Chapter 3: Season 3

Part One: A Lovely Little Affair

As she stood beside Lee in the closet elevator, just moments after he'd asked her to join him for a night at the opera, Amanda couldn't hide the grin on her face. He called me "Toots", she giggled to herself.

Lee glanced down at her and returned the smile. "What's so funny?" He asked, amused with his partner. There was nothing like Amanda's giggle. She didn't giggle a lot, but when she did, it was pure joy and music to his ears.

"You. Called. Me. 'Toots'!" She managed to reply, no longer trying to silence herself.

Lee joined her with his own baritone laugh. "Oh, yeah, I did, didn't I?"

She tried to catch her breath. "It's such an old-timey thing to say. I hadn't heard the name 'Toots' in years. It's something my grandpa would have called my grandma," she added.

Lee stopped laughing. "Oh, gee, Amanda. I'm sorry. I didn't mean -"

Amanda swatted at his chest. "No, no, Lee. It was funny! I never expected you to ever use such an old fashioned word. You caught me off guard." She laughed.

Relieved, he laughed too. After a moment, he turned to her, taking both of her hands in his. "Hey, Toots," he began, trying to feign seriousness. "Instead of picking you up at eight, why don't I pick you up at six so we can grab some dinner first. Whaddaya say?"

Her stomach leapt when he took her hands in his. The look in his eyes made her weak in the knees, and she was surprised that she could still stand. Suddenly shy, she nodded. "I'd love to."

Lee walked her to her car, waited for her to unlock the door, and then held it open for her. Gently, he helped her into the driver's seat, made sure she was securely inside, and carefully shut the door. He tapped on the window.

She lowered it and peered up at him. "Looking forward to tonight," he said softly.

She smiled, her cheeks becoming pink. "Me too, Lee. See you soon." And with that, she pulled out of her parking spot to hurry home to get ready for their date.

Part Two: We're Off to See the Wizard

Amanda could feel the tension in Lee's body even though she was not touching him. He and Paul Barnes almost had a brawl right there in the hallway outside of the elevators. It was rare she saw so much anger in his eyes, and that anger spread throughout his entire body, causing him to shake. His breath came in shallow gulps.

When the elevator doors opened, she gently pulled on his arm to coax him inside with her, and once the doors closed, her hand remained firmly on him, trying to send her empathy into him. She slowly ran her hand up and down his sleeve in an effort to calm him, and then finally slid her hand into his, lacing their fingers together.

Not a word was uttered. Nothing really needed to be said. She just held his hand quietly, and stood beside him, allowing him the space to sort out his feelings.

When the doors opened, she turned to him and asked, "Coffee?"

He nodded. "Yeah," he breathed, and followed her to her car.

Part Three: Over the Limit

Lee turned to Amanda. "Uh, where was I? Oh yeah. Uh, everything's all set up in case O'Keefe calls. You're going straight home, right?"

Amanda clenched her teeth in frustration, tossing her head back as she groaned. "Oh!" She laughed sarcastically and started towards the elevator. "Go straight home, Amanda. Story of my life. School, dentist, grocery store, then straight home. Never been to the UN. Never been on the road to Moscow. Only Haig I know is that guy who used to be Secretary of State. Ha!" She rocked back-and-forth on her heels.

"Amanda, you have been a big help. Believe me, I appreciate it. Now, all we have to do is wait for O'Keefe to take the bait. If he calls for a rendezvous, I can get Francine to -"

Amanda interrupted with an annoyed, "Yeah," as the elevator reached their floor.

Lee continued, unfazed. "- You know, double as you."

Amanda retorted, "We could at least watch him. But, oh no, no, no. You have better things to do." She began to back into the elevator.

Lee raised his voice and slapped his hand against the elevator door to prevent it from closing. "Amanda King, I am not going to fight with you about this." Amanda did the same to the other door. "Now, watching O'Keefe is pointless. You go home."

The doors began closing as Amanda nodded. "Oh," she uttered sarcastically.

"You go home." Lee repeated.

From behind the closed doors, Amanda fumed, "Not this time, Buster."

