Chapter 69-Three Little Words

"Stemwinder, Part Two"

"We have gone over this a dozen times and I cannot do it again!" Dotty shouted at Billy. Her hands were shaking so badly that she couldn't even hold onto the coffee carafe.

Billy took it from her and poured her coffee, gently replying, "You're going to have to try."

"WHY?" she demanded as she slammed her hand down on the table, "What right do you have to come in here and terrorize me and my grandchildren?" Interrogate us like we are criminals, occupy our house, tap our phone? I wanna' tell you something. I have some questions too." She pointed an accusing finger at him.

"I'm sure you do," Billy replied as he rose from his seat to avoid her piercing eyes. "Unfortunately, I'm not at liberty to discuss anythi-"

"Don't give me that!' Dotty snapped, her voice rising to nearly a screech. "You are at liberty to do anything you darn please and you know it!" Did he think she was stupid? She'd seen the way these other agents deferred to him, followed his every order. She knew he was the man in charge. "Now, where is my daughter? When is she coming home? Who is this Stetson man that she keeps mentioning?" And why did his name keep changing? It was Sampson, then Simpson, then Steadman, now, it was Stetson. And why had this man before her not told her the first time she'd met him that he was some sort of a supervisor? She remembered vividly him telling her not to say a word about anything regarding Andrei Zernov...national security, he'd said...and now, he was pulling the same line on her about her daughter.

Billy tried hard to remain calm as he explained to Dotty West that he just didn't have the answers to give her when they were interrupted by Joe's arrival.

Dotty was grateful for the temporary respite from the very trying conversation that had been taking place as she headed to the stairs to let the boys know their father was here, but was halted by her former son-in-law's, "We've met before," directed at Mr. Melrose. They had? When? She crept back down to the bottom of the stairs just above the landing. She couldn't catch every word they were saying, but she did catch one thing very clearly, Mr. Melrose was not just a supervisor to the agents bustling around the house, but to Amanda as well.

But that means... No, it wasn't possible. She shook her head as she hurried back up the stairs in the direction of the boys' room. A sinking feeling struck her though as she made her way down the hall and reflected on her daughter's strange behavior over the past couple of years. How Amanda flinched every time she had teased her about being like a spy, how she was so evasive about what she actually did at the office, how her clothes and her car had been damaged so many times... Then there was the big one...the time Amanda had actually told her that she was a spy.

On top of that, it would go a long way to explaining why Mr. Stetson's name kept changing. Come to think of it, it would also explain why she'd received occasional calls asking for Amanda Keene or Amanda Kane. She'd simply chalked it up to computer error since so many places were now using computers these days, but now she knew; it wasn't an error at all. Amanda had been using assumed names as well. It also explained why there was so much secrecy surrounding their personal relationship. Maybe if they were working in a high-security job, as it now seemed that they were, they weren't allowed to be involved on a personal level.

"Oh, my God," she gasped as another thought struck her. Joe knew. She'd heard Mr. Melrose confirm that they'd met when he first returned from Africa. That made perfect sense now with Amanda's evasiveness at the time about why she'd insisted on going back to the office and how certain she was that "IFF" would know how to get in touch with her. They must have been investigating the allegations against Joe. Now, she was imagining that Joe must have endured the same kind of questioning that she had over that incident with Dr. Zernov; the same kind of questioning that she was enduring again now. She wasn't sure if having this explanation made her feel better or worse.

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Lee and Amanda walked into their hideout that evening, laden with shopping bags and piled them on the table. "God, I'm so tired," Lee grumbled. "But I'm also dying for a shower."

"Me too," Amanda agreed. "But you..." She gestured to the tiny bathroom off of the main room. "You should go first. You've been without one for longer than I have."

"No. Ladies' first." He repeated her gesture. "I'll just take care of things in here while you do that." He turned to move the coffee table away from the front of the hide-a-bed and removed the cushions from it.

"No, Lee, really, I insist." She began unpacking the shopping bags.

"No, I insist." He reached for the metal handle inside the sofa to pull out the bed, knowing that they'd need to get some decent rest if they were going to truly begin their fight to clear their names.

"No...mm-mm." She shook her head as she worked on yanking tags from the fresh clothing they'd just bought with part of Lee's "insurance" money.

