The Boy Who Could Be King - tagalogue

Written by David Brown & Lee Maddux (excerpts from the episode belong to them)

As Billy and King Eddie raised their instruments to their lips, Amanda clapped in encouragement. Lee removed his arm from around her to do the same. The music began and the rousing strains of jazz filled the room. Lee placed his left arm around Amanda's shoulders again and clasped both of her hands with his right. Her fingers moved back and forth across his, and a smile came to his lips. He pulled her closer to him as they enjoyed the performance.

Amanda began to speak, so Lee turned his head to look at her and found their faces mere inches apart. He swallowed and forced his mind to focus on her words and not her mouth as she spoke.

"I have a feeling everyone's going to live happily ever after."

She turned to look at him, and they both smiled at the same time. He allowed his gaze to travel from her eyes to her mouth, then back up to her eyes again, realizing that his thoughts on 'happily ever after' weren't exactly focused on the king and his ex-wife. Never before had the urge to kiss her been so strong, but mindful of their public location, he resisted.

"Yeah, I think they will." His voice sounded strained even to his own ears.

Amanda turned her head to look at the stage. "Do you think they'll get back together?" She leaned closer to him. "It sure seems like there's still a spark of interest between them, even after all of these years."

"I don't know. I guess when Terry and his mom go to visit King Eddie in June, they'll find out. Time will tell, that's for sure."

"Well, after the story Mrs. Wahl told us about how she and King Eddie met, it would be quite a shame for them not to at least try. I mean, neither one of them got married again, so that has to say something."

Lee grinned at the logical workings of her mind, as well as her concern for a couple she'd only met two days ago. That was Amanda, though, and it was just one of the things he admired about her. Remembering that conversation with Mrs. Wahl brought back the way Amanda had smiled in response to hearing about how the two had met. Even now, he could remember the way she had looked and his own thoughts about the two of them. How hints of romance had been creeping into their relationship more and more frequently.

"Maybe they had found what they were looking for and realized they would never find it with anyone else."

Lee could have kicked himself when Amanda's head snapped around to look at him. Why had he let something like that slip? She would know right away he wasn't only talking about the king and Sandra.

Her eyes intently focused on him as she appeared to gauge his thoughts behind the words he had just spoken. He tried to quickly school his expression into some semblance of nonchalance. The way her gaze softened and the hint of a smile that graced her lips told him she had seen something in his eyes before he had a chance to hide it.

"Well, going by how they acted around each other and the looks they gave each other, I think they do realize it. It's not often you get a second chance at love. So, when it's there, you should grab it."

Now it was his turn to discern the hidden meaning behind her words. If there was any. Just like her remark last week about looking under the surface to find that important something, he had the distinct feeling she was also talking about more than just the king's relationship. Before he had a chance to reply, the song on stage ended. He removed his arm from around Amanda's to applaud the performance. A moment later, he returned it as the soft strains of a very familiar song were heard.

Amanda released a soft sigh next to him. He glanced down to find a very melancholic expression on her face.

"This was one of Daddy's favorite songs," she whispered.

Lee tenderly gazed at her, then pulled her closer to him and placed his right hand over her clasped hands in her lap. Her head fell to his shoulder and he rested his cheek against her hair, content to quietly sit and listen. About halfway through the song, Amanda's fingers once again began to play with his. He had to make a concerted effort to quell the tingling sensation her feather-light touches caused in his hand. It was making it extremely difficult for him to concentrate on the music and not on her.

A reverent silence accompanied the end of that piece, and they immediately broke into another rousing number.

"I'm amazed that King Eddie can withstand all of this after what he's experienced these past few days," Amanda suddenly remarked, lifting her head from his shoulder.

He immediately felt the loss of her touch and warmth but tried to shake it off. "Do you mean with the shot he took to the leg and the tests at the hospital that revealed his high levels of Vitamin A?"

"That and the stress of finding his son again and learning that Terry knew nothing about him. Not to mention finding out that his ambassador wanted to get rid of him and his son to profit from the Tantalum in Cap d'Far!"

Lee nodded. "Yeah, I can see what you mean." He gave her hand a little squeeze. "Then again, King Eddie always was quite the party animal. Nothing kept him down for long!"

"That's what Mr. Melrose said. Which brings up another thing."

"What's that?"

"I find it very hard to believe that Mr. Melrose went undercover as a saxophone player ten years ago for the jazz festival. You know, I probably went to it and saw him and didn't even know it was him!"

"Well, people are always full of surprises." Lee shrugged. "Just when you think you know them, they do something that changes your entire outlook on them." This time, he gave her shoulders a squeeze and smiled. "Like someone else I know!"

She turned to look at him with a grin. "Good thing I'm not alone in that area," she quipped. "I know it's the case with just about everyone, but I think it's especially true in top agents."

He looked down at the twinkle in her eyes and the way the corners of her mouth were upturned and smiled. "As well as their partners," he countered.

"Are you trying to tell me that I'm unpredictable?"

"Well, even though you managed to do a great job on this case, I know you have trouble following directions."

"Just like you have trouble remembering to pick someone up after you promised," she shot back.

Lee smiled. "Touché!"

"Of course, based upon your appearance when I arrived, I think you definitely had other things on your mind."

He sighed. "Amanda, I told you everything about that assignment was harmless. It was supposed to be a simple drop that turned out to be not so simple, and I got waylaid by an overzealous vice cop."

"Well, next time, maybe you should erase the evidence before returning to the Agency!" She removed one of her hands from his loose grasp and reached up to wipe imaginary lipstick from his lips.

He grinned and kissed her finger. "You weren't jealous, were you?"

"No," she answered a little too quickly.

Lee felt a quick pang of disappointment when she negated her jealousy. He narrowed his eyes a little and peered into hers. Her gaze locked with his for a moment, and he caught before she glanced down. After composing herself, she continued.

"I just felt bad for how embarrassed you must have been walking into the Agency like that."

He shrugged. "I've come back in worse conditions."

Amanda grinned. "Somehow, I don't have any trouble believing that!"

King Eddie announced their final number. Lee leaned closer and placed his lips next to her ear as he lowered his voice to a husky whisper.

"You know, you could always help me mend my ways!"

He watched her shiver slightly and grinned at her reaction, but nothing could have prepared him for her reply.

"Mmm, that idea has definite potential!" she whispered back.

Pulling back to look at her, he caught the twinkle in her eyes. As if what she had just said finally registered in her own mind, her eyes widened and she whipped her head around to stare forward. Her eyes focused intently on the performance in front of them, her back rigid, and her hands folded primly in her lap, pulled out of his clasp. For a moment, Lee wondered if she regretted her words. As his gaze roamed across her face, he saw the corners of her mouth twinge.

In an attempt to allow her to save face a little, he didn't reply. Instead, he simply placed his hand once more atop hers and tenderly squeezed both her hands. His left hand gave her shoulders a squeeze as well. He wanted to let her know that what she had said was all right with him, while also communicating that they would talk about that potential later.

As Billy and King Eddie wrapped up their performance, Lee glanced at Amanda out of the corner of his eye. Yes, he would make sure they continued this conversation at a later time. Based upon her reaction, he was sure it would be a conversation they would both enjoy.

(THE END)

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