AUTHOR: Kate.

SYNOPSIS: Lee takes Amanda to London for their second honeymoon.

TIMELINE: Set a couple of years after the end of the series.
 

Amanda Stetson walked slowly over to the hotel window and pushed the curtain aside to gaze down upon the hustle and bustle of the street below.

She sighed and a smile spread across her face as she heard the soft footsteps of her husband walking up behind her. The smile changed to a grin as she felt his arms slide around her waist and his head come to a rest, leaning gently against hers.

"Happy?" he murmured as he began to kiss her neck.

Amanda let the curtain fall back into place before turning around to face her husband. She placed her hands against his chest and lightly brushed her lips over his. "Very happy, Lee," she replied. "Thank you for bringing me back to London, it was a wonderful surprise."

Lee grinned. "Well, I remembered how much you liked it here and I couldn’t think of anywhere better to start our second honeymoon."

"Our second honeymoon," Amanda repeated contentedly. "I still can't believe Mr. Melrose let us have the time off together," she continued as she wrapped her arms around him and snuggled against his chest.

Lee pulled her tighter and chuckled. "Well, after we finally came clean about our marriage, Billy practically ordered us to take this vacation. If I had known how he’d react, I would’ve told him earlier."

"I’m just glad everyone took the news so well. I was so worried about telling mother and the boys," Amanda replied, remembering the surprise on her family’s faces when she’d told them Lee and herself had decided to get married during their last ‘location shoot’ away from home.

At first, Dotty had been understandably hurt that she wasn’t there for the ceremony, but she had soon come around when Amanda explained that neither of them had wanted any fuss and they’d just felt that the time was right to make the commitment.

Surprisingly, Philip and Jaime had taken the news in their stride. Lee had been around for the last two years and the boys were now young men who were just pleased to see their mother so happy. All the jealousy’s that had surfaced when Amanda first brought Lee home had long since vanished to leave a mutual love and respect between the three men in her life.

Amanda was brought back to the present when Lee lifted her chin and gazed down at her face. "I’m just pleased that I can do this without dreading that someone may walk in on us at any moment and I’d have to stop," he murmured before capturing her mouth in a deep, satisfying kiss.

They parted and Lee dropped a second, lighter, kiss on her nose. "So, what do you want to do with our first day here? See the sights? Shop?" He smiled persuasively. "Stay in?"

Amanda cocked her head to the side, her eyebrows furrowed as she pretended to consider the options. "Hmmm, well it was a long trip."

"Very long," Lee agreed and kissed her left cheek.

"And we do need to unpack."

"Absolutely," stated Lee and kissed her right cheek.

"And we still have two whole days here to see the sights and shop before we leave for the cottage in Dorset so…" Amanda paused and smiled invitingly at Lee.

He flashed her a grin. "I’ll order a bottle of champagne while you freshen up."

Amanda grinned back then pulled away from his embrace and walked quickly over to their luggage to retrieve her overnight bag. "I’ll be two minutes," she said over her shoulder as she disappeared into the bathroom.

************

Sunlight filtered through the curtains and provided a warm glow as Lee stirred from a deep sleep. Automatically, his arm reached across the bed and moved around the empty space next to him. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes as his brain registered the fact that there was no-one there.

"I wondered when you'd wake up," remarked an amused voice from the other side of the room. "Do you know it's 11.30?"

Lee yawned then turned onto his back and sat up with a long stretch. He smiled over at Amanda who was standing in the doorway to the bathroom, a silk robe for cover and her hair still wet from the shower she'd obviously just had.

His face took on a mock hurt look. "Why didn't you wake me?" he scolded. "You know how much I like to wash your back."

Amanda grinned and walked over to the bed. "I thought you needed the rest after yesterday 'and' last night."

As she came level with the bed, Lee reached out and grabbed her arms then pulled her down towards him. She let out a cry of surprise when he then flipped her over onto her back and half covered her body with his own effectively pinning her to the bed.

"Well, I can see that you've got your strength back," Amanda laughed before Lee bent his head and gave her a long kiss.

"Good morning, Mrs. Stetson, " Lee murmured when they finally broke apart.

"Good morning," she replied softly and gently smoothed his hair back from his forehead before placing a kiss there.

Lee moved slightly so that he was covering her more fully and leaned in for another kiss. Seconds later, he muttered a curse and rolled away from her to pick up the telephone which had started ringing.

"Yes," he snapped angrily down the phone. Amanda sat up and watched his face change from anger to surprise and then finally resignation. "What? Oh, yeah, yeah, put her through."

Lee turned to Amanda and held out the receiver. "It's your mother," he told her with a smile.

Amanda rolled her eyes and mouthed 'sorry' to him as she took the phone out of his hand.

'Later', he mouthed back with a wink and got out of bed.

Amanda's eyes roamed hungrily over him as he walked into the bathroom totally oblivious to the affect his nakedness was having on her. It wasn't until he shut the door behind him that she realised the receiver in her hand was making strange noises.

"Mother," she gasped and put it to her ear.

"Amanda! Amanda, are you there?" came Dotty's anxious voice over the line.

"Yes mother, I'm here. Sorry, I was side-tracked for a moment."

"Oh, that's alright. I'm just surprised to find you still there. I was going to leave a message but when the receptionist said you were in, well, I just had to speak to you. So, are you enjoying yourself, dear?" Dotty asked excitedly as she quickly caught her breath before continuing. "How's Lee? Is the hotel nice? Have you done any sightseeing yet? Imagine; England for your honeymoon!"

"I'm having a wonderful time, Lee's fine, the hotel's lovely and no, we haven't done any sightseeing yet. We plan to go today."

