Disclaimer: This story is based on characters copyrighted by Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Productions. This story is meant for enjoyment purposes only and cannot be redistributed without permission from the author. I retain the rights to the plot, not the characters. No infringement is intended.

Date Written: January/February 2001

Synopsis: Amanda has a new gown for an embassy party. Lee will love it, won't he?

Setting: Early fourth season.

Author's note: Thank you, Julie, for the wonderful dress idea. And thanks to Andrea for help with all the little details.

by Linda

(email: [email protected])

Amanda and Lee were at their respective desks in the Q Bureau, trying to finish up paperwork in hopes of leaving a little early this afternoon. They would have a busy night tonight. The French ambassador was throwing a big party at his embassy. Lee was in charge of security for the event. His primary duty was to supervise the other agents and be there if the need arose. Hopefully this would follow the pattern of many other such events and just allow him to have a pleasant evening. For it could hardly be any other way since he would be escorting Amanda to the party. She was off duty, so they would be able to spend the entire evening together. He used to dislike these events, but lately he found himself enjoying them. A lovely party in a beautiful setting. Great food. Interesting people. But best of all, a gorgeous woman who loved him at his side. Yes, it would be a very pleasant evening.

Amanda looked up from the file she was working on to see Lee daydreaming. She smiled. But she couldn't let this opportunity pass. "Scarecrow, wipe that grin off your face and get back to work. No daydreaming allowed on Agency time," she said with mock sternness.

Emerging from his reverie, Lee bestowed a soft smile on the love of his life. "You know what they say about all work and—"

"And you know what Billy will say about leaving early if all that work isn't finished before you even ask him."

"What if I told you my daydream involved a tall, beautiful brunette who will be accompanying me to the embassy party tonight?"

"I'd say that the lady in question had better watch out, as you're already spoken for," she said,

trying to suppress a smile.

Their banter was interrupted by the shrill ring of the phone. Lee picked up. It was Billy. He wanted to see the two of them in his office--pronto. They quickly headed downstairs, stealing a tender kiss in the coat closet elevator on the way down.

One look at Billy's face told them they weren't going to like what he had to say. "Scarecrow, Amanda, sit down please."

They seated themselves in the chairs opposite Billy, who was seated at his desk. Billy sighed, knowing Lee would not take the change of plans well. But he forged ahead.

"Regarding the embassy party tonight." He paused and looked apologetically at both of them. He really hated to spring this on them at the last minute. "As you both know, I scheduled Francine to be hostess for tonight's party since the Ambassador's wife was called back to France unexpectedly yesterday. Unfortunately, Francine's assignment in New York didn't finish up quite as early as we expected, and she'll be delayed getting back to D.C. tonight. She won't make it back in time for the party."

Amanda looked questioningly at Billy, not sure how this involved them except for Lee's security assignment. But Lee was on his feet, pounding a fist on Billy's desk. "Damn it, Billy, Amanda is coming with me tonight! You gave her the night off, and—" Lee's quick temper had gotten the best of him. "And you know it looks better if I have someone with me at these things," he finished lamely.

Billy had all he could do to resist rolling his eyes and hiding a smile. "Lee, please calm down. You know I wouldn't ask unless there were no other options."

"Well, get someone else. There must be someone else."

"I'm afraid there's not. You know Francine would give her eye teeth to do this. It simply can't be helped. I'm sorry." He smiled sympathetically at Amanda. "Amanda, I am requesting that you take Francine's place as hostess for the evening."

Amanda looked uncomfortably at Lee and a bit apprehensively at Billy. "But Sir, I'm not sure I—"

Billy tried to allay her fears. "All you really have to do is greet the guests with the ambassador and stay with him to see that things run smoothly on a social level. Lee and the other agents are in charge of security, of course. And the party itself is catered and there'll be a coordinator in charge of all that. The ambassador is not one of the most outgoing of people and his wife usually takes the lead in events like this. So he wanted one of our staff to more or less provide him moral support for the evening. Keep the conversation going, that sort of thing. Francine was really looking forward to it. But I know you'll do an equally fine job. What do you say?"

