Lee Stetson looked in the mirror once more before heading out. He was picking up his partner, Amanda King, so they could go to dinner. She had tricked him earlier in the week with an unflattering picture of Lee wearing a basket on his head at a Christmas party. Lee remembered how flirty Amanda had been from the moment she walked into the Q Bureau. He enjoyed the moments when she acted like that and he certainly loved to play along. They seemed to be doing a lot more of it lately. They had even gone on a few dates and Lee looked forward to spending alone time with Amanda. He hadn't even thought about dating anyone else besides Amanda for months. He didn't want to. He knew in his heart that Amanda King, the housewife from Arlington, was the one he wanted but he was not ready to tell her that. He knew that she had feelings for him even from the moment they met. She had a little crush on him. As he looked back he felt something towards her as well, but always dismissed it. Relationships were not Lee's strongest suit. Amanda would always tease him about how he would go through girlfriends. It always made him feel a little guilty when he would have a girlfriend. He knew that Amanda didn't approve of the girls he had chosen. For some reason he didn't really understand why, but Lee honestly valued Amanda's opinion.
Lee smiled to himself as he locked the door to his apartment and went down the elevator. He was really looking forward to dinner with Amanda tonight. He even went out and bought a new suit for the occasion. He never really wore navy blue suits but for some reason he felt it was right. He even found a new tie that had different shades of blue within the design. He knew that Amanda loved him in blue. He jumped into the Corvette and it purred to life. He took off towards Arlington and his thoughts continued regarding Amanda.
"How much?" Lee said as he leaned over the desk
Amanda leaned in towards Lee and smiled " Oh...we'll probably start with dinner at Spencers and then we'll take it from there!"
Lee grinned at her and his dimples were out in full force. Their faces were within inches of each other. Lee leaned in closer and his lips grazed Amanda's ever so softly.
" You have a date, Mrs. King. Let's say Friday night?"
"I look forward to it, Mr. Stetson"
Lee's thoughts were interrupted by the traffic surrounding him. He turned down the road towards Amanda's neighborhood. One phrase kept repeating in his head. " We'll take it from there!" What did that mean? Lee obviously could come up with a dozen things that could mean...but Amanda? That wasn't like her to be so forward. Lee snickered to himself and wondered just what this housewife that had captured his heart had up her sleeve. He was definitely looking forward to tonight's date.
Lee pulled the Corvette right up to the curb in front of 4247 Maplewood Drive. He knew that Dotty and the boys were gone for the weekend. The boys were with their Trailblazers group somewhere camping and Dotty was off to Richmond with her garden club. They wouldn't be home until late Sunday. Lee ran his fingers through his hair and stepped out of the car. He slowly walked up to the front door and laughed regarding the fact that he was actually ringing the bell to Amanda's front door. He took a deep breath and waited for her to answer. His thoughts rang in his ear "We'll take it from there…"
Amanda King dabbed on her perfume and checked her hair once more before slipping into her dress for the evening. She was going on a date with Lee Stetson, her partner and best friend for three years. She smiled as she thought about how far they have come not only as partners but as a couple. Amanda laughed to herself as she remembered her teasing Lee regarding a picture Francine had given her to blackmail Lee with. It was a silly picture of him wearing a basket on his head at a Christmas party. She handed Lee the picture and then something came over her and she openly flirted with him about the negative.
"It's the negative that's gonna cost you?"
Lee leaned over on his desk and smirked at her " How much?"
Amanda smiled and leaned over close to Lee and said " Oh well... we'll probably start with dinner at Spencer's and then we'll take it from there…"
Lee had given her the biggest grin with his dimples coming out in full force. She loved it when he smiled like that at her. It made her heart flutter. It was like that smile was only for her and he wanted her to know it. He brushed her lips softly with his and they made a date for Friday night. Amanda was looking forward to this date and couldn't wait to show off her new dress. It was a red off the shoulder dress with a skirt that was a bit shorter then she normally wore. She fell in love with the dress and couldn't wait to see Lee's reaction when he saw her in it. She smoothed out the skirt of the dress and then put on her black heels. She took one last look in the mirror and remembered what she said to Lee. " And we'll take it from there." What did she mean when she said that? She wasn't normally that forward when it came to Lee. They had just started seeing one another and spending more time together outside of the office. She was feeling extra flirty and she wanted to see his reaction when she said it. She was actually a bit nervous about the date. She smiled to herself as she twirled around. She knew Lee would be speechless when he saw her. Suddenly the doorbell rang and Amanda's heart started to flutter. She grabbed her clutch and wrap and went downstairs. She took a deep breath and opened the door. Her thoughts travelled to what she had said to him " We'll take it from there!"