"That'll be nice. You will remember to send a postcard won't you, Amanda? You know how I always wanted to visit London."

"Yes mother."

Amanda continued to listen for a few more minutes and then Dotty rang off as she had to get dressed then get the boys up for school. With a wry smile and shake of her head, Amanda slowly replaced the receiver.

She heard the shower start running and sat herself down at a large, gold trimmed, ornate dresser. There was a mirror at it's centre that she used while she dried and styled her hair. By the time she was satisfied with her appearance, Lee was dry, out of the bathroom and almost dressed.

"What did Dotty have to say?" he asked, shrugging into a dark blue shirt and fastening the buttons.

"Oh, nothing much. She just wanted to know if we were having a good time, then she reminded me to send her a postcard. She also let me know how the boys were."

Lee chuckled. "She does have great timing."

"That she does," agreed Amanda ruefully. She quickly dressed in cream trousers and blouse then stood up and turned to him. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah." Lee held out his hand for Amanda to hold and together they left the suite.

********************

They exited their hotel, which was situated in Regent Street, and soaked up the warmth of the early afternoon sun that was burning down. Traffic was moving steadily by and the city had the usual air of barely contained excitement about it.

Hand in hand, they strolled along the road heading towards Oxford Circus. "Have you any idea what you want to see first?" Lee asked.

"As a matter of fact I have," Amanda replied as she let go of his hand and rummaged about in her handbag.

Lee's look of amused puzzlement turned to one of pure horror as she pulled out a thick book and held it triumphantly aloft for him to read the title. 'The History of London: Places of Interest to Visit.'

"Oh my god," he groaned.

Amanda beamed at him. "I bought it at the airport while you were arguing with that man about our luggage."

"I wasn’t arguing with him, Amanda," Lee began indignantly. "I was simply pointing out that he had our cases."

Amanda raised her eyebrows and stared at him expectantly.

Lee looked sheepish and then suddenly frowned. "Well how was I supposed to know I was at the wrong pick-up point?" he said defensively. "I mean, you've got to admit that his cases were the exact same as ours."

Amanda laughed and shook her head. "Well, we got the right bags in the end, that’s all that matters."

He nodded his agreement and Amanda fought the urge to laugh harder at the offended look on his face. Deciding to change the subject, she opened up the book she was still holding to the contents page and ran her finger down the paper. "Let’s see, where should we go. OK, first I thought we could visit The Tower of London, I’d really like to see the Crown Jewels. Then we could go onto Tower Bridge and take the tour there, then I thought we could walk down to Westminster…."

With each place she read out, Lee looked more and more horrified. "Amanda," he said, trying to interrupt her. "Amanda!" he repeated more forcefully.

She stopped talking and looked up at him in surprise. "What?"

Lee smiled cajolingly and put his arm around her shoulder. "We don't have to see everything in that book do we?"

"Well, not everything," began Amanda.

"Good, because I've got plans for us this evening," he told her as they started to walk again.

Amanda closed her book and smiled up at him. "You have?"

He nodded. "But it's a surprise."

"Can't you give me a hint?" Amanda pleaded.

"Nope."

"Not even a little one?" she entreated.

"Not even a hint of a hint," Lee replied firmly.

Amanda shook her head and put the guide book back in her handbag. "You know it 'is' my job to find out secrets."

"Not this one," he answered and tapped her nose playfully. "You're going to have to wait until tonight." Before Amanda could press the issue Lee continued, "Now, let's go and visit The Tower of London."

***********************

They exited Tower Hill tube station and followed a crowd of people towards the awe inspiring sight of the tall, white looking, Tower that rose up behind high walls.

"Oh, it’s lovely," exclaimed Amanda and retrieved her camera from her bag to take a couple of pictures from her vantage point.

"Come on, let’s go in," said Lee. He slipped his arm comfortably around her waist and led her towards the back of the long queue.

They eventually paid the admission price and walked over the bridge as Amanda thumbed through the guidebook they'd just purchased at the entrance gate.

"What do you want to see first?" asked Lee as they walked through the gateway and into the grounds of the Tower.

Amanda paused and looked around her. In front of them, dominating the whole area, was the large square Tower they'd seen from the tube station. The walls that surrounded the grounds were made up of smaller towers and buildings.

"There's so much, but I think I'd like to start with the Crown Jewels first," she replied and pointed to the long castellated neo-gothic style building with cannons situated in front, that lay beyond the Tower. "They’re in the Waterloo Barracks."

They headed for the building but stopped when they came to a railed off, concrete area in which there stood a plaque that read ‘Site of Scaffold’.

"This must have been where they carried out the executions," commented Lee and had to smile when he saw Amanda rapidly turning the pages of her guidebook in search of the information.

Having found the section she wanted, she nodded before supplying, " Yeah, it says here that normally, beheadings would take place outside the castle walls on Tower Hill where everyone could watch but, the executions on the Tower green were private. This was because they were intended to avoid embarrassing the prisoner as well as the monarch. Famous victims include Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, both wives of Henry VIII who were convicted of adultery."

She shivered and screwed her nose up in disgust as she looked at Lee. "Ugh, what a horrible death."

"Yeah, but with six wives, he had to save on alimony one way," chuckled Lee.

Amanda tutted and rolled her eyes then suddenly jumped back in alarm as a large, black bird swooped down right across their path and came to a rest on a patch of grass behind the block site.

"Oh my gosh!" exclaimed Amanda and then started to laugh when she realised what it was. "It’s just a crow. It scared me for a minute there."

"That’s not a crow, Amanda," said Lee. "It’s a raven. The Tower’s famous for them."