"Of course, Sir, if I'm needed."

Lee chimed in with, "Look, Amanda—"

"Thank you, Amanda," Billy said, ignoring Lee's outburst and smiling gratefully at Amanda. "We all appreciate you giving up your evening. Now it's still early. You two can have the rest of the afternoon off. The paperwork can wait till Monday. Lee, I'm sorry for ruining your evening. But there's no reason you can't be near Amanda at the party. It's not like she'll be on a date or anything. Since you're in charge of security, it would be natural for you to stay close to her and the ambassador."

"Yeah, right. We'll make a happy little threesome," Lee grumbled. "That wasn't the kind of evening I had in mind."

He got up to leave, taking Amanda by the arm, a deep scowl doing nothing to diminish his handsome features. Amanda threw Billy a look as if to apologize for Lee's behavior. Billy nodded knowingly at her. It may have taken awhile, but when the love bug finally bit Lee Stetson, it had done so with a vengeance. Billy had known almost from the start that Mrs. King could be just the woman to tame the Scarecrow. Lee had resisted her at first, but Billy kept putting them together on one assignment after another. At times he thought it was a lost cause, but little by little Billy could see them growing together as friends. Then he had known it would be just a matter of time until the two became a couple. Even though they had not admitted it to him, Billy could see their love for each other shining in their eyes. Lee's behavior was usually more subtle than it had been just now. But Lee probably knew that Billy had his suspicions about the two of them. And the young agent was not good at hiding his emotions when his temper got the better of him.

When they got back to the Q Bureau, Amanda tried to soothe Lee. "Lee, I'm sorry, but Billy wouldn't have asked if he had anyone else, you know that."

"I know, but it was supposed to be an evening for us to be together even though I would be working. These security details are usually a piece of cake. So we could have had a really nice evening. We never have enough time alone together." He pulled her close and put his hands around her waist. "Sharing you with an elderly Frenchman is not what I had in mind for the night."

"I'm disappointed too, you know. But would you like it better if you were sharing me with, say, the younger, very handsome Swedish ambassador, for instance?"

"You do have a point there," Lee conceded with a chuckle. "But I just don't like sharing you with anyone. I wanted to spend the evening talking with you, holding you while we danced…" He pulled her into an embrace and began to move slowly with her in his arms, as if they were dancing.

She looked up into his beautiful hazel eyes and whispered, "I promise to save a few dances for you. I won't let the ambassador monopolize me the entire evening, how's that?"

Lee bent his head to seal the promise with a kiss.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lee arrived at Amanda's house about 15 minutes late. He hated to be late. Amanda opened the door before he had a chance to ring the bell. A slightly agitated Lee stood on her doorstep. Her heart beat faster when she looked up at him. The man always looked so good. Tonight he was sporting a black tuxedo with a crisp red tie around the neck. The open jacket of the tux revealed a matching red cummerbund. The black and red in contrast to the pleated white shirt gave him an even more sophisticated look than usual.

"Amanda, I'm sorry I'm late. Traffic was horrendous. Billy's going to be really upset if we show up late."

"It's okay, Lee." She placed a gentle hand on his arm to calm him down. "Don't worry. I'm all ready to go. We'll be fine." She reached up to his forehead as if to erase the worry line that had formed there. Lee intercepted her hand and pulled it to his lips. She felt a tremor pass through her body at his touch.

As they exited the house and Amanda turned to lock the door, Lee began to relax. She was always able to settle him down when he needed it. He took a moment to observe Amanda. She was wearing a full-length red gown. Her white fur stole covered the top of the gown. She looked beautiful. When she turned back to face him, he gave her one of his dimpled grins and she responded with a slightly shy smile. She always wondered if he could read her thoughts when she was thinking about him. Lee placed his arm around her back to guide her down the walkway. He opened the car door for her and helped her inside. The hem of her gown hung over the edge of the door's opening. Lee bent to move it safely inside the car's boundaries. As he did so, he touched her leg. His eyes met hers and he knew she was aware of the touch also. He brought the back of his hand up to softly stroke her cheek, bestowing a gentle kiss on her ruby red lips. He then unfolded his long frame out of the car's opening and went around to the driver's side of the Corvette.

