Never a Dull Moment

By: Kristen

Summary:An unfortunate incident brings Lee & Amanda closer.
Rating:PG
Time Frame: End of the 2nd season. (Slight alternate universe.)
Disclaimer:"Scarecrow and Mrs. King" is copyrighted to Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Productions. I retain the rights to the plot, but not the characters. This story is meant for enjoyment purposes only. No infringement is intended.
 
 

As Amanda walked into the kitchen, the phone rang. Her mother and the boys had just left for a week at Aunt Lillian's, and after the case she had just assisted Lee with, she was looking forward to some peace and quiet. Unfortunately, that never seemed to work out for her. Assuming the call was from Lee, as it often was when she was least expecting it, she answered in an exasperated voice, "Can I help you?"

"Amanda?"

"Yes," she replied, trying to hide her slight disappointment that it wasn't Lee.

"Hi. I hope I'm not catching you at a bad time. I was just calling to confirm our plans for this evening. Are we still on for 8:00?"

"Oh, hi, Tom! Yes, I am looking forward to this evening. Are you sure you can't tell me where we're going? You know, I won't know how to dress if you don't even give me a little hint," she said in a playful, and curious, tone.

Tom answered, "Sorry, Amanda! It's a secret, but the dress is formal attire. I hope that will help. Well, I have to run. I can't wait to see you. Bye."

"Bye," she laughed, hanging up with a smile on her face. She really was looking forward to seeing Tom again. It had been so long since she had seen him. Amanda had been surprised when he called her out of the blue. After all, he hadn't been more than a friend in college, but he was quite handsome and she had a feeling it would be a night to remember. If only it were with Lee. Where had that come from, she thought. Well, I do have a lot of errands to run for tonight. I'd better get started.

As she walked out of the dress shop, Amanda began talking to herself. "I need to buy some new lipstick and make it to Mr. Emelio's by noon, or I'll never hear the end of it. I have my dress and...MPH!!"

Amanda's mind was reeling as strong, rough hands grabbed her and pulled her into an alley. As she struggled, his hand slipped off her mouth and she bit his finger, drawing blood. He turned her around and slapped her. By now, the scene had begun to draw attention and in the background Amanda thought she could hear someone yelling for help.

Amanda screamed and tried to run, but he grabbed her blouse and as she fell, it ripped and her packages and purse were thrown about. He leapt on top of her. As he clawed at her legs, a man came out of nowhere and kicked him off of Amanda. While her assailant fled, this new man helped her up.

Introducing himself as Tony, he stated he was a taxi driver and asked if she needed him to take her to the hospital or to the police station. A very frightened and shaky Amanda mumbled, "No. I'll be okay, but please take me to the International Federal Film building." Tony collected her belongings and helped her into his cab.

As they arrived at the building, Amanda grabbed her packages and darted into the building. She ran past Mrs. Marston and straight into the elevator. Running into the bullpen, she saw Lee, Billy and Francine in a heated conversation. As her eyes locked with Lee's and the realization of her appeared dawned on his face, she crumbled to the floor. Again, the packages were strewn all over the floor.

Lee and Billy rushed to Amanda's side, with Francine following a few steps behind. The three of them were surprised to see Amanda because she had the day off. However, her appearance caused deep concern in Lee and Billy. After all Amanda was not one to faint. Francine, as usual, was less worried. Lee picked up Amanda, and Billy led the way to his office, with Francine following and complaining about carrying Amanda's things.

When Amanda came to a few seconds later, she was in Lee's arms, being carried into Billy's office and placed on the couch. As they entered, Billy was on the phone and Amanda watched Francine bring in her bags and purse. Mrs. Marston had informed Billy that a taxi driver was asking about a woman who had been attacked. She had left his cab without paying.

Amanda slowly rose from the couch, a blush creeping across her already bruised face, and took her purse from Francine. "Oh! I'm so sorry! I, I was so upset. I just forgot..."

"It's okay, Amanda. We'll send someone up to pay the driver," Billy told her.

