By: Nectar99
Disclaimer: These characters don't belong to me. They belong to WB and Shoot The Moon Productions.
Rating: PG-13 I'm putting a violence warning on this one. This deals with memories of violence toward women. It's not graphic, or overly brutal, however it may be disturbing to some.
Timeline: This is set in the mid third season. This is an A.U. story.
Summary: It's what Lee doesn't know that may end up hurting him.
Feedback: Please let me know what you think. This story is a chaptered piece so I want to know if you have questions early on, or if I haven't addressed an issue that you feel hasn't been resolved.
A very special thanks to Cathy and the three T's! I appreciate all the time you ladies take out of your busy schedule to help me!
Monday
2:45 a.m.
As she tossed and turned in her sleep, memories of the horrific event plagued her over and over again. It had only been two days since the attack and things were getting progressively worse instead of better. The flashbacks had turned into episodes of crying fits, and sleeping had become a treasured memory that she missed. Lunging forward into a sitting position, she screamed, "No!" She opened her eyes, frantically searching the room for any sign of an intruder. One hand went involuntarily over her heart in an effort to control the erratic beat, while the other wiped beads of sweat from her face.
8:15 a.m.
Lee sat as his desk thumping impatiently on the top of a case file. 'Where the hell is she?' He thought, rather amazed to find himself at work before Amanda. They'd spoken Friday afternoon and decided to begin working on their current case on Monday morning, bright and early. Breaking from his thoughts, a feeling of uneasiness filled the air and worry overshadowed his anger. 'What if she's been in an accident? What if she's been kidnapped?' The extreme possibilities filled his mind. As his heart rate increased, a familiar voice snapped him out of it.
"My, my, my, recalling last night's date?" Francine teased as she approached Lee and noticed his shallow breathing.
"What? No!" Lee hissed. "Have you seen Amanda today?" he inquired, changing his tone dramatically.
"Ahh, so all this is worry over your 'favorite' housewife," she chimed, rolling her eyes.
Cocking his head to one side, Lee barked, "Can it, Francine!"
"Hey, I'm just looking out for your impeccable reputation, that's all," she insisted sarcastically.
"Look, we're in the middle of a case, and Amanda told me she'd be here at 8:00 a.m. It's not like her to be late," he informed Francine.
"I'm sure it isn't. Anyway, Billy wants to see you in his office, pronto."
"I'll be right there," Lee replied, grabbing his suit jacket off of his chair.
"Come in," Billy replied, watching his best agent enter the room.
While attempting to conceal his own concerns, Lee sensed an uneasiness in his boss's demeanor. "What's up, Billy?" He inquired hesitantly.
"I know you and Amanda opened up the Higgins Railway case last week, but I'm going to need you to go ahead and work on it solo this week," Billy instructed, his voice steady.
Lee's posture straightened at the mention of her name. It took a moment for the information to register, before Lee replied, "come on, Billy! I'm up to my elbows in paperwork this week. Where's Amanda?" He asked, frustration evident in his tone.
"Relax, Scarecrow. She's taking care of a light surveillance job for me-nothing dangerous," Billy assured, noting the wideness of Lee's eyes and the indignant frown that he was unable to conceal.
"Do you care to elaborate?" Lee inquired, the sarcasm evident in his tone.
"It's need to know, Lee,"
"Need to…what the hell, Billy?! She's a fourth level
GSA with a confidential security clearance," he reminded him quite loudly.
"Do you mind lowering your voice?" He rose from his chair, his frustration
level growing by the minute. "I know Amanda's security level. She's my
employee, Lee. I want you to back off, right now," he warned.
Lee realized he was getting nowhere fast, so he decided to try another angle. "Come on, Billy. At least tell me where she is in case something goes wrong. You know she has a knack for getting herself into unusual circumstances," he reminded his boss.
"Not this time, Scarecrow. You're going to have to trust me on this one. Now get back to work, and don't even think about nosing around here asking questions about it," he warned, pointing directly at his agent.
"You know me better than that," Lee huffed, trying to appear offended.
"That, I do. Now get out of here," Billy insisted, walking around his desk to open the door for Lee.