Traffic was heavy for this hour on a Friday night, so they spoke little on the way to the embassy. Lee was concentrating on driving, so Amanda took advantage of the situation to steal glances at him from time to time out of the corner of her eye. Oncoming headlights played across his face frequently, serving to illuminate his features. He looked so handsome. She hoped he wouldn't be too busy with his official duties so they would be able to dance a few times. She longed to feel his strong arms around her again. They would make an attractive couple tonight with the touches of red in his attire complementing her red gown. This outfit was a little different from what she usually wore to these embassy events. But when she saw the red dress she couldn't resist it. She wanted to look her best and was sure Lee would love it. She was brought out of her reverie when Lee pulled up at the front door of the embassy and a valet took the car for them.

When they entered the reception area, Lee led Amanda toward the coat check. As he helped her remove the stole, a strangled breath caught in his throat. A more beautiful woman had never stood before him. The gown was made of crepe with a shirred strapless bodice. The beaded skirt hugged her waistline and clung to her slender hips, flaring out into a soft A-line as it reached the floor. Her diamond heart pendent nestled gently in the hollow of her throat and diamond earrings glittered from her ears. Her dark hair in contrast to her creamy skin… and the red of the gown setting both off to perfection… her dark brown eyes looking into his a trifle hesitantly… Lee had never seen such a vision of loveliness. She literally took his breath away. Not to mention his ability to speak or form coherent thoughts. The thoughts that were coming to the surface involved wondering how it would feel to touch that smooth bare shoulder, how her body would feel pressed close to him, how she would look as she gently closed her eyes in anticipation of feeling his mouth on hers…

He became vaguely aware that she was speaking to him. He fought to focus his brain to formulate something that would pass as a response.

"Lee, did you hear me?"

"I'm sorry, Amanda, I …what did you say?" He would try to focus only on her face. That gorgeous perfect face.

"I asked if everything was all right. You're looking at me as if you've never seen me before. Is something wrong? Do I look all right?" There was that hesitant look in her eyes again.

"Amanda, you look beautiful. You are absolutely stunning in that gown. It will be my pleasure…" his voice trailed off as it dawned on him that it would not be his pleasure to do anything. It would all be the French ambassador's pleasure. For she would be at the ambassador's side all evening, not his. He felt a thud in the pit of his stomach as this thought intruded into his consciousness. The French ambassador would most likely have his arm around her, leaving his own arms empty. The French ambassador would be losing himself in those dark pools of liquid that were her eyes. And if he touched that silken skin of her shoulder… A wave of jealousy and anger washed over him. And anyway, what was she doing dressed like this when she would be acting as hostess for the party?

Lee quickly took the wrap from her and checked it. He placed his hand at the small of her back and guided her to an unoccupied corner of the large entry room. It was still early, so no guests were yet there, just Agency personnel and the event coordinators and staff.

Lee tried to keep his anger in check as he spoke to her. "Amanda, couldn't you have chosen a gown that was a little more….a little less…." What were the words he wanted to say? "A gown that made you look less…"

"Is 'alluring' the word you are looking for?" she supplied helpfully with a slight smile.

Yes, "alluring" was exactly the word he was looking for, but now that she said it, he realized how his remark would have sounded.

"Well, not exactly. But maybe a black dress that was cut higher in the front…and back…and maybe with sleeves might have been a better choice for your official duties." She was going to be really mad now, but he had to get that out. The thought of Amanda in this gown spending the evening with another man was too much for him to stand.

"Okay now, let me get this straight." She got that little look she always had when she was trying to figure something out herself and then explain it back to him to see if she had it just right. "It seems that if I was accompanying you to this party as part of our jobs, then this dress would be just fine. But if I was acting as hostess for the party, then I should wear something with more coverage so as not to look alluring to the French ambassador. Is that what you meant, Lee?"