"It has to be here! Why can't I find it," Amanda cried. She began to dump out the contents of her purse as Lee, Billy, and Francine looked on in concern. Once the purse was empty, Amanda sank to the floor and started to shake, mumbling incomplete sentences.

Lee went to her, picked her up and helped her to the couch. After a minute or two, Amanda was finally able to tell them her wallet was missing - he had her ID - her address, her name. With each revelation, she again started to worry, a few tears slowly traveling down her cheeks, this time with Lee holding her protectively.

Billy and Francine left the room quietly to pay the taxi driver and give Amanda some time to compose herself.

When Billy and Francine knocked on the door and came in, Amanda began apologizing, "I'm sorry, sir, Francine, Lee. I don't know what happened. It was so overwhelming. I, I..." And she nearly started crying again.

"It's okay, Amanda. Just slow down and start from the beginning," Billy said trying to understand what she was saying.

"I was out shopping. I had some errands to run. As I left the dress shop, some man grabbed me and tried to force me into an alley," she said in a shaky voice as she started to tremble. "He was trying to grab me and I tried to get away, but he ripped my blouse. I fell and he jumped on top of me. Then the taxi driver showed up and he ran away."

"Amanda," Lee started cautiously, but was interrupted. He really couldn't stand the thought of some man hurting Amanda and was feeling responsible that he hadn't been there for her.

Amanda started to cry again and managed to whisper, "Oh, what am I going to do? He has my wallet! What if he comes to my house? Mother and the boys are out of town, thank goodness, but what will happen when they come back? And, what about tonight or tomorrow night?"

"Amanda, please calm down. We need to assume this is Agency related. Therefore, we will assign an agent to stay with you and we will have a car out front. You have to trust us that we will not let anything happen to you." As Billy finished his sentence, he noticed Amanda was gaining her composure, and not leaning on Lee quite as much as she had been.

"Lee, I want you to go with Amanda to her house and stay there over night to keep an eye out for anything suspicious," Billy said cautiously.

"Sure, Billy," Lee said at the same time Amanda spoke. "No! I mean, that won't work. I have plans - important plans," she voiced with a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Well, Amanda, would those plans have anything to do with this dress and this," Francine quipped, holding up a short, black, lacy negligee and gesturing toward the elegant black dress laying on the chair.

Amanda jumped up and grabbed the item out of Francine's hand and glared at her, blushed, and stuffed it back into her bag. "I'm sorry, sir, but I'll be okay. I don't need Lee to stay with me."

Lee was taken back by the emotions that enveloped him. He couldn't believe what Francine had done after Amanda's experience, nor that Amanda would wear such a provocative outfit. He didn't understand why Amanda was having such a problem with him staying with her, he was having a lot of trouble trying not to picture Amanda in the negligee and even more trouble understanding why he would be picturing her in it!

"Amanda, I apologize for ruining your evening, but I will need you and Lee to discuss any cases you have been helping with to see if this is indeed Agency related. Please understand we are also concerned for you and do not want you to be alone after such an ordeal. I hope I do not have to make this suggestion an order. Now, I would like to suggest that you go to Dr. Kelford's office for a quick check-up," Billy was hoping Amanda's logical side would start coming through soon.

"Yes, sir," she said meekly and Lee tried to fight a smile at the prospect of spending the evening with Amanda, though he didn't know why. "I will go over the cases with Lee, but I do not need to see the doctor. I have a few cuts and bruises, and I know I will be sore in the morning, but I really am fine."

"Very well, Amanda. Lee take her home and keep the doors locked!"

"Well, well, Amanda. Maybe you will get to wear the negligee after all," Francine said with a smirk, giving Lee a knowing look.

"Can it, Francine," Lee snapped as he helped Amanda with her packages and led her out of Billy's office, again picturing Amanda in the negligee. "Amanda, I'm going to take you home and get you settled. I will call a cab from your house and have it take me to your car. Then I will use your car to run to my apartment to pack a bag and to pick up something to eat, but I'll be back right after that. Will you be okay without me?"

"Yes, Lee, I'll be fine. I have a call to make, anyway. Look, I know this isn't how you typically like to spend your Friday nights, and I apologize. I'll try not to be a bother."