Amanda gingerly raised her bruised body up and out of the bed. The mattress
was much firmer than she was normally used to, but at least it was a place to
rest in privacy. As she limped into the bathroom, she was surprised to find
her leg stiff, since she hadn't recalled injuring it. Once inside, the fluorescent
lights did little to cover the scars and bruises left from the terrifying night
she'd experienced.
She closed her eyes unable to look at her reflections. Random visions of Friday night were running rampant through her head. Amanda gasped and quickly opened her eyes as visions of her perpetrator flooded her mind.
Trying to shake off the memories, Amanda decided to take a shower. Since the time of the crime, she couldn't seem to shower enough to get clean. Normally, she'd spend about five to ten minutes in the shower. Now she was under the hot spray scrubbing her body with the soap for at least a half hour.
After her shower, Amanda decided to call her Mother. She'd called her Friday
evening and spoken with her briefly; careful not to divulge the real reason
she was away from home. She told her about the location she'd been assigned
to and Dotty reluctantly agreed that the work was important. Amanda was relieved
that her Mother was in better spirits this morning and was meeting friends for
a late lunch and some shopping. It took Amanda fifteen minutes to complete the
inquisition over the phone. She swore her Mother would have been a super agent.
She also sent the boys her love before hanging up the phone.
'Whew! At least I have a few days to get myself together and I can go by the house while Mother is out,' she thought.
12:45 p.m.
Lee sat at his desk with a file in hand. He steadily tapped a pen, his mind continually drifting to Amanda. Deep down, he knew something was wrong. He could feel it. Call it gut instinct, but he had to find out what was going on. He cared deeply for Amanda. More than he ever allowed himself to care for anyone. He'd been dancing around his feelings for the last few weeks; unable to verbally express how he felt without making himself sound completely vulnerable. What if she didn't feel the same way? What if she turned the tables and presented the 'we're just good friends speech' to him? What if she rejected him? The thoughts tumbled through his mind, rendering him useless. After contemplating his options, Lee decided to look into things for himself. He needed to know what was going on; if Amanda was in any kind of danger. The first and only place to start was at her home.
As Lee turned onto Maplewood Drive, he spotted her Wagon parked on the street.
He turned around, trying to keep ample distance between himself and the house.
He knew just how alert Amanda could be and how easily she'd be able to spot
his Corvette. A question arose in his head as he found a safe parking spot.
"What is she doing home if she's supposed to be away on assignment for
the next week?" He curiously asked aloud. Unable to remain still, he stepped
from the car to get a closer look. Approximately two houses down from Amanda's
home, he was able to find cover behind a huge oak tree. He was unprepared for
what he saw as he spotted her walking toward her car with a suitcase in hand.
She was wearing a black long sleeve shirt with matching black jeans. Her hair
was tied back and she had dark glasses on her face, hiding her lovely complexion
from his view. He immediately knew something wasn't quite right. She limped
slightly, favoring her right foot. He watched her survey her surroundings as
if she anticipated being followed. His first instinct was to run up to her and
find out what happened. Was she hurt seriously? Who did this? Was it agency
related? Luckily, he kept a cool head and decided to follow her.
He shook his head in disbelief when he spotted her Wagon turning into a seedy motel on the outskirts of D.C. He watched her slowly exit the vehicle and crouch down to retrieve the glasses that fell from her face, landing on the hard pavement. Lee gasped in horror when he looked at her, the bruises evident from this view. "Oh my God," he said out loud, suddenly feeling his temperature rise dramatically. His mouth was gaping open as she hobbled into room number 16.
Amanda had just set her suitcase down when she heard a knock at the door. Panic rushed through her momentarily, but she took a few deep breaths and managed to calm herself down. She spoke out in a raspy tone, "Who is it?"
Normally, Amanda King greeted everyone with a happy, cheery voice. Something was certainly wrong with the situation. Lee was tempted to draw his gun, but he decided against that idea. "Assess the situation," he mumbled to himself. "It's me, Amanda," he replied, loud enough for her to hear his strained voice. His fears mounted as he stood there wondering why she hadn't responded. After a few tense moments, he pleaded, "Please, Amanda, open the door."