Screen Captures Courtesy of Swoopes For personal use and select distribution only © May 2002 by Amber Stockton Flight to Freedom - tagalogueWritten by Barry Gold (excerpts from the episode belong to him)
Lee and Amanda turned away from the tender reunion of Bart and Colleen, not wanting to intrude on that private moment. "Uhh, Amanda..." Lee placed his hands in his pockets and glanced across the street, his eyes looking anywhere but at Amanda. "I've got to sail the Mati Hari back to its own slip..." The unspoken invitation easily passed his lips. He felt her lean against him a little, so he turned to face her. She eagerly took her cue from him. "Need a hand?" "I think I might." He smiled and held his breath as he waited for her answer. She smiled. "Love to!" A few hours later, they had set sail and now smoothly glided along the waters of the Chesapeake as they headed for Annapolis. The last rays of the sun cast a pinkish-red glow across the sky, the water reflecting the rosy hue. Lee glanced out across the bay and inhaled the fresh air, reveling in the invigorating feeling that washed over him. "Why don't you check out what's in the galley!" Amanda's voice interrupted the tranquil moment. "Me?" He turned to find her standing at the wheel, the same place she had been standing for the past thirty minutes. "You didn't tell me you couldn't cook!" Lee caught the twinge at the corner of her mouth and knew she was fought to keep the grin from her face. Not one to back down from a challenge, even if it wasn't exactly a spoken one, he pushed himself away from the starboard side of the boat and came to stand directly behind her. "Oh, believe me..." He spoke in a low and husky voice right by her ear and smiled when she stiffened slightly. "When I get done, you'll taste a masterpiece that will be a diner's delight and just melt in your mouth." "I hope it won't melt before it makes it to my stomach," she countered. "I'm starved!" "All right, already!" He stepped around her to go below. "I get the point. I'll head down and take a look and see what I can find to whip up." Just before he disappeared, he gave her a wink. "Try not to get us lost!" he added and quickly escaped the contact of her foot as she kicked it in his direction. Once his feet touched the floor at the bottom of the stairs, Lee took a look around and began to examine the amenities. He opened cabinet after cabinet. Even when she claimed to be starving, he could still eat almost twice as much as Amanda. No need to worry about food. There was enough to feed an entire crew. He called topside. "You know, Billy wasn't kidding when he said this yacht has all of the essentials." "Really? What all is down there?" "You mean you didn't comb the below-deck area thoroughly during your once-over inspection of the boat?" He grinned as he imagined her reaction. If he didn't miss his guess, she would have an indignant look on her face. Her shoulders would be squared, and her body language would be silently asking how he could possibly make a comment like that. When her reply floated down to him, he knew he was right. "Well, I checked all of the safety equipment once we were sailing, and you had control of the steering. Since we grabbed dinner at the snack shack, I didn't really take note of the galley's equipment." He nodded. That sounded just like Amanda. Had they eaten on board, she would have known more about the galley than he did his own kitchen, and that wasn't an easy feat to top. He made sure to face the stairs so she could hear him and called back up to her. "This thing comes equipped with a three-burner propane stove, oven and barbecue gas grill, as well as full refrigeration, not to mention staples to last for weeks. It's a culinary kitchen on water!" "So, why don't you start using these wonderful facilities and get some supper cooking. I'm not getting any less hungry!" "I hear you, I hear you!" he muttered, grumbling under his breath. Of course, with her up on deck, he had to yell to be heard. He could say whatever he wanted, and she wouldn't hear him. That thought made him smile. As he removed the lid from a container of thin pasta, he took note of the bay leaves sprinkled throughout. Whoever outfitted this yacht knew exactly what they were doing. After locating a pot, he filled it with water and set it on the stove, then went through the steps of turning on the propane and lighting the gas beneath the burner. With that done, he put the lid on the pot and turned to retrieve a jar of pasta sauce and a package of dry sausage, then began to mix together the ingredients to make the sauce. "Did you find