Author: Lynda, with some help.
Disclaimer: SMK and its characters are not mine. The idea is somebody else's and they can have it. I just want Lee to stop talking to me. Agh!
Warnings--Oh, this is a WILD story. Talk about chat inspiration. Meant to be corny. This story is what the list was made for (naughty wink).
Prologue/Summary (from chat discussion):
Amanda tells Lee one night that she's pregnant. They're in bed, about to fall asleep. The marriage and their jobs are public. Amanda can't deal with the guilt she's holding inside so she tells Lee that she's not sure he is the father. Lee is confused and asks who else it could possibly be. His mind races from Dr. Smyth to Billy to Leatherneck and even Ephraim Beaman. Amanda briefly flashes back to that ill-fated night of bad decisions and lack of birth control. Then she utters a name. "Joe." Lee's only reaction is to say, "What?" He's frustrated now. How will he and Amanda ever have a life of their own if Joe continues to get Amanda pregnant? The more Lee thinks about what Amanda just told him, the angrier he gets. To add to matters, her only excuse is that she was close by. "Old habits?" she shrugs guiltily. Lee says nothing. He frowns and wonders where Carrie was when all of this happened. Obviously not with Joe. Rage continues to build inside of Lee, directed more toward Joe than Amanda. He had his chance with her. Something must be done. And then (by Force of those Wimps chatting two nights ago)…
Lee wakes up. Amanda is snoozing soundly, heavily pregnant with their child. He has no doubt that this has all just been a bad dream.
And Now…
The Continuing, Terrible, Horrible, Very Bad, No Good Dream
Lee hadn't told Amanda about the dream from the night before. She didn't need the stress. Seven months pregnant and not only was she working full time still, but her nesting instinct had begun, full force, and she would wear herself out nights, after dinner, baking. She made cookies, cakes, breads, anything that she could bring to the Agency and fill everyone up on. Lee was afraid he was gaining as much weight from this pregnancy as Amanda had already. They kissed goodnight, and Lee settled in to dreamland.
Lee was right back where he had left off. He was sitting on their bed, fuming, and Amanda's head was hung in shame. Finally, he plopped down on his back and flung his right arm over his eyes. He wished the night would hurry up and fade.
"Wh-what are you doing?" she asked.
"I'm going to sleep, Amanda." Lee said pointedly.
"You're still going to sleep in our bed?" she asked, heaving a relieved sigh.
"For tonight, I don't think it would do a lot of good if the boys knew we were arguing." Lee reasoned. Amanda gave him a grunt of agreement and settled into bed herself.
In the morning, Lee was up and gone early. He hadn't told Amanda where he was going. She assumed he'd be in the Q Bureau when she arrived. She made sure to get the boys off to school on time, so that automatically kept her at home longer than she wanted. What she really wanted was to talk to Lee.
He wasn't in the Q Bureau when Amanda arrived. She checked with Ms. Marston and several people downstairs, but no one had seen Lee arrive for work.
Her first thought was of Joe. What if Lee was out to hurt him? She called the EAO and found out Joe was just fine. She let her ex know that she had told Lee the utter truth. Joe backed her up on having done that. He hadn't yet gone to Carrie. Amanda told him goodbye and hung up.
She was completely confused. Where could Lee be? She hoped he wouldn't do anything self-destructive. She still loved him more than life itself…she wanted him and him alone. How could she make him understand that what had happened with Joe would never, ever happen again?
While Amanda struggled with herself and her predicament, all of which Lee saw in his dream, he headed for Joe's condo. He knew that Carrie was not working and that Joe was glad to spoil his wife with money…jewels, a car, a mink coat… anything that would make her happy. He was fairly certain Joe hadn't shared his little secret with Carrie. Even if he had, Lee had a proposition of his own.
Before deciding on this mission, Lee had gone to D.C. to stare at the reflecting pool a while. It was summer time, and he could have sat in the warm summer breeze for longer than he had, but it was time for action. He had thought about all that he and Amanda meant to each other. The timeframe over which they'd finally trusted each other and married. It seemed like dust in the wind now.
He didn't want that. He still wanted his Amanda. If he had to fight for her he would. There was also an inane need to punish her. Hurt her a little for what she'd done. Joe wasn't the only one responsible. Lee knew she was as much at fault as her ex was. It shouldn't have to be this way, but he hadn't been taken into consideration during that carnal moment of comfort.
