a lot of things," Julie said with a knowing smile.

"Julie, Lee and I are just friends, co-workers… it's just business…" Amanda replied in her best Lee impersonation.

"You do a very convincing couple in love," Julie teased. "Complete with fireworks, chemistry, and sexual tension."

"Julie!" Amanda admonished as she turned two shades of red.

"Amanda, this is my specialty. I know. You two have a really special connection. He has some deep feelings for you, but he also seems to have a lot of relationship issues."

"You have no idea, "Amanda admitted and in almost a whisper added, "we do have some kind of weird connection."

"Special, Amanda. You love him and he loves you," Julie stated simply.

Not ready to go there, Amanda conceded, "Julie, I just don't know. Let's just say that I can completely relate to what you said by the pool. You know, those feelings for a friend. I really, truly, and totally understand." They exchanged understanding smiles.

"Ohh, I almost forgot, Lee asked for some of the handouts from my classes. He rushed away before I could give them to him." Amanda took the handouts and looked at the titles. Reading 'Married Man's Guide' and 'What a Good Marriage Needs,' Amanda raised her eyebrows at Julie. "Really, he asked for them. And," producing a sealed envelope, "he begged for this one when we were on the dance floor."

Afraid of the answer Amanda muttered, "The massage one?" Amanda grimaced at Julie's laughing response "I told you he would not be able to get it out of his mind!"

"I'm not sure I should give this to him…" Amanda admitted conspiratorially. Her cheeks flushed and she cleared her throat.

"Oh," Julie added brightly "I have something for you too. No need to give you a copy of 'Understanding your Man'. Your man is too complex for that class."

"Julie, he's not my man-" Julie cut Amanda's argument off with a wave.

"Hopefully he will be some day. Anyway, how about a book for the ride home?" She dug in her bag and brought out two romance novels. Holding them up, "this one is about a head-strong couple that fall desperately in love on a romantic cruise and this one's about a commitment-phobic worldly investment banker who falls for his secretary, a struggling single mother."

Amanda seriously contemplated sticking with the on-flight magazine, and then smiled "Banker, you can have the cruise couple – right up your alley."

Reading Amanda's mind, Julie asked not so innocently "have you played that cover yet?"

Caught. "No." To herself, she thought 'but tomorrow's another day.'

About that time Lee returned and they all said a rushed good-bye. With a final and sincere "Take care of each other" Julie shook her head with a smile as she watched them depart. 'Ya know,' she said to herself 'I do have the coolest job. I get to meet the most interesting characters and watch them fade away in the sunset to their own happily ever after…'

Disclaimer: Of course Scarecrow and Mrs. King and jello are somebody else's. I am just borrowing them and will return them unharmed- not even a sunburn. Julie McCoy belongs to the Love Boat people. She was just visiting with the best of intentions. I probably enhanced her character, but returned her as confused about her feelings for Gopher, Doc, and Captain Stubing as she was when she left the Love Boat. I have not seen Love Boat in years, but didn't it seem like she had feelings for all 3? Guess that is another story… This is written for amusement purposes only – and primarily my own. Don't expect to receive anything for my writing efforts – unless people offer to pay me to stop.