She paced back and forth in the tiny car. "Oh, that man! When is he ever going to see I'm a good agent? I have to try to prove myself over and over, and he still doesn't see it. Always telling me to 'stay in the car. Stay in the car, Amanda, and keep out of trouble. Go home and stay there, Amanda. Don't get into trouble, Amanda.' Always saying, 'We'll take it from here, Amanda.' Calling me 'window dressing' when he's LUCKY to have me! I do a darn good job, and he never notices. Well, that's about to end right now."

The doors opened and Amanda stormed out. "Now, I'll give him something to notice," she threatened.

Part Four: Utopia Now

Oh my gosh! What did I just say? "Not exactly"? What exactly did I mean by that? He said, "Just two cold people seeking a little warmth." And I said, "not exactly".

What did I mean by that?

She shook her head. I know exactly what I meant by that. I was blatantly flirting. If we had not been interrupted last night, we would've kissed, and everything would be different today. Our lips were so close! I still can feel his warm breath on my cheek, his strong arms wrapped around me, and how good my head felt on his muscular chest. I want nothing more than to be in his arms again.

We were in a dire situation, and he held me, calmed me, and comforted me. If only I hadn't chickened out and told him how I felt. I mean, of course I am really glad that I know him, but I wish I had told him how I truly feel.

What scares me is that I'm not sure how he really feels about me. But snuggled up in his arms last night, with his arms wrapped protectively around me, I could hear his heartbeat when I put my head on his chest.

So it wasn't just "two cold people seeking a little warmth". It was two cold people seeking a little warmth and hoping that this could turn into something more.

Part Five: Reach for the Sky

Lee crouched to get a better look at the elevator control panel. Amanda leaned in close. He pulled a pin from his lock-picking kit and carefully inserted it into the lock at the bottom of the board.

"You sure you can get it?" Amanda asked.

Lee hesitated. "I don't know."

"Oh, yeah. I'm sure you can. I mean, come on. You were the only fraternity guy who could get into the back door of the Kappa house in ten seconds flat." As she spoke, she removed her jacket.

Lee stopped and turned to look at her. "Did I tell you that?"

"Yeah, you told me that. I was a Kappa."

"You were a Kappa?" He asked, trying to remember their conversation. Amanda as one of those cute little Kappa girls… Mmmmm…

"Yeah, I told you that," she replied, smiling.

"Yeah, you did," he finally agreed, and went back to picking the lock.

Amanda chuckled. "Yeah."

"I've never seen anything quite like this," Lee remarked. He worked the pin a little more, until he heard the whirr of the motor as the elevator began to rise.

They both stood up. "Ah-ha," Lee breathed, satisfied. "There." He looked at Amanda, who suddenly had a look of apprehension cross her face. "You sure you want to go through with this?"

Amanda stared straight ahead. "Yeah," she said hesitantly. Then she glanced at Lee, and with a little more confidence, she nodded and repeated, "Yeah."

Lee went over the plan. "Okay. All you have to do is get the guard to come into the elevator. I'll take care of everything else. When the doors open, you go out and cause a distraction so that he'll have to come on board. I'll stay back and take care of him once he's in here." Lee turned his whole body to face Amanda. He reached out with both of his hands and placed them on her upper arms. "You know what to do?"

Amanda's heart fluttered when he put his hands on her arms. It always surprised her when she had such a strong reaction to his touch. He always took her hand, guided her elbow, or wrapped his arm around her as they walked. And every single time, her heart leapt at the feel of his body against hers. She stopped trying to fight it a year or so ago, and just let the tingling feeling he gave her rush through her body. She sometimes felt like a giddy teenage schoolgirl when he looked at her a certain way or when he took her hand in his or placed his hand on the small of her back. Okay, Amanda, she scolded herself. I need to focus. Forget the fact that he is staring at me with that "look" again. We have a job to do, and I can't screw it up.

Lee tried to read the expression on Amanda's face. Is she ready for this? Should I be the one to leave the elevator and let her stay inside, where it will certainly be safer? But that eliminates our advantage. It eliminates our element of surprise. No, she can do this. Your partner is one brave - and dare I say, very attractive woman, Lee. He gave her arms a quick squeeze of encouragement. They could hear and feel the elevator slowing as it reached the top floor. "Ready?" He asked, looking intently into her eyes.

She smiled back. "Ready."

The doors opened, and Amanda rushed out into the lobby area. Immediately, she was greeted by a security officer.

