Screen Captures Courtesy of Swoopes For personal use and select distribution only © May 2002 by Amber Stockton The Wrong Way Home - tagalogueWritten by George Geiger (excerpts from the episode belong to him)
Amanda stepped into Joe's arms on the dance floor at Dooley's as he led her in a slow dance to one of their old, favorite songs. She drew close to him and rested her cheek against his, thankful he was once again safe. He was right. Something had changed between them. As he turned in step, Amanda pulled back and looked at him, then glanced over his right shoulder and saw the reason she felt so different about everything. Lee stood about fifteen feet away, on the upper level of the bar that surrounded the dance floor and other tables. At first, she wondered if she had conjured his appearance in her mind. A subconscious wish that she was dancing with him instead of Joe. His face didn't really register that she had seen him, but his eyes were focused intently on her. She smiled at him, and after a moment of hesitation, he smiled in return. Amanda knew he was really there. As she stood with Joe and looked at Lee, she remembered the dilemma Lee had faced not too long ago when they had gone back to his apartment and found Leslie there. Although she hadn't wanted to admit it at the time, when Lee had invited her to his place for dinner, she knew he had made his choice. Now, she understood his position. She was standing on the line between her past and her future, and she had a decision to make. "Amanda?" Joe's voice startled her from her slight daze, and she guiltily turned to face him. He stopped their dance and peered into her eyes, an unspoken question in his own. Knowing her indecision was unfair to Joe, she ducked her head. "Joe, I'm sorry. I guess my mind just isn't with me tonight." "I can see that!" He turned his head to look over his shoulder. "What's so interesting, that you..." He stopped and Amanda knew he saw Lee watching them. When he turned back around, she couldn't erase the apologetic look from her face. Somehow, she felt she had wronged him and was ready to explain, when he held up his hand. "I think I understand." "Joe, it's not what you think." "Isn't it?" he countered. "Amanda, I saw the way the two of you looked at each other when you thought no one was looking." "Joe, I..." "And why else would he be here tonight, if not for the same reason that your mind is elsewhere? Amanda, hear me out, all right?" His eyes softened as he made his request. She could only nod as he reached down to take hold of her hands in his. "You and I both know that we separated because we knew we couldn't make things work between us. It wasn't an easy decision for either of us to make. But, I never wanted you to spend the rest of your life alone with just the boys. Mr. Stetson seems like a good man..." "But Joe, Lee and I are just..." She stopped when he held up his hand again. "Then why not see if there's anything more?" he suggested softly. "Amanda, you deserve something better. I'll never forget or regret what we had, and you know I'll always be here for the boys, but you need to think about yourself." He lifted her hands to his lips and smiled. "And I think that's my cue to leave." "Oh, Joe, you don't have to go!" Amanda knew her protests weren't very convincing, but she felt the need to offer them anyway. "I know that, but I think I'll head on back to the house and spend a nice evening with the boys. We had a great time at the game today, and I'd like to continue it." The hint of a smile appeared on his lips. "Besides, your mother and I have some catching up to do." He nodded over his right shoulder. "Why don't you go have that talk, hm? You just never know." Amanda didn't want him to leave without him knowing how special he was to her. After a quick kiss on his lips, she drew him into a warm and comforting hug. She held him for a moment, then pulled back. "Thank you, Joe." He stepped away a moment later. After a few feet, he turned, lifted his fingers to his lips, then blew her a kiss and waved. She watched him walk toward the door. Her eyes remained focused on him until he stepped outside. With a sigh, she started to turn towards the bar when a familiar voice startled her. "Hey, is everything all right? I saw Joe leave, and..." "Everything's fine, Lee." Amanda turned to look at him. "Joe just wanted to get home to see the boys." He was pushed a little forward by someone walking behind him. "How about you?" "I..." She started to reply, but was bumped from behind. His reached for her elbows to steady her, and his raised hand stopped her from continuing. "Wait, I have a better idea. Why don't we bag this college scene and get some fresh air?" "I think that's a good idea." She nodded, then allowed Lee to guide her through the crowd. His hand pressed against the small of her back. Once they stepped outside, Amanda couldn't reason with the butterflies that began to flutter in her stomach. For some reason, she was suddenly shy and uncertain around Lee. She didn't want to admit that it had anything to do with Joe's blessing. The situation between the two of them was still very delicate, and she didn't know how to proceed. "So," Lee's voice interrupted her thoughts, "tell me why you didn't leave with Joe?" Amanda didn't really know how to reply to that question, so she remained silent. What was she supposed to say? She couldn't exactly tell him the truth, but on the other hand, she didn't have much of a choice. Her silence must have made Lee a little bit nervous, because he jumped in before she could form the words of her reply. "Look, Amanda, if I did something that caused Joe to leave, I'm sorry. That wasn't my intention at all." "No, Lee, it wasn't you at all. Believe me!" She paused and took a deep breath to allow herself time to gather her thoughts. "It was just like I said. Joe wanted to go home to be with the boys." She wasn't quite ready to continue that subject, so when he started to reply, she hurried to continue. "Now that you mention it, why were you at Dooley's tonight?" * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * She had asked the one question he knew she would but had hoped she wouldn't, at least not without giving him a little more time to sort out his feelings. The only thing he knew for certain was that he had wanted to see Amanda and hoped she'd be here. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "To be honest, I don't really know. I was out driving, and I happened to drive by the place, so I decided to stop in. Once I grabbed a beer from the bar, I turned and saw you and Joe dancing, and a few minutes later, he was gone." Suddenly, he decided to stop. Amanda stopped beside him, then looked up at him. "You didn't look too happy to see him go, so I thought you might want to talk. That's when I came over." His right hand reached down to lift hers, and he looked directly into her eyes. "Are you really okay?" He could see her reaction to his tender concern, and she appeared to be struggling to get her emotions under control. "Yes," she managed to whisper. "I am." Her hand gently pulled from his as she started to walk again. Instead of finding its familiar place at the small of her back, he lightly nudged her hand with his, hoping she would understand the unspoken invitation. He needed the added reassurance as much as the comfort. Relief swept through him when he felt her slip her left hand into his right and interlace their fingers. After a minute or two of companionable silence, he sensed that Amanda had something to say, so he waited for her to speak. "Lee?" she began, a little hesitantly. "Hm?" "Can I ask you a question?" "Sure." "Why were you really so interested in finding out what went wrong with my marriage to Joe?" Lee had to concentrate on walking to prevent himself from stumbling at her question. When he focused on the sound of her voice, he thought he detected an airy quality to it. Almost as if she was hesitant to ask, but at the same time relieved she did. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and saw her sharp intake of breath as she awaited his reply. "Amanda, I thought we already went through this?" He was more nervous than upset, but the result in his voice sounded the same to his ears. "No, we started to yesterday at Dooley's, but before you replied, I went ahead and answered your question. So, now it's your turn." She glanced up at him. He sensed her attempts to read his thoughts through his expressions. A sigh escaped his lips. There was no time like the present to be honest. "I don't know, Amanda. When I first heard about the case, and then learned it was really was Joe, I wanted to find out more. Call it curiosity on my part, or call it being nosy, like you said the other day. What it all boils down to is I was interested because it had to do with you." There. It was out. No flimsy story about a random assignment. No excuse that he was looking for more information to help him solve the case. It was just him admitting that he had taken the case because she was directly involved. "But why such interest?" He almost grinned at her insatiable curiosity, but knew it was important for them to have this talk. Neither one of them would really be satisfied until they did. "Well, we've been working together for over two years, and I'd say we've become pretty good friends in that time." She nodded. "Yes, I can't argue with you, there." "I knew this situation had the potential to cause a little hurt. I wanted to do everything I could to help keep as much of that at bay as I could. Cases like this one was always have a chance of getting ugly. I didn't want to see you or your boys dragged through that." He paused and sighed, then averted his face from her astute gaze. "When I saw you with Joe, and saw the two of you with the boys, I knew I had done the right thing." He flexed his fingers slightly, and she returned the pressure. He was struggling with his feelings for her and his understanding of Joe's presence in her life, and he hoped she would help put his mind at ease. They had walked around the block and now came to a bench at the edge of the sidewalk. When she turned and encouraged him to sit, he eagerly lowered himself to the seat. She took her place beside him. He turned towards her and barely touched his knees to hers. Their hands remained entwined. He watched Amanda reach out to take his left in her right and hold both of his hands together in her lap as she raised her gaze to his. "Lee," she began, speaking softly, "Joe and I separated because we wanted different things. It hadn't started out that way. When we first got married, we honestly thought we could make things work. When Philip and Jamie were born, everything seemed perfect. However, it wasn't perfect for Joe. He needed more than just practicing law. He wanted to make a difference. When the job with the EAO was offered to him, he couldn't turn it down. It didn't take me long to realize that I couldn't deny him his chance to be happy. She shrugged. "So, I let him go." She gave his hands a squeeze. "His appearance again three days ago hasn't changed anything about our decision. We both know we did what was best for everyone. Although Mother would love for Joe to come back, we all know that it won't happen. That doesn't mean that we don't still care about each other. We'd do whatever was necessary to help each other. But, we also know that it's best to leave things as they are." His thumbs began their unconscious movement across the backs of her fingers. "Is that why you were so certain he was innocent in everything?" "Yes," she replied without hesitation. "When I heard