"What did I say to you, Amanda, huh?" Lee Stetson angrily asked the dark-haired woman who was standing unhappily in front of him. "I told you to stay in the car."

Amanda King looked contrite. "I'm sorry," she replied earnestly. "I was going to, but one of the other agents said you were hurt and I wanted to see how you were."

"Well, I wasn't hurt. Not until you showed up that is!" he accused, pointing to the cut rapidly being lifted by the purple and yellow lump forming on his forehead.

"I said I was sorry, Lee," she repeated with a touch of annoyance. "How was I to know it was you coming through the door? I thought it was one of the bad guys."

"Bad guys?" he repeated in a sarcastic tone. "No, all the ‘bad guys’, Amanda, were already handcuffed and being taken away. There were only us ‘good guys’ left and we figured that it would be pretty safe to walk around since our work here was done." He paused to snatch the bag Amanda was clutching from her hands then added caustically, "Little did I know that a housewife was waiting behind a door to hit me over the head with her purse." He held the bag up and waved it in front of her face for emphasis before shoving it back into her hands.

She tried to defend herself. "Look, I'm sorry, I know it's my fault, I should have waited to see who it was first before I…"

"No, Amanda," Lee interrupted fiercely. "What you should have done was wait in the car like I told you!"

Amanda went quiet not knowing what to say to the angry man in front of her lest she enrage him further. He had a right to be upset. The metal clasp of her purse had caught the side of his forehead full on and caused a nasty cut. She glanced at the wound and eyed a little trickle of blood that was working its way down his face, making her feel even worse.

"Here," she said placatingly and pulled a tissue out of her pocket, "let me have a look at that." She leaned forward to dab the blood away and accidentally touched a sore spot.

"Ow!" he yelped and knocked her arm away. Grimacing, he put a hand up to his forehead and wished the throbbing pain would ease. "Just leave me alone, Amanda, OK?" he bit out through clenched teeth.

She pulled her hand away, remorse written all over her face. She was about to offer another apology when Lee held up his hand to stop her. "And don't say sorry again, all right?"

Momentarily taken aback at his vehemence, Amanda took a couple of steps back. "OK, I'm sor…" She stopped herself short when Lee glared at her menacingly and quickly placed her forefinger over her lips to signal silence.

"Just go home, Amanda," he ordered, effectively dismissing her. With a look that told her not to disobey him, he then turned on his heel and stalked out of the room.

Embarrassment like she’d never known filled every part of her body as the silence in the room became deafening. She became aware that they hadn't been alone during their argument and glanced over at the two agents standing quietly nearby. Fervently wishing that a large hole would appear to swallow her up, she mustered as much dignity as she could, then held her head high and walked quickly from the room.

She exited the building in time to see one of the Agency cars speed past her with Lee at the wheel.

Amanda sighed and walked over to her own car. Once settled inside, she started the engine and slowly moved off. She drove to the end of the side road where she'd parked, then pulled out into the mainstream traffic, her mind wandering over the day’s events.

It had started off quietly enough. The boys had gone to school and her mother had gone to meet an old friend for lunch so she’d spent the morning baking a cake and some cookies for a treat. Then Lee had rung and asked if she could come in and type up some urgent transcripts. She had agreed and driven straight to the Agency.

She hadn't even had time to park her car when Lee had come running up to her and jumped into the passenger seat. He told her to drive to a warehouse on the other side of town where there was an illegal art deal going down.

Gordon Morris, who ran an international art forgery operation, was about to make a sale and the Agency had just found out. When Amanda had asked where his Porsche was, Lee informed her dryly that it was in the shop again.

Following three other Agency cars, she stopped a few yards down the street from the warehouse. Lee pulled out his gun and got out of the car. Before joining the other agents, he had leaned back inside and told her to stay where she was and wait for him to return.

Amanda had felt her usual concern for Lee's safety as she watched him run off. Not for the first time, she wished he would let her go with him. She had sat in the car for fifteen minutes before she suddenly heard gunfire. Shortly afterwards an agent came running out of the building towards his vehicle.

Seeing the agent, Amanda automatically grabbed her bag and got out of the car then ran over to him intent on finding out what had happened in the warehouse. The agent told her that they had two men down. He explained that one agent, a man called Matthews, had been hit and that Lee had also been shot when he had tried to pull Matthews to safety.