anything?" "Yeah," he called up to her, "I think I can manage." "What?" He turned to face the opening to the deck. "I said I think I can manage," he repeated. "How are things up there?" "Oh, it's a breeze! Nothing but smooth sailing!" "Well, we should have a meal in about twenty minutes, so you won't have to starve too much longer." "This meal better be worth it!" "It will be!" He turned back around and muttered, "But if you keep nagging, I'll add a little more spice to yours." The water boiled in a less than five minutes. He grabbed a handful of pasta to dump into it. Then, he emptied the sauce into the other pot. The sausage and a sprinkling of seasonings from the spice rack came next. He placed the pot on the burner and turned the knob to produce the flame, then stirred everything together. In a matter of minutes, the pasta was tender and the sauce was fully cooked. Lee drained the noodles, mixed in the small amount of sauce from the other pan and turned off the one burner. He found a can of diced tomatoes and was thankful he had thought to stop at the vegetable stand on their way to the dock to pick up a small zucchini, squash and a stalk of broccoli. Amanda hadn't even noticed, so she was going to be surprised when she saw what he had managed to cook for them. Once he prepared the vegetables, he dumped them into the pot. He stirred everything together until the sauce clung to the ingredients. Finally, he opened the refrigeration compartment and removed a vacuum-sealed bag of parmesan regianno. Once he had it open, he blended some into the mixture, then stirred until it melted over the noodles. Everything was blended and cooked to perfection. He turned the knobs to shut off the gas and closed the propane tank, then stood and smiled at his simple pasta meal. It didn't take him long to dish the meal onto two plates. He located a tray so he could transport the meal topside for both him and Amanda to share. Grabbing two glasses and a bottle of wine, he carefully balanced the tray as he maneuvered the steps leading to the deck. Amanda commented as soon as his feet touched deck. "Wow! You were right. Just a hair under twenty minutes. Not bad!" "Have I ever been wrong in my timing?" He thought about that and saw her start to reply. "Don't answer that," he amended, then stepped towards her and set the tray on the console around the wheel and cockpit area. "So, what do we have here? It smells wonderful!" Lee smiled with pride at her appreciative sniff and felt a slight stirring when she closed her eyes to inhale the rich aroma. It certainly didn't help matters to know that the two of them were completely alone on this yacht, in the middle of the Bay, with nothing surrounding them but water and the expansive night sky. "Would you like me to light a candle?" Amanda's voice once again broke into his thoughts. He brought his confused mind back into focus. "What?" "You had this look that was a mixture of discomfort and fear. I thought maybe you noticed how dark it was since the sun went down. I asked if you wanted me to light a candle for you." She grinned. "You know, since you admitted how much you don't like the dark." Lee focused his entire gaze on her and saw the grin on her lips. He chuckled and shook his head. "I deserved that, I admit it. I had it coming." He turned to pop the cork on the wine and pour a little into both of the glasses. "So, think you can manage to steer and share a toast at the same time?" "Why don't you try me!" She kept one hand on the wheel as she reached for the glass he held out to her. "What are we toasting to?" He lifted his glass. "To new horizons." "Mmm, I like the sound of that!" She tipped her glass to clink with his before they both took a sip. "Now, how about you taste some of what I cooked up?" Lee took a fork into his hands and twirled a strand of noodles around it, then spearedd one or two vegetables on the end before he held it to her lips. His other hand hovered underneath her chin to catch anything that fell. Their eyes met just before she opened her mouth, but her expression was unreadable. One thing he was able to ascertain was how beautiful she looked illuminated by the moonlight. His gaze fell to her lips as she closed her mouth over the fork and pulled the food from it. He slowly removed the fork from between her lips and held it in midair as he waited for her assessment. His heart began to beat a more rapid rhythm, and his breath caught in his throat as he watched her savor the taste of the bite. He swallowed several times. "Mmm! Oh, Lee! That's delicious!" she finally remarked. "How did you ever manage to create