"Amanda, you are not a bother. Here, let me help you into the car. We're friends, right?" Amanda nodded, and as Lee climbed in the driver's seat, he continued. "Well, then, this is just an evening of two friends eating and spending time together, okay? We'll forget all about what happened this morning. Settled?"

"Yeah," Amanda said with a smile.

As Lee walked in the back door with a suitcase and some take-out, he heard Amanda on the phone. He noticed she had changed her clothes and had put bandages on her cuts. She looked so beautiful sitting on a stool, wearing pajama pants and a T-shirt. What? Did he just think about Amanda as beautiful, he thought to himself. He shook his head in amazement, and tried not to make any noise.

"I'm sorry about this evening. I was really looking forward to it. I owe you another night of whatever it was you had planned. I'll see you soon. Bye."

Glancing up, he noticed Amanda had tears in her eyes. He walked over and gave her a hug. "What's wrong? We'll have fun, I promise," Lee spoke with a smile and a sparkle in his eye.

And she crumbled into his arms once again and started to bawl. Lee didn't say a word, just led Amanda onto the couch and let her cry. He held her tight, wishing he could take away her fear. He also wished he could get his hands on the guy that had caused Amanda to become so fearful. Lee knew there was nothing he could do for her, so he just held her.

A few minutes later, she was trying to apologize again, but Lee wouldn't hear a word of it. "There is nothing to apologize for!"

Once Amanda had calmed down, he said, "How about that dinner I mentioned? Chinese food can cure anything!" He took her hand, led her into the kitchen and they piled their plates high with sweet & sour shrimp, lemon chicken, chow mein and egg rolls.

Amanda laughed as they sat on the couch in front of the television, "After this evening with you, I'll be so fat I'll never make it off this couch again!"

"Never, Amanda! You could never be fat," Lee complimented, causing a deep blush to cover Amanda's face, which was no easy feat with the deep purple her skin had turned.

"Um, Lee, didn't Mr. Melrose want us to go over the recent cases," she asked, changing the subject.

My she was getting good at that, Lee thought, wondering if he had overstepped the line. After all, she was Amanda, not one of his "girls." Besides, after what she had just experienced, saying that she'd had a bad day would have been a monumental understatement. "Sure, Amanda, let's start with the case we just finished and back-track from there."

"You know, we've gone over every case, Billy, and nothing makes sense! I don't even know if this is Agency related," Lee sighed.

"Well, I still think it's a good idea for you to stay the night to keep an eye on Amanda. She's had a long day. But, keep thinking of your old cases."

"Okay, Billy. She mentioned a movie she wanted to watch, so I'd better go. I'll see you tomorrow."

Lee walked back into the den just as "Breakfast at Tiffany's" was starting and noticed Amanda was curled up at the corner of the couch. "Hi," she said shyly, looking up.

"Can I sit?"

"Yeah," Amanda replied. As Lee sat, he opened his arms and she leaned into them, feeling the safety Lee always provided her.

He couldn't help but think about how wonderful Amanda felt in his arms and he didn't want to let her go. Lee vowed to himself that he would never let anyone hurt her again.

She sat in his arms throughout the movie and when it was over, an episode of "Charlie's Angels" was advertised to be next. "Oh, I love this show, Lee, will you stay up and watch it with me?"

"Sure. It's your night, Amanda. Your wish is my command." She smiled at his remark, but turned away with a slightly confused look on her face. She wasn't quite sure why Lee was being so nice, but assumed it had something to do with the attack on her this morning. Billy probably told him to be extra nice, she reasoned to herself, but I am glad he's here.

By the time the episode was over, Lee and Amanda were still curled up on the couch, but she had fallen asleep and Lee didn't have the heart to move her. He watched Amanda sleep for a few minutes and thought about how deeply he cared for her and wanted to be near her. So, instead, he kissed her on the top of her head, shifted her a little and moved to lie down next to her. Lee held Amanda tightly until he, too, fell asleep.

When Lee finally woke up, the sun was shining brightly though the curtains and he briefly wondered where he was. Then he realized Amanda was in his arms and remembered. As he snuggled closer to her, he saw her eyes open and he smiled. "Sorry. I guess we fell asleep. I hope I didn't wake you."