Amanda shivered as she recalled the dread she felt at the news of Lee being hurt…or worse. That's why, without giving it a second thought, she had raced off to the building ignoring the agent’s yells for her to stop.

She had entered the building cautiously and made her way down a long corridor, listening intently for any sound. At the end of the hallway she’d seen a door. Upon trying the handle, it had opened to reveal a small room with a door directly opposite. She entered the room with the intention of exiting through the other door when suddenly, she had heard footsteps and muffled voices approaching from the other side. She had flattened herself against the wall so that if the door was opened, it would conceal her from the person coming through.

After a few seconds the door had indeed swung open and a man had walked through. It wasn’t until her bag made contact with the man’s head that she belatedly realised it was a very healthy-looking Lee.

His loud curse at the impact brought two other agents into the room prepared for trouble. They soon relaxed when they realised what had happened. Fighting to keep smiles from breaking out, they watched as Lee put his hand to his head and staggered slightly before spinning around to confront his assailant.

She cringed inwardly as she recalled the look on Lee’s face when he realised who’d hit him. Shock had turned fleetingly into resignation, which was rapidly replaced with anger. She had tried to apologise but the more she spoke the more infuriated he became.

'Anyone would think I'd done it on purpose,' she thought indignantly to herself. Slowing to a stop at a red traffic light, Amanda glanced to her left. If she took that turning she knew she'd be at Lee's apartment in five minutes. She looked away as her momentary flash of resentment gave way to guilt…and trepidation. What if Lee had finally had enough of her? What if she'd made one too many mistakes this time?

The thought knocked her back; she'd only ever had the best of intentions when it came to helping him. As she sat and waited for the light to change, she vividly recalled the way he had coldly dismissed her just a short time ago and uneasiness took hold.

He'd never been that harsh with her before. Something in his eyes had told her that he was dangerously close to the end of his tether where she was concerned. The thought frightened her to her core. She couldn't imagine life without both Lee or the Agency now.

She glanced left again and wondered if he were at home. Maybe if they could just talk about the incident calmly and rationally, Lee might realise that she'd only acted out of concern for him, the same as any person would for a close friend.

Lost in her own world, she didn't notice the traffic light change and was brought back to earth with a resounding thump when a car horn blared behind her. She raised her hand in a gesture of apology and hastily pressed the gas pedal. Praying that he hadn't gone straight to the Agency, Amanda pulled on her steering wheel and turned left.
 
 
 

Part 2

Lee let himself into his apartment and slammed the door shut behind him. The slow moving traffic he'd encountered on the drive home had only added to his already annoyed state, giving him ample time to replay the day's events in his mind. ‘Why is it always me?’ he wondered to himself. ‘For once, why couldn’t someone else be on the wrong end of Amanda King’s mess-up’s?’

Fresh anger flowed through him, knowing that the two agents who witnessed the argument would waste no time in relaying the details to all who would listen at the Agency.

He tossed his car keys onto the small table by the door, then strode through his lounge into the bedroom. He took off his jacket and tie, throwing them onto his bed before entering the bathroom to tend to his injury.

Staring at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, Lee leaned forward to scrutinise the cut and the multi-coloured bruising surrounding it. ‘Well, Amanda, I think I can safely say you do know how to hit,’ he mused to himself, recalling her worries of a couple of months before when a Princess had visited the U.S.

The cut wasn’t very deep and he made short work of cleaning it up with the already diluted antiseptic that he kept in his bathroom cabinet. Years in the business had taught him to be prepared for just this type of situation, although usually it was an opposing agent who was the cause, not one of their own.

Lee stopped cleaning the wound mid-stroke. Where had that come from? Since when did he consider Amanda as one of 'them'? A strange tingling feeling crept up his spine and he shivered inadvertently. 'No, Lee,' he told himself sternly. 'Don't start thinking like that or you'll never get rid of her. She’s done nothing but cause you trouble since the first time you met and don't you forget it.'

The self-reprimand administered, and satisfied that the wound was clean, he left the bathroom in search of a bandage. He knew he had a pack somewhere but they weren't in the cabinet as he'd thought. He entered the kitchen and put the kettle on to boil for some coffee, then began rifling through the kitchen drawers in an effort to locate the bandages.

After a fruitless five minute search, Lee angrily slammed shut the last of the drawers and automatically ran a hand roughly through his hair in exasperation. He drew in a sharp breath as his hand brushed over the cut, his eyes briefly closing at the dart of pain. This just wasn't a good day.