He dropped the pull-out bed to the floor with a loud thunk in irritation and turned back to face her. "Amanda, come on! I dragged you into this mess; the least I can do is let you shower first."

Amanda stopped what she was doing to glare at him. "Dragged me into this? Let's get something straight right now! You didn't drag me into this, I volunteered to come with you, to watch your tail!"

"Whoa! Amanda, calm down." He closed the gap between them, took both of her hands in his and tried to soothe her.

"Calm down? Excellent suggestion. How do you suggest I do that? We're fugitives. My family is being interrogated by the agency, Alexi wants us dead, my children are-"

Lee stopped her with a tender kiss to her lips. "I told you I'd think of something so you can let them know that you're okay and I meant that. As for The Agency and Alexi, we'll deal with that too. But we've gotta' stick together. We're supposed to be fighting them, not each other, right?" He searched her wide eyes trying to gauge her emotions. Was she already regretting coming with him?

Amanda nodded and swallowed hard. "You're right. You're right, of course. I just...I'm just so scared." She leaned against him and he wrapped his arms around her, rocking her gently.

"I know," he agreed. "We're in a scary situation here, but..." He sighed. "But we've still got to keep our heads, huh?"

"Hard to do when I feel like we're Bonnie and Clyde again," she muttered woefully.

"We're Mr. and Mrs. Vanderhusson this time, remember?" he teased lightly. When she clung to him tighter, he knew he had to do something to cheer her up. He lifted her chin to look into her eyes and with a mischievous twinkle in his own eyes, suggested, "So, Mrs. Vanderhusson, what do you say we compromise on the shower thing and share it?"

Amanda perked up a bit. "You know, there is always that one spot on my back that I just can't reach myself."

"You know, come to think of it, I have that problem too. I sure could use your help with that," he replied with a smile.

"Clean clothes first," she responded with a firm nod as she resumed her task of unpacking the bags.

Lee soon returned to his task of making up the bed, and then moved to help her and together, they made quick work of putting away their new items, leaving out just the things they'd need for bed. As he closed the top drawer of the dresser, he thought just how much he liked seeing her things beside his. He made a mental note to clean out some of the junk in his home to make some room for her. If you're able to go home, the grim thought crossed his mind.

As they began to get undressed, Lee couldn't help thinking of just how far they'd come together. In all the times, they'd undressed around one another, this was the first time that it wasn't about simply getting each other naked so that they could get it on and satisfy a mutual need. This was for another need entirely. Those thoughts cheered him up a bit.

Amanda finished first, and he couldn't help the small smile that crossed his face as he watched her fold her soiled clothing neatly and place them in a tidy pile on the surface of the small dresser before exiting to the bathroom. He finished taking off his own clothes and following her lead, folded them and laid then beside hers, knowing that she'd balk if he just tossed them aside, as was his normal habit.

He stepped into the bathroom to find the compact room already filling with steam from the shower stall and Amanda at the sink, struggling to unclasp her necklace with shaking fingers. "Here, let me," he offered as he reached to move her hair aside. As he worked at the clasp, he noticed a bluish bruise just below her shoulder blade. "What happened here?" he questioned in i concern as he lightly fingered the spot. This was one time he felt that blue was not her color.

She shrugged as she took her necklace from him and set it down on the back of the toilet. "It must have happened when we fell off the trellis. It could have been worse." She then stepped into the shower.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he concurred as he stepped in behind her and closed the door.

"Mmm..." Amanda let out a sigh of relief as she let the hot spray wash over her, soothing her aching muscles.

Her sigh and her closed eyes began to stir something in him, that sound so like the sounds she made in the throes of passion. Shaking off that thought, Lee reached for a washcloth. "Turn around," he commanded hoarsely as he tried to maintain control over his body's reaction to her wet, naked form in front of him. When she complied, he held the cloth under the water for just long enough to dampen it, then reached for the soap, lathered it up and began to move it in soft, slow circles across her shoulders and down her back.

"Feels good," Amanda murmured.

"Yeah?" He moved the cloth down her back, to her firm, round bottom.

"Mm-hmm," she confirmed in a breathy sigh.

"Good. Maybe I should get your front too," he breathed into her ear as he moved closer to her, his hands snaking around her, one on her hip, the other holding the cloth.

