Author
: Reichiru
Rating
Disclaimer
Timeline
Author's Notes
Summery
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-Hospital-
Lee watched through the window into the operating room.
"Why does this always happen to you? Always in the way."
"Quick! We're losing her! 50 cc's stat! Ready? Clear!" He heard the doctor exclaim. His heart skipped a beat when he saw Amanda's small body jump. He felt a single tear run down his face. He didn't think he could hold in his emotions any longer. It was his fault she was lying there, struggling to survive. All of a sudden memories of the dreadful night began to flood his mind. It had all started the day before…
-1 day earlier-
Lee watched the activities of the King household from the kitchen window. It killed him that he couldn't be inside with his wife and her… no, their family.
"Jamie, is your homework done?" He heard Amanda call out to her younger son.
"Yes Mom." Jamie called back from the family room.
"Darling," He heard Dotty say as she walked into the kitchen. "I'm going to run out to the store. Do you need anything?"
"No, thanks anyway." Amanda said cheerfully.
"Boys," Dotty called into the family room, "do you want to come to the store with me?"
"Sure!" They both answered together.
"Bye darling." Dotty said leaving the room.
Lee waited until he heard the front door slam. "Finally." He whispered. Carefully he tapped on the back door. Amanda looked up at him with a smile. He waved at her as she came over and let him inside.
"Hi." He said softly giving her a gentle kiss.
"Hello." She said giving him a kiss back. "What's up?"
"I'm here to ask you if you would like to be my date to a masquerade ball tomorrow." He said with a grin.
"I would love to."
"It's just formal wear and a mask, no costume. The agency is going to be there helping out with security, but I got us out of it." He said to her with a kiss."
"Who's hosting it?" She asked in between kisses.
"The president." He said nonchalantly.
She gasped. "How did you get on the guest list?"
His grin grew larger. "He owed me a favor."
She snorted. "Oh Lee." She shook her head with a smile. "I guess I had better pick my best dress."
He smiled. "I'll pick you up at 8:30 tomorrow. All right?"
"See you then Prince Charming." She said with a girlish giggle. Lee loved it when she giggled like that. He grabbed her around the waist and gave her a passionate kiss. "I'll see you tomorrow." He said quietly running his fingers through her hair.
"Bye." She replied softly as her walked through the door.
-Next night-
Lee pulled up in front of Amanda's house at exactly 8:30. Suddenly the front door opened and for a second Lee sat in awe looking at how beautiful she was. Her dress was a crimson red. It had spaghetti straps that crisscrossed almost all the way down to her waist in the back of the dress. It clung to her body in all the right places and slightly flared out towards the bottom. Her hair was done up with a few curls that fell around her face.
As she came up to the car, he jumped out and rounded the front to open the door for her.
"Why thank you dahling." She said like she was a movie star.
He smiled at her and kissed her hand. "You look so beautiful."
She blushed a bit which Lee felt made her even lovelier since her cheeks now matched her dress. "Thank you." She said with a shy smile.
"Well," he said. "Let's be off."
-Hospital-
Lee smiled a bit through his tears remembering the moments leading up to the party. It was moments like those that kept him living.
"Lee?"
He turned to face Francine.
"How is she?" She asked. Lee was surprised to hear her voice quiver a bit.
"Not good. The doctor said she will be lucky to make it through the surgery." His voice cracked a bit.
"Lee," Francine said very seriously. "I know there is more between you and Amanda than you have been leading on. I just want to know, how involved are you two?"
Lee looked down at the floor a moment and then looked back up at her. "We're married." Cats out of the bag now Stetson. He thought.
Francine's jaw hit the floor with a thud. "Oh my God! Why didn't you tell anyone?!"
He sighed. "We didn't want to endanger her family."
Talking to Francine made the rest of the memories slowly and painfully flood back into his mind.
-White House Ball Room-
When they arrived, Lee noticed every man in the room turn and stare at Amanda. He glared back at every single one of them.
"Lee, Amanda!" Billy called over to them.
"Hey Billy." Lee said.
"Hello Sir." Amanda said.
"You two are lucky that you get to actually enjoy the party." Billy sighed.
"What color did Francine turn when she found out that she had to work and we didn't?" Lee asked with a grin.
"Almost olive." Billy chuckled.
Suddenly a beautiful waltz began to play. "Well Billy, we'll see you later." Lee said pulling Amanda out on the dance floor.
"Oh Lee," Amanda breathed, "this is like a dream."
He smiled and pulled her closer to him. "That's only because you are here."
She blushed. "Oh stop it Lee."
After a few songs passed, they finally sat down. "Wow," Amanda said with a groan. "I've never danced that long in my life."
Before Lee could say anything, Billy rushed over to them. "Lee, we have some bad news."
"What is it?" He asked slightly annoyed. This was supposed to be a day off for him.
"John Crandal was sighted somewhere in here."
"Crandal? I thought I had made sure he would stay in jail for life. I mean, he did make an attempt on the presidents life about 8 years ago."
