An M-rated chapter. This is your warning!

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"I have had dreams and I have had nightmares, but I have conquered my nightmares because of my dreams." - Jonas Salk

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An hour later, Lee stuck his head out the door to check the hallway, then leaned back in and gestured for Amanda to step out. "I'll walk you back to your room, Vicky darling." He glanced down as she passed him and grinned at the way she was adjusting her clothes to make it look like she'd just scrambled into them again.

Francine came to lean in the doorway and wave them off. "Well, I haven't had that much since my sorority days. I'll see you at breakfast Vicky?"

"Better make it lunch Frannie, some of us might stay up for a while." Amanda couldn't resist bugging her and didn't bother to hide her smile when Francine couldn't resist pretending to shudder in response. "Good night." She leaned over to give her hug and whispered "I'll see you at breakfast." Francine gave her a quick smile and walked back into the room.

They waited until she shut the door and heard the bolt slide shut before moving towards the elevator, arms draped loosely around each other. "Alright, what's up with her? She's really on edge" Amanda asked quietly once they were in the elevator.

"I'll tell you in a minute," Lee answered, pulling her into a deep kiss. By the time the doors opened again, they were both breathless.

"Which room?" he asked

"406 – down there" She began to laugh as he started half-dragging her down the hallway until he suddenly came to an abrupt halt and she crashed into his back.

"Who the hell is that?" Lee started to move quickly down the hallway again as Amanda peered around him to see a young man leaving her room.

"Lee! Lee, stop! That's Adam! He came with me." she hissed.

The agent had looked up as Lee came down the hallway at him, and a look of sheer panic had crossed his face at the expression on Lee's.

"Good evening sir" he stammered as Lee stopped dead at Amanda's words. "Hi, uh, Miss Greenwich. I was just dropping off your other bag. And – uh – fumigating." He opened his jacket to reveal the same handheld unit Francine and Lee had in their rooms.

"Thank you Adam. I'll certainly sleep easier knowing there's no creepy-crawlies in there." She took Lee by the arm and started him moving again. "You have a good night now but keep your ears open alright? Your next-door neighbour is a notorious snorer."

The young agent nodded and almost ran for the elevator, he was so eager to get away from the infamous Scarecrow.

"My God" Lee muttered as they went into her room. "The newbies get younger every day."

"No, we just get older. Gimme a second to call Francine. I want to remind her he's in the room next to hers for backup." She picked up the phone and dialled Francine's room number and spoke quietly for a few minutes before finally turning back to Lee and stepping into his embrace. "Alone at last."

"Damn, I've missed you" They stood wrapped in each other's arms for several moments. He could feel Amanda relaxing under his touch, tension draining from her as she leaned into his chest, breathing in his scent. "I get the impression the feeling's mutual?"

"Oh you don't even know" groaned Amanda. "It's been quite a week."

"Want to tell Dr. Stetson all about it?" he asked, even as he began undoing the zip on her dress and was rewarded with a throaty chuckle.

"Maybe later. First tell me what's up with Francine."

Lee groaned and looked down to see if she was serious, even though he already knew she was. "She's afraid of being drugged again. Turns out Mrs. Welch did quite a number on her head."

"She told you that?" Amanda asked in an amazed tone.

"Not out loud."

"Ah." She thought for a moment and looked back up at him. "I should have known something was up when she asked Billy to send me down here."

Lee stared down at her, startled. "She what?"

"You didn't know? She called him last night to see if he could spring me from Station One, and it turned out I was already on my way home anyway. I barely had time to say hello to him and I was on a plane here. Any idea why?"

Lee thought back to his conversation with Francine the night before. "Maybe a few but honestly? I'm just glad she did."

"Me too" Amanda, now busily working away on Lee's shirt buttons, smiling at his growl when she gently ran her tongue across his nipple. She felt him tugging her dress down and stepped back to let it slip off and land in a puddle at her feet before turning her attention to doing the same to his shirt.

"I must say I like this version of Victoria Greenwich a lot better" chuckled Lee as he ran his hands down her back and began to flick open the snaps on her garter belt. He paused when Amanda tensed against him.

"Don't" she whispered against his chest.

"Don't?"

"No covers. Just you and me."

