DISCLAIMER: The characters in the following story belong to Shoot the Moon and Warner Brothers Productions. No infringement is intended. I am not making a profit, just writing for fun. The first part of Lee and Amanda's conversation at the dock is taken from the episode 'Over the Limit', written by Tom Ropeleski.

AUTHOR: Kim C.

SUMMARY: An answer to the challenge to write a different aspect to the end of "Over the Limit". What if Amanda had turned Lee down on his offer of dinner? Does not follow canon.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: There are a lot of opinions about this episode and the interaction between Lee and Amanda. This story is just in fun.

LIMITS

On the drive to the Sullivans' boat, Amanda sat silently in the passenger seat of Lee's Corvette. She stared unseeingly out the window at the passing scenery, absorbed in her own thoughts.

Lee had all but thrown her out of his apartment when they had arrived and found Leslie there. She cringed, remembering the sudden stab of jealousy she'd felt. Leslie had dark hair and eyes, was slender and about Amanda's own height. She was nothing like his previous girlfriends. She seemed intelligent, mature and well, normal.

She had also been friendly; she had wanted Amanda to stay for dinner. Lee had quickly diffused that by removing the extra plate Leslie had set out on the table. Not that Amanda would have been able to endure such an evening, anyway, but he had been so abrupt and anxious to get rid of her! She still couldn't figure out why he'd acted so unnerved.

In the elevator ride down to the lobby of Lee's apartment building, Amanda had been furious. Furious at Lee's refusal to take the as case seriously as she did, furious at his desire to get rid of her and furious with her own ridiculous jealousy! Why should she care who he was dating?

Lee was an enigma to Amanda - one she had been trying to understand for a long time. Undeniably, she had fallen halfway in love with him. At times she had thought and hoped that he felt the same way. Now, she knew that she had imagined any attraction on his part.

Lee was her best friend and she did want him to be happy. So, she avoided letting her feelings show, lest he turn tail and run from even their friendship. She could live without Lee Stetson as a romantic interest, but she didn't want to even think of losing his friendship.

Lee glanced over at his unusually silent partner. She sat with her hands folded in her lap, watching the passing landscape with what seemed to be rapt attention.

He recalled for the thousandth time calling Leslie 'Amanda'. A stupid mistake, but a telling one. When he'd turned to face her, she'd been wearing the dress he'd bought her. 'I should have said she looked lovely,' he thought. 'But I just stood there, not saying a word, remembering instead what it had looked like on Amanda.'

Remembering that incident also called to his mind how he'd asked Amanda where she'd found her dress. Cringing again, he thought of how delighted she'd been when he'd asked about it and her flat, "Oh," when he informed her he wanted to get one for a "friend."

Lee recalled rushing Amanda out of his apartment. He hadn't meant to be rude or pushy, but he had felt distinctly uncomfortable with both women in his apartment. He almost felt...guilty. Caught.

For her part, Amanda had acted jealous, he realized with a small smile. As jealous as he always felt when he saw her with other men. Alan, Joe - any man who even remotely threatened to take her away from him.

A flood of apprehension overcame him. Suddenly he didn't want to spend the evening with Leslie at all, but with his partner. It was time to stop hiding from the inescapable fact that he was deeply attracted to Amanda.

"Amanda, are you okay?" he asked now, his eyes darting from her to the road, then back to her.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She turned to look at him with a reassuring smile. "Just thinking."

"About what?" he questioned.

Amanda squinted in the sun and began fishing in her purse for her sunglasses. "Oh, you know. Stuff."

"Stuff? Care to elaborate?" Lee asked. He was relieved that she had smiled at him. Maybe she wasn't upset with him anymore. She never stayed annoyed with him for long. Honestly, he didn't know how she put up with him.

"Oh, well," Amanda stalled, trying to think of something to tell him. "I'm just glad that everything worked out for Elizabeth and all."

Lee cast another glance her way as he eased the Corvette into a parking space. He knew without a doubt that she was not being entirely honest with him, but he dropped the subject anyway.

