Chapter 7

Lee sent up a silent prayer as he pulled up to 680 Davenport Way. Although he wasn't sure if he was praying for her to be here, or not.

All he knew for certain was that he was in his own private hell.

Feeling like an encyclopedia salesman, he nervously rang the bell.

There was a smattering of noise on the other side of the door, then a sudden movement as it flew open.

Framed in the doorway was a small girl, about the size of....oh my god.

At that moment Lee knew this was no game.

Except for her height, the girl was the mirror image of Amanda. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

"Oh, you're not Melissa."

Charmed, Lee smiled. "No, I'm afraid I'm not. Is your, are your parents here?"

"Mommy!" she shrieked, blissfully unaware that she'd just broken his eardrum. "Somebody's here for you!"

"Is it Melissa's mom? Oh! I'm sorry." She stopped short as she came into the front hall, and Lee immediately retracted his last thought.

*She* was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

"Amanda."

"Yes?"

Searching desperately for words, he found himself at a loss.

She didn't know him. He could see it in her eyes.

His heart shattered into a million pieces.

"Do I know you?" He watched maternal suspicion blossom in her eyes, as she put a protective hand over her daughter's chest.

Still speechless, Lee found himself drawn to the little girl's face. She was so, so perfect. If they had had a daughter, is this what she would have looked like?

"Dot, go inside please. Why don't you go get your daddy and tell him someone's at the door."

Lee looked back at her immediately, recognizing the tone in her voice. He was scaring her.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean for this to be awkward. You must not remember me. We're, we're....old friends."

"We are?"

"Yes. Please. Could I just talk to you? Just for a moment?" His eyes bore into her, begging her to give him a chance. "Please?" he asked, not proud of the tone of desperation in his voice.

Nodding, she stepped outside, closing the door behind her.

"Amanda, I don't know where to begin." He looked at the ground, searching for the memory. "You met me at the train station. I...I gave you a package."

Her eyes widened. "Oh my gosh! You're that man!" Her hand flew up to her mouth. "I always wondered what that was about. I finally convinced myself you were a drug dealer, I mean, you didn't look like a drug dealer, but who knows what a drug dealer looks like really? Because if they looked like drug dealers they'd be easy to catch, wouldn't they?"

Smiling at her familiar rambling, he shook his head. "It wasn't drugs, Amanda. You did something good. Something for the good of your country."

She smiled, feeling oddly comfortable with this man she'd met for a few seconds ten years before.

"So, what are you doing here?"

"I..." At that moment Lee Stetson faced a choice. He could pour out his whole life story to her.

Or he could let her be, and let her live her life.

"I was just in the neighborhood, and I thought I'd stop by to thank you." He brushed a shaky hand through his hair. "I never did that, never said thank you."

She smiled, giving him an odd look but accepting him at face value. "No, no you didn't."

Her hair was up in a ponytail, and she had a dishtowel nervously twisted around her left hand. It took every ounce of restraint he had not to reach out and hold her.

But he couldn't do it.

He wouldn't do it.

At that moment, the door opened.

"Everything okay, mom? Dot said someone was here."

Philip. Taller than his mother now, he put a protective arm around her shoulder.

When he did so, her blouse shifted, and Lee could see...nothing.

No scar. His Amanda never wore blouses like that, because the tip of her scar would show.

This Amanda would be safe.

Safe from him. From the life he had imposed upon her.

She had always assured him that it had been her choice too, but now it was his alone. And he wouldn't make the same mistake twice. He began to speak, excuse himself from this family's life for good.

To his surprise, Amanda spoke first.

"Yeah, Philip, everything's fine. Why don't you go inside and see what your sister's up to?" She turned to him. "Where's your dad?"

Right in front of you, thought Lee.

"Out back with Jamie. He's showing him some of his boring weather equipment. Jamie's real into it, though."

With an indulgent smile, she watched her oldest son disappear back into the house. Then turned to Lee.

"So..."

"Yeah. So." Lee hesitated, desperately wanting one more moment. A million one more moments. "How's your mother?"

Her eyes widened. "My mother?"

Lee chided himself. He was scaring her again. Well, hopefully, she wouldn't remember their exchange word-for-word.

"At the train station, you said something about your mother waiting for you at home....I was just wondering how she was?"

"Oh." Her eyes were damp when she met his gaze. "My mother died. Six, no, seven years ago. She was dating a man who turned out to be a Russian defector, and got mixed up with everything...she got caught in the crossfire, and ..." She ducked her head apologetically, not wanting him to see her cry.

The empty place where his heart had been throbbed painfully. "Oh, God, Amanda, I am so sorry."

"It's okay." She shook her head. "I still miss her, you know?"

"Yeah, yeah I do."

And somehow, she felt that he did.

They stood in comfortable silence for another moment, then Lee started down the steps. "I'm gonna go now. I won't bother you any longer. Just, just..." Unable to keep himself from touching her, just one more time, he reached for her hand. "I was in trouble, and you helped me. You saved me. Thank you, Amanda King." He let all the love and emotion he'd ever felt for her pour into his voice. "Thank you for everything."

She felt an odd surge of excitement zip through her at his touch, as though...she shook her head. Her lips pressed together in a sweet smile. "You're welcome," she said kindly.

"Hey," she called, and he turned, hoping beyond hope that she knew him, somehow.

"How did you find me?"

She'd asked him that once before. He remembered. It wasn't the moment he'd fallen in love with her, he'd known that for a long time. It had been the moment he'd known he would do anything, give up *anything*, just to save her.

Just like he was doing now.

He smiled tightly. "I made a little deal with the devil." At the uncertain look on her face, he continued. "And I'm sure glad I did."

Stepping backward onto the walk, he failed to notice the neon pink Fisher-Price roller skate lying just beneath his foot. All he felt was his body being flipped up into the air, his slick dress shoes unable to get any purchase, then his head landing on the concrete with a thud.

And his world went black.