"Oh, of course," replied Amanda and started to look through her book again. "Wait a minute, I remember reading something about them the book. There has to be five here at all times or something."

"I thought it was six," Lee replied thoughtfully.

"Actually, there’s usually eight, Sir," said a voice behind them.

They turned to see a Yeoman Warder standing there in his Blue Undress uniform of a long navy coat with red trim, complete with matching hat. Across his chest, beneath an outline of the State Crown, were embroidered the letters EIIR which stand for Elizabeth Regina II.

His grey bearded face wore a friendly smile as he continued, "Since the second world war there have always been six ravens plus two auxiliaries. They tend to stay either around here at the Block site, the White Tower steps, the Roman Wall or Coldharbour which was once an entrance to the Tower."

He pointed to a round Tower and a square Tower standing next to each other in the opposite direction of the way they were heading. "They live on the grounds in the nesting boxes near the Wakefield Tower which is next to the Bloody Tower over there."

"Isn't there some superstition about the ravens and London?" asked Lee, his brow furrowed as he tried to recall the details.

"Yes Sir," the Warder confirmed. "It's said that if the ravens ever leave the Tower of London, the White Tower would crumble and a great disaster would befall England. Many believe the legend carries weight. We came very close to falling during the War and 1946 was the only recorded time that there weren't any ravens at the Tower."

"But what happens if one dies?" asked Amanda.

"We have ravens being looked after all over the country that we can call upon if need be and once here, they're protected by Royal decree."

Amanda turned and looked at the large black bird that was preening itself a few yards away. It stopped and regarded her for a moment before stretching out it's jet black wings and flying away. She saw a flash of colour and squinted, trying to make what it was but wasn't quick enough.

She turned back to the Warder. "I thought I saw something blue on him. Was it a tag?"

"Yes, all the ravens here are tagged. That was Cedric. He's lived here since 1987."

"Oh, a while then," commented Amanda.

The Warder nodded. "Yes, but if you see one with a yellow tag she's been here since 1973."

Amanda was stopped from replying when another Warder walked up to relay a message. "I'm sorry to interrupt Sir, but Hardey's causing problems by the Lodgings. He keeps trying to take food from the guests."

The first Warder turned back and smiled when saw the confused look that Lee and Amanda exchanged. "Hardey's another raven," he explained. "I'm afraid I have to go, duty calls."

"You've been most helpful. Thank you so much for your time Mr…..?" Amanda paused and raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"I'm the Ravenmaster," he supplied and bowed slightly before walking off with his colleague.

Lee turned to Amanda and grinned. "Come on, let's go in case Hardey decides to fly over this way. I don't relish the idea of having an angry, hungry raven swooping down on us."

"You mean you wouldn't protect me?" asked Amanda in mock horror as Lee put his arm back around her and they began to walk again.

"You mean throw you to the ground and fling myself on top of you type of protection?" asked Lee hopefully.

Amanda laughed. "Is there any other kind?"

"Nope," chuckled Lee and kissed her quickly on the lips.

They approached the Waterloo Block which held within it the Jewel House. On sentry duty outside was a Scots Guardsman wearing the traditional uniform of black trousers, red jacket and bearskin.

After taking a photo, they entered the Block and made their way to the Jewel House. Once there, they had to wait in line to be allowed entry. A film played continuously, giving the historical background to the various crowns they were to see within and showed excerpts of the coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

They were eventually allowed into the hall where the jewels were on show. Amanda particularly liked Queen Victoria's small diamond crown which, with it's four petite arches that met to be adorned by an tiny orb with a George Cross atop, was rather plain in comparison to the other, grander crowns on display.

Amanda read the information plaque in front of it with interest. "Lee look at this," she said. Lee turned away from the crown he was viewing and walked over.

"Can you believe this?" she asked and pointed to the plaque. "The diamonds in this crown were taken from a large fringe necklace."

Lee raised his eyebrows and let out a low whistle. "Wow, that must have been some necklace."

"Yeah," agreed Amanda. "And look, it says that it weighs 5.11oz and was worn on top of Queen Victoria's widow's cap both as a crown or a circlet with the arches removed."

They both looked at the crown once more before moving on hand in hand, pausing to stare at the Imperial State Crown that gleamed under the lights of it's case. It was larger than the other crowns they'd viewed and more ornate. The arches were bigger and more like right angles compared to the soft curve of the small crown of Queen Victoria. It was adorned with jewels and, like the smaller crown, had an orb and George Cross set atop it.

Just in front of them a Warder was talking to a middle aged couple and a young red haired lady holding the hand of a small flame haired boy. They edged nearer to hear what he was telling them.

"This is the crown's tenth manifestation since the Restoration," the Warder told his audience. "It's been used for the coronations of Queen Victoria, Edward VII and George V before being remade with virtually the same stones for George VI. Then for Queen Elizabeth the shape of the arches was altered to reduce the height."

The Warder paused then bent down to the little boy and ruffled his hair. "Have a guess at how many diamonds are mounted in it son," he offered with a smile.

The boy stuck a finger in his mouth and reddened before shyly hiding behind his mothers skirt. Amanda exchanged an amused look with Lee and the Warder laughed as he rose to stand again.

"Does anyone else want to have a guess?" the Warder asked. When they all shook their heads he continued. "Well, there are more than 2,800 diamonds although the crown is best known for the Cullinan Diamond which sits in the front. It's actually cut from the larger 'Star of Africa' stone which can be seen mounted in the sceptre."

"Has the ruby got a name?" asked Amanda, looking at the large jewel above the diamond.