The door swung open and Lee Stetson had to force himself to take a breath. Amanda was standing there in a red one shoulder dress that left little to the imagination. She was stunning. He always loved her in red. She invited him in and he went straight to her. He wrapped his arms around her and leaned in for a kiss. Lee didn't want to push her too fast so it wasn't a very long kiss even though he wanted to kiss her passionately. Amanda returned his kiss and smiled at him.
"You look handsome. Blue is nice."
Lee grinned at her " Thank you! You look absolutely beautiful! Red, Mrs. King, very daring of you! I am beginning to like this side of you."
Amanda blushed and told him she was ready. They walked out to the car hand in hand. Lee helped her into the Corvette and as she got in her dress managed to creep up a bit and flash Lee some of her thigh. He took a deep breath and smirked as he got in on the drivers side. He was definitely going to enjoy tonight's date.
The partners chatted all the way to the restaurant. The pact between them was that when they were out on a date there was no shop talk. They weren't allowed to talk about the Agency, old cases...or any current ones they just finished. Amanda started the conversation in the car telling Lee all about getting the boys ready to go camping. She was giggling the whole time and Lee just couldn't help but think how utterly adorable she was. How did I never see this? How can you not see how beautiful this woman is? Man.. I really have lived up to my codename because I have had this beautiful exciting woman by my side for almost three years. And I have wasted it. We'll take it from there. You are damn right Mrs. King. We are! Lee's thoughts were interrupted by Amanda asking him if he was okay. Lee smiled and took her hand. He kissed it and said he was perfect.
Amanda blushed and smiled at Lee. He continued to hold her hand as he drove to the restaurant. Amanda continued to chat about the boys and Dotty and Lee laughed as she rambled on and on. He pulled into the restaurant's parking lot and stopped the car. He jumped out and opened Amanda's door. He took her hand and helped her out. She stood right in front of him and placed her hands on his chest.
"This is for you. I just wanted you to know that I had a wonderful time tonight." Amanda stood on her tip toes as she reached up and softly brushed her lips against Lee's. When she stepped away, he stopped her. He put his arms around her waist and drew her towards him. He let everything go and he kissed her passionately. Amanda returned the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck. When they broke apart, Amanda said " Oh wow!" Lee laughed and cleared his throat " Um...yeah. That was…" Amanda put her hand on Lee's cheek. She smiled at him and said " That was perfect, Lee. Are you ready to go inside?" Lee beamed at her and took her hand. They walked into Spencers and were escorted to a table in the back. Lee helped Amanda into her seat and then took the one across from her. He ordered a bottle of wine and they settled in to look at the menus.
Lee smirked at the menu and then he looked at Amanda. His hazel green eyes twinkled as he spoke " So, Mrs. King. What do I need to do to redeem myself from that horrible picture Francine just happened to find?"
Amanda took a sip of her wine and glanced at Lee. " Well, Mr. Stetson. I believe you are doing a very good job so far." She muttered under her breath " We'll take it from there"
Lee thought she had said something but dismissed it. They ordered their dinner, a pasta entrée they would split and two salads. Lee relaxed and started enjoying this flirty side of Amanda and his thoughts lingered on her dress. Amanda noticed Lee looking at her,she blushed and said "Penny for your thoughts, Stetson?"
Lee chuckled and shook his head. "What do you think I am thinking about?"
Amanda gave him a smirk and said " Honestly I think you are thinking about me in this dress?"
Lee's eyes grew wide and his mouth dropped wide open. How does she do that? Was I that obvious? You sure are losing your touch Stetson. I swear I feel like I don't know how to act around her sometimes. Damn...she's so beautiful. Lee was still lost in his thoughts when Amanda reached over and took his hand.
"Thank you Lee."
Lee squeezed her hand and they finished their dinner. They passed on dessert when Amanda mentioned she had some homemade cake at the house. Lee took her hand and they walked back to Lee's car. Before he let her get in he scooped her into his arms and kissed her.
"Well, what was that for?" she asked.
"I wanted to do that all through dinner. Hope it was okay?"
Amanda reached up and gave him another soft kiss.
"Absolutely. You are certainly winning some brownie points tonight. You must really want that negative back!" Amanda said as she got in the car. Lee smirked as he shut the door and walked around the Corvette and got in the passenger side.