When she responded, "Maybe you should," he trailed the cloth across her breasts one at a time, pressing light kisses along her neck and shoulders while he watched in delight as her nipples hardened under his touch and her sighs of contentment began to become low moans of desire. He moved his bare hand to her waist to pull her back against him, letting her know she wasn't alone in her desire. He ran the cloth down her ribcage to her flat stomach, and then feeling bolder by the reaction he was getting from her, dropped it even lower to the apex of her thighs.

"OH!" she cried as he began to manipulate the washcloth in maddeningly slow circles. "Lee, please," she implored.

"Please, what?"

"Please..." she gasped unable to form a full sentence.

"You want this, maybe?" he teased in a low voice as he pressed his erection into her backside and continued to caress her with the cloth, his other hand now moving up to her breast.

"Y-y-yes," she sputtered. When he still only continued to tease her, she yanked the cloth from his hands, turned to face him, and then crouched down.

Lee sucked in a lungful of air in anticipation of what she might do, but she didn't do what he'd expected it. Instead, she took her time running the cloth down the inside of one leg and up the other, carefully avoiding touching him...there. "Amanda," he hissed through gritted teeth.

"Turn around," she ordered as she looked up at him with a stern look on her face. He didn't know what she was up to, but he complied anyway. She repeated the motion from the back of him, down one leg and up the other. Her hand paused between his legs for just the barest of moments, her knuckles barely brushing him from behind in a way that sent shocks up his spine and made his flesh tighten and swell before she moved up to his ass.

"Honey," he growled.

Her heart skipped a beat at hearing that endearment from his lips for the second time that day. This time it was not in the comforting way he had earlier when she'd been upset and worried about her family. Now, it was all about his yearning for her. He turned back toward her abruptly, yanked on her hands to pull her back to a standing position and captured her lips in an explosive kiss, causing her to drop the cloth as she wrapped her arms around him.

He probed her mouth with his tongue as he backed her up against the shower wall, pressing his full length against her. He pulled back from her for a moment to take in the dark look of desire in her eyes and whispered hoarsely, "Do you have any idea what you do to me?"

She grinned and replied saucily, "Oh, I had a pretty good idea this morning when we were under the bridge."

"Oh..." He grimaced slightly and his face fell. "You noticed that, huh?"

"Well, it was kind of...hard not to," she chuckled.

"It's...it's kind of a guy thing...you know, morning-"

She placed a finger to his lips to quiet him. "I know that, Sweetheart. This isn't my first trip to the rodeo, you know."

"No, it certainly is not." He shook his head and then lightly caressed her face, smiling at her calling him 'sweetheart.' Three little words spoken between them had made a world of difference in their comfort level with one another. "But, is it your last?" he asked boldly.

His meaning clear to her, she nodded and answered, "I hope so."

He planted a tender kiss to her lips, his heart soaring, and then suggested, "How about we hold that thought for a while until we finish getting cleaned up."

"Good idea," Amanda agreed as she reached for the shampoo bottle. They took a long, leisurely shower together, taking their time, getting the grime from their escapades washed off while interspersing it with soft kisses and teasing touches until the water began to turn tepid and they were forced to evacuate the steamy stall.

They began to dry each other off, both feeling their freshly scrubbed skin tingling with anticipation, the tantalizing touching they'd shared in the shower leaving them wanting more. Wrapping a towel around herself, Amanda lightly brushed her lips against his before making her way back into the other room, but just as she reached for the nightgown that she'd left on the table, Lee had caught up with her and spun her around to face him, his mouth descending on hers and much like she'd done in the shower with the washcloth, dropped her nightgown to wrap herself around him.

Lee lifted her off her feet to travel the short distance to the bed, delighted by the little squeal she let out, and deposited her on it. He yanked on her towel to expose her curves to his hungry eyes. She reached for the towel at his hips, gave it a tug so that he was equally exposed to her and reached for him, her hands reaching for his firm rear to pull him closer. She took him in her mouth, her hands gripping his butt as her tongue slid over the tip of him.

"OH," he groaned as he grasped her head, his fingers tangling in her wet curls as she set his spine tingling again. "Oh, so good," he murmured, but he knew he wouldn't last long if she kept it up. He gently pushed on her shoulders, laying her back on the bed and covered her lithe body with his own, kissing her soundly as he slid into her welcoming warmth. Lying there with her, he ran one hand along her thigh, the other caressing her face and whispered softly, "I love you." He found that now that he'd said it once, he didn't want to stop saying it. He needed her to know.