As they walked down the dock, he cast glances her way. She was really beautiful, with the wind blowing her hair off her face and turning her cheeks a rosy pink.

Lee reached for Amanda's hand, but she pretended not to see it and casually slipped her hand into her pocket. With a slight frown, he settled for placing his hand on her lower back as they walked towards the Sullivans' boat.

A few minutes later they had spoken with Elizabeth and her husband. As they turned to head back to the car, Lee turned to face Amanda.

"Umm, You're probably busy tonight, right? PTA meeting, Den Mother's Club?" Lee asked, exhaling a breath.

"No," she answered, smiling up at him. 'What does he want? A favor, since he has a date,' she guessed.

"What, your mother's card club?" he continued, feeling a little hopeful. All he'd have to do is call Leslie and beg off. . .

"Nope," she answered again.

"Oh!" He paused, taking a moment to force himself to take the plunge. "Well, I thought that maybe, uh, I thought that maybe we'd have dinner tonight. You know, just the two of us, um, alone."

"Well," she responded, taken aback. 'Has he lost his mind? Sometimes I do feel like his secretary!' she laughed inwardly. Aloud, she reminded him, "You and Leslie have a dinner party at the Russian Embassy."

"Ahhh - yeah," he acknowledged, fishing for words. "She won't be lonely, believe me."

Amanda stared at him for a moment. 'Oh, my gosh, I can't even believe this.' Finally, she quietly replied, "Thanks, Lee, but...I think I'll pass."

She said the words with gentle regret. Lee returned her stare. An indefinable expression had settled on her features. He opened his mouth to say something, then thought better of it. He fixed his gaze on the water, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Okay," he finally said, nodding casually. He looked up into her eyes, trying with quiet desperation to hide his disappointment, which was more poignant than he could have ever imagined. Lee Stetson was not used to women turning him down. Not that he'd never experienced it before, but Amanda's delicate declining of his offer felt like a kick in the stomach. It wasn't so much the words as the inscrutable expression on her face.

"Maybe some other time," she suggested. She felt badly, but she felt there was nothing else to do or say. Every day that week, she had seen him come in to work looking tousled and sleep-deprived. Amanda had heard the remarks of Francine and others about his new girlfriend. How long had he known Leslie, anyway? Not very long, she knew that much.

It hurt to think that he would want her to come over for dinner after practically flaunting his affair in her face the past few days. It also irritated her that he seemed surprised that she had said she'd pass. 'Good old reliable Amanda,' she thought to herself. 'She never has plans, no life of her own. Just sits around waiting for Lee Stetson to bestow some of his attention on her!'

Still, she had kept her words gentle and polite. He couldn't be blamed for her churning, out of control emotions, after all. All she wanted was to get home and away from his searching gaze. Something indescribable was happening between them. It made Amanda feel apprehensive.

"Yeah, okay," he said again, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. 'I've blown it this time,' he chastised himself. 'What did I think? That after the way I've behaved the last few days she'd accept a dinner invitation from me?'

"So, we should get going," Amanda hinted.

They walked down the dock and back through the parking lot to the car in silence. They made uneasy small talk about work and other safe subjects. Lee dropped Amanda off at home and drove home to his apartment.

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

Rather than try to wrestle out of his evening with Leslie, Lee decided to go ahead and take her to the embassy dinner party as planned. Having dressed in his tuxedo, he drove over to her apartment and picked her up.

Again, when she appeared at her door in the black dress, his mind wandered to Amanda. He completely regretted having bought Leslie a replica, it had been a terrible mistake.

Still, he managed to tell her that she looked lovely. They drove to the Embassy chatting about the day's events. He was quiet and distracted all through dinner, and Leslie said as much as they danced.

"Lee," she said, pulling back from his embrace. "You're completely preoccupied. You have been all evening. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he lied, swallowing hard. The truth was that he'd been racking his brain, trying to figure out how to make right with Amanda. He knew he'd handled things sloppily.

'Why was I willing to get into a relationship with Leslie, but not Amanda?' he asked himself. 'I should have been able to tell Amanda how I feel about her.'

