Title: The Chill Of Winter
Author: Liddy
Time line: Post 4th Season (Late January 1988), The Marriage is not common knowledge.
Summary: The loneliness of a winter's day takes its toll on Lee and Amanda.
Feedback: Always welcome.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story. They are the sole property of Warner Brother's Television, and of Shoot The Moon Productions. I make no money from this story, only enjoyment.
Author's Notes: I got the idea for this story from a snow storm that hit the East Coast, including the D.C. area, a few weeks ago. I hope you enjoy it. Special thanks to Zoe for being my beta, and my sounding board for this and other ideas that will be coming soon.
Chapter 1
Four to eight more inches of the white stuff are expected to fall on the metro area before noon, with a one hundred percent chance of snowfall in D.C., Virginia, and Maryland over night tonight. Looks like we'll be snowed in for some time, Gill.
Thanks, Maria. I hope everyone has plenty of salt and shovels. This one looks like a doozy. It's coming up on six thirty in the AM. We'll be right back, after these words, with the latest school closings and delays, and weather with meteorologist Dean McGuire.
sighed the sleepy voice now pulling the covers up under her chin. O.K,' Amanda thought to herself, I'll just stay here long enough to hear if the boy's school is closed. No reason to wake them up if it is.'
Amanda rolled over in bed, and looked toward her window. She wanted to get up to see what the winter storm had done to her neighborhood, like she had done when she was a child, but the thought of getting out of her warm bed on a cold morning like this pushed her farther back under the covers, as the sounds of Marvelous Marvin's radio commercial played softly from her nightstand. It was all she could do to keep her eyes open. She just wanted to go back to sleep, and forget that she was waking up alone, again. At least she could dream about waking up in her husband's arms. The mystery marriage they had agreed to was taking its toll on them both. Now, as their one year anniversary quickly approached, she wondered if they would even be able to spend that day, or night, together.
Are all on a one hour delay..., the voice from the radio chimed into her thoughts. The following schools are all on a two hour delay; Annadale Local School District is on a two hour delay, Engleside, Franconia, and Groveton City Schools on Virginia are all on a two hour delay.
Well, the boys won't be very happy if they have to go to school today, Amanda chuckled to herself, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
...School District in Maryland is on a two hour delay, the voice droned on in the background. Things are changing rapidly so stay tuned to WWDC, for the latest school information. Now, the following school districts are closed today. In the District Of Columbia...
Amanda listened to the names of the schools that were closed throughout Washington. She was listening for the names of the schools close to Lee's apartment, just to see how bad it was over there. She also listened for Georgetown Schools, trying to decide whether or not to attempt the drive into work.
she yawned. Sounds like it's bad all over the city.
These schools are closed in Virginia, the announcer continued.
Amanda turned her head toward the glowing numbers of the clock radio, and squinted at the soft brightness.
Arlington City Schools...Closed, Arlington Exempted ....., the voice was cut off by Amanda's hand pushing the snooze button. She rolled back over and placed her hand on the empty pillow beside her. You should be here with me, she said to herself, as she fell asleep thinking of her husband who would also be waking up cold and lonely in his apartment, separated from her by two towns, a river, and what seemed like the whole world.
***TBC***