"Sounds good to me. I prefer my Amanda any day." He felt her start to relax again and leaned down to scoop her off her feet. Placing her gently on the bed, he quickly stripped off his clothes, leaving them in a heap on the chair while Amanda watched appreciatively through half-closed lids. He knelt on the bed and gestured her to move. "Roll over."

She studied him for a moment and then obeyed. "I'm almost afraid to ask" she murmured before moaning in delight as he began massaging her shoulders.

"If I'd known you were coming, I'd have packed massage oil, but this should still help."

"I'm sure I'll be coming later" she grinned wickedly at him over her shoulder from the pillow before closing them in pleasure as his hands worked their magic.

He frowned as his fingers traced over a large bruise on her ribs before kissing it lightly. "How'd you get this one?"

"Zigged when I should have zagged on the obstacle course." she answered sleepily. "No bikinis for me at the pool tomorrow."

Lee was now sliding her stockings down her legs, one at a time, his lips following his fingertips, caressing every inch of her skin. Amanda couldn't help shivering as he began dropping light kisses on the small of her back while his hands slowly slipped her garter and panties down and off to join the stockings.

"Cold?" She could hear the smile in his voice.

"Hardly" she answered with a soft groan. His hands had moved back up her body and he was slowly caressing her, down her sides, over her buttocks and down, then back up the insides of her thighs, each time coming just a little closer to where she ached for his touch but not quite reaching it. "Leeeee" she couldn't help breathing out his name in frustration as her hips shifted, straining to follow his fingers. She could hear him chuckle softly and then felt his mattress shift under his weight as he lay down beside her and rolled her into his arms.

"More relaxed now?" he asked, hazel eyes twinkling at her across the pillow.

"Yes and no" she smiled at him.

"I'll have to keep trying then." He rose on one elbow so that she tipped gently onto her back and began trailing kisses down her neck and breastbone before taking one aching nipple between his lips and flicking it with his tongue while his hand caressed the other in a matching rhythm. Her back arched involuntarily as her whole body reached out to his. His hand left her breast and gently stroked her body until it was resting on her stomach between her hips. Amanda could feel her womb contract under its warmth and lifted her hand to rest it on top of his. Lee could hear her heart beating furiously through the ear he had pressed to her chest. When he went to move his hand lower, she suddenly tightened her grip and lifted it to carry it upwards to her face instead, bringing it in close to plant a kiss on his palm. Lifting his head to look in her eyes, he could see the longing raging in their brown depths.

"No more, you got me frazzled enough at dinner. Just come to me now" she murmured, reaching down to pull him back up her body until he lay nestled between her thighs, his arousal straining against the warmth he could feel waiting for him.

"Your wish is my command, sweetheart." He lifted his upper body off her so he could look into her eyes as he slowly eased himself inside her. As he began to move back and forth slowly, her lips curved into a smile, then as her body rocked to match his rhythm, she reached up to pull him back down so she could wrap one arm around his back while the other pulled his head close to hers.

"I love you Lee Stetson" she whispered against his face. In the fraction of a second between heartbeats, as his lips rested against her right cheek, Lee relived his confession to Francine the night before, of that awful afternoon at Ned's. He jerked back as a wave of emotion overtook him as it hit that somehow he and Amanda had travelled together from that moment to this. He realized he'd stopped moving and opened his eyes to stare down into Amanda's, dark pools of desire gazing back at him with a lovelight he knew was for him alone.

"I love you too, Amanda" he answered, voice cracking with emotion.

"So show me," she smiled lazily at him and rocked her hips against his, pulling him in to grip him tightly.

Lee began to thrust into her again, gently at first then with increasing speed as she moaned and gasped encouragement and endearments in equal measure, matching every movement. As he felt himself approaching the cliff's edge, he rolled onto his back, carrying her with him, still embedded in her core and braced his feet against the bed so he could push up into her. Instinct took over and she put her hands on his chest, lifting herself slightly so that she could press her aching flesh more firmly against his pelvic bone. He watched with satisfaction as the telltale signs of her orgasm began, the flush rising up her body, the way her eyes began to flutter under her closed lids, the complete silence as her entire being reached out for the release and then the low keening moan of delight as her warmth began to spasm around him and her body shook uncontrollably.

"Leeeeee". This time she breathed out his name as a benediction and he could no longer hold himself back from tipping over into bliss with her, calling her name in response.

