By: Nectar99
Disclaimer: These characters don't belong to me. They belong to WB and Shoot The Moon Productions.
Rating: PG-13
See chapter 1 for summary and guideline.
Thursday
6:30 a.m.
"No!" he yelled, jostled awake from his own nightmare. Lee blinked
rapidly, his breathing quick and shallow. Looking down, he found Amanda safe
and sound asleep in his arms. Letting out a sigh of relief, Lee settled back
against the hard wood of his headboard and drifted back to sleep. Clenching
his eyelids tight, he tried to erase the memories of Amanda being held against
her will, screaming out for him to rescue her from the clutches of that horrible
creature.
10:45 a.m.
"Ahhh," he sighed, a feeling of utter contentment overwhelmed his semi-conscious body. Taking a deep breath, a familiar sweet fragrance filled his nostrils and a soft hand caressed his cheek. Upon opening his eyes, Lee found himself lying on Amanda's lap, his hands wrapped protectively around her waist.
"Hey there, sleepyhead," she whispered softly, a small smile played across her face. "Care to get up and have some breakfast?" Her hands were smoothing the hairs away from his forehead.
Lee slowly sat up, taking in his surroundings. He wondered how the situation reversed itself and he ended up in her arms. Rubbing his eyes, he blinked several times, focusing on Amanda. "How did I…I mean weren't you lying here with me?" his question was rather confusing, however Amanda had come to understand Lee's sometimes-odd way of phrasing things.
"I woke up early and made some breakfast. I hope you don't mind, but you looked so tired that I didn't want to disturb you," she spoke evenly, touching his forearm. "When I came back in here to check on you, well…you called out for me in your sleep. Maybe you should have taken a sleeping pill," she teased.
Lee frowned slightly, unable to believe that he was the one having nightmares. Trying to think on his feet, he defensively replied, "I was just wondering where you went, that's all."
"Oh, okay," Amanda nodded. She wasn't about to force him to tell her what was going on. "Well, are you hungry?" She inquired trying to change the subject.
"No…but…well…yea I think I can eat something. Just let
me jump in the shower and I'll be right out," he smiled, silently thanking
her for not pressing the matter.
11:20 a.m.
After breakfast, Lee planned to run out and pick up some things at the store. He also needed to stop by the agency and fill Billy in on a few more details about last night, not comfortable to discuss it over the phone with Amanda nearby.
"I need to run out for a couple of hours and take care of a few errands. Will you be okay while I'm gone?" he asked grasping a hold of her hand.
"I'll be just fine," she assured him, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "I want to call Mother and I think it'll be better if you're not here. Not that I don't want you here, Lee, I just mean that…"
"I understand," he interrupted, pulling her close for a hug. "I want you to listen to me carefully," he instructed, leaning back slightly and clutching her by the shoulders. "If you get tired or lie down, I want you to take the medicine on the nightstand, okay?" He stared at her intently.
"Lee, I'm not tired and I certainly don't need any more medication," she insisted, curiosity overtaking her features. "Where'd you get it?" she asked, tossing her head to the side slightly.
"Don't worry about that. Just promise me that if you take a nap, you'll take it," he instructed, squeezing her shoulders for emphasis.
She could tell that something was troubling him but wasn't quite sure what it was. Thinking back momentarily, she couldn't recall what had happened the previous night that would make him worry so much. 'The restaurant, dinner, dancing and our almost kiss,' she thought, touching her tingling lips. Everything else seemed to be a blur. Hearing her name on his lips, she responded, "okay, I will," she promised.
"Good," he sighed. "I'll lock up when I go."
1:30 p.m.
Alone for the first time in days, Amanda took the time to give her Mother a call. After a lengthy conversation that covered everything from housewares to love affairs, she hung up the phone, intent on taking a hot bath.
Relaxing in the hot water, she let out a deep breath releasing some of the pent up tension in her body. It felt good to soak in the heated water, her eyes closed completely without any glimpses of the traumatic events she'd experienced just a few days ago.
Hearing a creak in the floorboards, Amanda opened her eyes. Somehow, she'd lost track of the time and the water wasn't nearly as hot as it had been. Stepping out of the water, she grabbed her robe and tied the sash securely around her waist. Opening the door a crack, she yelled, "Lee, I'll be right out!" Not hearing any response, Amanda proceeded to the bedroom door trying to find out what Lee was doing.
"Lee, are you out there?" She asked, wondering if she was just hearing
things. Again, she received no reply so she headed back to the bathroom. Before
reaching the door, Amanda saw an arm come into view, then suddenly a smelly
cloth hovering just above her nose and mouth.
2:00 p.m.
Lee went to the agency first, giving Billy the details of last night. He worried that she may not be ready to come back to work so quickly, however Billy insisted that it was her decision to make for herself.