"Yes, that's called the 'Black Prince's Ruby' and dates back to the 14^th Century," he replied.

"It's gorgeous," Amanda commented to Lee.

A moment later, the Warder excused himself when another set of tourists called him over wanting information. The red haired lady and child moved on but the rest of the small group stayed and looked at the crown a little longer before Lee tugged on Amanda's arm.

"Come on, let's go and get something to eat," he said as he guided her through the rest of the building, down some stairs and out into the sunshine.

They bought a sandwich and cup of coffee each then sat down on one of the many benches that were dotted around the grounds. As they ate, two ravens landed in front of them to grab any scraps but quickly walked off when a child trotted by with her mother, dropping pieces of the cake she was eating.

Once they'd finished with their break, they got up and headed for the stone steps that would take them into the White Tower.

As they neared the building, the red haired lady with the little boy they’d seen earlier walked by and smiled at them. Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a man ran up to her and wrenched her handbag from her shoulder.

"Oh, stop him!" she cried to Lee, as the man raced away from her.

Lee turned and ran after the man as fast as he could. They weaved in and out of the milling crowd of tourists past the Bloody Tower and ravens lodgings and onto the river entrance of Traitor’s Gate which was near an exit out of the grounds.

The man dashed out of the exit with Lee close behind and they continued the chase along the Thames towards Tower Bridge. They came to some steps where the man tripped and fell heavily to the ground dropping the bag. He cried out in pain but managed to scramble to his feet before Lee could get to him and ran off holding his left arm.

Lee reached the steps and picked up the bag. He watched the man run to a black Ford Sierra and jump into the back before it screeched off down the busy road and across Tower Bridge.

Slowly, Lee turned around and walked back to the Tower of London grounds. Amanda, the red haired lady, the young boy and a Warder were waiting for him at the exit he’d used.

The woman thanked Lee profusely when she saw that he had her bag. Lee smiled and handed it back to her then watched as she checked it's contents.

"I don't think he took anything," said Lee.

"No he didn't," the woman confirmed. "What a relief."

Amanda noticed that the look on the woman's face didn't quite go with what she had said. She looked even more worried as far as Amanda could tell. She was about to ask if there was anything else wrong when the Warder cleared this throat for attention and then informed them that they’d have to go to the local police station and make a statement.

At the woman's immediate acquiescence, Amanda dismissed the fleeting doubt she'd had about her as just withdrawal symptoms from work.

Two and a half hours later, Lee and Amanda entered their hotel room and sat down wearily on the couch.

"I didn’t think we’d ever get out of there," groaned Lee.

Amanda nodded. "If you hadn't shown them your ID, I think we'd still be there."

"Probably."

"Mrs. Meer was nice though wasn’t she? And her nephew is so well mannered," Amanda observed.

Lee nodded his agreement then Amanda continued, "It was such a shame we couldn’t take her up on that offer of dinner as a thank you, wasn’t it? I mean, what with your special plans for tonight and all."

When Lee didn’t comment, she turned and looked at him unable to contain her curiosity any longer. "OK, so what's this big surprise you've got planned?"

Lee shook his head and smiled. "You'll find out," he promised and looked at his watch. "You've got 30 minutes to get ready."

"How can I get ready if I don't know where I'm going?" Amanda pointed out as Lee stood, grabbed her by the hand and pulled her to her feet.

He turned her towards the bedroom and, with his hands on her back, guided her to the door. "Dress casual," was all he said as he pushed her gently into the room and shut the door cutting off any further protestations on Amanda’s part.

Twenty minutes later Amanda appeared dressed in black slacks and white blouse with a light blue jumper hung loosely around her shoulders to ward off the evening chill if needed.

"You look great," complimented Lee and gave her a kiss.

"Thanks," replied Amanda and took his proffered arm.

They left the suite and went down to the foyer. Just as they were walking out of the hotel, a voice called out to them, "Mrs. Stetson! Excuse me. Amanda!"

They stopped and turned around to see Mrs. Meer walking towards them. "Oh hello Mrs. Meer," greeted Amanda. "What a lovely surprise, I didn’t know you were staying here."

"Yes, it is quite a coincidence isn’t it?" she agreed then added with a smile. "And please, after today's events I think you can call me Lisa just as I will call you Lee and Amanda from now on."

Amanda and Lee nodded their agreement then Amanda asked, "Are you going out to dinner?"

"Yes, I’m meeting a friend." Lisa glanced at her watch and frowned. "And I’m very sorry but I must leave now or I’ll miss him. It was very nice to meet you again. Perhaps we can meet and have lunch tomorrow?"

"Yeah, sure," said Amanda, affably.

"Great, I’ll get your room number from reception and call you," replied Lisa and, with a quick wave, walked out of the hotel.

Lee also glanced at his watch. "We'd better get a move on too Amanda or we'll be late."

They left the Hotel and walked down the street to Oxford Circus tube station. There, Lee checked a huge map of the underground lines that was attached to a wall and, after a few seconds careful study he directed them to the Central Line. Seven stops later they reached Liverpool Street where they got off.

"Are we here now?" asked Amanda holding tightly onto Lee's hand as they weaved their way through the crowds of other commuters.

"Nope, we've got to change to another line," Lee informed her.

They rode up the escalators and followed signs to the Hammersmith and City, Circle and Metropolitan lines. They reached the platform and a couple of trains came through before the Hammersmith and City line train Lee was waiting for arrived. They travelled one stop to Aldgate East where they got off and followed the exit signs.

