Thunder in the Night

by shel

two versions of one stormy night for lee & amanda version one is alldialogue written in response to a challenge while version two keeps all the dialogue intact but has added descriptions...give 'em both a shot...

2. version two

SCARECROW & MRS. KING

"Thunder in the Night" - version two

by shel

© february 2001

disclaimer: lee stetson, amanda king, and the rest of the cast of characters we've come to know and love belong to warner bros. and shoot the moon productions and possible other copyright holders. i certainly intended no infringement on their copyrights; i just wanted to borrow these marvelous characters for a short time in my own scenarios and hopefully return them no worse for wear…

archiving: fanfiction.net – please ask me first if you'd like to place it elsewhere...

summary: challenged by the requests in the positive reviews i received from my all-dialogue version, i didn't touch any of the dialogue and, hopefully, successfully, transformed version 1 into a more standard narrative piece while still keeping a bit of the dialogue open to the reader's imagination…

rating: "pg-13"

time-frame: 4^th season: post-"one flew east"

note: please let me know if you enjoyed it and, if not, why not…and, please, don't bother wasting your time or mine by sending any flames…

In the midnight hour of the spring night, continuous lightning lit up the master bedroom of 4247 Maplewood Drive. Snuggled under the covers, Amanda Stetson slept blissfully unaware of the storm around her, dreaming of happy days, while her husband twisted restlessly, haunted by memories of his own.

"Amanda…" Lee moaned.

"Mmmm…" was Amanda's muffled reply.

"Amanda!" Lee called out.

Somewhere in the recesses of her mind, Amanda thought she heard her name being called but she only managed to murmur, "Mmmm…"

"NO!" Lee shouted as he shot up straight in bed, panting heavily while his heart pounded against his chest.

"Lee? What is it?" Amanda immediately awoke to her husband's shout and sat up next to him. Worried when he didn't respond and, unsure if he was truly awake, she gently touched his arm. "Lee?"

After a moment, Lee noticed the light touch on his arm and eventually looked into his wife's concerned face, still dazed himself. "Amanda?"

"Shhh, it's okay. You just had a bad dream," Amanda said as she reached over and pulled Lee into her arms. "Shhhh, I'm here…"

"Nightmare..." Lee's voice cracked as he accepted his wife's embrace.

"Shhh….You're safe. I'm here. You're all right."

Lee couldn't shake the feeling of dread running through him and couldn't find his voice. "Amanda…" was all he could manage and even that came out as a hoarse whisper.

"It's okay, you don't have to talk," was Amanda's soft response. She rubbed his back and whispered in his ear as though he was Philip or Jamie who'd woken suddenly from a nightmare. "I've got you…Just relax…You're safe…"

Suddenly, a clap of thunder broke through the peace and Lee jumped back from Amanda's embrace. "What?…"

"It's okay, Lee, it's just the thunder," she said as she caressed his cheek and tried to pull him into another hug. "Shhh…"

"…You're okay?" he asked as though unsure of her presence.

"I'm fine, sweetheart," she reassured him with a smile.

Lee still couldn't find his voice. "Woke you….Sorry…"

"It's okay, Lee. I'm sorry you had a nightmare. Do you want to talk about it?" At this point, Philip and Jamie would usually start rambling about their dreams but Lee remained silent in her arms. She pulled back enough so he could see her face when she tried again to reassure him, "It's okay, you don't have to. Tell you what, how about we crawl back under the covers and wait out the storm?"

"I'm not afraid of the storm, Amanda," Lee quickly stated with a glare.

Smiling inwardly that she'd broken through, Amanda pulled the covers back and, as she settled in bed, she asked, "Did I say you were?"

"…No," was Lee's cautious reply as he lay on his back and stared at the ceiling.

Amanda lay on her side, propped herself up on her elbow, faced her husband, and let her fingers wander up and down his arm. "I'm not afraid of storms either but I was when I was a little girl. Did I ever tell you that?"

Lee thought a moment, "No. I don't think so." He turned his head to look at her and admitted, "I've never been afraid of them. Used to watch them from the window."

"Wow…I used to hide under the covers," Amanda said as she noticed Lee's flinch from the last crash of thunder and continued talking, "I must've been about five. Usually the covers thing worked but, if it was a really bad storm, I'd run into my parents' bedroom and crawl in bed between them. Mother would usually turn over and go back to sleep. She can sleep through anything. I think Philip and Jamie inherited that from her. I've always been a light sleeper, well, I guess you know that by now." Amanda paused a few seconds hoping Lee would grab the opening she left him but he remained thoughtfully silent as he stared at the shadows dancing on the ceiling. "Anyway, Daddy would try to distract me from the storm by telling me stories. When I'd nod off, he'd carry me back to my bed. Pretty soon, though, I wasn't afraid of the storms but I'd still crawl into their bed during storms just so I'd hear Daddy's stories and -- what is it?" Amanda interrupted herself as soon as she heard Lee's sharp intake of breath.