"He escaped. And I think, besides being here for the president, he could be here for you too." Billy said with a worried expression creeping up on his face. "Maybe you should get out of here."
"Billy," Lee said getting more annoyed. "The man has tried to kill me several times in the past when I first started with the agency. But he failed every time. Don't worry about me, worry about the president."
Billy sighed and walked off.
"Lee," Amanda said in a frightened tone, "don't you think you ought to be more careful?"
"How am I supposed to be careful Amanda? Everyone is wearing masks. And I'm not going to leave because of a threat from John Crandal. The guy is a flake and a terrible assassin. I came to enjoy myself and I am going to do just that. Now lets go dance." He said pulling her back on the dance floor.
-Hospital-
Lee suddenly shivered. I wished he could have taken Amanda's advice. He couldn't believe he actually thought everything would turn out all right. It never does. He could only remember the rest of the night in bits and pieces.
-Ball-
A scream suddenly pierced the calm surroundings of the ball. He looked up and saw a gun being pointed at him from across the room. Suddenly a shot rang out through the panicked room. He expected to fall to his knees in pain, but was surprised to find himself still very much alive and standing. All of a sudden Amanda turned to face him. Pain inflicted her face, the color had drained from her cheeks, and her eyes were no longer sparkling. He saw her mouth silently "I love you" as she collapsed in his arms. He saw blood trickle down her already crimson dress. All he could do was let out a blood-curdling scream. He looked up to see Crandal bring the gun to his own head. Obviously upset that he had hit an innocent woman, not to mention missed his target.
-Hospital-
Lee sobbed freely now. How could he let something like this happen to the woman he loved? From the corner of his eye he saw Dotty and the boys walk in. He felt all of his stability suddenly leave him forever.
-Ambulance-
Lee sat next to Amanda holding her pale and cold hand as they rushed to the hospital. She opened her eyes for a moment and half smiled at him.
"Why did you do it?" His voice quivered and a tear rolled down his face. Just to see her open her beautiful eyes made him so happy.
"Be..cause.I.love..y.you" She whispered.
"I love you too. You're going to be ok. I promise." He said stroking her hair.
He watched as she slipped away again.
-Hospital-
Dotty, Philip and Jamie all came up to him. When he looked up he saw both boys jump a bit. They had never seen him cry before. When he looked at Dotty, he could tell she had been crying as well.
"How is she?" She asked.
"Not good." Lee replied softly.
He watched as Jamie's eyes welled up with tears. "Is she going to die?" He asked.
"Don't say that!" Philip said harshly to his brother. "Never, EVER, say that! She will be FINE!" His voice cracked and he sat down next to Lee.
"Lee, darling," Dotty began, "I know there is more between you and Amanda than either of you are telling me. I can tell you are more than just dating. So, I want to know what is going on."
Lee sighed. She had every right to know. "You may want to sit down for this one."
Dotty gasped as she grabbed a chair. "She's not pregnant is she?"
"No!" Lee exclaimed. "Amanda and I are... married."
Amanda's mother took a moment to let it sink in. "Married?"
Lee just nodded. Both boys were in shock and Dotty just sat there. "When? And why didn't I know about this?" She asked angrily.
"I will explain everything to you. There is no point in keeping it a secret anymore." Lee said with a sigh.
-Two hours later-
Lee finally finished his story and answered all of their questions. He was glad that they were happy to have him be part of the family.
"Mr. Stetson, Ms. West?"
Lee turned around to face the doctor. "How is she?" They all asked at the same time.
"She is stable but still unconscious right now and very weak. I suggest you all go home and I will give you a call when she wakes up."
"Thank you doctor." Lee said.
As the doctor left, Dotty turned to him. "You get some rest now. We'll see you later." She gave him a quick hug and they all departed.
-Lee's apartment-
Lee walked in the door to his apartment and discarded his jacket on the floor. He stopped to look around a moment. He looked at the couch where he had sat with Amanda so many times through out the past four years. Slowly he ventured over to it and plopped down. He tried hard to find a faint scent of her perfume lingering between the cushions, but he found nothing. Suddenly then phone rang. Lee practically jumped over the couch to answer it. He hoped it might be the doctor.
"Hello?!"
"Lee? It's Jamie."
Lee slightly smiled. Jamie never was really close to him, so he was happy to have him call.
"What's up sport?"
"How did you and my mom meet?"
Lee sighed and then chuckled. "Well, It all happened at the train station..."
-The next morning-
Lee awoke in a cold sweat. He had dreamt the whole ball over again. Except when it came to the part where Amanda got shot, it replayed in his mind over and over like a broken record. As Lee sat up the phone rang. He hoped it wasn't Jamie again as he quickly sprinted to answer it.
"Hello?"
"Mr. Stetson? This is Doctor Mallory."
"Hello! Doctor! How is she? Can I see her?"
He heard a sigh come from the other end of the line. "She became unstable last night and we almost lost her."
Lee gasped. "Is she ok?"
"Yes, but I think she may have gotten a serious infection. She won't be able to have visitors for quite a while."