something like that with foodstuffs on the boat?" He gave her a sheepish grin and set the fork down on the plate. "Well, I have to confess. I stopped and picked up some fresh vegetables on our way to the Mati Hari earlier this afternoon." "Oh, so that's your secret!" She smiled. "Don't worry, I'm not complaining. It was a stroke of genius on your part, and a very thoughtful thing to do." Her eyes narrowed. "So, you planned all along to cook a dinner for us, didn't you?" He shrugged and gave her a devilish grin. "What can I say? Cooking is something I enjoy, and I'm good at it." "Modesty is one of your strong points as well." "Yeah, like admitting when you're wrong is one of yours," he retorted. When she started to get defensive, he hurried to continue. "But I did want to tell you what a great job you did earlier this afternoon. You thought quick on your feet and were very resourceful." "Oh, how so?" She set down her wine glass and reached for the fork on her plate, clumsily twirling the noodles and managing to spear a piece of broccoli with it before she took another bite. Lee did the same, but paused before he lifted the fork to his lips. "For starters, the note you managed to leave on the life vest got me headed in the right direction. The flag on the fishing pole to let me know where you were. You helped subdue one of Harcourt's men, lent support to Colleen and kept your eyes and ears open throughout the entire assignment." He gave her a crooked smile. "I think I may be starting to rub off on you." Amanda's face went from obvious pleasure at his compliment, to surprise at his remark, and finally to slight annoyance at his cocky attitude. As he watched the emotions play across her face, his gaze once again dropped to her lips, and he thought about how much he wanted to feel them against his own. The few brief kisses they had shared in recent weeks had left him wanting more. He constantly battled with the decision he had made to take things slow and not rush anything. "Don't be too sure of yourself!" Her remark mixed with the quiet of the night, the soft light of the moon, and the knowledge that it was just the two of them, made the temptation too hard to resist. When she set down her fork and placed her hand on her hip in a stance of indignation, he took the one step necessary to close the distance between them and settled his lips over hers in a lingering kiss. He felt her relax her stiff pose and relished the feel of her lips under his. The tangy taste of the sauce and stir-fry vegetables blended with the sweetness of her lips. It had an overwhelming effect on him. After a delayed moment, he reluctantly pulled back, but gave her another quick kiss before he completely stepped away. At first, he wasn't sure if she was upset with him for taking advantage, or upset that the kiss hadn't lasted a bit longer. She kept her expression carefully concealed. A moment later, a slow smile spread across her lips. The look they shared at that moment spoke volumes. It was clear that they were in agreement over the present status of their relationship. He knew he was interested. There hadn't been another woman in his life for weeks. Oddly enough, that knowledge didn't bother him in the least. Amanda more than made up for that absence. Although their relationship wasn't anything like what some of his others had been, what they had was definitely special. He wasn't going to do anything to jeopardize it. Finally, Amanda found her voice as she reached once more for her glass. "One of these days, Stetson," she mildly threatened, leaving him to decipher her meaning. Lee could think of a few things that remark could mean, but he chose not to dwell on them at the moment. Instead, he lifted his glass as well and clinked it with hers. Giving her a wink, he took a sip, then set down his glass and nodded towards the looming port. "Looks like we've arrived." His gaze bored into hers as he realized the double-meaning behind his words. She cleared her throat before she replied. "Looks like it." Shifting her gaze away from his, she rasped, "Let's get this thing parked." "Aye-aye, Captain!" Lee gave her a mock salute, then secured their tray of food to be warmed once they were docked. He took his position at the port as he prepared to lower the sails. Sad to see their little sailing adventure come to an end, he made a promise to himself to invite her again sometime. Maybe once they had a chance to figure out just where their relationship was headed, the time would be right to enjoy another sailing adventure together. Something told him that day wasn't too far off. (THE END) |