Gritting his teeth, he reluctantly made his way to the store to pick up a few
groceries. Something about a crowded store and waiting in lines made him cringe
every time he had to go there. Luckily, he got in and out and was finally on
his way back to the apartment. For some reason he found himself nervous with
anticipation just knowing that Amanda was there. Smiling, he recalled part of
the evening they had enjoyed the night before. The wine, the dancing and the
almost kiss swirled around in his head. As he pulled in front of the apartment
building, he sat in the car for a moment, trying to imagine his future.
Amanda opened her eyes in horror, her head pounding from the after effects of the chloroform as the maniac attempted to violate her once again.
"No!" she screamed as loud as she could, trying to wiggle out of his grip.
"You can fight all you want, bitch, but you won't be getting away from me this time!" he hissed, reaching up to double check her wrist ties.
Trembling beneath him, Amanda could see that her robe was wide open for his view, his greedy, pathetic eyes smiling over her assets. "Please let me go," she begged, trying to calm him down.
"Shut up!" he yelled, leering at her intently. He reached out, grabbing her breast with his dirty hands. Reaching down, he undid his belt, button and zipper, but did not remove his pants. Continuing his rough assault, he groped her body, pinching her delicate skin.
Closing her eyes, the tears began to fall toward her ears, as she mouthed,
"Please, no," over and over again.
After the elevator opened and Lee went to the apartment door and was rather
surprised to find it unlocked. Cautiously he entered, looking around the area
for any sign of Amanda. After quickly but thoroughly searching the kitchen and
dining room, he made his way toward the bedroom. Her crying told him that she
must have been having another bad dream. "Amanda, I'm here," he called
out to her while opening the door.
When the bed came into focus, Lee was momentarily rendered useless. His eyes widened, viewing Amanda's naked body pinned against her will beneath some monster. Instinct took over and he lunged forward tackling the man to the ground. "I'll kill you!" Lee hissed through clenched teeth, hoping the attacker would put up some kind of a fight. They rolled around on the floor, Lee knocking over the nightstand beside the bed. After struggling for a few moments, Lee took the upper hand, punching the man repeatedly in the face. Shaking the nearly unconscious man by the collar, Lee released him, letting the assailant's head fall back on the carpet.
Amanda lie on top of the bed, trembling, her body on public display. Confused
as to why he left the perpetrator on the floor unattended, she watched Lee walk
toward her. She watched him approach her, blinking back the tears as he covered
her with the blanket. Taking in a deep breath, relief flooded her senses as
she felt the constraints come off of her wrists. She couldn't thank him; she
couldn't even look directly at him as the tears flowed freely. Afraid that words
would be too much, she closed her eyes, turning away from him, her dignity diminished.
Sensing her discomfort, he stood, keenly aware of his surroundings. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel embarrassed or ashamed about anything. Out of the corner of his eye, Lee saw the intruder lunging in his direction, so he spun around with his weapon drawn, firing, again and again and again and again.
"No!" She screamed, startled by the loud gunfire.
Running back to her side, he gathered her in his arms and rocked her protectively. "Shhh, it's all over. I'm here," he whispered over and over.
She held on to him, clutching the collar of his shirt, her head buried on his shoulder. "I was so scared. It's my fault, I…I…should have told you…"
"Shhh," he interrupted, quieting her down. "None of this was your fault, you hear me, Amanda?" he inquired in an authoritative voice.
"But Lee, I recognized him at the restaurant," she cried out, stopping when she felt him stiffen.
"Stop it! We'll talk about it later," he insisted, unwilling to listen to her reasoning. Lee held her tight; rocking her until her body went limp against him. Carefully, he laid her exhausted form down, tucking the blanket around her sides.
Thursday
4:00 p.m.
The police arrived just after four to investigate the crime scene. Billy was on their coattails, following them into Lee's bedroom. When he viewed the body on the carpet, he had a pretty good idea of what had transpired. Slowly, Billy looked up to find Lee staring out the bedroom window. "Don't worry," he began, patting his agent on the back, "They just want to talk to her alone for a few moments. I'll make sure they don't upset her," Billy assured him.
"I know, Billy. Thanks," he replied unable to look at his boss. "Billy, this uh whole scene here…well I mean,"
"I already have a hunch what went down, Lee. It's okay, my friend. We'll take care of it," he tried to comfort Lee, leading him out of the bedroom.
Walking into the living room, Lee looked at her sitting on the couch, involuntarily
rocking back and forth. She was wrapped in his blanket, twirling the ends in
her fingertips. He couldn't believe the anger and rage that was still bottled
up inside him. Balling his fists, Lee took a deep breath, searching the room
for a quiet place to let it out. As he emerged further into the living room,
he turned to see her face. When he met her eyes, something told him that everything
would be fine. He saw love and trust staring back at him and a warm feeling
spread completely throughout his body, replacing the anger with a sense of peace.
Smiling in return, he nodded to her, as if thanking her for that gift.