During the drive, his dream had segued to Amanda's POV and now that he'd arrived at the condo, Lee was back to himself. A little hesitantly, he exited the car and walked up the stairs. He raised his fist to knock on the door, but paused. Then he gave it three solid knocks and stood waiting…
After Lee did what he was going to do, he called Billy to let him know he was on the way in and requested that this information NOT be passed on to Amanda. Billy was clueless as to why, but agreed to do as Lee asked. Lee hung up and was soon at work.
The door was noisy when Lee opened it. Mainly because he was trying to enter before he even turned the knob, thus shaking the door within its frame. He closed the door and locked it. This might get ugly.
"Hi." Amanda stood to greet him, but couldn't keep her eyes meeting his. She gave up quickly, staring at her hands and the two rings on one of them.
"Hi, Amanda." Lee said, and walked to his desk to sit. He idly shuffled through paperwork.
"Where were you this morning? You left early." Amanda said, taking her seat again.
"Oh, so you noticed? That's-that's nice. I was up at six and out the door at seven. I went for a drive. Then I stopped by the pool near the Washington Monument. And then, I visited Carrie. Made sure the old Stetson charm was still working." The last he said acidly.
"I suppose I deserve that," she admitted. Secretly, but since it was Lee's dream, he knew this, she wondered if Lee had really done what he was implying. Did he sleep with Carrie just to get back at her? Would Carrie let him…well, the Stetson charm is pretty powerful.
"No." Lee said.
"What?" Amanda asked, ripped from her thoughts.
"I didn't sleep with her. But she knows your secret now. She and I are on a higher moral ground than you and Joe, I suppose. She was nearby, convenient. I could have charmed her into bed. Instead, we talked this whole thing over like adults. What happens to Joe, I don't really care. Not till the baby's born and we can test her for parentage. They can check that, on chromosomes. I'm going to have the doctor do it." Lee explained.
"I-that's fine." Amanda agreed numbly. "Why?"
"Why do I want to fight for you? I don't know, Amanda. Some greater energy thinks we belong together I guess (Gutter Girls!). Or maybe it's just that I can't stop loving you on a dime."
She didn't have a response. How could she? She was expecting him to dump her…or suggest a divorce. But he was staying, inexplicably.
"One more thing. If the baby's not mine, we're going to tell the boys and Dotty and Joe is sure as Hell going to pay child support for this one. I won't treat it any different…but I am not going to lie." Lee stated firmly.
"If you think we should tell them, we will. You know, I haven't stopped loving you either, Lee. And I didn't do this to hurt you. I just hope you'll know that I mean that, I truly do." She had to tell him while she had a chance. If he was cold as ice to her when they were at home, she didn't care; at least he knew what she felt.
"When I can believe it, I will. For now, I think we have a case or two…" Lee looked down at the mess of papers on his desk, and tried to make sense of them.
Sweating, Lee woke up from the dream. If Amanda had moved at all during the night, he couldn't tell. He'd been sleeping firmly and deeply. He wiped his brow and readjusted the sheets on top of him. Grateful the dream had ended; he snuggled close to his wife.
The following day, Lee had a chance to talk to Amanda. They were in the Q Bureau, so he locked the door for added privacy. She was filing things in the top drawers in the vault. The files in the bottom drawers she left for him, at this stage of her pregnancy.
"Uh, Amanda? I know this is going to make me sound insecure, but I have to ask you a few things," Lee said from the entryway.
"Sure, Sweetheart, what is it?" She stopped filing and looked into his eyes, seeing only worry.
"Have you talked to Joe or Carrie lately?" Lee inquired.
"Not since last weekend, when Joe picked up the boys. He's been doing wonderfully."
"He hasn't…well…this is silly," Lee turned to go back to his desk.
"Lee, what? You can't just start asking and then stop."
"Has he lost any friends recently, or needed any consolation? You know, a shoulder to cry on?" Lee turned back to her and asked, doggedly digging himself deeper into the hold he'd created.
"If he has, it hasn't been mine. What is wrong?" Amanda asked.
"Ah, er, it's silly, Amanda. Really silly. I'm sorry I even asked you, okay?" Lee said defensively.
"Lee Stetson, I can see right through you. Spill it," she ordered.
He hugged her as close to him as he could manage. "It was just a crazy, terrible, dream Amanda. I actually had it for two nights in a row. I think it's just jitters. I'm a little nervous about becoming a father, you know."
"It'll be okay, Lee. I'll help you" Amanda promised. "We made it this far, right?'
"Absolutely," he agreed, placing a smooch on her forehead.
The End