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They were sleeping tangled in each other other's arms a few hours later when Amanda suddenly came awake, struggling to get upright, calling for him. Lee was awake in an instant, tightening his arms around her, repeating her name over and over as he recognized the recurrence of her Birol nightmare. He'd soothed her through many nights of them at his apartment when they'd realized they needed each other to recover and knew she just needed to know he was really there.

Finally she was awake, curled into his body, still shaking, while he stroked her hair and murmured nonsense into her ear. When he finally felt her heartbeat slow under his hand, he ventured to ask, "Is this why you went home early from Station One?"

"No," she shook her head. "This is my first one in a few weeks. Actually, it was all going really well. I was on my way to finishing early anyway when –." She paused and took a deep breath. "When it got to the pressure tests. I'm in complete sympathy with Francine, I was dreading it – it's so unnerving knowing someone is going to have complete control over you and hearing you say she was scared about this probably set my stress off again. Anyway, in the end, McJohn and Pfaff both said no to me doing the tests."

Lee let out a snort of annoyance. "Damn straight they said no – what was Beaman thinking even scheduling it?"

"He didn't schedule it – it's just part of the standard stuff at this level and he had 11 other people he was paying more attention to."

Lee suddenly took in what she was saying. "So wait, does this mean you didn't pass? That you don't get to pass?"

"No, it just means the rest of the tests get delayed for a few weeks. Billy is filling in exemption paperwork and until that gets approved, I can't finish. Maybe it's just as well – if I'm having nightmares again, maybe it's a sign I need to slow down training for a while."

"And coming here to work is your idea of slowing down?" he smiled at her. "The nightmares suggest otherwise, Morticia."

"Are you kidding? This is heaven – sun, sand, you. I think, I've just been going non-stop for so long that my subconscious took the first sign of relaxation to kick me in the butt. First I was stressed about having to do the tests and then I was stressed about not getting to do the tests and then I got home and found you gone. I couldn't believe it. I was a basket case by the time I got to Billy's office."

"There's a note in the Q Bureau telling you where I was. I didn't want to leave anything at the house with your mother around."

"I never even made it upstairs to see it. Two hours after talking to Billy, I was already on the plane down here. He might be on to us – I was so wrought up with the training problems and lack of sleep that I might have been just a little too enthusiastic about this job."

"It wouldn't surprise me – he's a smart guy. And I think Francine has her suspicions too - that may be why she called Billy."

"So we're not very good at being covert lovers, are we?"

"I don't think they know how involved we are yet – just that there's something there. They might figure it out when we tell them we're engaged though."

Amanda laughed and held up her hand to stare at the ring on it. "The best part of this job is getting to wear this openly."

"The best part? Really? I can think of better parts." Lee began running his fingers up and down her body.

"No you're right – it's second after getting to spend the day listening to Francine's suggestions for my wedding to the White House senior staffer and taking notes on any really good ideas she comes up with. I hope you've allowed a really big wedding budget." Her giggles turned to squeals as the tickling intensified until she finally managed to wriggle enough to get her hands between their bodies and stroke him until she had his full attention. "Checkmate, mon amour."

He gave a bark of laughter before saying "Oh no, I have a few moves left, Morticia." He begin nibbling his way down her body, enjoying the little shivers she couldn't help. When he stopped to run his tongue over the ticklish spots just above the thatch of curly hair, she gave a low moan of pleasure and ran her fingers through his hair. "Okay, you win" she whispered, "it's only the second best thing about this job."

He crossed his hands across her body and rested his chin on them to smile up at her. "Have you really spent all day discussing wedding plans with Francine?"

"Of course not. I only got here this afternoon." She let out another yelp when he tickled her in response to the smartass response. "But you wouldn't believe how much stuff she came up with as part of our cover conversation before you joined us. I hope she finds a nice wealthy prince to give her that dream wedding but ours is going to be nothing like it." She stopped suddenly and lifted her head to meet his eyes. "Right?"

"Are you kidding? I've already booked the Army-Navy Club for the reception. It'll drive my uncle crazy." As she began to crow with laughter, he went on "No seriously, can you imagine it? Half a dozen people on my side of the church and half of Arlington on yours? Nope, a jug of wine, a loaf of bread and thou – that's all I need. But you know what my favourite line in the wedding vows is? 'With my body I thee worship'. We really need to make sure that's in there." His lips and hands had already started to move over her again.

"Care to demonstrate, Big Fella?"

"Always, my Amanda."