For personal use and select distribution only © March 2002 by Amber Stockton There Goes the Neighborhood - tagalogueWritten by Brad Buckner & Eugenie Ross-Leming (excerpts from the episode belong to them)
After lauding Dean's merits, Dotty continued. "I mean, the trouble with some people is they vanish from your life just as quickly as they came." Amanda rested on her elbow and paused, her hand in the air a few inches from the half-smile on her face, thinking about someone she knew who fit that description. "With some men, you can have an absolutely thrilling evening, and there's no guarantee that you're ever going to see them again." She placed her glasses on her nose and lifted the paper to continue reading. "Yeah, tell me about it," Amanda replied with a sigh, mixed with a chuckle that said she knew what her mother was talking about. She turned towards the phone, wondering what she was going to say to Dean when she called. What was she going to say? How was she going to explain why she was late and where she was? She certainly couldn't say she was still helping at her club. He would see right through that lie. As she deliberated over what to say to Dean, her gaze traveled to the window above the sink, and she thought of just a few nights ago when Lee was outside that very same window, using towels from her kitchen to dry off. A smile found its way onto her lips as she remembered how good he looked in that tuxedo, and that thought led to the way he looked that first night in their 'home' with his shirt unbuttoned. She felt a flush steal into her cheeks at the memory of his bare and well-muscled chest. Lightly smacking her cheek, she shook his image from her mind. "Get a hold of yourself, Amanda," she reprimanded herself. "Did you say something, dear?" Dotty called from the living room. "Just talking to myself, Mother." "Well, I believe I'm going to go upstairs and finish my reading in my room. That way, you'll have some privacy when you call Dean." She rose from the couch and tucked the papers under her arm as she walked into the kitchen. Placing a kiss on Amanda's cheek, she turned back towards the stairs. "Good night, dear." "Goodnight, Mother." As soon as she heard her mother's footsteps leave the stairs and proceed down the hall, she turned back towards the phone. Lifting the receiver from the cradle, she started to dial Dean's number, but something stopped her. Thinking she needed to give her mind something to focus on, she hopped off the stool and walked over to the cabinet, opened the door and retrieved a mug. She planned to make some hot tea and hoped that would provide the calming effect she needed to put a stop to her whirling thoughts. However, just the simple act of retrieving a dish from the cupboard took her back to the other kitchen, complete with a decorative rug for the breakfast nook, blue curtains at the windows and Lee sitting at the table, having a conversation with her about their assignment. She thought about how comfortable it seemed with him and about their first 'fight' as he called it, coupled with the awkwardness of their parting that morning. All of it came back in vivid detail. Why couldn't she get him out of her mind? What was it about him that kept him so close at hand in her thoughts? Was it the excitement and the intrigue of his work, a reality that could only be found in her childhood fantasies? Or was it her own subconscious wishing for more in a relationship than she currently had? There had to be a reason why a simple assignment, doing things she did on a daily basis, minus the breaking and entering and dodging bullets, would have such an effect on her. Despite her best attempts, her mind rebelliously replayed their conversation about their sleeping arrangements and conjured up his handsome visage with the clearest of details. She saw him struggling with the blender while trying to make daiquiris, playing host to their neighbors that first night, smiling at her from the stairs after telling her to get her mind out of the gutter, and sneaking around the Bodine house. She could vividly recall him sitting at the kitchen table engaged in conversation with her, stumbling into the room after they had both been captured, pleading silently with those hazel eyes of his for her to pick up on his plan to foil their captors, placing his arm around her reassuringly as they walked down the street, and inviting her out for a drink, an invitation she had turned down because she had needed to distance herself from the man who occupied far too many of her thoughts as it is. Each scene floated through her mind like watching a movie of someone else's life. But this wasn't someone else; it was her. A simple housewife from Arlington involved with a spy. She slapped her hand on the counter, as if doing so would rid her mind of the memories. What was she thinking? She couldn't possibly continue to do this, no matter how intriguing it might seem. * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * As Lee was driving down the road that same night, he fingered the wedding band Amanda had worn for those very brief three days. He tilted it a little to catch the glow from the moonlight and watch it shimmer off the ring's surface, unable to keep his mind from replaying their time together as a "married couple." He smiled as he remembered her skittishness when they were discussing their sleeping arrangements, especially her hesitancy to voice the possibility that someone might think she was having a "thing" when she stayed out so late. She recovered rather quickly, and considering her naivete