"Sorry," Lee apologized as he turned towards her, "when you said that, I suddenly remembered. All of it. It just came back to me. I can't believe I'd forgotten…"

"Remembered what?"

Lee returned his attention to the ceiling. "When I was about five, I used to do the same thing with my parents."

"I thought you said you weren't afraid of storms," Amanda teased.

Lee turned back to face his wife and managed a slight lopsided grin. "I wasn't. Nothing really phased me. My dad called me his 'fearless wonder'." Amanda smiled in return but Lee cut her off before she could make any motherly adoring comment. "And I did watch storms from the window. One night, we were having a really bad lightning and thunderstorm but it wasn't raining…" At that moment lightning filled the room while, almost simultaneously, thunder rattled the windows and Lee continued, "Just like tonight. Anyway, I was surprised because I didn't know you could have lightning and thunder without rain. It was pretty spectacular but I wanted a better view than from my window so I carefully went downstairs. I knew I wasn't supposed to but I went outside and sat on the back steps outside the kitchen and watched the sky."

"What happened?" Amanda smiled at the thought of her husband as a five-year old, clad in pajamas, sneaking outside in the middle of the night.

"My parents found me and were not amused. Imagine if Philip or Jamie snuck out of the house in the middle of the night and you went into his room to check on him and found his bed empty," Lee paused while Amanda's imagination worked overtime. Smiling at her reaction, he continued, "Uh, huh, exactly what probably ran through my parents' minds. But I was five and all I wanted to do was watch the storm and I tried explaining that I didn't think they'd worry and that I was fine."

Amanda smiled at her husband's defensive tones over an event that happened decades earlier. "They didn't buy it, huh?"

"They both gave me a stern scolding about leaving the house in the middle of the night. But, then…"

"Then what, Lee?"

"They sat down on the step with me. My dad pulled me into his lap and wrapped his free arm around my mom who held my hand and we watched the storm together. I looked up at them both, a little confused. I thought for sure I'd be grounded for life. But they looked at me and then at each other and, at the same time, said, 'He's your son.' There was this look in their eyes…." Lost in his memories, Lee's voice trailed off but when he caught the look in his wife's eyes, he finally knew what he saw, but didn't understand, all those years ago. Gently tracing a finger along her cheek for just a moment, he continued and, once again, quickly got caught up in his memories. "I didn't get it but since they didn't seem to be mad at me anymore I figured I'd better not say anything. They whispered to each other but I think I might've started to fall asleep because I don't remember much of what they were saying. I don't know how long we were outside but it started to rain and my mom said it was time to go inside. I wanted to stay out a little longer. I tried telling them that it was just water but my dad agreed with her and carried me inside."

A tear trickled down Amanda's cheek while her heart ached for her husband. For the little boy who lost such a loving set of parents and for the man who still suffered from that loss. Unable to find the right words, all she could manage was a whispered, "Oh, Lee…"

Caught up in his memories, Lee didn't hear her and continued remembering aloud. "They tucked me in bed again and, as they left my room, I remember my mom saying something to my dad about feeling a bit sorry I wasn't like other kids who crawled into bed with their parents during a storm. She felt like she was missing out on some parental ritual. I didn't quite understand it but if she was unhappy…I don't remember what my dad said to her then but she laughed and they left my room together. I may have been sleepy but I made up my mind to change for her so that she wouldn't feel bad anymore…."

Amanda waited for Lee to continue but, when he didn't, she quietly asked, "What did you do?"

"Hmmm? Oh, the next time we had a storm, I ran straight into their bedroom crying about it. Took them by surprise but they let me crawl into their bed. I think they figured out I was pretending the next time I tried it but I don't think they minded. They'd tuck me in with them and Mummy would kiss my forehead and call me 'Daddy's fearless wonder' and I'd fall --"

"Mummy?" Amanda hadn't meant to interrupt but the word simply slipped out.

"Hmm? What?"

"You said 'Mummy.'"

"I did?"

"Mmm, hmmm. Oh, there's nothing wrong with it," Amanda quickly apologized. "I guess I keep forgetting your mother was British and that you probably used all sorts of British terms and picked up a lot of her customs."