As they walked out into the rapidly darkening street, Amanda saw a group of people standing to one side. In the middle of the group was a man wearing a bowler hat and suit which had a red carnation in it's buttonhole. His moustache, the ends of which were twisted to a point and teased upwards, gave him an air of old time British upper class. In his left hand he held a cane and, much to Amanda's surprise, his right hand was extended in welcome as he broke away from the crowd and walked quickly over to them.

"How do you do, Amanda and Lee isn't it? It's always a pleasure to meet friends from overseas. My name's Robert, come over and join the group, you're the last two so we can get started now."

Amanda grabbed hold of Lee's arm as they were ushered over to the crowd of people that had now turned and were looking in their direction. "Lee, what's going on?" she asked in confusion. "Who are these people?"

Before Lee could answer her, Robert called out for attention. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen." There were a few mumbled replies before he continued. "Tonight I'm going to show you around a part of London that years ago ran red with blood. Between the months of August and November 1888, the Whitechapel area played witness to a series of horrific murders which to this day remain unsolved." He paused dramatically. "Ladies and gentlemen, follow me and I'll lead you into the grisly world of Jack the Ripper."

The crowd slowly moved off but Amanda stepped in front of Lee effectively barring his way. "Jack the Ripper?!" she exclaimed in disbelief.

She turned to Lee who grinned happily at her. "Surprise," he said and bent to kiss her.

Amanda placed her index finger on Lee's chest and held him off. "Just a minute here, buster," she said grimly. "I thought when you said you had a surprise that it'd be something a little more romantic than this."

"Hey, what's not romantic about it?" Lee demanded as he put his arm around her shoulder and started walking to catch up with the group. "The two of us…"

"Along with twenty other people," she pointed out with a frown.

"…just strolling around London at night," Lee continued, ignoring her comment. "Soaking up a little piece of the history…"

"About a Victorian serial killer," Amanda mumbled crossly.

"…and we get a great meal at the end of it." He grinned at her again. "It'll be fun."

Amanda looked up at him suspiciously. "We're having dinner?"

"Well, there's a buffet."

Amanda groaned then suddenly started to laugh. "I must say, you certainly know how to spoil a person, Lee."

"Only the one's worth spoiling," he agreed and leaned in to kiss her cheek.

Amanda turned her head and met his lips full on. As she drew back he smiled. "So, good surprise after all?"

"Not bad," Amanda capitulated then she frowned suddenly. "As long as he doesn't go into too much detail."

"Don't worry, he won't," Lee assured her as they quickened their pace to reach the group who had now stopped ahead of them.

Once they caught up, Robert gestured to a house. "This is around the site where the first victim, Mary Ann Nicholls, was found. The area was actually known as Bucks Row back then but it has since been built up. Mary Ann or Polly, as she's also known, was 42 years old and a prostitute. Whitechapel police found Mary's body as 4 o'clock in the morning. Her throat had been cut twice from left to right. She was also stabbed twice in the groin, her breast was cut open and she was disembowelled."

Gasps of disgust and disbelief emerged from the group and Amanda looked at Lee with narrowed eyes. "You're going to pay for this Stetson," she warned quietly.

Lee gave half a smile then, when Amanda turned away, he raised his eyes heavenwards and prayed that it wouldn't get worse.

They followed the group around the back streets of London and listened in growing horror as full extent of each victim's injuries were given out. Annie Chapman had been killed next, her stomach ripped open. Then Elizabeth Stride, who was first of two women to be murdered on the same night. Apparently, police thought the Ripper must have been disturbed but it hadn't stopped him from killing his fourth victim, Catherine Eddowes in Mitre Square.

Catherine had been ripped open and her intestines were pulled out and placed on her right shoulder. Apart from similar mutilations to the other victims, her left kidney had also been removed, half of which was then sent to George Lusk who was head of a vigilante committee within Whitechapel at the time. All of Catherine's mutilations had taken place in under seven minutes.

Amanda stood in Mitre Square and looked around trying to picture what the now peaceful built up area would've looked like in Victorian times. Thick fog, gas lamps, cobblestones. She shivered and moved closer to Lee.

"You OK?" he asked and put his arm around her shoulders. "Are you cold?"

Amanda shook her head. "No, just gives me the creeps that's all. To actually stand in the same place where Jack the Ripper murdered that poor woman all those years ago." She shuddered again. "I mean, I knew vaguely what the Ripper did, but to know exactly and really be here…it's horrible."

Having the same feelings about the place as Amanda, Lee squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. "I know." He paused and then turned her to face him. "Amanda, I'm sorry for bringing you out here like this. You're right, it's not romantic and I should've thought about it more. If you want, we can go and have a quiet dinner somewhere nice. What do you say?"

His smile was hopeful and Amanda leaned in as though to kiss him. Lee bent his head also but stopped in surprise when Amanda whispered, "It's got to you too hasn't it?"

Lee pulled back to look at her smiling features. "It has not," he replied indignantly. "I'm just concerned about you that's all."

Amanda nodded her head in triumph. "Yeah, I knew it. It's creeping you out as much as me."

Knowing he was caught, Lee chuckled and gave Amanda a hard, quick kiss on the lips. "I love you, you know that?"

"Yeah, I think I'm getting the idea," she responded dryly and they kissed again.

"If we're all ready to move on?" called Robert looking pointedly at Lee and Amanda.

The couple pulled apart and smiled self-consciously as the rest of the group grinned at them. Lee received a thumbs up from a couple of the men who were then told off by their respective partners and gave Amanda apologetic smiles.

Amanda sighed and grasped Lee's hand firmly. "Come on, we've come this far."

They caught up with the rest of the group and Robert led them through more back streets until they reached a quiet residential road and stopped. Silence descended over the group while they waited for Robert to begin.