"No, you didn't. What time is it," she questioned.

"Nine-thirty," Lee responded after glancing at his watch and laughed at the shocked expression on her face.

"Wow! I must have been really tired. Normally seven o'clock is sleeping in for me. Can I make you something for you?"

"Amanda, you know I'm not a big breakfast eater, but thanks for the offer. I was thinking that maybe I should go take a quick shower, then check in with Billy at the Agency. After that, I'll be back to see how you're doing. How does that sound?"

"Fine. Tell Mr. Melrose I said hi and that I'm doing better. Let me get you some towels and show you the bathroom."

While Lee was showering, Amanda walked downstairs and sat on the couch. She was trying to understand the events of the previous day. First the attack, then having to cancel on Tom, and finally the wonderful evening she had with Lee. She had been pleasantly surprised to find she had slept in Lee's arms all night. Amanda had no idea what Lee was thinking, and even less of an idea of what he was feeling, but she enjoyed the extra attention he was giving her. She was not about to question it.

She was still going over everything she and Lee had said and done when he came down the stairs. She jumped, startled, when she felt Lee's hands on her shoulders.

Looking over her shoulder at him, Amanda said, "Oh, Lee! You scared me!" She was starting to relax and Lee massaged her shoulders.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to say good-bye and I'll be back as soon as I can. Call me if you need anything. Anything!"

"Sure. I'm just going to eat breakfast and take a shower. Don't worry, I'll be just fine."

However, as he walked out the door, she could feel a wave of fear wash over her. She knew the man had her address and was beginning to feel a little worried.

Lee had tried to convince Billy that Amanda was doing okay, but even he wasn't sure if he believed it. She was holding her own for appearance, but he was pretty sure she was terrified of the man coming back. Lee couldn't help but smile as he walked down the driveway and let himself into the back door.

"Amanda," Lee called, and then seeing the mess in the kitchen, yelled, "Amanda!" There were signs of a struggle everywhere. Finally he heard a noise in the corner of the den. Amanda was curled up in the corner, trying to hide behind some furniture. Seeing her there broke his heart.

He ran to Amanda and pulled her up into his arms. "Shh, it's okay. I'm here. Don't worry, I won't leave you alone again. He won't hurt you anymore."

It had taken a few hours, but Amanda was finally asleep. It had been a hard day for her and Lee had held Amanda while Billy and Francine had questioned her about this second attack.

"Let's wrap this up. Lee, we will be in the DWP van just outside the house. At ten o'clock tonight, you'll leave out the front door and drive away. You can then sneak back into the house and you'll be there when he shows up," Billy finished quietly.

"Let's hope he shows up. At least then you won't be stuck babysitting anymore."

"Can it, Francine. Amanda's been through a really rough time. I shouldn't have left her alone. What was I thinking," Lee said excitedly, pacing the kitchen floor. "And, Billy, where was the team that was supposed to watch the house?"

"Scarecrow, you need to calm down. As Amanda said, you got here before anything happened and he ran out the front door. The agents didn't see him. He must have come in through the back. Now, when she wakes up, you will need to explain the plan to her and help her through the rest of the day. Francine, let's go."

"Bye, Billy. Don't even say it, Francine!"

Lee walked into the den to the back of the couch, brushed a stray hair off of Amanda's face and sighed. Without opening her eyes, Amanda said, "I heard you talking. I know what the plan is, but I'm still afraid that he'll hurt me again."

"I know you are. Look, I'll be here and we'll catch this creep. I'm so sorry, Amanda. I should have been here for you."

"It wasn't your fault, Lee. It's just... I don't know what it is. I, I need to take a shower."

"Amanda, I'll be down here if you need me. I'll make some lunch," Lee spoke in an encouraging tone and watched Amanda head up the stairs. He looked at his watch and knew their lunch would be more like a dinner, but he knew she needed to eat - she hadn't had a chance to eat all day long.

Twenty minutes later, the doorbell rang and Lee took the soup off the burner before leaving the kitchen. Opening the door, Lee saw a tall, handsome man holding a large bouquet of flowers.