in this business, he was surprised and also impressed she had been able to hold her own in that conversation. He chuckled as he vividly recalled her facial expression when he unbuttoned his shirt that first night. All right, so he did that on purpose to have a little fun and to see what she would do, and she handled herself very well. He knew many women who would never have lasted half that long under similar circumstances. Amanda certainly was nothing like any other woman he'd met. She thought quick on her feet and played off of him very nicely with just the smallest amount of encouragement. She also was very determined to maintain her sense of morality and decency, and he couldn't help but admire her for that. Recalling their conversation in their kitchen...what was he thinking? It wasn't their kitchen. It was the kitchen. Letting out a sigh, he also released a low whistle. He'd better be more careful, or he might find himself admitting that he'd actually enjoyed being 'married' to Amanda, even if it was just business. It was hard to forget how hard she'd worked to make that home look cheery and comfortable, not to mention how easily he had fallen into the role of the 'dutiful husband' offering to pick up some groceries for dinner that night. What had gotten into him? He couldn't actually be starting to think he might enjoy living like that, could he? He was a bachelor, a loner, and he liked it that way. Didn't he? He liked not having any ties or commitments. Why else would he have enjoyed teasing Francine so much with his remark about his newfound appreciation for the generosity and stamina of the American housewife? Could there be a grain of truth in his remark, a subconscious wish of his that resulted in that statement? If there was, no amount of torture would make him admit it. After all, he had a reputation to uphold. Lost in thought, he had no idea where he had been driving for the past fifteen minutes, and as he looked around at his surroundings, he realized they looked vaguely familiar. Looking to his left and right, he tried to figure out why when he suddenly spotted a house he couldn't mistake. How in the world had he ended up here? Agitated, he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. If anyone were to ask him why he was here, there wasn't an answer in his mind that would hold any water. * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * Amanda put her head in her hands and sighed in frustration. She still hadn't called Dean, and the hour was rapidly becoming too late. Turning back towards the phone, a light tapping sound penetrated her ear. She wondered where it was coming from, so she turned her head to the left and right until something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Her heart nearly jumped into her throat when she saw his face outside her window. It was almost as if her thoughts about him had conjured him into existence. What was it that her mother said a few minutes ago about people who vanish from your life as quickly as they came? She tried shutting her eyes in the hopes that she was just imagining him there, but when she opened them again, he was still there. With a resigned sigh, she reached over the sink and slid open the window. "What are you doing here?" she whispered. "Hi, yourself." He smiled, obviously trying his best to appear like there was nothing out of the ordinary for him to be there. "Do you have any idea what time it is right now? Mother just went upstairs and the boys are getting ready for bed. I have to go tuck them in and say goodnight in a few minutes." Lee just stared at her, and Amanda thought she saw something flash in his eyes that showed he actually considered her domestic situation somewhat appealing. However, the look disappeared before she could tell for certain, and he cleared his throat. "Uhhh, I was driving by this way and thought I'd check to see how everything is going, after our assignment and all. Did you have any problems explaining your long absence to your family or what's-his-name?" "Dean," she supplied, "and no, I didn't. Mother accepted that I was working late with the rummage sale at my club and I haven't had a chance to call Dean yet. In fact, I was about to call him when you appeared at my kitchen window. Tell me, is this going to become a habit?" Lee gave her a half-smile, looking slightly chagrined at her not-so-subtle hint that he was intruding into her life...again. Running his hand through his hair, he looked away for a moment, as if trying to gather his thoughts. Somehow, Amanda had a feeling he never had trouble talking to women ... until her. He brought his gaze back to hers. "Amanda, look. To tell you the truth, I don't know why I'm here. I guess I'm just not used to working with anyone, and after the experience we had with this assignment, knowing that you're not used to all of this, I wanted to make sure you were all right." "How very thoughtful of you, but don't you think it could have waited until tomorrow and been through the telephone instead of at night in my backyard?" He gave her a sheepish grin. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'll...uh...I'll let you get back to that phone call." He took a step back and turned to leave. "Lee," she called, her voice halting his progress. She waited until he turned back around before continuing. "Thank you." "Good night, Amanda." He threw a parting smile in her direction before disappearing into the darkness. Amanda closed the window, turned back towards the phone and sighed. Dean would have to wait until tomorrow. (THE END) |