The kettle clicked off announcing the fact that it had boiled and Lee opened up one of the cabinets above the worktop to retrieve a cup. As he pulled it out, the pack of bandages he'd been searching for moments before toppled out as well. He picked up the box, then, with a shake of his head, placed the cup down on the counter and headed back to the bathroom.

After choosing the right-sized dressing, Lee faced the mirror. He had just covered his cut when a loud knocking at his front door caused him to jump in surprise. The jolt of his body caused his fingers to slip and once again brush over his wound. He grimaced in pain and threw away the dressing that had somehow got stuck together when his hand had moved. Muttering a curse upon whoever was standing outside his door, he stalked out of the bathroom.

Amanda stood nervously in front of Lee's apartment door, half hoping he wasn't at home. She moved her head closer to the door and tensed slightly when she heard the sound of movement inside. After a few seconds the door was flung open to reveal an unhappy looking Lee standing there holding a pack of bandages in his hand.

"I might have known…I thought I told you to go home," he remarked coldly upon seeing his visitor.

Trying to appear unfazed by his greeting, she boldly replied, "You did, but I wanted to talk to you."

"I don't have the time right now, Amanda, I have to get back to the Agency," he rebuffed and started to close the door.

"No!" Amanda objected and placed her hand on the door to stop him from shutting it. "Please, I’d like to talk."

Lee stared at her pleading eyes and felt himself relent slightly. What harm would talking do? With a nod of his head he stood aside for her to enter. Once she'd walked by, he closed the door and turned to look at her.

Amanda came to a halt in the middle of the lounge and turned to see him still standing by the door with his arms folded and an 'I'm waiting' look on his face.

She sighed, suddenly not sure what to say. "How's your head?" she eventually asked.

"How does it look?" he answered mockingly.

"Painful," she replied dryly, eyeing the cut in distaste.

Lee nodded slightly in response then bent his head and studied the box in his hand. "So, is that it, Amanda?" He again found the size of bandage he needed. He pulled it out and began unwrapping it as he looked back over at her. "I don't really have a lot of time and if you just wanted to know whether my head was OK, then I've really got to go."

Unsure of what to say to him next, Amanda went into mothering mode and walked quickly over to him with her hand outstretched for the bandage. "I'll do that for you," she offered with a smile.

Realising her intent, Lee held out his arm in an effort to ward her off. "No, it's OK, Amanda, I can do it."

"But, it'll be easier if I just…"

"Amanda, I said no," he repeated loudly, his anger at her beginning to rise again. "I think you've helped me more than enough today."

Amanda stopped in her tracks and quietly watched him move past her and go into his bathroom. A few seconds later he re-emerged with his cut covered and pointed to it saying mockingly, "See, all better. Now, if that’s it…" He gestured towards the door but Amanda stayed where she was.

"Lee, can’t we just talk about what happened?"

"Amanda, there’s nothing to talk about," he replied shortly. "You disobeyed an order and I suffered as a result. There’s nothing unusual here that we need to ‘talk’ about."

"But if I could just explain…" she pleaded.

"Amanda…" Lee said in exasperation. He was rapidly losing the battle with his temper.

"Look Lee," she interrupted. "It wasn't long ago that I thought you'd been killed and I'd lost a good friend. When I heard that you'd been hurt today, all those feelings came back. It's not something I'm used to dealing with…"

"Well, you'd better get used to dealing with it, Amanda, because it's a way of life in this business," he snapped harshly, his battle finally lost. "If you can't, then you'd better get out now before it’s too late." He turned his back on her and walked across the lounge to stare out of the window as he tried to gain control of his temper.

Amanda stared at his rigid back, totally stunned. Was he really telling her to leave the Agency? "But Lee," she began hesitantly. "I don’t want to leave the Agency. I like what I do and I thought that after all this time working together we were finally becoming friends and…"

"Friends, Amanda?" Lee repeated derisively as he turned around and faced her. "How many times have I told you? There’s no room in this job for friends. You’re just someone I happen to work with every now and then and believe me, once I've spoken to Billy about today's little fiasco, it’ll be more then than now."

Silence fell over the room as Lee's angry look clashed with Amanda's hurt and shocked one. She could see he was furious. The dismissive thought that he didn't really mean what he'd said fleetingly passed through her mind, until she rejected it with a mental shake of her head. 'No, he meant it,' she acknowledged sadly. She could see it in the way he looked at her.