Just when Lee thought that their guide had forgotten what to say, Robert started speaking. "Ladies and gentlemen, we now come onto the last and most horrific murder that Jack the Ripper carried out. On 9^th November 1888, Mary Jane Kelly took a man back to her lodgings at 13 Millers Court, which used to stand just about there," he pointed to the area behind him, "where she was mutilated beyond recognition. The Ripper had all night and the comfort of having no interruptions to perform his grisly task and he took full advantage."

For the next few minutes Robert went on to detail the demise of Mary Kelly eliciting gasps of disgust and horror from his audience. When he finished, Robert then told them a few of the suspects names at the time; Prince Albert Victor, Montague Druitt, even the writer Lewis Carroll.

"As you all know, the identity of Jack The Ripper will most probably remain a mystery forever. Vital documents relating to the case that could've helped us now were lost during a fire at Scotland Yard and all that is left is speculation and for you to make up your own minds as to who the murderer was."

Robert looked around the group one last time and smiled. "Well, now, if you're all ready, I think it's time we had something to eat." He directed the group towards a pub nearby and they made their way over.

"Somehow I don't think I'm going to eat much," Amanda muttered in a disgusted tone.

Lee chuckled and they followed the group into the pub. It was quite quiet inside with just a few locals drinking and chatting. Robert led the group down some stairs and into a large room that had it's own bar on one side and the buffet already laid out on the other. It was a simple fare made up of chips, chicken, salad and sausages.

Lee told Amanda to grab a seat while he got them some food. She sat down and glanced around taking in the atmosphere of the place. It was reasonably lively with a group of men well on their way to getting extremely drunk, standing by the bar telling each other jokes. Amanda flushed slightly when she caught the punchline of one of them but still couldn’t stop a smile from appearing.

Lee returned with two plates laden with food and handed one to her. "Here, did I get you enough?"

Amanda’s mouth dropped open. "Yeah, you got me plenty," she assured him with a chuckle. "What are you trying to do, fatten me up for Thanksgiving?"

He sat down next to her and shook his head. "I'm not even going to attempt to answer that question," he said with a wry smile. "The subject of women and their weight scares me more than anything I could face in the field."

Amanda playfully slapped his arm, then turned her attention to her plate and began to eat. The food was delicious and they spent the next half an hour chatting idly to each other and relaxing.

"You want anymore?" Lee asked, gesturing to the now empty plates in front of them.

Amanda shook her head vigorously. "No, thank you. I couldn't eat another bite," she groaned, placing a hand on her stomach. "I don't think I'll be able walk as it is."

"Yeah, I know how you feel," her husband replied with a contented sigh. He leaned closer to her then murmured seductively in her ear, "Although, you know, back at the hotel there's that Jacuzzi..."

"On second thoughts, a walk might do me good," Amanda announced suddenly and stood up. She smiled down at him and he laughed as he grabbed her hand and also stood.

"Let's go." They bade farewell to Robert and the rest of the people from the group and left the pub.

The night air was still warm and they strolled hand in hand to the nearest underground station. The journey back to their hotel was quick and they both collapsed onto the bed when they entered their room.

As they lay there, Lee propped himself up on his left elbow and looked down at his wife with raised eyebrows. "So, uh, how about we take a raincheck on that Jacuzzi and just hit the sack early instead."

"Hit the sack?" Amanda replied incredulously and chuckled. "You smooth talker, you."

"Years of practice."

"Oh really?" she questioned with amused gleam in her eye.

"Yeah, I wanted to make sure I said the right things when I finally met the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with," he pointed out reasonably then tilted his head back, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face. "You know, I should be just about perfect by the time I actually meet her…"

"Oh, you…" Amanda exclaimed as his words sank in and she started laughing.

Lee chuckled along with her and then suddenly leaned in, giving her a slow kiss that sparked off a passion between them that would last well into the night.

****************************************

Early the next morning, Lee and Amanda were having breakfast in their suite. Lee finished off the rest of his coffee and looked over at Amanda who had just put down her knife and fork having eaten all of her large fried breakfast.

"Good?" he enquired.

"Mmm, very good," she replied with a satisfied smile.

"I'll take your word for it," he said with a slightly disgusted look on his face. The thought of food in the morning just made his stomach churn. "So, what's on the agenda today?" he asked interestedly. "It's our last day, so is there anything special you want to do? Anymore sightseeing?"

Amanda pursed her lips thoughtfully. "I think I just want to have a look at the shops and see if I can get a little something for mother and the boys."

Happy that he wasn't going to be subjected to another bout of the guidebook, Lee, foreseeing a leisurely stroll around the shops, suggested they walk to Oxford Circus and take a look in Hamleys on the way as the toy shop stocked gifts for kids of all ages. Amanda agreed and they were just leaving the suite when the phone rang. It was Lisa Meer.

"Are you happy to meet at 1.30 for lunch, Amanda?" she asked. "I won't take no for an answer, I must repay your husband for helping me yesterday."

Not one to appear rude, Amanda was quick to accept the invitation. "Of course, we'd love to. Where should we meet?" she asked.

"How about in the foyer here in the hotel?" Lisa suggested.

"Alright, we'll see you then." They said goodbye to each other and Amanda put the phone down, turning to face Lee. "We've got to be back here by 1.30 to have lunch with Lisa."

"Lisa?" Lee echoed in some puzzlement.

Amanda picked up her purse and guided him over to the door. "Mrs. Meer. She wants to thank you for yesterday."

"But I…" he began to object.

"No time to talk now, Lee, we've got lots of shopping to do before we have to come back here and we've only got…" She checked her watch and gasped, "…three hours! Gosh, we'd better hurry."

