Screen Captures Courtesy of Swoopes

For personal use and select distribution only © May 2002 by Amber Stockton

J. Edgar's Ghost - tagalogue

Written by David Brown (excerpts from the episode belong to him)

 

Lee gave Amanda a curious look as he walked around to his side of his desk. "What do you got, there?" He gestured vaguely at the manila folder she held.

"Oh, just a little something from the Francine Desmond file," she answered slowly, removing a photo from the folder.

"Oh? Let me see it." He extended his left hand, his right in his pocket.

"You can look, but can't touch," she instructed, then whipped the folder around to show a photo of Lee dressed up in a 'Carmen Miranda' style outfit, complete with the fruit basket headdress, popping the cork on a bottle.

"What?" He tried to grab the photo, but she pulled it out of his reach.

"Ah-ah-ah-ah!"

"Amanda, look," he tried to pass it off as nothing, "that was Christmas party three years ago...."

"Oh?"

"It was silly."

"Mm-hmm," she replied, thoughtfully gazing at the photo.

There was a brief moment of silence from across the desk, and Amanda glanced up to see Lee looking nervous. "You know, that's not a very terrific thing to be showing people. They might misunderstand."

"Misunderstand this?" She grinned with a shake of her head as she gestured to the photo. "I don't think so," she said sweetly.

"What do you want for it?"

"This?" she replied innocently. "Oh, nothing! This is free." She handed him the photo and watched him snatch it from her, then crossed her arms and gave him a smug grin. "It's the negative that's going to cost you."

He lowered the picture to the desktop and slowly leaned towards her, placing his hands on the desk and bracing himself on them. "How much?"

She grinned and shrugged, then placed her own hands on the desk and leaned in towards him, taking full advantage of having the upper hand. "Oh, we'll probably start with dinner at Spencer's, and then we'll ... uh ... take it from there."

"Pick you up at seven?" he replied, without missing a beat.

"I'll be there!"

"Good! Now, do you think we can get some real work done around here?"

"I guess so." She shrugged and started to back away from the desk, but Lee's hand on hers stopped her, and she suddenly realized how close their faces were.

The look in his eyes changed as his glance darted down to her lips and back up to her eyes. She saw him move closer, and the quick peck he placed on her lips was over almost before it started. However, her heart still skipped a beat, and she couldn't reason with her sudden shortness of breath. When he straightened and backed away with a wink, she fought hard not to expel a long sigh, even though inside, her stomach was doing somersaults.

Amanda realized there was no reason to remain in that position any longer, so she straightened and turned towards the smaller table, prepared to gather the files on their recent case so they could write their report. She tried to tell herself that it was business, as usual, but her mind kept telling her that the sooner they finished their work, the sooner the evening would come, and the sooner they would be having dinner. That thought alone made her attack the workload with gusto.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

For what seemed like the tenth time, Amanda glanced out the windows at the side and back of her house. It was almost seven o'clock, and Lee was always punctual. He said he would be here at seven, and she anxiously awaited his appearance. She knew he couldn't just knock on the front door and pick her up for their date, so they had agreed that he would come to the back yard and make himself visible, then walk back to his car and meet her outside.

It had seemed to make sense back at the Agency, when they had discussed it, but now, Amanda was having trouble settling her nerves. She drank a glass of water to give her a reason to stand in the kitchen so long and hoped she didn't look suspicious. Her mother and boys sat on the couch with their backs to her, watching a movie on television. At least they were engrossed in the movie, so when she had to leave, they wouldn't miss her.

She glanced out the window again, then looked at the clock on the wall, lost in her own thoughts.

"Amanda."

She jumped and nearly spilled her water, then placed a hand on her chest. "Oh, Mother! You nearly scared me half to death!" she exclaimed. "Why did you sneak up on me like that?"

"Amanda, I didn't sneak up on you," she corrected. "You were so absorbed in whatever has your attention out that window, that you didn't even see me walk over here." Dotty pinned her with one of those looks that only mothers could do. The one that tells you they know you're up to something, but they don't know what, and they're going to try to put a guilt trip on you to make you tell. Crossing her arms, her mother raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips. "Now, are you going to tell me why you're so preoccupied tonight? And why you came home from work and changed into slacks and a silk blouse?"

"I'm sorry, Mother. I thought I saw something move outside. It was probably just the branches from the trees moving in the wind."

She shrugged and took another sip of water, then glanced outside again, deciding that it was best to pretend she hadn't heard the second question. As soon as the liquid touched her lips, Lee appeared at the window and waved. She nearly spat the water into the glass when she saw him, but somehow managed to swallow and calmly turn to face her mother. Setting the glass in the sink, she reached out and touched Dotty's shoulder.

"Mother, I'm supposed to meet someone from work for dinner to discuss some business we didn't get to finish today."

"Amanda, I..."

"Could you make sure the boys are in bed by nine-thirty?" she asked as she brushed past Dotty and headed for the front door.

"So, what time will you..."