"Hold it right there," the officer demanded.

Amanda jumped right into character. "Oh, thank goodness. Another human being. I have been stuck in that thing for what must've been hours, going up and down, up and down, up and down. I got on at six just to zip up to seven and borrow a little coffee from purchasing, and that thing ran away with me. Up and down, up and down. Up. And. Down." She motioned with her hand to emphasize "up and down".

Hidden inside the elevator, Lee couldn't help but smile. She is so good at this. She is so believable, such a natural, he thought.

"What floor is this anyway?" She asked the officer.

"What floor doesn't make any difference," the man said angrily. "It's private. How did you get up here?"

Amanda feigned innocence. "Why, I pushed the button." She shrugged. She motioned towards the open elevator doors, and they both approached. At the last moment, Amanda flattened herself against the wall just outside of the car. She sighed loudly.

The officer continued into the elevator car, where Lee knocked him out cold. Shaking his hand to suppress the sting of his punch, he climbed over the body and joined Amanda in the lobby. Turning towards her, they shared a congratulatory hand slap before leaning down to drag the unconscious man out of the car.

I have a great partner, Lee thought.

Part Six: J. Edgar's Ghost

Lee rode the elevator to the lobby on his way back up to the Q Bureau. He drew in a deep breath and slowly let it out. He thought about his conversation with Amanda back at Agnes's apartment earlier. He closed his eyes to try to picture Amanda's face as she spoke.

"Lee, we are talking about love. When you're talking about love, you have to be patient." She was so earnest, it was endearing.

The look on her face gave away more than what she intended, he reasoned. But he was glad he saw it, because he was starting to feel the same way about her. She was being patient. She was not rushing him. But she also didn't let him forget that she was ready when he was.

He knew he was done playing the non-committal egotistical womanizer. He wasn't interested in that lifestyle anymore, nor did he feel like he fit into that world any longer. He wanted more substance in his life. He wanted predictability, security, and a sense of peace. These days, more and more, he saw those things in the form of Amanda King. She spoke patience to him every day. She spoke love.

Part Seven: Fast Food for Thought

After checking into the hotel and gathering their keys, Amanda and Lee headed towards the elevator to settle into their rooms. While they were only at the conference for a few days, they wanted to rest and freshen up before heading out to the opening session later that evening.

Amanda was surprised at how disappointed she felt after learning that they were going undercover as brother and sister rather than as a couple. True, if they were checking into the hotel as lovers or as husband and wife, the initial rooming negotiations would have been a little uncomfortable to say the least. However, she had been feeling a twinge of excitement ever since he had asked her to accompany him on this trip, and the disappointment of not actually sharing a room with him cast a shadow on an otherwise promising weekend. Two steps forward, one step back, she sighed to herself. But, I think we'll get there eventually.

She seems disappointed, thought Lee, standing beside her in the elevator headed up to their hotel rooms. Could it be that she was hoping that we'd be sharing a room? I honestly thought this would be the solution to all those uncomfortable weekends we've spent in the past. Believe me, I'd love to be sharing a room with Amanda King this weekend. Even if we didn't "do" anything to further our relationship, it still would be so nice to spend all that alone time with her.

Upon reaching their floor, the pair exited, carrying their bags down the hallway in search of their rooms. She's right across the hall, thought Lee. Not too bad. So close, but still so far away.

Part Eight: The Triumvirate

After he replaced his gun in its holster, Lee reached to take Amanda's outstretched hand in his as they made their way into the elevator on the main floor of the Cumberland Hotel. Amanda entered first, turning to stare straight ahead in the doorway. Lee joined her, standing beside her and facing the same way.

Amanda reached her left hand out to take his arm, then slid her hand down and curled her fingers with his. As the doors began to close, Lee looked down at their joined hands and then at Amanda. With a tiny smile, he covered their hands with his free one.

Amanda closed her eyes and tried to gather strength from the warmth of his gentle grasp.. She felt such relief that she could reach for him, and he was there. He'll protect me. He always does.

Lee could see the look of worry on her face, and could feel her trembling beside him. Still holding her hand in his, he turned her to face him, encircling her body with his free arm.

