Chapter 3

Notes: Okay … I imagine by now most of you reading know this, but just in case … I might as well say it now; this story is probably going to focus more on Lee and Amanda's relationship than anything else, so in other words, you have been warned in advance, there will be fluff … haha.

Also, Like I have said, I have loved this show for a really long time, but I was really young when I watched it, and I forgot that because of monday night football, the airing order of the episodes was different than the production order. So, to clarify, this story would be happening between "Over the Limit" and "Tail of the dancing weasel" (going by the order on the DVD's) I am sorry for any confusion this might have caused.

Also ... WOW! I wasn't expecting this to get so much traffic! Thanks to all who read it and reviewed it! I really appreciate it!


Lee awoke to the first rays of the spring sunrise beginning to filter through the curtains, it was then a wonderful smell wafted into his nostrils. It was a combination of freshly brewing coffee and something else he couldn't quite put his finger on, but one thing was for sure, it smelled wonderful.

"Good morning!" Amanda said cheerfully as he sleepily made his way down stairs, running his hands through his uncharacteristically tousled hair, Amanda grinned in spite of herself, he reminded her of her boys when they first got up in the morning.

"Oh, gosh, I hope I didn't wake you, I tried to be as quiet as I could." She said as she scooped another serving of pancakes off the griddle.

"You didn't wake me, the smell of whatever that is did … it smells … great!" Lee exclaimed.

"Blueberry pancakes." She said with a smile.

"My favorite … how did you know?" Lee replied.

"Lucky guess." Amanda said with a sheepish shrug as she set a large stack in front of him, along with a steaming cup of fresh coffee.

He took a deep sip and was surprised to find that it had been prepared just the way he liked it. "Cream and two sugars, just how'd you know?" he said.

"Well, we've been working together for over two years now and I see you make your coffee almost every morning, kinda hard not to remember." She said as she took a deep sip of her cup as she gestured to the plate piled high with pancakes in front of him.

"Eat up, you can't get well if you don't eat." She said in that authoritative, motherly way that only Amanda King could.

Lee grinned in spite of himself as he did as he was told.


Outside Amanda's house, a man sits in a car, looking through a pair of binoculars, without breaking from them, he reaches for his radio.

"I've found where they're stashing Stetson, the address is 4247 Maplewood drive."

"Good, good, stay on em, first chance you get, you know what to do." A voice crackles over the frequency.

"Rodger that." He replies.

"Amanda, I wish you'd let me go with you." Lee insisted as Amanda grabbed her purse on her way to the door.

"I'm just going to the store, and you're supposed to be taking it easy, remember?" she replied.

"I know I'd just … feel better if I went too, you know?" Lee replied.

"Lee, I'm just going to the grocery store and to run a few errands, something I have been doing on my own long before I met you." She said, not realizing how harsh her words had come out; Lee tried to hide it, but she caught the hurt look that flashed across his face.

"Okay, you're welcome to come if it'll make you feel better, and then you can help me with my shopping list." She said as she offered him a sweet smile.

Lee grinned in spite of himself; Amanda's sweet nature, her desire to never hurt anyone's feelings, to always be positive was one of the many things about her that had grown on him.


"Here, you take this page, and I'll do this one." Amanda said as they pulled into a parking space at the grocery store.

"Two pages?! Who the hell are you feeding, the entire US army?" Lee quipped.

"Close, I have two teenage boys that will be coming home from camp hungry as horses ... plus I have you to feed now, too." Amanda said matter of factly.

Lee shot her a look as he escorted her inside, they each grabbed carts and went their separate ways, reading their lists.

"Okay …" Amanda said to herself as she picked up a large box of Oaties. Busy studying her list and muttering to herself about the price of cereal, she blindly turned the corner to the right and ran smack into another shopping cart.

"Oh my gosh! I am so sorry I …wasn't watching where I was going and …" She trailed off as her eyes fell on the tall, handsome man pushing the cart she had run into. She had to bite back a smile as she saw he also had a list in his hand.