At the very idea of confessing his feelings to Amanda, his heart skipped a beat. His face must have registered emotion, too, because Leslie picked up on his expression.

"What kind of a look was that?" she asked, caressing his cheek.

For answer, he pulled her closer so she couldn't see his face anymore. He could smell her perfume, exotic and spicy. He realized that he even longed for the scent of perfume Amanda wore.

It was all wrong. Everything about this was wrong.

"I think I'll pass," she had said. What had it been about her expression when she spoke the words? She had been very careful in how she said it. So quiet, yet so...definite. She hadn't been trying to hurt him or reject him and yet, he felt as if she was pushing him away.

He let himself pretend it was Amanda in his arms, and suddenly everything felt right. She was a perfect fit for him in every way. He lost himself in the fantasy and half believed he really held her instead of Leslie.

Swallowing hard, he let himself imagine kissing her, holding her body against his as he did in his dreams. His arms tightened around the warm body in his arms. Warm breath caressed his neck, soft brunette hair tickled his skin.

Without conscious thought, he breathed her name, almost too quietly for anyone to hear. "Amanda." It was one word, one name, spoken with quiet passion.

Leslie pulled away and gave him a funny half smile. His eyes widened, realizing what had just happened. How could he have allowed himself to whisper Amanda's name?

"You know," she said, cocking her head to one side, "I kind of wondered when you called me 'Amanda' before. But I gave you the benefit of the doubt. But now I know for sure, Lee. It's not me you want."

"Leslie, I'm so sorry," he said helplessly, taking a step forward as she took a step back. "I don't know what to say."

"We had a good time together, Lee. Maybe in other circumstances, we would have had a good relationship. I only have one question."

"What?" he asked weakly, wondering what that question would be. His head was still swimming from the sensations he'd evoked just thinking about Amanda.

"Why? Why did you pursue me, when you wanted her?" she asked, looking into his eyes with regret.

"I can't answer that. I don't really know," he said simply. "I never meant to hurt you, Leslie."

"I know," she replied, nodding. "I think you need to sort out your feelings for Amanda. If she feels half of what you obviously feel for her, she's probably pretty confused right now. I could see it in her face when she was at your apartment. I didn't read too much into it then, but it all fits now."

Women always understood about these things. She'd hit the nail on the head, and she wasn't even aware of the whole situation. Now he knew exactly why Amanda had turned him down, or at least he hoped he did. He had to make things right, and soon.

Lee nodded. "Leslie, I'm sorry. I really have to go now," he told her. He felt like a complete jerk. He had inadvertently toyed with the emotions of two women, not to mention scrambled his own feelings.

She nodded, smiling sadly. She watched him stride out of the ballroom, then she headed for the ladies room to release the tears that had been threatening to spill down her cheeks for ten minutes.

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

"Good morning," Amanda greeted everyone cheerfully as she walked into the bullpen the next morning.

"Good morning," Lee returned with a weak smile, trying to catch her eye. He was about to suggest having lunch together when Billy called Amanda into his office.

That was the first in a long line of obstacles throughout the day that prevented him from saying one word to Amanda. She seemed to be avoiding him at all costs, while at the same time her manner towards him was almost overly friendly.

He didn't get another chance to talk to her until they were both heading out that evening. He followed her to her car and watched as she threw her purse and sweater into the passenger seat.

"I didn't get to see you much today," he told her.

"Yeah, it was pretty busy," she responded with a smile.

"Amanda," he spoke her name nervously and stopped, unsure of how to proceed.

"Yes?" She waited expectantly for him to finish his thought.

"Last night, when you said you'd pass on dinner, did you mean just last night? Or did you mean you don't enjoy having dinner with me?" His forehead puckered as he waited for her to answer. How would she take his question?

Amanda mulled this over in her mind. How was she supposed to answer that, anyway? She quickly decided to play it safe. His demeanor told her one thing, but as far as she knew, he was dating another woman.