Finally back in the present, Lee concentrated again on his wife beside him. "There's not much British left in me, Amanda," he sadly admitted, "My parents were killed not long after that and I grew up with my uncle. I pretty much blocked out most of my life with them. It wasn't until Blackthorne that it started coming back to me but it's still only bits and pieces."

"I know, sweetheart. I'm sorry. Come here," Amanda said as she pulled Lee into another embrace. He was extremely tense and she knew he was reaching a breaking point. It was so rare for Lee to reveal that part of himself that belonged only to his parents. She needed to let him know what it meant to her tonight but thought any words would be inadequate so, instead, she held him tight and rubbed his back for a few moments. When his breathing seemed to return to a more normal rate, and she felt him begin to relax in her embrace, she said, "I love you and I'm so glad you shared with me…I'm -- um, Lee, not so tight, okay, I can't breathe."

"Sorry." Having practically leapt from his wife's arms and their bed, Lee knew he overreacted but it was too late to suppress that old instinct of running when things got too close.

Inwardly berating herself for having hurt him, Amanda tried to apologize as she slid over to his side of the bed and held out her hand to him, "Lee, come back, I'm only teasing. I shouldn't have. I'm sorry. I'm okay…Lee…"

Lee wanted to let her know he wasn't upset with her but was almost afraid to return to bed, afraid to continue a conversation she'd want to have. He reached, took her hand in his, and gave it a slight squeeze before stepping back towards the doorway. He tried to give her a reassuring smile but failed miserably as he suggested, "Why don't you go back to sleep? I'll go downstairs and do some reading in the living room."

"Lee Stetson, I can count on one hand the number of times we've had this house to ourselves overnight and I'm not about to waste the opportunity and sleep alone. Come back to bed," Amanda beseeched, her face a mixture of pain and worry. "Please…"

"Amanda, I'm sorry…I guess I'm not very good company right now. Why don't you try going back to sleep?"

"How can I sleep when something's troubling you? I want to help."

"Amanda…" Lee wanted to turn away from her and step into the hallway but was frozen in place by the love he saw in his wife's eyes.

"Please?" Amanda asked as she held out her hand to him again and held her breath.

Lee couldn't leave and conceded as he stepped towards the bed and his wife, "All right." He climbed back into bed as she slid towards her side allowing him room. Not letting her move too far over, he reached out to pull her close. He was sure she could feel his heart pounding through her back as he tightened his grip around her waist to hold her tightly next to him. But, quickly remembering her earlier reaction, he loosened his grip, "Is this better?"

Snuggling back in his embrace, Amanda smiled even though she knew Lee couldn't see it. "Mmmm, much," she murmured as she held his hand that was draped over her waist. Wanting him to relax and not wanting to scare him off again, she brought up a more neutral topic and, as she spoke, she slowly maneuvered one of her legs over his. "You know, Lee, I think this past weekend was a real turning point for you and the boys. I know you got it started with Jamie when you showed interest in his photography during the Mayfield case but you really sealed it when you accepted Philip's invitation to the skateboard competition. I know you wanted to do something on your own with them but they were both thrilled that you could be there cheering them on. Even Jamie."

Grateful, once again, for his understanding wife, Lee eagerly accepted the change in topic as well as her invading toes under his pajama pant leg. "I wanted to be there. We can plan something together for another weekend. I'm only sorry they didn't win."

Amanda stopped a moment from trying to distract him and quietly said, "Maybe not the competition but I think they won something pretty special this weekend."

"Oh, what was that?" Lee asked, genuinely confused.

Bringing his hand to her lips, Amanda placed light kisses on his fingers before quietly answering, "A stepfather."

"Amanda…"

"…….You keep that up, Stetson, and I'll let you keep me up the rest of the night."

Holding her in his arms, and feeling her body respond to his, Lee knew he had to tell her before the opportunity was lost to their passion. Amanda had turned over and her moist lips were trailing kisses from his chest toward his neck and he found it hard to quell the desire coursing through him. "Amanda…" Lee groaned before pausing.

She suddenly stopped in mid-kiss, recognizing the mood had suddenly shifted, and stared at him.

Waves of insecurity suddenly ran through him again and he felt ridiculous for having spoiled the moment. He could have waited until later. For her part, Amanda remained silent but kissed him gently on the lips and smiled. He saw the passion in her eyes, and the desire, but knew she'd wait patiently until he was ready. Closing his eyes, he drew strength from the gentle squeeze Amanda gave his hand and he hesitatingly began, "About tonight…"

Torn between her own curiosity and what was obviously difficult for her husband to discuss, Amanda quickly reassured her once again tense husband, as she held him in her arms, "It's okay, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"It's just…"

"Just what, sweetheart?"