"I love you," she responded in kind as she ran a hand through his hair and pushed her hips up to meet him, ran her leg down his and urged him to continue.

Taking her cue, Lee pulled back and pushed back into her again, building a slow, steady rhythm that she matched with her own, taking their time to savor the love they'd found in each other's arms. Why it had taken so long and a near-disaster for them to say the words to each other out loud, neither quite understood. They both knew it had been there all along, so why had they both been so stubborn about it?

"Oh, Sweetheart," Amanda crooned as she wrapped herself around him and they rocked together, both desiring closeness and in no hurry for completion. She found herself astonished to feel her body begin to quiver uncontrollably, her climax taking her by surprise in its suddenness and intensity. "Oh, I love you," she cried out as he reached the sweet spot deep inside her, sending her spiraling over the edge. She became lost for further words as he repeated her words back to her and erupted into her and they rode out the wave together.

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When Lee had finished explaining what Dr. Smyth had decided, she couldn't help the excitement that overtook her. It had been enough for her that she'd been the one to take Sonja down. She'd never forget the inner glee she'd felt as she'd turned the gun on the vacuous vixen and the look of utter defeat on the other woman's face. The fact that it had earned her a promotion was just the icing on the cake.

"So...uh...how is everybody," Lee asked hesitantly, wanting to probe further about the scene he'd just witnessed on her front porch. "Your mom, the kids..." He paused and added pointedly, "Your ex?"

Amanda answered knowingly, "He's fine. You're jealous." She couldn't help the smug satisfaction she gained at seeing him nod in acknowledgment for a change instead of denying his jealousy as he usually did. What a difference three little words made. "Don't be jealous," she reassured him. "I love him. I'm always gonna' love him...but I'm in love with you."

Just then she heard her mother's voice calling through the open kitchen window, "Amanda, did you get him?"

Looking straight at Lee, she deadpanned, "I'm working on it!"

Lee smiled at her. If she only knew, he thought, the ring he'd bought her burning a hole in his pocket, but now wasn't the time. She needed time to regroup, to be with her family and besides, he wanted to set up the perfect romantic evening for them to give it to her. Sonja may have ruined the first one, but there'd be others. Now that he knew she loved him, he felt certain of that.

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After Amanda had run outside, Dotty shook her head with a light chuckle at her daughter's rapid departure out the back door with her obvious lie about the Fergusons' dog being in the yard again. She knew that was another of Amanda's works of fiction. She'd seen the Fergusons load the dog into the car in his travelling kennel just this afternoon to take him to the vet in the hopes that having him neutered would stop his wanderlust tendencies after he'd tried to bite one of the visiting federal agents, the one they called Fielder. It was his own fault, of course, because she'd warned him not to mess with the beast, but he'd insisted that he was trained to handle anything.

She supposed she should be angry at her daughter for keeping secrets, but really, how could she stay mad when the younger woman was just following her heart and trying to do what she felt was right? That's what she had always taught Amanda to do, so how could she fault her for that? Clearly, Amanda had been right in doing so because the investigation had been closed and all the charges against both of them dropped, the manhunt called off and she was back home again with her family where she belonged.

She'd had a bit of fun this evening at trying to make her daughter uncomfortable with her web of lies as she'd complained long and loud about Mr. Melrose and the "Brouhaha over a couple of film people," knowing that they were no such thing. Amanda seemed completely unfazed by it though, simply replying, "I'm sure he was just doing his job." She'd bet her entire savings that the "dog" in question in the yard was none other than Lee Stetson. She peered out the kitchen window to see if she could catch a glimpse of him, but no such luck. Of course, she'd expected not since the kitchen window overlooked the side of the house and not the backyard.

Dotty couldn't resist teasing her just a bit more and called out the window, "Amanda? Did you get him?" laughing at the reply that came back. "I just bet you are, My Darling," she mused to herself. It had occurred to her that if she were willing to abandon everything, even her children, to follow this man and be by his side when everyone else was against him, she must really feel deeply for him. The way that he was getting bolder about hanging around the neighborhood these days and not bothering to hide his car down the block anymore, she had a feeling he felt the same. She smiled at the thought that maybe...just maybe, he might be bold enough to knock on the front door someday soon.