Without uttering another word, she gave his unrelenting face one last glance then turned and walked out of his apartment, shutting the door quietly behind her.
 

Part 3

Lee took the elevator down to the Field Section floor and walked along the corridor to the Agency bullpen. He noticed some hushed whispering along with a few amused glances thrown his way and sat down at his desk with a sigh. The Agency grapevine was working overtime.

He'd barely had time to pull out a blank report form from the drawer when a shadow fell over his desk. Looking up, he saw James Hartley, one of the agents who had witnessed his argument with Amanda. With a poker face he held a folder out to Lee.

"I thought you might like to see this. It's the first pictures of a new secret weapon the Russians are developing."

Lee took the folder and eyed Hartley warily. The other man just stared back, his face emotionless. In hindsight, Lee realised that that alone should've given him a clue as to what was inside the folder. He flipped open the file and scowled as three colour photos of different handbags spilled out onto his desk.

"You see, the problem is that they come in different shapes and colours," Hartley told him with a grin. "This makes them hard to identify and I've witnessed the fact that in expert hands they can be very dangerous."

"Very funny, Hartley," Lee said sardonically. "You're a real comedian, you know that?" He placed the photos back into the folder. Ignoring the laughter coming from the rest of the bullpen, he unceremoniously dumped them into his waste bin. "Now if you don't mind, I've got some work to do." He looked pointedly at the young man then picked up a pen and turned his concentration back to his report.

Hartley chuckled and wisely moved away from Lee. He had been with the Agency a while and knew when not to push Scarecrow. He'd often thought that it should be in an Agency manual somewhere - it was definitely a piece of invaluable information for new recruits.

Lee had just written the first line of his report when another shadow fell over his desk. He slammed his pen down and looked up in annoyance. "What?" he snapped and then immediately looked apologetic. "Oh, sorry, Billy. I didn't realise it was you."

"Bit jumpy aren't we, Stetson?" his superior, William Melrose, replied with an arch of his eyebrow. "Anything wrong?"

"Oh, I'm just having one of those days," Lee sighed, running a hand tiredly through his hair.

The action brought the bandage-covered wound to Billy's attention. "What happened to your head?" he asked with a frown.

"You mean you haven't heard?" came an incredulous female voice from behind them. Billy turned to see his personal assistant, Francine Desmond, walking up . She smiled archly at Lee before adding, "He was knocked out by the infamous suburban hitwoman, Handbag Hannah, a.k.a. Amanda King."

"She didn't knock me out," Lee denied angrily. "She just caught me with a lucky blow, that's all. And I'll tell you, the way she swung that purse of hers around it wouldn't have surprised me if she took the rest of the room out as well."

"She hit you with her handbag?" Billy questioned incredulously. His face broke into a wide grin. "Oh, I'm going to enjoy reading your report about this, Scarecrow."

"Billy, please. She hid behind a door and I was the one unlucky enough to be coming through it at the time. That's all. End of report," Lee told him in disgust.

Billy chuckled. "Well, you've got to hand it to her; it was quick thinking."

"Quick thinking?!" Lee repeated in disbelief. "She shouldn't have been there in the first place."

"Now, Lee…" Billy began in a placating tone.

"Don't look now but, Amanda's coming," Francine broke in.

"What? Why is she here?" Lee asked, puzzled. He hadn't expected to see her again so soon after their argument at his apartment.

"She called me about an hour ago," Billy explained. "She said she needs to discuss something."

The three of them watched her walk up to the bullpen. Two of them grinned expectantly; the third sported a frown. Just as the guards opened the doors for Amanda to enter, Francine turned back to Lee and said, "I'd watch it if I were you, Scarecrow. It looks like she's armed."

Lee saw that Amanda was carrying her purse and scowled, causing Francine to smile even more before walking quickly away. Billy chuckled, then stepped forward gesturing towards his office. "Hello, Mrs. King. Let's go into my office shall we?"

Amanda returned his greeting and glanced worriedly at Lee before replying, "Certainly, Sir."

Lee watched Billy lead her away and looked back down at his report form. With a sigh he picked up his pen and began writing. Three sentences and ten minutes later, Lee gave up any pretence of working and stared at the drawn blinds of Billy's office. He couldn't help but feel a certain sense of dread the longer they stayed in there. He had an idea that it was something to do with the row they'd had earlier, and he just hoped that Amanda wasn't going to do anything rash before he'd had time to apologise.