"It was…I dreamed about…California."

Unconsciously, Amanda stiffened. Totally taken aback by the subject of his nightmare, all she managed was a small, "Oh."

"I came so close to losing you."

"But you didn't," Amanda insisted as Lee opened his eyes. "I'm here, Lee, and I'm fine." Unfortunately, Lee didn't seem reassured at all. There was obviously more to his dream than just remembering the shooting. The only other time she had seen this look on his face was when he told her of the monster in his dreams during the Blackthorne case. She placed a light kiss on his lips and, afraid that breaking physical contact would cause Lee to retreat inwardly, Amanda continued stroking his arm while she asked him, "What is it?"

"That's not what happens in my dreams…nightmares."

"What happens?" Lee pulled away and Amanda was afraid it was too late. "Lee, please, don't turn over, please, tell me."

From the moment he met Amanda, she was always trying to help him. Even when he knowingly pushed her away, she was still there, by his side, ready to help. And, from the moment he realized he was in love with Amanda, he made himself a promise to never again take for granted her willingness to help him. Never would he knowingly hurt her or push her away when she was only trying to help the man she loved. He had kept that promise until a moment ago when he turned away from her. He hadn't wanted to do that. He didn't know why he had. The storm and the nightmare roused all his old instincts from deep within him. He felt terrible. He wanted to tell her. He needed to tell her. But now he'd hurt Amanda and he didn't know how to make it better. But, that wasn't true either. He did know what to do. He had to open to her. He'd done it before and he felt better after talking to her but this was different. There wasn't any monster trying to catch him. This was about her. He didn't want to bring up any painful memories for her but, deep down, he knew that if he didn't talk to her about this tonight, with her, it would only grow and slowly drive a wedge in their relationship. That fear led the words from his mouth and slowly, but with his back still to her, Lee spoke, "You arrested exactly like I remember but…instead of the doctor telling us that you pulled through, he…he said…he said you'd…"

"Died?" Suddenly, everything was crystal to Amanda. She quickly reached out, slipped her arms around his waist, and hugged him from behind. "Oh, Lee, it was a nightmare. It wasn't real. I'm here. I'm healthy. And I'm just where I want to be - in your arms. We're going to have a long and happy life together, Lee Stetson."

"Amanda…"

"Sweetheart, look at me," Amanda twisted Lee around and looked him in the eyes as she insisted, "I'm fine. What happened in California wasn't your fault. It was simply an accident and I got hurt."

Lee pushed her arms away and sputtered, "It wasn't just a flesh wound, Amanda, you nearly died!"

"But I didn't," was Amanda's quiet reply as she sat up. They'd been through this before. Both in California and after she returned home. It had been a classic case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time but they'd both gotten the scare of their lives and it hadn't been from anything Agency-related. Unable to look at Lee, Amanda concentrated on the bed sheets and she continued in her quiet tone, "I'm not trying to downplay it, Lee. I know how bad it was. I may not remember the moment it happened and parts in the hospital may be a bit fuzzy but I remember enough. I remember why we were in California in the first place. I remember how I felt." Amanda looked at him and gently turned her husband's face towards hers, "I remember the look on your face. On Mother's face. I remember how hard it was to move. To breathe."

"Amanda…"

Amanda wanted to let him speak. To let him continue to release everything he'd been holding back but she couldn't stop herself. Lee wasn't the only one who suffered from nightmares. She'd wanted to protect him and the nights they were forced to spend apart made it easier. But she'd failed. They'd failed. And now she had to make him understand, finally understand, that they could get through anything as long as they were open and honest with each other. As long as they didn't close themselves off from each other under the guise of trying to protect the other. "Do you remember the conversation I had with Jamie the other day that you overheard? The one where I told him that it was knowing that he and Philip loved me that got me through California?"

Unsure of where she was heading, Lee reluctantly admitted, "Yeah, I remember."

"Well, I didn't tell Jamie the whole truth. He needed to hear what I told him but you need to hear the rest."

"Oh? What was the rest of it?"

Amanda held his gaze, "I hurt so badly then -- physically and emotionally. But there was someone by my side every step of the way. Someone who helped me through all the pain. Someone who comforted me or made me laugh no matter how much I grumbled. Someone who loved me and did anything necessary to help me recover no matter how mundane the task."

"Your mother loves you very much."

"Very funny, Stetson," Amanda said as she rolled her eyes, secretly relieved by Lee's spontaneous tease. "I'm not talking about Mother and you know it."

"Who then?" Lee asked as he sat up, moved closer to Amanda, and lightly began tracing the outline of her slender and fit form.