"I won't be home late. Goodbye, Mother. Goodnight, boys!" she called.

Goodnight!" they chorused.

Amanda was certain they didn't take their eyes off the screen. She grabbed her jacket from the closet and rushed outside, hoping she could get around to the neighbor's house were Lee usually parked without her mother looking out the front window. That was the last thing she needed to add more ammo to her mother's questions that were sure to come when she returned home, so she increased her pace and hurried to where Lee waited at his car.

He cast an appreciative glance at her attire as he held open the door for her, then closed it and walked around to get in on the driver's side. They didn't waste any time getting to the restaurant, and she figured it was because Lee had made reservations for seven-thirty. Sure enough, they were seated almost immediately upon entering, and Amanda took note of the soft lighting and cozy atmosphere, enhanced by the secluded arrangement of the tables and booths to allow for private dining.

"So, how did you explain to your mother about tonight? I'm sure she didn't believe you were going to be working dressed the way you are." He paused. "And by the way, you look beautiful."

"Thank you." She dipped her head and smiled. "I just told her I had to meet someone from work to discuss some business."

"And she bought it?" he asked, surprised.

"Well, I'm sure I'll get the third degree when I get home tonight, but I didn't exactly give her a chance to question me before I left. When it comes to explaining my whereabouts to Mother, I keep it as simple and basic as possible." She glanced down at her lap. "At least tonight I didn't have to worry about missing Rip Van Winkle or any other school-related event."

"Yeah," Lee replied, shifting in his seat and appearing a little uncomfortable. "I meant to tell you how sorry I was about that, Amanda, and..."

"It's not your fault, Lee. I was the one who volunteered myself to be involved in the Cyclops case, so you're not to blame for the case going longer than a day. The good news is that they're actually going to be doing it again in school next week." She smiled. "I'm going to make sure I'm there!"

The smile he gave her was one of relief. "Oh, good."

Their waiter appeared at that moment. Lee placed an order for a bottle of Chardonnay, and Amanda focused her attention on her menu, trying to decide what she was going to order and attempting to conceal the nervousness she felt. It wasn't as if this was the first non-work-related dinner they had shared. But it was the first time they had been out together to have that dinner. The other one had been at Lee's apartment, and she forced her thoughts away from that evening.

The waiter returned and poured wine into both of their glasses, then left the bottle. Lee raised his glass, and Amanda lowered her menu to do the same. "To blackmail," she toasted, hoping that it would break the ice a little and help her relax.

Lee didn't say a word, only gave her a crooked grin and clinked his glass with hers, then took a sip. She sipped from her glass as well, then set it on the table and lifted her menu once again to look through it. After several minutes, she still hadn't comprehended anything she had read. The waiter would most likely be returning any moment.

"So, have you memorized the menu yet?" Lee suddenly spoke. "You've had your eyes glued to it for the past fifteen minutes. I figured you'd be able to announce the entrees as well as the waiters by now!"

Thankful for the subdued lighting to conceal the blush that stained her cheeks, Amanda lowered her menu and sighed. "I'm sorry, Lee, but I just can't decide," she hedged. It was at least a half-truth. She wasn't about to confess that the reason she couldn't decide was because she couldn't get her mind off her handsome date across the table.

"Well, how about I order for the both of us?"

She smiled and nodded. "Thank you, that would be nice."

He grinned. "Are you sure you trust me?"

"What is there to worry about?" she countered. "The entire menu is in English, so it's not like you could surprise me by ordering in another language, where I don't know what it is you're ordering."

"Good point."

The waiter chose that moment to return to their table, and Amanda took the opportunity to observe Lee as he placed their orders. She hoped he wouldn't ask her if she approved of his selection for her. Not one word of what he ordered registered in her brain. The only thing she was thinking was that she had to come up with some way to get their conversation going or their dinner was going to be a constant play of an awkward and stilted exchange of words.

As soon as the waiter took their menus and left, Amanda took another sip of wine, then looked at Lee. "I stopped over to see Agnes after work today."

"Oh? And how is she?"

"She's doing better. Still not quite over the heartbreak caused by Nick Cross, but she's made up her mind to move on with life."

"That's good. I know it's not easy dealing with the knowledge that someone you thought was sincere was really only out to use you to get information to serve their own purposes."

She ducked her head and began drawing little circles on the white, linen tablecloth. "No, it's not," she muttered, remembering when she had been in that same position more than once.

"Hey," he whispered, reaching out to cover her hand with his and causing her to look up at him. "You were no more to blame than Agnes was, and I'm sorry for reminding you of that."

"Oh, it's all right, Lee," she assured him, acutely aware of the warmth of his touch on her hand. "I know you didn't mean anything by it. I'm just glad that I could actually relate to Agnes better because I had been there. She really did need someone to talk to about everything, so what happened to me last year was a good thing."

He gave her hand a little squeeze before returning it to his lap. "And you said I was always the one who found the silver lining."

"Well, it's like you said," she replied, "this is no business for a pessimist."

