Screen Captures Courtesy of Swoopes For personal use and select distribution only © May 2002 by Amber Stockton Pharoah's Engineers - tagalogueWritten by Jason Starkes (excerpts from the episode belong to him)
Rupert summarized the strength of the Agency as he walked with Amanda and Lee down the hall. "Buildings are like people. The good ones last!" . . . . . . . . . Rupert looked down at his cake, then threaded his hands through both Lee and Amanda's arms. "Give me a hand, you two. I don't have as much hot air as I used to!" A round of chuckles from the other Agency personnel followed his confession. "Let's make a wish we can all agree on, hm?" Amanda smiled and cast a quick glance at Lee. "Okay! Go!" All three inhaled in preparation to blow out the candles. Between the three of them, they extinguished the flames in just a matter of seconds. Once they straightened, Lois Mendelson approached to slice the cake and distribute the pieces to everyone. Amanda took hers, then stepped back and watched Lee do the same. For several moments, they ate their cake in silence and watched the activity in the room. As soon as Lois was done, she and Glynis stole Rupert away to mingle with the guests. Amanda smiled at the devilish gleam in Rupert's eyes as they shuttled him away. "So, that's the future." "Yeah, if we're lucky!" "Quite a lot to look forward to!" "It can be." Amanda chuckled. "I can just imagine Francine when that time comes. She'd probably insist on an expense account just for her, so she could keep up with the latest in fashion trends." "Not to mention divulging the secrets of every male intelligence retiree in the place!" Lee added with a laugh. Amanda turned to look at him and tried hard not to laugh, but failed. "Did I hear my name?" Francine approached the two of them. "What's so funny?" She placed a fist on her hip and glared. "All right, you two, out with it! If you're sharing a joke at my expense, I have a right to know about it!" Amanda was the first to regain her composure. "I'm not so sure about that, Francine!" "And just what is that supposed to mean?" She narrowed her eyes and looked at Amanda. "Nothing, Francine," Lee hurried to explain. "Amanda just meant that you might not find it too funny." "Well, I would think I should be the one to decide that, don't you?" Her back was rigid and her lips were pursed. "Besides, if you don't tell, you realize I have ways of finding out, and only a handful of them are pleasant for the one who ends up talking!" Francine's reference to making someone talk almost set Amanda into another fit of laughter. Lee shot her a warning look, and she immediately sobered. "If you insist." Lee sighed. "Amanda and I were just watching Lois and Glynis and Rupert over there and talking about what it might be like when we get to that stage in our careers." "So what does that have to do with me?" "Well, we mentioned what it would be like with you at Birchwood and figured you wouldn't be much different from the way you are now, only with a few more notches on your belt." "Me? At Birchwood?" Francine replied with disdain. "Never! No, when I retire, I'm going to make certain I get top placement in one of the communities near the Shenandoah Country Club. Now that would be my kind of retirement!" "And I just thought you'd have a large expense account to cover your extravagant lifestyle!" Amanda quipped. "Very funny, Amanda! At least when I do retire, I won't have to worry about my money being funneled for someone else's raise!" Amanda almost reacted, but Lee gave her an almost imperceptible nudge. She bit her tongue to keep silent. Not an easy feat considering how tempting it was to react to the obvious accusation. "Hey, now!" Lee interjected. "Retract your claws, Francine. We all know that your account wasn't the only one cut, and that Amanda wasn't the only one who received a raise. The budget was recalculated all across the section, so there's no need to point fingers." Duly chastised, but obviously not liking that she was put in her place, Francine exhaled a loud sigh. "I've got other people to see." With one final glare at Lee, she stormed off in a huff. "Oooh, that woman!" Amanda exclaimed through gritted teeth. "Sometimes, she just makes me want to give her a good swift kick in the pants!" Lee laughed. "Well, if it's any consolation, she feels the same way about you. In fact, I think it's even worse on her end." "She's been against me from the start." "That's because she's jealous." "Of me? What for?" Hearing Francine was jealous of her came as quite a shock. When Amanda considered the circumstances, it made a little bit of sense. However, she was still surprised. Lee took her empty plate and dumped it with his in the trashcan near his feet. "Because, from the moment you first came to the Agency, you started taking her place on some of the assignments and succeeding where she hadn't. She took it personally and responded the only way she knew how ... with sarcasm." "That's just part of what makes Francine tick." She paused and lowered her voice, then leaned a little closer to Lee. "Let's face it. When it comes to the personal touch, I'm better!" Amanda grinned. Lee placed his arm around her waist and gave her a little squeeze. "No arguments there!" Amanda looked up at him and felt herself get lost in the tenderness of his hazel gaze. Rupert approached the two of them, flanked on either side by Lois and Glynis on his left and right. "All right, Lee, you can't keep Amanda all to yourself!" Lois swatted Rupert on the arm. "Now, you leave them alone, Rupert. Maybe he wants to have Amanda all to himself." "And it's about time he found a nice girl to keep him company, so don't you go and spoil it!" Glynis added. "Oh, you two stop it, will you? I'm not trying to break them apart," Rupert countered. "I'm just trying to get them to join the fun a little instead of standing over here by themselves." "Well, how else is he supposed to spark the young lady if he doesn't pull her aside for some private moments?" Lois rejoined. "Of course, with his lady friend, he might not come and visit us as often," Glynis remarked, a touch of sadness in her voice. "Oh, fiddlesticks, Glynis. Lee couldn't stay away any more than Rupert could stop telling tales," Lois corrected. Amanda listened to the trio banter back and forth. Her head swivelled to each of them in turn and made it seem like a tennis match. She couldn't keep the grin from her lips at the obvious affection they held for Lee. At the moment, that same affection was causing Lee a small amount of discomfort. That was clear from the way he shifted his weight from one foot to the other and tried to interject a word in edgewise into the