"Who are you? Where's Amanda," he questioned, trying to look into the house.

Lee assumed this was Amanda's date and feeling jealous, he snapped at him, "That's none of your business! Who are you?"

Just then, Amanda walked down the stairs and to the front door. "Tom! What a surprise! The flowers are gorgeous! Thank you! Would you like to come in?"

Both men took a moment to absorb her appearance. "No! Good-bye, Amanda," Tom said as he stomped away.

"What did you say to him, Lee," Amanda accused.

"Amanda, I don't think it's anything I said." Noticing the confusion on her face, Lee continued, "Um, you're wearing my robe."

As she blushed, Amanda looked down at the robe and tried to explain, "I must have grabbed yours by mistake. I'm sorry. I, I..."

"You didn't notice that my robe is tan and yours is blue," Lee teased her, chuckling. "Come on, let's eat. You can call what's-his-name later."

"Tom."

"Whatever. I made soup - do you have any crackers?"

Amanda had changed, Lee had cleaned the lunch dishes, and a few hours later they were finishing up a game of Scrabble.

"I never thought a three hour marathon of Scrabble games could be fun. But, I'm glad you thought of it, Amanda."

"Well, it wouldn't have been three hours if you would have accepted defeat gracefully. Besides, I guess you really aren't one for the normal everyday types of things," she said, and changed the subject again. "You know, I'm getting a little hungry. Are you interested in some leftovers from last night?"

As they walked into the kitchen, Lee said, "Amanda, I'm sorry about the past two days, but I have really enjoyed, well, it's been nice, um..."

"Thank you, Lee." Amanda responded softly as Lee smiled and their eyes locked. Their hearts were pounding as they felt all of the emotions that had been kept deep inside of them surging. Never losing eye contact, Lee slowly walked up to Amanda and put his arms around her.

"Lee," Amanda whispered as she closed her eyes and tilted her head. Lee hesitated only a moment before his lips covered Amanda's.

The delicate kiss, as it had started out, had turned into a passionate one as Amanda put her arms around Lee's neck and let her fingers wander in his hair. Lee shuddered involuntarily as Amanda's tongue explored his mouth. Lee picked her up and carried her into the den

As Lee laid her on the couch, Amanda put her hands on Lee's chest and moved them to his shoulders, pushing off his jacket, and pulled him down next to her.

Amanda couldn't believe that Lee was finally in her arms. She figured this was happening only because she was there and they had spent a lot of time together, not that Lee actually cared for her. Amanda didn't know what the future held, but she needed him. She was scared and lonely and Amanda allowed herself to be swept off her feet.

Lee knew he loved Amanda. He had trouble admitting it, even to himself, but this was more than it had been with the others. He knew he should slow things down, however, Lee wanted to show her how he felt. He had trouble expressing his feeling and hoped Amanda would soon know how he felt.

As they kissed again, Lee's hand slowly found it's way under Amanda's top and was rubbing her stomach softly. Amanda fingers were quickly unbuttoning Lee's shirt. As Amanda broke the kiss and began to plant tiny kisses on Lee's chest, his hand moved up to her chest, and Lee moaned, "Amanda... mmm..."

"Damn it," Lee cried when the telephone rang, causing Amanda to jump.

"Hello," Amanda answered weakly. She was wondering what she had gotten herself into. Lee was known for his "love 'em and leave 'em" reputation, but she didn't want to be one of his girls. She wanted more from Lee. Amanda also knew she couldn't have what she wanted. After hanging up, she said, "That was Mr. Melrose. He says it's time. You should go."

Lee couldn't believe it. Could it be ten o'clock already? "Amanda," he began.

"Lee - don't. You need to go."

"I'll be back in a few minutes, I promise," Lee said as he buttoned his shirt and grabbed his jacket. He knew it wasn't a good sign that she was avoiding his eyes. He tried to give her a quick kiss, but was confused when she turned away.

"Amanda," Lee spoke, but was interrupted.

"You have to go." When he opened his mouth again, Amanda continued, "you have to go."