Since she’d left his apartment so very quietly an hour and a half earlier, Lee had calmed down and thought things through. What stuck with him most was the look of

hurt and shock on Amanda's face. He hadn't meant to say the things he had quite so callously. He just wanted her to realise that what they did wasn't a game - it was very real, and obeying an order was often the difference between life and death.

Another reason for reacting the way he had was that he hadn't liked the feeling of fear that clutched his chest when he realised she'd been walking around the warehouse alone and unprotected. Anything could've happened to her if they hadn't had all of the gang in custody. It had scared him…badly.

That's why he'd pushed her away. The emotions he had experienced didn't sit well with him and the easiest way to be rid of them was to get rid of Amanda.

Of course, when she had walked out with such quiet dignity, the anger that had coursed through his body suddenly evaporated to leave a very nasty taste in his mouth. His initial reaction was to run after her but he stopped himself. This was what he had wanted all along, wasn’t it?

‘It’s for the best, Stetson,’ he told himself sternly. ‘It’s time you went back to being a one-man show. That’s how you function best. All that wet nursing never was your style anyway.’

He smiled wryly. The self-reprimand had been a token last stand against his acceptance of having Amanda King firmly in his life. Even before he'd finished the thought, he knew he was lying to himself. He'd come to rely on Amanda and, he'd even go so far to say, he was beginning to trust her. It was hard for him to admit and even harder to believe when it pertained to a suburban housewife.

He glanced at his watch. Another ten minutes had ticked by. He was just about to stand up and get some coffee to give himself something to do when Billy's door suddenly opened. Amanda appeared, then walked straight through the bullpen and out of the doors without a backwards glance. Lee watched her retreating figure disappear around the corner and glanced back at his superior's office.

Billy stood in the doorway staring at him, a frown creasing his forehead. "In my office now, Stetson," he suddenly barked.

Lee stood up slowly and walked over. Billy held the door open and watched his best agent walk past him into his office. Before following Lee, Billy looked around at the rest of the bullpen and saw a number of curious eyes staring back.

"Have you people nothing to do?" he asked, sternly. "Because if not, I have a very warm assignment waiting for someone in Iceland."

All eyes dropped as people hurriedly made themselves look busy. After a final glance around the bullpen, Billy turned around and shut the door behind him.
 
 
 

Part 4

Lee sat in his Agency loaner car and watched Dotty leave the pretty looking house on Maplewood Drive. She got into a white sedan that was waiting for her and briefly spoke to the woman who was sitting in the driver's seat. He saw them both laugh and then move off down the road.

Having already seen the boys leaving earlier that evening with some friends and their parents, Lee knew it was safe to visit Amanda. He got out of the car and after a cursory glance in both directions, he crossed the road.

Amanda wearily sank onto the couch and let out a long sigh. Philip and Jamie were at a sleepover being as the next day was a Saturday, and Dotty was out at the movies with the friend she'd met for lunch. She switched on the television and gazed blankly at the screen letting her mind drift over the day's events.

In particular, she recalled the talk she'd had with Billy. She had told him that she needed some time to think over her position at the Agency as she wasn't sure that it was what she wanted anymore. It was the truth, she tried to persuade herself. It had just taken Lee’s harsh words to make her realise it, that’s all.

Of course, Billy had tried to convince her that she was a valued member of the Agency but she'd been adamant in her decision. In the end, he had agreed to give her a week to think about things and then give him an answer either way.

A gentle tapping sound snapped her out of her reverie. She turned her head and looked expectantly towards the kitchen window. Nothing. Disappointment filled her and she silently chiding herself for even momentarily believing it would be Lee.

The sound came again and when Amanda turned this time, her heart missed a beat when she saw Lee entering her kitchen. "Hi," he greeted with a slight smile, uncertain of his welcome.

Amanda rose from the couch and stared back at him. "Hi."

"I saw your mother and the boys go out earlier so I thought I'd just come straight in," he explained.

Amanda didn't respond. Instead, they stood in an awkward silence and looked at each other until both started talking at the same time.

"What did you…"

"Amanda, I wanted…"

They stopped. Another silence followed then Lee finally said, "You go ahead."

"No, you first," she replied.

"Amanda, please…" Lee said, his tone revealing a hint of exasperation.

"I just wanted to know why you were here," she told him. "I thought you'd said everything this afternoon."