"It's gonna be all right," Lee promised. He moved his hand along her side reassuringly. "Don't you worry, Amanda. We're gonna get this guy, and everything's gonna be okay." He squeezed her against him.

When the elevator doors opened, he took her by the hand and led her down the hallway.

Part Nine: The Eyes Have It

"Step right this way, please," Amanda instructed, wiggling her index finger for him to follow.

Trailing behind her, Lee protested. "Amanda, I'm not sick."

"You are sick," she replied simply.

"I am not sick," he repeated.

They stopped in the hallway outside of the bullpen. "You are sick," she repeated firmly. "I don't want to argue about it."

Lee gave in. "All right," he admitted.

Satisfied, Amanda continued towards the elevator. "You like chicken soup or vegetable soup?"

"Homemade or canned?"

"Homemade," Amanda replied, pushing the call button on the elevator panel. She turned to face Lee.

"You know, something just occurred to me. Of all the people that I work with, there's only one that helps me the most, and she's not on the Barnstorm List."

"That's a terrible oversight," Amanda commented with a small smile.

Lee leaned in a little closer. "No, it's not." He reached out his hand to shake hers. He smiled warmly. "Welcome aboard." He continued to hold her hand.

Blushing madly, she smiled back at him and replied, "The pleasure is mine."

Lee's warm smile became smoldering. He leaned in closer. "No, it's not." He brought her hand to his lips, and gave her the most gentle kiss.

The heat of the kiss seared through her body, from the tips of her fingers all the way down to her toes. His lips lingered there for a moment, and she could feel his warm breath on the back of her hand. She felt like her knees might give out.

The elevator doors opened, interrupting the intense moment. Amanda was relieved, because his nearness nearly took her breath away.

With his hand on her elbow, he gently guided her onto the elevator. Once inside, he casually draped his arm around her, protectively, keeping her close to his body. She feels so good against me, he thought. I know I resisted her for years, but I think it's time to take the next step. But how? I think she wants more, but how do I know for sure?

Amanda sighed softly and dropped her head against his shoulder. I really wish he would make up his mind. I wish he'd give us a chance. I feel like in some ways he does like me, but in other ways, I feel like I don't measure up. I don't think I could make it more clear that I'm interested.

I wonder if she is even truly interested? I mean, maybe I'm reading her wrong. I would really hate to ruin what we have. But if she wanted me too, I know it would be wonderful.

Part Țen: Dead Men Leave No Trails

Lee and Amanda reached for each other's hands as they left the ballroom and headed to the bank of elevators across the hall. They didn't care if anyone saw them. The events of the Sallee case had come just a little too close for comfort, and that left both of them somewhat rattled. They were exhausted, yet they gained strength from their connection.

Inside the elevator was relatively quiet compared to the aftermath of the explosion in the ballroom. While they weren't alone, none of the other occupants knew them. Their excited chatter about what they had just witnessed faded into the background. But Lee and Amanda remained silent during the ride. As the car descended to the lobby, Amanda stood in front of Lee, wrapped tightly in his arms, her back to his chest. She loved that he was more demonstrative than before, but when was he going to make his move? A real move? Or should Amanda go first?

It felt so good holding Amanda. He pulled her tighter against him and put his chin in her hair. Relief began to come over them in waves. When the doors opened to the hotel lobby, Amanda reluctantly pulled herself from his arms, took his hand, and headed to the parking lot.

Part Eleven: All the World's a Stage

The debriefing of the Krutiov case mercifully didn't take long. Lee was anxious to get Amanda alone. As they entered the elevator, they were relieved that it was empty.

Lee, as usual, took her hand in his. As the elevator rose, Lee tried to calm his nerves. He had decided that he was ready, and he had to tell her now.

Why is this elevator so slow? He moaned inwardly. He was afraid he'd lose his nerve. He had never been in love before. He had never been in a relationship where the stakes were so high. And once he had decided that he would risk it all and see if Amanda felt the same way, he couldn't wait to take the next step. Now, with the elevator crawling up to the foyer, he just wanted to be able to be free to express himself to her. He needed to kiss her. A real kiss, not a peck, not an almost kiss, not an undercover kiss, but a. Real. Live. Uninterrupted. Passionate. Loving. Kiss.

The door opened and they began to climb the steps to the Q Bureau.

To Be Continued…