To Lee's surprise and chagrin, she playfully punched him in the arm. "Of course I enjoy having dinner with you! Don't be silly. You threw me off guard last night, since I knew you had plans with your girlfriend, that's all. I enjoy being with you once in a while outside of work, as friends. You are my friend, after all," she said, pausing. "Probably my best friend."

Touched and worried at the same time, Lee smiled nervously. "You're my best friend, too," he said sincerely. "I thought maybe you were upset because of Leslie and-"

She interrupted him with an apprehensive little laugh. "Don't be ridiculous! You've told me on several occasions we're not emotionally involved, and we're not. Why would I be jealous of Leslie? I have no reason to be jealous of Leslie. I can't believe you said that!"

"Amanda," Lee put a hand on her arm to stop her flow of words. "I didn't say 'jealous.' I said 'upset.'"

"Whatever. Whatever you meant, I'm not. I wasn't. No." She was flustered now.

Lee grinned. "Let's go tonight, then, huh?"

"Oh," she said as her eyes widened. "I don't know. . .besides, skipping out on Leslie two nights in a row might not make her-"

"I went to the party last night, after all," he interrupted.

"Oh, well. That's none of my-"

Cutting her off again, he said, "And I won't be seeing Leslie anymore."

"Oh," she said again, and raised her eyebrows. "I'm sorry."

"You are?"

"Shouldn't I be?" she asked, reaching for the handle on her car door.

He stilled her arm with a touch. "I'm not."

"Oh," she replied. "Well, I'd better get-"

"What about it?" Lee pressed.

"What about what?" she questioned.

"Dinner!" he replied in an aggravated tone. She was hedging, trying to get away from him. He was tempted to press her between the car and himself and kiss her apprehension away.

"Oh!" She shrugged. "I guess so, then. I'll call Mother from the restaurant and tell her where I am."

"We're not going from here!" Lee shook his head, looking at her like she was insane.

"Don't we usually go from here?" she asked, tilting her head to one side.

"Yeah, but I thought we could go home and freshen up. I'll pick you up at seven thirty." He watched her expectantly and enjoyed the puzzled expression on her face.

"Oh," she said once again. "Well, all right."

"Good." He turned to leave, then turned around again. "Wear your black dress." Realizing it sounded like a command, he added, "Please."

"Out to dinner?" Her voice rose slightly with the incredulous question.

"Yeah," he replied as if she shouldn't be surprised. If he didn't see her in that dress again soon, he felt he'd go crazy. Leslie in the dress had done nothing for him.

"Okay, then," she complied, giving him a strange look and getting into her car.

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

Lee arrived promptly at seven thirty. He'd overheard Amanda telling Billy she'd be available all weekend since her family was out of town, so he went to the front door and rang the bell.

Amanda was upstairs, attempting to put her hair up. She'd been rationalizing all night as to Lee's reason for this evening. He wanted to subtly make up for the last few days, nothing more to it.

'After all,' she told herself logically. 'If he wanted you, he wouldn't have gone out with Leslie.'

Not feeling quite confident that this was the case, she ran downstairs when she heard the bell. Holding her hair with one hand, she opened the door with her free one.

Lee took in her appearance. His heart reacted wildly to the disheveled sight of her. Her hair , held up with one hand, was escaping in tendrils through her fingers. She was trying to hold up her dress with her other hand, as she didn't have her shoes on yet. She looked both adorably goofy and alluring as she tried to hold herself together.

"Hi," she said breathlessly. "Come on in and sit down. I'm almost ready, just have to finish my hair. How'd you know to come to the front door? I guess you heard me telling Mr. Melrose that Mother and the boys are out of town. If you want something to drink, help yourself to whatever's in the fridge."

She had disappeared up the stairs as she delivered this speech. Lee chucked to himself, recalling how once upon a time, this would have completely irritated him.

From her demeanor, she certainly wasn't expecting this to be anything more that a night out as friends. She was too casual, too relaxed. While he, on the other hand, had damp palms and quivering stomach muscles.

"Okay," she said, startling him. He hadn't heard her come back downstairs. He turned, drinking in the sight of her. 'Now, that's how that dress is supposed to look,' he thought, satisfied.