As Lee walked out of the room, he couldn't be sure if she was upset because of what they had almost done or of what was about to happen. No matter, Lee had a bad feeling about the situation.

Lee stopped by the surveillance van on his way back to Amanda's, and was momentarily stunned by it being empty. Suddenly he began to run to the house. When he didn't see any one in the den, he ran up to her bedroom and past Billy who had been standing in the doorway. Amanda was sitting on the floor, leaning up against the bed as Francine was trying to clean up the blood covering her face.

As he approached her, the piercing look she gave Lee stopped him in his tracks. "Don't you come near me, Stetson!" The volume and tone of Amanda's voice caused Billy and Francine to glance at Amanda with shock and Lee with accusing looks, wondering what he could have done that had upset her so much.

"Amanda, I'm sorry. I tried..."

"No! You said you would be here! You said he wouldn't hurt me! You lied to me! And you, you... You know what you did!" Lee looked at Amanda with pleading eyes and watched as she stood up, hobbled into the bathroom and locked the door.

A few seconds later, Francine knocked on the bathroom door and told her they would be leaving in a few minutes, to come by the Agency in the morning and to call if she needed anything.

"She blames me, Billy! I promised her I would protect her! What did he do to her? Where is he? Why, I'd like to ring his neck," Lee blurted out, trying to figure out how everything had gone wrong in less than ten minutes.

"As soon as you drove away, he walked right into the house. We assumed he'd use the front door - bad assumption since he used the back door earlier. When we heard Amanda scream, we rushed in. Scarecrow, he's never heard of the Agency. It turns out Amanda just looked like an ex-girlfriend that left him, and he tried to, well, you know. He wanted revenge. But before we got here, he really did a number on her."

"Good job, Lee! How could you promise her she wouldn't get hurt," Francine glared at him as she walked down the stairs. Billy turned to follow.

"I'm going to stay. I need to talk to Amanda."

"Good luck. See you in the morning," Billy said, trying to hide a smile.

Amanda had been in the bathroom for almost an hour trying to finish cleaning her face and bandaging her cuts, but she was still unable to stop crying. Her body was hurting, though it was nothing like the pain she was feeling inside. Amanda finally unlocked the door and walked into the dark bedroom.

"I would never intentionally hurt you." She heard him say and she froze, unable to take another step.

"I am so sorry. I would give my life for you and I mean that with all my heart. I've never cared for anyone the way I care for you. You are my best friend. You are everything to me. Please understand I tried to protect you - I wanted to be here. Amanda?"

"How can you say that? You've been pushing me away for so long and always giving me the 'it's just business' speech. After two days of being together, during which I have been under extreme pressure, you say this? I thought we were just 'business associates.' I don't understand what happened. You promised I wouldn't get hurt, Lee. You said he wouldn't hurt me. You like to me. I trusted you and you lied to me," Amanda finished quietly, finally taking a breath. She managed to walk over to the bed and gingerly sat on the edge.

Lee quickly went to Amanda and knelt in front of her and tried to explain, "I'm sorry for everything. This is not how it was supposed to happen. Oh, Amanda, I wish I had been here. Please forgive me. I couldn't bear it if you hated me. I can't imagine my life without you in it."

Amanda stared at her hands, completely speechless, trying to make sense of what Lee was saying. Taking her silence as a form of rejection, Lee spoke crisply, "I'll be downstairs in the den for the night. In the morning, I'll be going back to the apartment. If you need anything, you can call Billy or Francine." He walked to the door, pausing, hoping Amanda would say something, anything, but the silence forced him to the stairs.

"Lee," Amanda called, slowly appeared at the top of the stairs and looked down at him. "Wait! I do forgive you."

Lee bounded up the stairs and pulled Amanda into a gentle hug. As they walked into the bedroom, she put her arms around his neck and they shared a sweet kiss. They had a lot of talking to do, but they both knew it could wait for morning.

Lee carefully assisted Amanda onto the bed. After he climbed in next to her, he pulled her to his chest, where she fell asleep instantly. Kissing her head, drifting to sleep himself, Lee whispered, "I love you, My Amanda."