Betrayal

by myamanda

Feedback is welcome at myamandasmk@yahoo.com

Summary: The end of Lee and Amanda's relationship may be the key to catching a killer.

Timeline: After Nightcrawler but before the wedding.

Chapter 1

Lee balked at the entrance to the bullpen. Hesitating just a second too long, he missed the chance to turn his back on her icy stare. With leaden feet he continued into the room, anger now taking the place of fear. A palpable tension meandered through the small space, pulled taut between the man and woman at its termini.

Crossing to the file cabinet in the corner, Lee tried to ignore the sideways glances monitoring his trek. Surreptitious stares lobbed back and forth like a silent tennis match. Assignments involving quite a bit of international intrigue were suddenly nowhere near as interesting as the drama unfolding before them.

Slamming the cabinet door closed, Lee's glare forced unwanted eyes to their desks like an ace serve. Stalking across the room, he stopped at the desk of a young brunette. "Linda, I..."

"Lisa."

"What?"

"My name is Lisa, but that's okay," her eyes shining sweetly. "You can call me anything you want, Scarecrow."

Immediately shifting gears, he decided to take advantage of the situation, if not the girl. "Uh, thanks, Lisa. Listen, I'm looking for the blueprints for the Trans-Con building. They're supposed to be in the file but they're not. God, you have beautiful eyes. Any idea where they might be, hon?"

Already nodding before he finished the question, she gave the appearance of a snake-charmer's prey. "Agent Fielder signed them out. They're probably on his desk. Want me to sneak over and look?" she asked eagerly.

"That's alright," he assured her, wondering what else she'd do for a compliment or two. "I'll just get them from him later."

As he was about to turn away, well-manicured fingers settled on his hand. "Okay, but you just let me know if there is anything else I can do for you." Her tongue snaked out from between dark red lips, as she reiterated her not-so-silent promise. "An-y-thing."

Straightening, Lee tried to appear unruffled by her attentions, but was so fixated on her fingers scraping lightly down his hands that he was blindsided by Amanda's approach. Her cold voice bit rudely into the fantasy that was running through his head.

"Mr. Stetson, when you have a free moment, Mr. Melrose would like to see you in his office." She looked down with distaste at the woman who had guilt scrawled across her face as thickly as her eyeliner. "Funny, I just remembered I didn't take out the *trash* this morning. Why don't I go do that?"

A heavy sigh escaped him as he watched her fly from the room, headed toward the office they had once shared upstairs. He'd thought it unfair that the senior agent had been relegated to a tiny desk in the bullpen, but Billy had been insistent. And they certainly couldn't stay in that little room together anymore. The atmosphere was too explosive.

Knocking once, he opened Billy's door. "You wanted to see me?"

Billy met his agent in the doorway. "Lee, I still haven't received your report on the Hackman case."

"Yeah, I know, Billy, I've just been tied up with other things. You want me to solve cases or you want me to sit at a typewriter all day?"

"I want you to do your job, Stetson. Listen," he ordered, lowering his voice just slightly. "This is the reason the brass recommends against involvement between partners. When things fall apart..."

"NOTHING has fallen apart!" Lee's voice surged across the small bullpen. "WE have not fallen apart." Angrily, he stomped back to his desk, avoiding the slightly sympathetic yet opportunistic stares of the women in the room.

"You'll get your damn report," he barked, as the door to Billy's office closed quietly. Taking its tone, the entire room fell quiet. The quiet of mourning, the quiet of loss, the quiet of inevitable death.