"I understand Doctor. Please call me if anything comes up. And Doctor?"
"Yes?"
"Please don't let anything happen to her. She's the only family I have left."
Don't worry Mr. Stetson." With that the line went dead.
-One week later at the hospital-
Amanda woke up with a groan. The last thing she remembered was being rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. Just then a nurse walked in.
"Welcome back to the living Mrs. Stetson." The nurse said with a smile.
"Mrs. Stetson." Amanda whispered with a smile. "How long have I been here?"
"A little over a week. The doctor will be coming up to see you in a moment.
After a few minutes, Doctor Mallory walked in. "Well, It's good to see you awake Mrs. Stetson. After I run a few more tests, I can discharge you. I would advise seeing your husband as soon as possible. He's been calling me every day, not to mention driving me crazy."
Amanda smiled.
After she was discharged Amanda called a cab to take her home. As she walked in the door she suddenly felt nervous. What was she going to tell her mother? Some man had just happened to pull a gun on Lee in the middle of a ball?
"Hello?" She called out.
"Amanda? Is that you?!" Dotty cried out as she ran down the stairs. "Oh Amanda!" Dotty wrapped her arms around her daughter. "We were all so worried!"
"Uh, Mother, I need to tell you something."
"Go ahead Mrs. Stetson." Dotty said with a coy smile.
"What did you call me?" Amanda said in shock.
"Lee told me everything already."
"Do the boys know?"
Dotty nodded yes.
Suddenly they heard the back door open and close. Both boys came in and stopped short.
"Mom!" Philip cried out.
Tears welled up in Amanda's eyes. "Oh come here and give me a hug fellas."
Philip and Jamie ran into her open arms.
"We were so scared Mom." Jamie said in between sobs.
"I was scared too." Amanda said softly.
"It's so cool that you and Lee are married!" Philip exclaimed. "Is he going to be moving in?"
Amanda laughed. "One thing at a time sweetheart."
"Speaking of Lee," Dotty said, "You had better get over to him. He's going crazy."
"All right Mother." Amanda said with a smile. "I'll be back in a little bit." She gave them all a kiss and headed out to the station wagon.
-Lee's apartment-
Lee sat on his couch reading the newspaper. Billy had given him the day off so he was really bored. He couldn't stop thinking about Amanda. He couldn't believe she had taken the bullet for him. She was always cowering behind him when it came to guns or bloodshed. Plus, she knew exactly what it felt like to be shot, so why would she want to go through it again?
Suddenly the doorbell rang. Lee's heart jumped into his throat. Slowly he crossed the room to the door. Usually he would have asked who it was, but this time he just swung it open. He came face to face with...
The doorman. Lee felt his heart sink into his shoes. "Yes?" He asked with a sigh.
"Nice to see you too." The doorman said sarcastically. "I have your mail for you."
"Thank you and goodbye." Lee said shutting the door in his face. Slowly he sat down and opened his mail. "Bill, Bill, Bill." He scowled.
The doorbell then rang again. "What does that pesky doorman want now?" He said aloud. He made his way back to the door. He opened it and came face to face with...
Amanda.
"Oh my God." Lee whispered. She stepped in and he closed the door. They sort of just stared at each other for a moment.
"Oh Lee!" She cried out and ran into his inviting embrace. She began to sob now.
"Amanda… I've been going crazy without you." He whispered running a hand through her hair and using the other one to rub her back.
She kissed him. It was so forceful, so passionate, that he stumbled back a few steps.
Lee began to cry now. It felt as though he had passed through an eternity without her. She suddenly became weak and lost her balance. Lee quickly caught her.
"Oh Amanda, this is too much for you. Come on. Let's sit down." He carefully and slowly led her to the couch and sat down next to her.
"I feel as though I'm dreaming." He said looking into her big brown eyes.
"Well you're not." She said slipping into his lap. "Can a dream do this?" She asked wrapping her arms around him and kissing him longingly.
"Well," he said with a grin, "I guess not, but I'm still not fully convinced."
She laughed and kissed him again. He loved it when she laughed.
"I love you Lee." She said laying her head on his chest.
"I love you too Amanda." He said kissing her on the top of the head. "Never leave me again."
-1 year later-
"Mom! Are you coming?!" Philip yelled into the house.
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Amanda called back to her very impatient son. "Jamie dear, will you hold Rachel for a moment?" She carefully plopped the newest addition of the family into his arms. She grabbed the picnic basket off the counter and headed outside.
Lee, Dotty and Philip were already in the car. Jamie strapped baby Rachel into her car seat and jumped in. Amanda got into the passenger seat. Lee then drove off toward the park.
-Park-
Amanda and Lee watched Philip and Jamie play baseball, and Dotty make an attempt at it. Rachel sat cooing in Amanda's lap.
"You wanna know something Amanda?" Lee said putting an arm around her. "Our lives have been almost a fairy tale."
Amanda smiled. "Do we live happily ever after? She whispered kissing the hand draped around her shoulder.
Lee kissed her and then the baby. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