Guiltily, Lee glanced away then cleared his throat before saying, "Yeah, well, I had a little chat with Billy after you left this afternoon and he told me what you'd talked about. He was concerned about the decision you were thinking of making and asked me if I had any ideas to keep you at the Agency."

"Oh." She looked down. "So, Mr. Melrose asked you to come see me," she stated, the disappointment evident in her voice.

"No, I came because I wanted to," he corrected quietly.

Her head shot up and she stared at him in surprise. "Oh," she said again.

Lee stared into her expressive brown eyes and sighed. "Amanda, I didn't mean what I said this afternoon about you leaving the Agency. I was angry and now that I've calmed down I realise that I…well…overreacted a little bit."

"A little bit?" she questioned incredulously. "I think it was more than a little bit, Lee."

"Ok, it was more than a little bit," he allowed. His voice took on an edge of reproval as he pointed a finger at her and added, "But if you had just done what I told you in the first place, then none of this would've happened."

"I was concerned about you. You don't know what it's like to sit and wait in a car wondering what's going on," she argued back. "I'd rather be helping you."

"You would be helping me if you could just do as you're told!" he retorted with voice raised.

For a second they stared at each other irately then, suddenly, Lee's face took on a contrite look. "Oh, Amanda, I'm sorry. I came here to apologise for what I said and here I am starting another argument."

Amanda let out a sigh. "Lee, you don't have to apologise. In a lot of ways you were right. I am going to have to learn to deal with certain aspects of the job if I want to stay on. You just voiced my own concerns for me that's all. It made me stop and think and that's what I needed. My life seems to have been on a constant rollercoaster since we met and a week off to think over things as Mr. Melrose suggested is just what I need right now."

"I can understand that. This job makes my life feel like a rollercoaster too sometimes and I'm used to it," he admitted with feeling.

"It doesn't get any easier then?" she asked curiously.

"I wouldn’t say it gets easier. You just try to ignore the downs and make the most of the ups. The only time it gets tricky is when it throws a curve in that you weren't expecting."

"Like I did today?"

Lee gingerly rubbed his head and gave a mock grimace. "Well, I'd call that more of a dark tunnel with a curve thrown in." He flashed her a smile and added warmly, "But I'm getting used to those now."

Amanda felt a light blush creep up her cheeks at his words. "Well, I like to keep you on your toes," she commented with embarrassment.

"You do that all right," he agreed with a chuckle. "It's good practice for being out in the field."

Amanda laughed with him, then sobered and let out a sigh. "You know, in an odd sort of way, it's comforting to know that you go through the same thing as I do. I feel very alone not being able to talk to anyone. Not even my own mother. Do you know how hard it is for me to lie to her all the time? It's horrible."

"Yeah, I know," Lee replied solemnly. Seeing how dejected she was, he moved closer to her and reached out. Tenderly, he placed a finger under her chin and lifted her bowed head to look at him. When he had her attention, he let his hand drop. "Amanda, why don't we make a deal, huh?" he suggested with a gentle smile. "To stop me worrying, you promise to stay put when I tell you and in return…"

"You worry about me?" she interrupted, her face visibly brightening.

"What?" he asked in confusion.

"Just now. You said I should stay put to stop you worrying." She gave him a tremulous smile. "Oh Lee, that’s really very sweet that you care."

Lee cleared his throat and shuffled his feet uneasily. He was caught. Inwardly, he cursed himself for letting the comment slip. "I only worry about whether you’ll interfere with the job," he told her defensively.

"Well, of course. I knew that," she replied. Her grin grew wider as she watched him squirm uncomfortably under her amused scrutiny. "But I want to say thank you all the same."

Lee's cheeks grew warm. Feeling decidedly out of his depth, he cleared his throat once more and started edging backwards. "Look, uh…I'd better get going, I've got an early start in the morning. You know how it is." He turned on his heel and headed towards the back door. Upon reaching his goal, he rested his hand on the doorknob then paused to turn back and look at her smiling face. "Will you be in tomorrow?" he asked somewhat curtly.

After a slight hesitation, Amanda hedged, "Well, I do still have those transcripts Mr. Melrose asked me to type up, so I guess…"

"I'll see you tomorrow," he cut in with a sudden grin. At her nod, he left the kitchen and shut the door behind him. As she watched, he stopped briefly to turn and give her a wave before disappearing into the darkness.

Amanda sat back down on the couch and hugged herself. "He worries about me," she said aloud and grinned. "That's just so sweet."

THE END

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