"My husband, that's who," Amanda replied with a smile as she slid her arms up and around his neck. "A very dedicated," she paused as she placed a light kiss on his lips. "Loyal," preceded another kiss while "sensitive," preceded a kiss slightly more intense. Murmuring, "Caring," Amanda's fingers ran through Lee's hair. She nibbled on Lee's lower lip as she whispered, "And loving man." Breaking away only slightly, Amanda breathlessly continued, "Who also happens to be the best intelligence agent this country has on its payroll."

The words had scarcely left Amanda's lips before Lee had covered them with his own. "You forgot dashing and debonair," he commented as they gazed into each other's eyes.

After he captured her lips again in a teasingly brief kiss, Amanda groaned, "Lee…"

"Well, you didn't mentioned them and I know I've heard him described that way," Lee said with a smile as he stretched out in bed and pulled Amanda on top of him.

"I may have heard those rumors too," Amanda slowly admitted as she received pleasant kisses along her neck.

"Amanda…"

"Okay, okay," she giggled when she felt Lee's tongue tickling her ear, "dashing and debonair. Are you happy, now?"

"Hmmm…I don't know. You didn't say it like you meant it."

Amanda rolled off him and lay on her back. Staring at the ceiling, she thoughtfully replied, "Okay, in addition to my previous description, my husband also happens to be the most dashing, debonair, and handsome man I know. And I love him with all my heart and --- mmm..…"

Lee had had enough of her teasing and covered her body with his, ready to show his wife just how much he loved her. As soon as she caught her breath from the intense kiss they shared, he very seriously informed her, "I love you, Mrs. Stetson."

"Lee," she whispered, nearly overcome by the emotions she saw in her husband's eyes. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her and she unceremoniously pushed him off, sat up in bed, and grabbed his hand, "Let's go…"

"'Let's go'? What kind of romantic line is that?" Amanda had released his hand and threw the covers back. "Amanda, where are you going?"

"Come on, grab your robe."

Reluctantly, and thoroughly confused, Lee got out of bed and began to put on his robe. "Amanda, it's the middle of the night."

"Where's your sense of adventure, Scarecrow?"

"In the bed we're leaving."

"Stop your grumbling and get the hall lights; I don't want to trip down the stairs."

"Hey, slow down," Lee complained as Amanda grabbed his hand again and led him through the hall toward the stairs, "you're going to pull my hand off."

"Okay, okay, just hurry up," Amanda ordered as she flew down the steps ahead of Lee.

"Careful, you nearly missed that last step. What are you up to, Amanda?"

"You'll -- Wow, did you see that bolt?"

"Practically lit up the whole room. You still haven't told me what we're -- why are you opening the door? Amanda come back inside."

Amanda stood next to the picnic bench and turned back to face Lee who still stood in the doorway. "I know we don't have back steps but would you join me on this bench?" she asked as she held out her hand to him.

"You don't have to ask," Lee said after finding his voice. Taking her hand, he straddled the bench behind her and pulled her close to him as he wrapped his arms around her waist and settled his chin in his favorite spot between her slender neck and shoulders. "Amanda…" he murmured as he buried kisses there.

Turning her neck slightly to allow him better access, Amanda looked up at the sky. "Pretty amazing isn't it?"

"Sure is…" was Lee's whispered agreement.

Sensing they were on two different wavelengths, Amanda turned her head slightly again. "Lee, you're not looking up….Lee…You know that drives me crazy."

"Does it?" Lee asked in a totally distracted way as he continued to shower her neck with feathery kisses while his hands, independently, found their own favorite spots.

"Lee…"

"Thank you…" he whispered in her ear.

Not what she expected to hear from him, Amanda whispered in return, "For what?"

Twisting her slightly so she faced him, Lee cupped her face between his hands and kissed her tenderly on the lips. Pulling back, he said, "For giving me exactly what I needed tonight. For loving me. For -- hey, it's starting to rain. We'd better get back inside."

"Not yet," Amanda requested as she pulled Lee back down on the bench. She wanted to hold onto this perfect moment for as long as possible. She kissed him tenderly on the cheek and softly added, "Besides, it's just a little water."

With tears glazing his eyes and a voice choked with emotion, Lee tightly embraced his wife and whispered again in her ear, "I love you, Amanda."

"And I love you, Lee…"

Lightning lit up the sky and thunder continued to rumble but, for the couple sitting and hugging in the rain on a picnic bench on the patio of 4247 Maplewood Drive, the storm had disappeared and all was right in the midnight hour of the spring night.

the end