A Lousy One Nighter

by HeyToots

Author's Note: The following story is a filler for Remembrance of Things Past. It takes place after Dotty and the boys come home early, relegating Lee to the garage.

Chapter 1: "She's Moving Me into the Garage."

A waterlogged Lee finished his conversation with Billy and handed the phone to Amanda through the kitchen window. Despite the fact that Dotty had safely retreated to her bedroom with her nightly concoction, Amanda was still cautious about being overheard. "Meet me in the garage," she whispered. She gathered some towels, blankets, and a pillow from her bed, snuck back downstairs, and threw everything into a laundry basket with a few bottles of water and some snacks.

She took advantage of the break in the rain and carried the basket out to the garage where Lee was waiting impatiently for her. Amanda took a deep breath when she reached the garage. Knowing what kind of mood he'd be in, she braced herself before opening the door. She plastered on a bright smile.

Lee was pacing back and forth, dripping water into a puddle beneath him. Amanda tried to hide her amusement at his expense, but he looked absolutely soaked and pitiful, like a drowned rat. The squishing of his shoes almost put her over the edge. "Well, this certainly wasn't what we expected, huh? No evening for 'normal' people now. But no bother, this is just a little kink in the plan."

"A little kink in the plan? A kink in the - ?" Lee's voice cracked in exasperation. "A little kink was not having the enoki mushrooms to complement the squid! A little kink is me having to wear another man's clothes! Noooo…. This isn't a little kink - this is the whole damn chain breaking!" He gestured around the garage with his arms outspread. "Where the hell am I supposed to live?"

"Well, that's just it, isn't it?" Amanda responded. "You're supposed to be dead!" She laughed nervously and set the laundry basket onto the floor. She continued to speak as she dragged a ladder over to a metal shelving unit in the corner, set it up, and climbed up several rungs. "But we will just have to make the best of it until you catch the guy who tried to kill you. You can camp out here as long as it takes." She reached up and dragged two toddler mattresses from the top shelf and let them drop to the floor in a small puff of dust.

Lee looked down at the tiny mattresses at his feet. He murmured under his breath. "No, you aren't expecting me to - No way, they're too small." Lee shook his head and squeezed the bridge of his nose, as Amanda hopped down from the ladder and arranged the mattresses on the floor, side by side.

"Amanda…" Lee began.

Amanda put her hand up to stop him. "It'll be fine, Lee. You'll be fine." She studied the mattresses for a moment. After sizing up Lee from head to toe, she rearranged the mattresses end-to-end to better match Lee's height.

"There," she said brightly. "That'll do it." She pulled some blankets and the pillow from the laundry basket and began to make his bed.

"I had to sleep in Jamie's little bed last night and now you want me to sleep on these? What are these anyway?"

"They're toddler mattresses," Amanda replied matter-of-factly. She grinned.

"They're covered with bunnies and bears!" Lee protested.

"And they will keep you comfortable for the duration of your stay. Those bunnies and bears kept Philip and Jamie comfortable for years!"

Lee growled in frustration and clenched his hands into tight fists. "Ah, it doesn't matter anyway."

There was a vulnerability in his voice that made Amanda stop what she was doing and look up at him. Lee looked beleaguered. His hair was matted against his head and was dripping down his cheeks. His sweater looked heavy and waterlogged. His entire body was soaked, and the cold temperature in the garage was causing him to shiver.

Lee looked down at Amanda and extended his arms towards her. "If I don't get out of these wet clothes soon, I won't need to pretend I'm dead. I really will be dead - from hypothermia!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Lee! I just plain forgot. You're soaked!" She reached into the laundry basket and retrieved a fresh towel. She tossed it gently to him, and he caught it gratefully. He began vigorously rubbing his hair with the towel.

"My bag is at the far end of Jamie's bed," Lee began. "You're going to need to get that out of there before they wake up. Hopefully they didn't notice it when they came home. But in the meantime, I need to get into dry clothes. Do you have anything I could use? Maybe something that doesn't resemble someone's basement couch?"

Before he was even done talking, Amanda climbed up the ladder again and tugged on a box labeled "CAMPING GEAR". When she reached the floor, she rummaged around the box until she found a small stack of clothing, folded neatly on the bottom.

Without looking up, she handed Lee a sweatshirt and sweatpants. "These were Joe's. You're a bit bigger than him, but I think these will do all right until I can wash your clothing ..." Her voice trailed off as she raised her eyes to look at him. Lee had pulled his wet sweater over his head and dropped it onto the floor. He was standing with his back to her, shirtless, only a foot or so away.

Amanda swallowed hard. She suddenly felt self-conscious, being this close to him without a shirt. His smooth skin stretched tight across his shoulders and down his back, where toned muscles contracted and relaxed with each swipe of his arms. The bandage over the wound on his shoulder had started to come off, and she reached back in the box for a first aid kit.

"I need to change your bandage, Lee," she said softly. She grabbed for his hand and led him to a stool by the workbench.

Lee protested, "Ah, it's fine, Amanda. I just have to fix the tape."

Amanda ignored him and gently removed the rain-soaked bandage from Lee's shoulder. She gasped at the gash and jagged stitches that held the wound together. "Oh, Lee, it looks terrible!" Amanda observed as she opened the first aid kit for supplies.

"Eh, it's not so bad," he scoffed. Then, leaning closer, Amanda began to clean the wound.

Lee would have put up a fight with whomever was taking care of him, but there was something about Amanda's soft voice and gentle touch that soothed him. He sucked in deeply as the antiseptic stung his skin.

They were so close that he could smell her light perfume. He studied her while she changed his bandages as if seeing her for the first time. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she worked, but when she finished, she smiled brightly. Her brown eyes sparkled at him.

"There. All better. I wish I had a lollipop or something to give you." Amanda said, causing them both to laugh.

Amanda sobered up when she noticed the newly healing scar of the gunshot wound below his other shoulder. It hadn't been that long since that cold Christmas Eve night in the cabin. Gingerly, she reached towards the scar and tenderly circled around the outside of the wound with her finger. "Ohhh, does it still hurt?" She looked up, into his eyes. He stared intently back at her.

Without losing her gaze, he slowly shook his head. "It's okay, almost as good as new." He gave her a crooked smile as he fought the urge to respond to her delicate touch. He remembered how she held his head to her chest and stroked his hair while they waited for help on Christmas Eve. And while he hated to admit it, she saved his life that night.

The thunder rumbled in the distance, and they could hear the rain start up again. Amanda suddenly became aware of how close she was to him. Her heart raced at his nearness, and she averted her eyes for a moment to ground herself, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks. Her unmistakable attraction was heightened by the taut skin covering his broad, smooth chest and defined muscles. He had the most amazing torso she'd ever seen, and while this was not the first time she had seen it, it was the first time she truly noticed it.

She could barely breathe.

TBC