"No, it's not," he agreed. "Even when you're faced with the threat of sex scandals revealed in classified documents that J. Edgar Hoover kept hidden while he was in office."

"Especially when those documents now sit at a local waste disposal site, hopefully soon to be destroyed and never again revived."

"Which reminds me," Lee began, resting his forearms on the edge of the table and interlocking his fingers as he glanced at her. "You seemed a little disappointed when that sanitation worker pointed out the pile of trash where the dumpster which held the files had been emptied. Any particular reason why?"

Amanda caught the gleam in his eyes. She knew it was from more than the one candle that flickered in the center of their table, so she played right along with his teasing. "Ohhh, just that a small part of me was sort of interested in reading what some of those files had to say." She shrugged. "You never know, there could have been some interesting things in there." Resting her own forearms on the edge of the table, she grinned. "Of course, I think I can find much more interesting things in the files at the Agency."

He lifted his wine glass to his lips. "Files you're not supposed to be accessing in the first place."

They paused as the waiter brought them their Caesar salads, then left again. "Can I help it if they happen to come out in the process of getting the Q-Bureau back in order?" She began mixing her salad, then speared a forkful and lifted it to her lips.

"Oh? And what about that photo you found earlier today?"

She finished her first bite. "That was a special gift from Francine," she replied with a grin, taking another sip of wine. "She found it in her desk by accident, and gave it to me as a souvenir."

"Remind me to thank her the next time I see her," he retorted sarcastically as he took a bite of his own salad.

"Oh, come on, Lee," Amanda teased, "it can't be any worse than most of the other stories that go floating around the Agency."

"Such as?" he asked with a slight lift of his right eyebrow.

"Ohhh, such as the knowledge that you're the only one who could successfully get into the back door of the Kappa house in less than ten seconds flat!"

"Hey! I'm quite proud of that record!" he stated with a definitive nod. "It wasn't easy, either. I had to manage to sneak by old Battle-ax Buford, and she watched that place like a hawk!"

"Well, you certainly made quite a name for yourself around that house. The girls talked about you all the time. Your reputation was something of a legend. I'm almost sorry I missed out on knowing you back then. I think it would have been interesting to meet the infamous 'Nightwolf'!" She smiled and enjoyed watching him squirm in his seat.

"Um ... Amanda... why don't we ... uh ... change the subject, huh?"

She grinned. "Whatever you say, Lee."

He expelled of sigh of obvious relief. His gaze flicked upward just before he speared another forkful of salad. She smiled when their gazes met. A new topic was all right, for now, but she certainly wasn't going to let this one go.

The look he gave her told her he knew they would visit that subject again, but he was obviously thankful she'd agreed to let it drop. Of course, there was still the entire dinner to go. As their meals were placed in front of them, Amanda watched Lee's face and knew he'd find a way to get her back. It might not be tonight, but it would happen. She just had to be ready with her own comeback.

The same thing had happened with her jab at Francine at the start of this recent case. One thing had bothered her about that, though.

Amanda started to cut into her chicken cordon bleu, then paused. "Lee?"

"Yeah?"

"You wanted to change the subject, so how about this. You know how I spoke first without thinking with that comment to Francine about M Street?"

"Yeah."

"Was there something wrong with what I said?"

Lee paused from cutting his own meat and looked up at her. "Why do you say that?"

She shrugged. "Oh, it's just that you seemed almost embarassed or maybe even exasperated at what I said. I was wondering why. I mean, I thought it was a very good comeback on Francine's remark, and it certainly did the job to shut her up, at least for the moment. Mr. Melrose seemed to think it was rather funny. Considering all of the times she's done the exact same thing to me, I thought she was due for a taste of her own medicine, and..."

"Amanda!" he interrupted her ramble.

She paused and took a breath. "Yes?"

"You're right."

"I am?"

"Yes. It was a good line. I just had other things on my mind at the moment, with the security leaks and Cross and getting down to business. Had I not, I probably would have enjoyed your comment more."

"Oh."

Lee lifted a piece of chicken to his mouth. "I'd watch my back if I were you, though. Francine's not one to let anyone get the upper hand on her!"

"Sounds like someone else I know!"

He chewed for a moment, then swallowed. "And just what is that supposed to mean?"

Amanda smiled at how defensive Lee suddenly became. "Oh, Lee, you know full well you don't like admitting when you're wrong."

"Like you do?"

She ducked her head and began cutting her chicken again. He had a point, but she wasn't about to admit it.

"Thought so."

She looked up and saw his grin. His wink that followed brought a smile to her lips, and she speared a piece of chicken with her fork. He took another bite, and she did the same. Amanda enjoyed the savory flavor of her entree and the accompanying salad. The vegetables were cooked to perfection and provided the perfect accent to her meal. They ate in silence for several minutes, and she felt as if they had reached an understanding of sorts.

One thing was certain. Regardless of where their relationship was at this point, it had a lot of potential. She looked forward to seeing how it would develop. If the look he had given her at Agnes' house was any indication, this could be a very enjoyable experience.

(THE END)

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