Lee mumbled a half-hearted protest as they exited their suite and he followed her down the corridor to the lifts. He saw that she had pulled out a pad and was busily writing things down. He groaned inwardly, knowing that it was a list of things to buy. So much for a leisurely browse around the shops.

Two hours later Lee followed Amanda down Oxford Street carrying thirty bags of shopping. At least, it felt like thirty bags of shopping. In reality it was only five and it wasn't that they were heavy but more a case of being a little bulky.

"Amanda just how to you propose to fit these into our cases for the flight home?" he enquired mildly coming to a stop and putting the bags down.

His wife halted then turned and paused in ticking off another item on her list as she stared at the bags. "We'll manage," she replied cheerfully and bent her head to study the list again thoughtfully.

"We'll manage," Lee muttered to himself sarcastically as he shifted the bags around in order to make them less awkward to carry. "More like I'll manage," he moaned unhappily to himself.

"We just have to get Mr. Melrose something and then we're finished," Amanda continued, not hearing her husband.

Lee picked up the bags again and nodded. They had just taken a couple of steps when Amanda suddenly stopped and pointed down the busy street. "Isn't that, Lisa?" she asked.

Lee looked in the direction Amanda was pointing. He saw the woman he'd helped the day before standing in front of a store seemingly window shopping. "Yeah, it is," he confirmed, then narrowed his eyes as he saw a man walking up to her from behind. He seemed casual enough but Lee noticed that his left arm was in a sling and he kept glancing to each side of him. All of a sudden, he realised that it was the same guy who'd tried to snatch Lisa's purse the day before.

"Wait here, Amanda," Lee ordered as he dropped the bags and sprinted off, leaving his wife staring after him in open-mouthed amazement.

Lee bore down on the man just as he ripped the handbag off of Lisa's shoulder and tried to run. Lisa let out a scream as Lee made a flying tackle on the mugger, causing them to fall heavily on the ground. The man let out a cry of pain and dropped the purse as he held onto his injured arm.

"Alright buddy, that's it. You're not getting away a second time," growled Lee as he stood and all but dragged the hurt man up with him. The agent held his quarry tightly by the scruff of the neck and pushed the man's right arm hard up behind his own back to keep him in check.

"Lee!" Lisa exclaimed, shaking her head.

"Don't worry, Lisa, I've got him," Lee assured her, not noticing her worried look. He then turned back to his captive who'd started to speak.

"You've got it wrong," the man gasped, his pain obvious. "I can explain."

"I don't think so, pal," Lee replied angrily.

"Just check my jacket's inside pocket. I have ID I can prove I'm not a criminal," the man retorted, the pain in his arm causing his words to come out between gritted teeth.

Lisa appeared at Lee's elbow and laid her hand on his arm. "He's telling the truth, Lee," she concurred urgently. "You must let him go."

Lee looked her and then at the small group of people that he suddenly realised were huddled around them. Amongst them was Amanda who was trying to push her way through the ever growing crowd.

"Excuse me. Can I just get through there please? Excuse me," he heard his wife say before finally joining him.

"Amanda, check this guy's pockets for ID will you?" Lee asked as he turned the guy towards her.

She nodded and rifled about in the man's jacket until she found his wallet. She pulled it out of his pocket and opened it up. Her eyebrows rose slightly and she looked up at Lee ruefully. "You'd better let him go, Lee," she advised and held up the man's wallet for her husband to see.

Lee read the ID and sighed. "Lieutenant Brody?" he queried as he released the man.

The man nodded and rubbed his injured arm. Lisa hurried over to him and wrapped her arm around his waist. "Are you alright?" she asked in concern.

"You know him?" Amanda commented in surprise as she looked at the other woman.

"Yes, we work together. I'm his partner," Lisa replied as she tenderly reached for his injured arm.

Brody pulled away from the woman and sighed in obvious irritation. "Lisa how many times do I have to tell you? We're not partners, OK? You just help me out from time to time."

If Amanda hadn't noticed that Lee was about to lose his temper completely, she would've laughed at the irony of the situation. Moving to calm things down, she placed a warning hand on Lee's arm and nodded slightly towards the murmuring crowd. "Let's do this in private," she suggested with a soft smile.

Lee reined in his temper and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "You're right," he agreed.

His wife nodded then turned to the surrounding throng. "OK, break it up, nothing to see here," she commanded, deepening her voice to sound authoritative. "Break it up, break it up, now."

The interested gathering murmured louder then gradually started to disperse. Amanda turned to Lee and grinned. "I've always wanted to say that," she confided with a chuckle.

Lee just shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe it worked," he admitted. "You sounded like an old cop show."

"Well, you'd know," Amanda retorted lightly. "I'm sure that's where you got a lot of your moves."

Before Lee could make a reply, it soon became obvious that Amanda's request wasn't the real reason why the crowd had left. Parked at the roadside was silver Mercedes and standing by it were three men dressed in suits. The two younger men were holding up their ID's and herding the people swiftly, but quietly, away.

The other man approached them with a genial smile, his hand outstretched towards Lee. "Ah, Mr. Stetson, I'm very pleased to finally meet you," he said cordially.

"Do I know you?" Lee queried bluntly without shaking the other man's hand.

"Major Cavendish," the man replied, letting his own hand fall back to his side. "MI6."

**********************

Half an hour later, Lee, Amanda, Brody, Lisa and the Major were crammed into a booth at the back of a small, virtually empty café, each with a large mug of coffee in front of them.

