Part 2

Amanda's fingers tapped on the steering wheel as she drove. Every once in awhile, her palm would pound the wheel as her frustration mounted. On the one hand, she was frantically wishing that she had driven with Lee. But then, she didn't really feel comfortable alone with him. She couldn't quite figure out why. There was just something lurking beneath the surface that made her nervous. On the other hand, here she was driving along thinking about him. That made her nervous too.

Until, was it just yesterday, things were going really well between them. Well, yesterday was the blow up. She visibly cringed as she remembered the scene in the hall yesterday. But she'd had a knot in her stomach all week. When he first came in Monday morning, rumpled with bags under his eyes, she had suspected that he had a new "girlfriend." She knew his reputation, but she wished that he could see that he had more to offer than his one night stands. He really was a gentle, sensitive man. She had watched as this side of him had grown and developed; she could see it in the ways that he had cared and protected her over the last two years. They had some rough times, but those seemed to be in the past. It took him awhile to get used to working with someone, but now they had settled into a comfortable routine both inside and outside of the office.

She hated the way several of the other agents had looked at him. She was mortified when Mr. Melrose actually called him on the carpet. She didn't want them to see him in a bad light. She was afraid that they would have less respect for him. Did she?

There was a time when he was known as the office lethario but she had seen him start to mellow and mature. Agents stopped asking him for tidbits about his latest conquests and started asking him for his ideas about their latest cases. Mr. Melrose had assigned him additional responsibilities. He was now in charge of the Q-Bureau. She was proud of the changes in him professionally and personally.

So why wasn't she happy that he was finally seeing someone that she actually liked. Leslie was bright, friendly, and obviously different. If Lee didn't blow it, he and Leslie could have a real relationship. She understood why Lee didn't want her to join them. She even understood why he wanted to get rid of her so fast and why he didn't want to stake out Trans-Oceanic. Instead of feeling better, understanding made her feel worse.

The more she thought about him with Leslie, the sadder she felt. As she spotted the exit to the scenic drive surrounding the harbor, she felt the first tears begin to slide down her cheek. How long had Lee's car been in front of her? She didn't remember him passing her. She began honking frantically before he missed the exit entirely. That was her Lee; how many times had she seen the same take charge attitude? How like him to insist on leading when he obviously didn't know where they were going.

Her Lee. Except now she feared he could be someone else's Lee. As the finality of her observation sank in, she noticed his turn signal begin to blink.

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Lee tried to stick close to Amanda's car, but her strict adherence to the speed limit was grating on his nerves. A corvette just wasn't made to follow a family station wagon. It was unnatural. He couldn't resist passing her. He threw her an impish smile and a salute as he passed her window but she wasn't looking in his direction. Even then, he couldn't bring himself to leave her behind, so he pulled in front of her and set the cruise control for, oh my gosh!, the speed limit.

His mind drifted. In the preceeding months, there were little glimpses into the depth of his emotions for his partner. This last week it had really gotten out of hand when he couldn't concentrate on Leslie without Amanda creeping into his thoughts or when he called Leslie by Amanda's name not once but twice. However, it wasn't until last night when he had been standing in her bedroom trying to apologize that he had realized how important she was to him...not just as a partner...more than a friend...someone he could confide in, depend on, trust, and love.

He understood so much more of himself since he'd met Amanda. She had changed him. It wasn't planned; it just happened. He decided on the way home that he owed it to both of them to consciously sort out his emotions. Ironically, it wasn't Amanda and it wasn't any great personal insight that spoke the truth. It was Leslie. Leslie who had only seen them together once for a few minutes. In one evening, Leslie verbalized what it had taken him over two years to even question. And she thought Amanda felt the same way. If she had that much perception and insight into his feelings, he was willing to trust her instincts with Amanda's feelings.

Unable to sleep, he had spent the night thinking...and thinking...and thinking...The blaring of a car horn jerked him back to reality. He realized that Amanda was honking as he was about to miss the exit for the marina.

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Amanda followed him along the road and into the parking lot. He quickly parked and jumped out to open her door for her. As he walked to the car, he didn't think anything unusual of her hands sliding over her face and into her hair. That was his Amanda. She didn't worry about messing her makeup or hair. She didn't even realize how beautiful she was.

He opened her door and extended his hand. Since she didn't look up, she didn't see his outstretched hand. As he slipped his hand under her elbow, she dropped her keys onto the pavement.

Both knelt by the car bumping into each other and knocking each other slightly off balance. Amanda looked up to grasp the door handle and steady herself. Before she turned away from him, Lee could swear he saw tears in her eyes.

Amanda laughed awkwardly. "I'm glad we're still on dry land Stetson or one of us could get quite a dunking. I wasn't planning on an afternoon swim, especially in this blouse."

Lee felt the silk of her blouse against his hand. As he helped her to her feet, he thought of how the silk would look wet against her skin. It was a tempting idea... "Pity," he whispered, "the idea does have its possibilities."

Amanda shot a 'don't even think about it" look at the lopsided grin on her partner's face. Lee broke into a full laugh. There was something contagious about the way his forehead crinkled and his eyes twinkled. She couldn't resist joining him.

Lee quickly hugged his Amanda to his chest. Relief flooded his body as he felt her laugh. When she was ready, she would let him know what was on her mind. They could share anything and everything. That's why they were best friends as well as partners. He had never had a friend like Amanda before. She had believed in him when others had written him off as burned out. Yes, it made his cover more difficult, but his heart burst with joy to know that she believed in him.

As they walked along the boats, he began to hum. Amanda shot him the strangest look and he realized that he was humming, "We're off to see the Wizard." Again the great Scarecrow acknowledged how much she had helped him make peace with some of the most difficult times of his life.

Rounding the corner to the Sullivan's boat, Lee quickly pulled her against him and kissed the top of her head. Just as quickly, he dropped his arm from around her and extended his hand to greet the Sullivans. Amanda was still speechless as Elizabeth Sullivan jumped from the boat and engulfed her in a big hug.