"No it's quite all right, I wasn't looking where I was going, either." He chuckled, his voice was a deep baritone and his laughter lit up his emerald eyes, Amanda thought she heard a touch of a foreign accent in his speech.

"I don't think I ever remember seeing you shopping here before." The man said.

"I don't see how, I have two teenage boys so I come here almost every week." Amanda replied sweetly.

"Ah, married?" The stranger said, he looked genuinely disappointed at the thought of her being married.

"Divorced." Amanda corrected him, his green eyes lit up.

"Then maybe it is my lucky day after all." He chuckled deeply again as he stepped around his cart and up to her.

"Name's Leonidas Makris." He said as he offered his hand to her, Amanda took it, smiling flirtatiously, she just couldn't help it, he was quite handsome after all.

"Amanda King." She replied, her cheeks flushing.

Lee, having finished his half of the list, was trolling the store, looking for Amanda, he exited the bread isle and was about to round the corner when he heard Amanda's voice … and she wasn't alone. Lee rounded the corner to see her talking with … another man?! Lee immediately felt the volcano that is his notoriously short temper threaten to erupt and before he could stop himself, he was making a beeline toward them as they talked.

"Well, Amanda King, I hope you don't think me too forward if I ask you for your number." Leonidas said.

Lee couldn't believe what he was hearing, surely Amanda wasn't going to give this joker her number … was she?

"Why no, not at all." Amanda said with a smile as she dug a pencil out of her purse, turned her grocery list over and scribbled her number on the back. As she handed it to him, she heard her name being called. Oh, drat, Lee … Amanda suddenly felt herself start to panic.

"Amanda! There you are! I've been looking all over this damn place for you!" Lee said, Amanda cleared her throat nervously, she could feel the anger emanating from him, she assumed it was because he had been trying to find her in the vast grocery store.

"Well, Amanda King, I guess this is goodbye … for now." Leonidas said as he took hold of her hand and brought it sensually to his lips.

If this hadn't been such an awkward moment for Amanda, she might have laughed out loud at the comically indignant expression on Lee's face as he watched the handsome stranger leave their company.

"Come on, let's check out." Amanda said, trying unsuccessfully to break the tension between them.


The drive back to her house was uncomfortably silent. Amanda could feel the anger emanating from Lee like the vapors off a lava flow, they pulled up to a stop light and she took the opportunity to pluck up the courage and steal a sideways glance at Lee. His gaze was stony and fixed on the road ahead, and the muscles in his jaw were working as he ground his teeth.

Amanda swallowed audibly, though his surly mood made her quite uncomfortable, she felt a sudden twinge of sadness; things had been going so well up until now … or so she thought, she was starting to regret her impulse decision to flirt with another man.

Lee however, was oblivious to anything that was going on around him, he was so caught up in struggling with his own feelings. He couldn't help himself, he saw Amanda talking to another man and he just … reacted. The thought of her with someone else made him feel physically sick, and that scared the hell out of him.

He barely noticed when they turned into her drive, she didn't even ask him to help with her groceries, she slipped out the door as quietly as she could and started unloading them by herself. Lee suddenly snapped back to reality and flung the passenger side door open with such force that the hinges groaned their protest as he exited the car in a huff, slamming the door behind him so hard that it made the entire car shake.

"If you don't want to help, you don't have to." Amanda said as he barged in front of her as she came back to the car for her third trip and roughly grabbed two handfuls of groceries.

"Why? You want Leonidas to help you?" Lee sneered.

"You're jealous!" She said in sudden realization.

Lee froze … he was busted, so his knee jerk reaction was to try and save any shred of male dignity he had left.

"I am not, I just … with everything that's been going on lately … I just … don't think that you should be talking to strangers!" Lee blurted out.