The trip back to Amanda's house was full of laughter and flirty conversations. Lee held Amanda's hand the entire time and occasionally pulled it towards him so he could kiss it. When they reached her house Lee pulled into the driveway and helped Amanda out of the car. They walked hand in hand up the walkway and in the front door. Lee still felt funny as he walked into Amanda's house using the front door. She sensed his trepidation and she took his hand. She led him into the den. She told him to make himself comfortable and would he like some wine? He said of course and followed her into the kitchen. He watched as she grabbed some glasses from the cabinet and the wine from the fridge. He walked over to her and put his arms around her. He wanted to kiss her. He needed to kiss her. And yet he hesitated and asked her " What did you mean the other day when you said we'd take it from there?"
Amanda smiled at Lee. She wanted to kiss him. She wanted him to kiss her. She looked into his beautiful hazel green eyes and was lost in them for a moment. It reminded her of the moment they met and she could see the warmth coming from his eyes and face. She walked away from him for a moment. She sighed and turned back around to face him.
"Honestly I wish I could tell you."
Lee walked over to her and took her hands. "Amanda, you can tell me anything. Come on. You are….well you are my best friend. My partner too. I am enjoying spending time with you outside of the Agency and I hope we can still do this. Is that what you wanted to hear?"
Amanda nodded. She put her hand on his chest and said "I'd really like that Lee, really."
Lee grinned at her and Amanda felt her heart skip a beat. He flashed his dimples at her and kissed the tip of her nose. He walked back into the den and turned on the radio and found a station that played jazz. He called her into the den and she watched him open the French doors to the patio. He held out his hand and she smiled as she placed her hand in his. They both felt the electricity between them. Lee scooped her into his arms and they started to move to the music.
"We don't go dancing enough do we?" Lee whispered to her.
Amanda giggled and said "No I guess we don't. We never really did when you would drag me to those embassy parties. I was just window dressing, remember?"
Lee looked at her. He took her chin into his hand. "Amanda King, you were more than window dressing. I hope you know that."
She smiled at him, " I am beginning to realize that."
Just as Lee leaned down to kiss her again they heard the front door opening. Amanda's mother, Dotty, was home early. Lee quickly kissed Amanda and ran out into the backyard as Amanda closed the French doors. She ran to the kitchen and put away the wine just as Dotty was coming into the kitchen.
" Oh Mother! What are you doing home so early? I thought you were in Richmond until Sunday? What happened?"
Dotty started rambling on and on about how the bus her Garden Club had reserved for the trip broke down halfway there and the club decided to just go home once they were finally picked up. Amanda listened to her mother but her thoughts were still replaying the night with Lee. Her mother looked at her after she finished her story and said "Amanda, darling, did you hear a word I said?"
Amanda snapped out of her trance thinking about Lee and said " What Mother?"
Dotty smirked at Amanda and said " I think you were thinking about something else. Did you have a date tonight? You look beautiful. Is that dress new?"
Amanda looked down and giggled. "Yes, Mother, I had a premier to go to. Mr. Stedman needed me to go with him."
Dotty hugged her daughter and said " This is wonderful! I hope that maybe someday I can finally meet this young man that seems to have captured your heart?"
Amanda blushed and said " Maybe Mother. I don't know if we are there yet, but you never know. Maybe someday. Good night Mother" Amanda gave her mother another hug and went upstairs as Dotty grinned at her.
***** On Monday morning, Lee Stetson walked into the Q bureau expecting to see Amanda sitting at his desk. She wasn't there yet but there was an envelope sitting in the middle of his desk. He could see Amanda's handwriting on the front and he grinned. He sat down and opened it. Inside was the negative of the embarrassing picture of Lee and a note from Amanda. Lee opened the note and the only thing it said was "We'll take it from there - A" Lee grinned and chuckled to himself. He thought about their date and quickly grabbed a notepad. He scribbled something on it and folded it. He taped it onto his computer screen and smiled. He walked out of the Q bureau and down to the bullpen hoping to see Amanda there. A few minutes later Amanda walked into the Q bureau and saw the note from Lee on his computer. Her heart skipped a beat and she had a feeling that things were definitely going to change between her and Lee and she was nervous but excited. She looked down at his note again and smiled. It said "Dinner on Friday night? And we WILL take it from there. - L'' Amanda put her purse in the bottom drawer of Lee's desk and made her way to the bullpen. She was looking forward to seeing what adventures awaited them in the future.