Lee took a deep breath. The woman could drive him to distraction. Of course those were his exact thoughts, but now that she had voiced them, they sounded so…

"I just meant that maybe a gown that wasn't strapless might have been… You look so…" He stared at her. Something was wrong here. He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. She should have been angry with him for his outburst. Instead she seemed to be amused with his discomfort. He didn't see anything the least bit amusing in this discussion.

"Lee, my acting as hostess wasn't to be a date with the ambassador. He's a happily married older gentleman. Besides you know that at these events at least half the women wear strapless gowns. So why shouldn't I wear one? I admit I usually wear things a little less revealing, but I wanted something different and this one caught my eye and I thought it would be perfect for the next time we went to an event together."

"But you are not other women. You are my Amanda. And we are not at this event together. You have to act as hostess since Francine…"

At that exact moment, Francine materialized next to them. You could have knocked Lee over with a feather. She was wrapped in a gauzy, lavender chiffon gown, also strapless.

"My, my, my, trouble in paradise?" she smirked in typical Francine fashion.

Amanda rolled her eyes. "Hi Francine. Glad you were able to switch flights to get back in time for your hostess duties. I was just explaining that to Lee. It was nice of Billy to call to let me know. By the way, you look gorgeous. Is that a new gown?"

Francine preened, delighted at the compliment. She put her hand up to her flawless French roll, as if to pat in place the non-existent stray hairs. "Yes, thank you. It's an original." She gave Amanda the once-over with a slightly surprised expression on her beautiful face. "Amanda, you really look lovely yourself. Red is good on you," she stated sincerely. She then turned to Lee who had not spoken a single word during this exchange between the women. She patted his chest. "And I see the Scarecrow is his usual impeccably-dressed self." She sighed. "Well, duty calls. I'd better go see what the ambassador is up to. The poor dear simply cannot function at these events without his wife. I think I'll have my hands full. Nice talking to you both. See you later." And Francine turned on her 3-inch lavender heels and was off to do what she did best.

Lee turned accusingly to Amanda. "You knew that Francine was back! Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well actually I didn't know that you didn't know. Billy called me a few hours ago to say that Francine had gotten back to town after all so I wouldn't need to be the hostess. I actually thought he might have called you too. And then ever since we've been here, we've been a little preoccupied with our discussion about my attire," she reminded him matter-of-factly.

Lee took a deep breath. It looked like the evening would work out after all. If he could just get his emotions back under control. He suddenly had a much brighter outlook on the situation now that he knew Francine would be handling the ambassador. He would have Amanda all to himself and he would not let another man anywhere near her.

"Well let's just forget our little discussion and have a wonderful evening. Shall we go into the ballroom?" Lee asked as he guided Amanda towards the room with his arm around her waist.

"Don't you think you should check with your agents first? You are in charge of security, remember?"

"No, I'm not. Billy called me a couple hours ago to say that Agent Foxmoor would be taking over for me. She's the new agent who recently transferred from Jersey. Billy wanted her to get the experience since she will be getting this kind of assignment on occasion. Didn't he mention it when he talked to you about Francine?"

Amanda and Lee both stopped walking at the same time and turned toward each other.

Amanda queried, "You mean you really have the evening off? You're not on duty at all?"

"No, I'm not," he said, shaking his head. He was beginning to get the picture.

"Well if you're not working, and I'm not working, then why are we both here?" wondered Amanda.

Lee grinned boyishly. "My best guess is that someone wanted us to have an evening without job duties to think about. And since that person went to a little trouble to arrange this, I think the least we can do is to oblige him. What do you think?"

"I agree it's the least we can do. If you're sure I look all right. You don't want to take me home to change?" she inquired mischievously. "I wouldn't want all the other guests to think I looked too alluring."

Lee tilted her chin up so he could look directly into her eyes. "Mrs. King, you look absolutely breathtaking. Alluring is fine when you're with me. But it looks like I'll be on duty after all. I'm going to have to fend off all the other men if I want to spend the evening alone with you." His hazel eyes twinkled into her brown ones.

Amanda smiled softly up at him as they made their way into the ballroom, Lee's arm wrapped around her holding her close. Something told her she was going to have a wonderful evening.

The End