Amanda felt her heart break, maybe she had been misreading him all this time, maybe she had been seeing things that just weren't there. Of course he would be mad at her for talking to a stranger after all that had happened. And here she was thinking it was because he harbored secret feelings for her …she had never felt so foolish.

"It's not like we're … involved, Lee, you can't tell me who I can see and who I can't." Amanda spat out in retort.

Lee was caught off guard at the uncharacteristic venom her words carried.

"Well … you do what you want … it's your life …no one's stopping you." He replied trying to cover up how much her words stung.

His heart clinched painfully at the hurt look she gave him before turning and hurrying upstairs. He sank onto the couch, fisting his hair in his hands. What had he just done? He just might have destroyed the friendship that had developed between them; and not only that, he probably ruined any chance he might have had of moving beyond friendship with Amanda.


Amanda looked forlornly out the window of the quaint restaurant Leonidas has chosen for their date that next evening. She hadn't seen or spoken to Lee since their fight the night before, for two people who were staying in the same house, Lee sure knew how to make himself scarce.

She suddenly felt a hand cover hers, snapping her back to reality, she blushed as she suddenly realized how rude she was being to her date.

"I am sorry, Leonidas, I guess my mind is somewhere else tonight." She said apologetically.

"More like with someone else." Leonidas said with a sad smile.

Amanda blushed, there was no way she could deny it. "I'm sorry, Leonidas I ..." She launched into an explanation.

"Amanda, it's okay, I want you to know that I really like you, and if I thought I had even a ghost of a chance with you I would take you into my arms and kiss you for as long as we had left on this earth. But I know that your heart belongs to someone else, I just hope that he can realize what a lucky man he is before it's too late."

"I'm really sorry, I really didn't mean to lead you on, and I have enjoyed myself tonight." Amanda said, she was telling the truth, she really had enjoyed their time together, but she couldn't make her heart love someone, no matter how perfect they seemed to be.

Leonidas smiled genuinely. "I know, Amanda, but I have one last thing to ask of you, if this is it for us, may I have a goodbye kiss?" He asked, Amanda smiled sweetly at him, she didn't see the harm in an innocent kiss.

"Sure." She said. He cupped her face in his hands and their lips met in a soft, polite, but tender kiss. She had to give it to him, he was a great kisser.

Lee had followed them to the restaurant, and now he was sitting his car outside of the restaurant watching this entire scene unfold. This was it, he had lost his chance, not that he could blame her, he had been a total jerk to her for half the time they had known each other.

His heart broke as he watched them part, and take hold of one another's hands on top of the table. He was jealous, angry, hurt, so many emotions, he wanted to burst in there, and deck that asshole … he should be him in there, sitting in his place, but it wasn't, and it now it might never be, because of his stubborn pride.

It was then that he realized that there was something there, and it had been growing for a long time, he had just been too caught up in denying it, and now it might be too late. He couldn't watch anymore, he threw his car into drive and peeled out away from the restaurant, not even caring if she saw him leave or not. He didn't know where he was going, but he had to get away from there.

"Thank you, Amanda, I really did have a great time, and I hope this is not the last time we see each other, even if it would be just as friends." Leonidas said with a grin.

Amanda smiled as she hugged him warmly. "Thanks for walking me to my car, sorry you had to walk so far, there were no close parking spots by the time I got here." she replied, Leonidas had ridden his Harley and was able to slip into a spot right in front of the restaurant.

"It's no trouble at all, I promise." He replied.

"Well ... goodnight." she said as he opened her door for her and she slid in.

"Goodnight, Amanda King." he said as he watched her drive away.

Amanda was deep in thought as she drove, she should be happy, she had a great date with a very nice, handsome, charming man, but she wasn't. In fact, she felt worse. Leonidas was right, her heart did belong to someone else, whether she liked it or not.

Just then, she felt the cold steel of a gun press against the back of her head.

"Don't turn around, or stop, just keep driving. Try anything funny, and you're dead." a voice hissed into her ear.