conversation. Finally, Lee cleared his throat. Amanda watched the three of them look up at him in expectation. They not only showed their affection but respect for him as well. "If the three of you are through embarrassing me and talking about my personal life, I want to reassure you that nothing could keep me from my regular visits to Birchwood." "And we weren't avoiding the party on purpose," Amanda added. "We were just watching all of you have such a good time and thinking how nice it will be when it's our turn to come stay at Birchwood." She smiled. "Provided we have neighbors just like you!" "Oh, Lee, this partner is definitely a good one!" Lois reached out to clasp his right hand between both of hers. "You make sure you don't let her get away, you hear?" "I hear you, Lois." Amanda grinned when she felt his arm tighten around her waist. "So, are you two going to join us or just be party poopers?" Rupert asked. "Ohh, Rupert, I would love to, but I have two boys waiting for me at home. I really should get back to them to make sure I get them some dinner." Rupert reached out and unceremoniously lifted Amanda's right hand to place a brusque kiss on it. "You take care of yourself, then, and don't be a stranger!" "I won't!" "Amanda, it was very nice to meet you, and I hope you will come with Lee when he visits." Glynis gestured with her finger, and Amanda leaned down closer to her. "You take good care of Lee, now," she whispered. "He needs a nice girl like you. Besides, Lois and I can't be the only ones keeping meat on his bones!" She pulled back with a smile. Amanda nodded. "I promise, Glynis." "I guess we should leave the two of you alone and get back to the party," Lois stated. "Thank you both for all of your help with Code Pyramid. It's nice to know the Agency still stands as strong as when we put it together over twenty years ago!" The three of them turned to leave. "You take care of yourselves!" Lois said in parting. "We will," Lee and Amanda chorused in reply. "Well, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Lee turned them both as they stepped into the hallway and headed toward the elevator. His arm still rested comfortably at her waist. "They really are very sweet." "Yeah, I know. It's what keeps me going back for my regular visits." "Are you sure it's not for the peach brandy and banana bread?" Lee grinned. "That, too." "I have to admit that seeing you with them brings out a side of you I'd never seen before." "A good side or a bad side?" "Definitely good!" she replied. "It's nice to see you care so much about them. I'm sure they sometimes feel like they're isolated out there, with no one to really take notice of them or their contributions to the Agency that made it what it is today." "You're right about that, Amanda. I guess I just want them to feel important and hope someone will do the same for me when I'm in their shoes." They reached the outside elevator. Amanda stepped away from Lee's hold to push the button on the wall. "I'm sure they will, Lee. You're obviously a favorite with Lois and Glynis and Rupert, and you're certainly popular around the Agency." She grinned. "So, I don't see why that would change with years." He reached out to take her hands in his. "You know, you've really become quite a favorite yourself around the Agency. You did a bang-up job on this Pyramid case with your research and getting Rupert to talk. I know your baked goods are a hit at the water cooler with the coffee, and the ladies in the steno pool sure appreciate you being willing to transcribe so many phone conversations." "Just doing my job!" She shrugged and tried to downplay his attempts to place her on some pedestal. "It's more than that, and you know it, Amanda! There's a lot of people who appreciate what you do ... me included." His thumbs began to gently stroke the backs of her fingers. She found it very difficult to keep her mind focused on their conversation. It continually wanted to dwell on the warmth that flooded through her at his touch. "So, are you going to tell what it was that you wished for back there when we blew out the candles on Rupert's cake?" "Oh no! That's top secret and classified! It's on a need to know basis only!" She grinned, then turned the tables on him. "What about you?" He pulled her closer and smirked. "Same. There are ways of making you talk, you know." It was a mild threat. That much was obvious by the tone of his voice. But, his eyes took on a darker hue. Amanda felt her breath catch in her throat at the intensity of his gaze. "And what might they be?" "I'll have to show you," he whispered, then lowered his head. Amanda pulled one hand from his grasp and held it out in front of him. He paused and gazed at her, a question in his eyes. "I just realized something." Lee captured her hand again and lowered it between them. "What's that?" "Lois said something the other day, when you first took me out to Birchwood." When he nodded, she continued. "She said that I'm a niece and you're a nephew." He shrugged. "Yeah, what about it?" His thumbs once again began their tantalizing circular motion on the backs of her hands. She somehow managed to maintain her composure to give him an impish grin. "Well, if that's the case, you and I are related, and if we're related, maybe we shouldn't..." She paused as the look in his eyes changed from indifference to a noticeable twinkle. Her heartbeat increased at his crooked grin. She held her breath when he leaned towards her. His breath was warm on the side of her face, and she bit her lip when he spoke. "Not exactly!" The low timbre of his voice sent a chill right down Amanda's spine and straight to her toes. He pulled back and grinned, obviously having seen her reaction. She felt the heat creep into her cheeks. "You were saying?" His left eyebrow raised as he slowly lifted her hands to his lips. She smiled. "Maybe we can make an exception." Lee kissed both of her hands just as the elevator doors opened. Amanda slipped her hands from his grasp, then ducked beneath the bar into the elevator. "See you tomorrow!" "Count on it!" Lee called out just as the doors closed. She smiled at the thought of his promise to Lois as well as Glynis' advice to her a few minutes ago. Things were certainly developing between them ... slowly. It was still progress. They had come a long way since they had first met. Amanda knew that patience was something Lee needed. That and space were two things she was more than willing to give him ... to a point. She wasn't exactly going to sit back and do nothing, but she wasn't going to push him, either. No, she'd help things along a little, but allow him to make the definitive move. Hopefully, that time would come soon. (THE END) |