what had happened, I knew there was some mistake. Joe just doesn't have it in him to kill anyone, let alone steal food or money from starving people, or even lie about his involvement. His heart is as good and honest as they come, I can't tell you how relieved I was when Inspector Shamba turned out to be the Prime Minister." "You're not the only one!" Lee exclaimed. "Up until that point, there was still one missing link in the credibility of Joe's story. Once we found out the Prime Minister was alive, we were able to nail Prescott and Foster and put an end to their illegal schemes." He paused for a moment, then chuckled. "You know, Amanda, I have to admit I feel a little foolish." "Oh? Why's that?" He tried to avoid her eyes, but still felt her gaze. He felt a mixture of determination, nervousness, and even a little bit of uncertainty, and for once didn't mind that she could see his emotions on his face. "Ohhh, just that seeing you and Joe together really made me wonder whether you were having second thoughts about everything ... your work with the Agency, Joe, your life..." His gaze sought hers once more. "He is Philip and Jamie's father, and you were married to him once, so it would only be natural if you..." "Lee," she interrupted softly, "Joe is the boys' father. Yes, we were married. But, I'm not looking at the past anymore. I'm not interested in going back to how things used to be, because I know I'll never have that again. Yes, it would be easy to go back. Yes, it would be nice to be a family again. I told Joe before he left that I just want to go forward. I'm not the same person I was when Joe and I were married. The life I have now is one that I love. I know the future is going to be great, and I'm eager to see what unfolds." Her confession filled him with such a feeling of relief and excitement, he felt he would explode with joy. Forcing himself to keep things on an even keel, he nodded to show her that accepted her answer. However, a hint of mischievness gave him the idea to have a little fun. It seemed a much safer route than delving further into the thoughts and feelings he was having. "There's just one thing that's still got me curious." Her eyes narrowed as if she didn't trust what he was going to say. "Oh?" "Yeah, and that's what kind of stories Mrs. McDonald would tell if she were to start talking about you during Joe's stay at that house." He grinned. "Maybe I should go and pay her a visit." Amanda pulled one hand from his and reached out to playfully slap his shoulder. "Don't you dare!" He quickly reached up and grabbed her hand once again, then smiled at the barely contained mirth in her eyes. It didn't take long for them both to give in to their laughter. A moment later, he sobered. "No regrets?" His gaze searched her eyes for confirmation. "None!" She paused. "Well, maybe just one." "What's that?" Amanda locked her gaze with his. He watched the cocoa-brown of her eyes darken. She seemed to be saying with her eyes what she wanted to say with words. In that moment of silence, he clearly understood what it was she was asking of him. Knowing his own feelings, he felt relieved when she appeared to feel the same way. He watched her tongue slip out to moisten her lips. His gaze dropped down to fully focus on her mouth. He was certain the pounding of his heart could easily be heard. As he slowly leaned towards her, he heard her soft intake of breath. Pausing just before their lips met, Lee searched again for the unspoken confirmation. Although he felt his heart would nearly burst with his feelings for her, he wasn't going to do anything without knowing it was all right with her. They had come to a major turning point in their relationship with this assignment. He knew it was somehow important that he come to Dooley's tonight. Now he knew why. With Joe back and the knowledge of Amanda's involvement with him, he had actually feared the possibility of losing her. After their time together tonight, he was more reassured than ever that his feelings were returned. Still, he needed to see it in her eyes. Eyes that served as windows to her soul. Eyes that always told him exactly how she felt. Seeing what he needed, he touched his lips to hers, lightly at first, then with increased pressure. She responded, and they exchanged several light kisses, before mutually shifting into a warm embrace. Neither one of them seemed in any rush to separate. Lee enjoyed holding Amanda in his arms, a position to which he could very easily become accustomed. However, a moment later she pulled back, but only enough so that he could clearly see her face. He relaxed the pressure of his arms a little and looked at her with a question in his eyes. * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * She knew he was waiting for her to say something, to explain why she had pulled back. But, she wasn't sure how to put what she felt into words. Finally, she managed to say, "You know, Lee, you were right." His eyebrows drew together in confusion. "About what?" "Okay isn't good enough for me," she replied, repeating what he had told her two days ago. "But, looking at life now, I think it's more than okay." She smiled. He grinned, then pulled her once more into his arms. Amanda smiled over his shoulder. Her thoughts dwelled on what her life had been up to this point and how far she had come. Seeing Joe again had only confirmed what she knew in her heart. He would always hold a special place there, but there was no getting back what once was. It had taken survival after a divorce, basically raising her two boys alone, and accepting that package from Lee, before she finally knew who she was. There was nothing that would convince her to go back. As her thoughts shifted to the man that now held her, she realized that life was definitely more than okay. (THE END) |