"You look...beautiful," he said, his voice low.

Something in his eyes told Amanda that this wasn't a courtesy remark. He really meant that she looked beautiful, in the truest sense of the word.

"Thank you," she accepted the compliment, suddenly self-conscious. Her mind flitted back to a night when she was just getting to know him. 'How do I look?' she'd asked him. 'You look fine,' had been his answer.

"Let's go," he smiled. Placing a hand on her back, he came into contact with bare skin and shuddered.

"Are you cold?" she asked innocently.

"Cold?" Lee sputtered. On fire was more like it. "No, I'm fine."

He helped her into the car and got in himself. They drove in silence for a few minutes. Lee kept stealing glances at Amanda, in awe of her beauty and the feelings coursing through him. He knew that he had to tell her tonight. He didn't want her thinking of him as a buddy, a pal from work.

He reached over to take her hand just as she raised it to fix a stray strand of hair. Sighing, he diverted her hand from its course and took it firmly in his.

'Well,' Amanda mused, 'he's on to the hand-holding avoidance tactic, I see!' She smiled slightly. He was holding her hand so firmly, as if afraid she'd try to pull it away.

They arrived at the restaurant and were escorted to a private corner table. It was adorned with glowing candles and an enormous bouquet of sterling roses.

Amanda gasped at the sight of the roses and turned to Lee. "For me?" she asked uncertainly.

"Do you like them?" Lee asked hopefully.

"Yes, they're beautiful, thank you." Her words were sincere, but Lee could tell she was confused and a little bit nervous now.

She sat down and Lee pushed her chair in. Then he moved his own chair closer to hers and sat down.

"I'm glad you like them," he told her with a grin.

"I do," she told him. "They're lovely."

"I thought so, too, but now I don't know," he replied with a serious expression.

"What? Why?" she asked, perplexed.

"They pale in comparison to you," he remarked. He picked up her hand and kissed it tenderly.

"Oh," she whispered, having suddenly lost her voice.

After consulting with Amanda, Lee ordered for them both. They enjoyed their dinner and wine, talking and laughing quietly.

When the waiter had cleared the table, Lee gestured toward the roses.

"Read the card," he instructed.

Amanda's eyes went from him to the bouquet, where she spotted a small white envelope. She removed it from its holder and opened it. It read:

"To Amanda,

The woman in the nightgown and coat,

who looked for the man in the red hat,

and helped the Scarecrow to find his heart.

Love, Lee"

Amanda blinked and read the card again. She looked up at Lee, incredulous. "The Scarecrow was looking for a brain," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Dance with me," he stood and held out his hand to her.

She accepted it, following him the short distance to the dance floor. He took her in his arms and pulled her as close as he dared.

Lee inhaled deeply, taking in Amanda's fragrance. He felt her body pressed against his as he tightened his hold, and felt her soft hair tickle his skin.

Someday, he'd tell her how he'd said her name twice when he was with Leslie. For now, he relished the idea that he could say her name freely as he held her close.

"Amanda," he breathed.

The sound of his voice sent shivers down her spine. She pulled away slightly to look into his eyes.

"Yes?"

"I'm going to kiss you," he told her breathlessly.

A thousand things flew through her mind. Why did he want to kiss her? He'd just come off a relationship with another woman! What about his "we're just friends" speech? How did he know she'd accept this kiss?

Lee gazed intently into Amanda's eyes. He'd expected her to say something, but she was simply staring back at him wordlessly. Taking her silence as acceptance, he leaned down slowly.

He kissed her. All limits are barriers were crashed, broken, thrown down and destroyed with that one breath-stopping kiss. Neither of them was prepared for the intensity of their contact.

"Do you want me to stop?" he asked in a low voice, kissing her jaw and neck. "I'll stop if you want me to."

"No," she breathed.

Relieved, he kissed her again, unaware of the surrounding couples watching them in envy.

"I've wanted to do this for a long time," he whispered, the tremor in his voice betraying him.

"You could've fooled me," she whispered back, and captured his lips in hers.

The End

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