Chapter 10

Amanda stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. A date. Lee had to go on a date. Okay. She was fine with that. Wasn't she?

She absently reached for a paper towel and dried her hands. What was she worried about, then? That he would find someone else? Not likely. Even though no one else seemed to believe it, Amanda had the utmost faith in his love for her. But still...what if he talked himself into one last justifiable 'fling'? Would he remember how much fun the single life had been and...

She'd had the same doubts during the Stemwinder fiasco. Not that he would fall in love with Sonja, but that the lure of bachelorhood would prove too tempting.

Then they had run away, and he'd told her he loved her and everything had happened so fast and she'd wondered if he'd meant any of it....

************Both exhausted, they had stood in the doorway of the bedroom in their tiny hideout. Lee uncomfortably took in the one queen-sized bed that stood alone in the depressing little room.

"Amanda, I ..." He'd turned to head for the sofa.

Her hand reached for his, finding it without looking. "No."

His voice was nearly inaudible, a rush of breath. "No, what?"

She turned, tightening her hold on his hand. "Tactically, I think it's a bad idea for us to be separated. Makes us too vulnerable."

He nodded, but questions shadowed his features.

Reaching up, she erased his doubt with a touch of her hand.

"I just want...we're all we have right now."

His answer was automatic, immediate.

"You're all I need."

She smiled at him. "Then stay with me."

He smiled back. The smile she'd never seen him use on any of the blonde airheads he used to date. "Okay."

He crawled beneath the comforter, practically clinging to his side of the mattress.

Amanda watched his discomfort, trying to think of a way to relax him.

"We've done this before, you know."

"What?" He answered quickly, eyes wide.

She laughed openly now. "A long time ago. I helped you on a case and we were in a hotel room..."

He smiled, visibly relieved. "Yeah, and we jumped in the bed together so the manager would think we were...you know."

"Yeah."

"And you were just so...horrified, at the thought...."

She blushed, lowering her eyes. "Well." She looked around the room. "You know Scarecrow, our surroundings haven't improved all that much."

He laughed. "We've changed, though." He reached to pull her closer.

She willingly snuggled into his body. "Yes, we have."

They were silent, only the occasional headlight intruding on the darkness they shared.

"Lee?" Her hand rubbed smoothly up and down his chest.


"Hmm?"

"Why did you come to the house? I mean, really?"

"What do you mean, 'really'?"

"I just mean, I would understand if you had said something in the heat of the moment and you didn't mean, I mean, I wouldn't hold you to anything that was said in extreme circumstances."

Lee flicked on the lamp at his bedside.

"Amanda King, you listen to me."

She blinked from the sudden intensity of the light, and his voice.

"I don't want you to think that I came to you out of desperation, or some misguided attempt to test your loyalty. I was just...afraid...I guess, of never seeing your face again. I wanted to look at you one more time, hear your voice, take that image with me, so I could pull it out when I was stuck in places like this." He held her in his arms, squeezing gently, punctuating his sincerity. "When you said you'd come with me," he shook his head, "God, I knew I didn't deserve you."

Amanda ignored the tears on her cheek. She wanted to remember every word.

"But I want to. And I'll do anything to try and make up for everything you've given me, everything you've done. But I need you to help me do that." She was smiling now. "I love you , Amanda King, and I *want* you to hold me to it. Forever. Okay?"

She leaned in to kiss him. "Okay," she said quietly.

She held his hand, nothing more, and the last thing he saw before tumbling into dreamless sleep was her smile.

***************SMK****************SMK**************************

Il Porto

Alexandria, Virginia

7:30pm

"I'm sorry Susie, what was that?"

"I said, I'm thinking about cutting my hair just like Madonna. Don't you think that would be pretty?"

"Oh, um, yeah, sure."

"So you don't think my hair's pretty now?"

"What? No! I mean, yes, I mean, well, you brought it up!"

Lee was drowning, barely able to keep his head above water in a deadly sea of confusion. He used to be able to do this. He did. He could schmooze, small-talk, and flatter until women were practically begging him for a one-night stand. He used to be a barracuda.

Now he felt more like a guppie.

"I just meant," he tried again, "that you would look beautiful any way you wear your hair. There is a radiance about you that would shine through no matter what."

She eyed him suspiciously. "Did someone tell you I went to a tanning bed?"

"What? No! I..."

"Because if that Amy Jackson ran her big mouth I'll tell everyone about her little "surgery". Vitamins, my foot."

"Excuse me, I have to....just, excuse me."


Practically bolting for the safety of the men's room, Lee's mind whirled. Why had he done this, again? Not this particular date, but all the ones that had preceded it. All those women, meaningless conquests, why?

He couldn't remember for the life of him.

And if he had some type of Amanda-induced amnesia, it was just fine with him.

Daring to exit the men's room, he did still try to make an effort to channel the "old Lee". The one who regularly said "Hey, baby" and dated women who found the term flattering.

Let's see...egotistical smirk...check....overspending...check...need to touch her more, be a little more hands-on, Amanda likes that....

Returning to his date for the evening, Lee began to wind his arm around her neck, his voice a wet whisper in her ear. "You know, Susie, I bet you and I could..."

"LEE!"

His eyes slammed shut. Please please please let this be a bad dream

Strong, thin fingers grasped him by the shoulder. "Lee? Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" The voice was cold, hard. He'd never heard that tone from her, hoped he never would again.

He turned on every ounce of charm he could gather.

"Dottie. It's a pleasure to see you."