"When you tried to apprehend Lieutenant Brody at the Tower yesterday, we checked with the police who you were and ran our own background verification," said Cavendish and raised his eyebrows as he added, "Needless to say, we were very surprised to find out who you were. No wonder the Lieutenant had a hard time getting away. You're not the normal tourist."

Lee shrugged his shoulders. "I'm here on vacation with my wife. I didn't think I had to let anyone know about that."

"Oh you don't," Cavendish immediately assured the younger man. "We were just relieved that it was another professional that nearly caught our man and not a 'have-a-go-hero' type. Wouldn't look to good if Joe Public could scupper our plans so easily."

"What exactly are your plans?" Lee couldn't resist asking.

Brody and Cavendish exchanged a look and after a nod from the older man, Brody explained.

"We were trying to make an exchange look like a purse snatching. We've made it known that Lisa was writing the 'less than wholesome' memoirs of an extremely well known politician and she kept them locked up in a safety deposit box. It was also made known that she carried the key to that box in her bag."

"Yes, you see, we've had a spate of blackmailings from an organisation who manages to somehow get a hold of these type of documents with surprising ease," Cavendish said, taking over the story. "So the idea was that Brody would steal the purse and then try and contact the organisation. They'd check his story, naturally, so we wanted the police reports to be authentic. You never quite know who's behind these things so it was better to be safe than sorry."

"I see," Lee commented then looked over at Brody. "Sorry about the arm."

Brody shook his head dismissively. "Don't apologise. It was a good move. I just wish I'd seen it coming."

"Well the old moves are the best ones," Amanda quipped in and laughed at Lee's frowning look.

Unfazed, Amanda let the men continue their conversation and turned to Lisa who was sitting quietly in the corner. "How long have you been in the business?" she asked her curiously.

"Not long, only about eighteen months, in fact," Lisa admitted self-consciously. "I met John when he was on a case. He purposely bumped into me then shoved a parcel into my hands and told me to pass it on for him because he was in trouble." She laughed. "I suppose it all sounds quite unbelievable really. I mean, who in their right mind would just take a package from a perfect stranger?"

Amanda smiled. "Oh, you'd be surprised," she replied with a glance in Lee's direction. "And I'm sure John was very persuasive."

Lisa smiled at that. "Oh yes. Yes, he was," she agreed with a dreamy look on her face. "And then, after I did as he asked and was resigning myself to never seeing him again, he just appeared one night outside my house to thank me. We've been together ever since." Amanda raised her eyebrows at that comment and Lisa quickly added, "As work colleagues of course."

"Oh, of course," Amanda concurred trying not to smile. Lisa reddened but was saved from further embarrassment when Cavendish and Brody suddenly stood up.

"I think we'd better get back to the office my dear," the Major said with a warm smile. "There's some reports I'd like you to type up before you leave tonight."

"Certainly, Sir," Lisa replied and also stood. She looked at Lee and Amanda. "Goodbye, it was nice meeting you both. Enjoy the rest of your holiday."

"Thanks…and good luck," Amanda replied with a wink at the other woman.

Lisa smiled in return then blushed again as she glanced at Brody and back at Amanda then surreptitiously held up her hand with two fingers crossed.

Amanda grinned then both she and Lee bade a final farewell to their new friends.

Amanda sighed and had just picked up her mug to finish her coffee when Lee suddenly turned to her with a puzzled look. "What was the 'good luck' and crossed fingers all about?"

"Oh, nothing much," she replied nonchalantly. "Just a little girl talk and female support that's all."

Lee smiled knowingly. "Lisa likes Brody, huh?"

"How did you guess?" Amanda asked in surprise.

"Easy, she looks at him the way you used to look at me when we first started working together," Lee told her matter-of-factly.

"Oh please, I didn't ever look at you like that," Amanda dismissed with a rather inelegant snort.

"Yes you did. I just ignored it," Lee needled.

"Not all the time you didn't," Amanda retorted.

"So you admit that you did used to look at me like that then, huh?" Lee pressed as he leant a little towards her with a smile.

Amanda smiled in return and leaned in too. "Only if you admit that you do get your moves from old cop shows."

"Deal," Lee chuckled and kissed her warmly on the lips.

They finished their coffee's and then left the café to walk back to their hotel. Upon reaching their room, Lee gratefully put the bags of shopping down and flopped onto a chair.

"We're going to need another case," he said as he watched Amanda peer into the bags and check her list.

"Oh Lee, trust me, I'm a woman, I know how to pack," his wife replied confidently. "Besides, there's something else we're going to need that's more important."

"What's that?" he asked.

"Mr. Melrose's present," Amanda informed him. "We forgot to get it." She checked her watch and looked at him expectantly. "If we go now we can be back in an hour and then we'll have just enough time to pack, pick up the rental car and leave for Dorset."

Lee rose from the chair and walked over to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him gently until their bodies touched. "How about we look for something for Billy in Dorset and spend an hour here instead?" he suggested.

Amanda dropped the list onto a nearby table then placed her hands on his shoulders and moved even closer to him with a grin. "I think that's a great idea," she murmured before kissing him deeply on the lips.

Lee grinned as the kiss ended and he slowly started to undo the buttons on her blouse. "Let's make sure we get him something really nice," he said as he gently pushed the silky fabric aside and off of her shoulders, leaving it to fall carelessly to the floor. "I want to let him know how much I appreciate him letting us have this time together so I can do this..." He leaned in and kissed her again before picking her up in his arms then walking over to the bed where he lay down with her on top of the covers.

"Me too," Amanda gasped out as Lee's hands began to wander seductively over her body. She let out a sigh as her husband began to nuzzle her neck and smiled contentedly as she tugged his shirt free from his jeans. "Me too."

THE END

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