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. Dialogue and situations taken from "Weekend" written by Rudolph Borchert.

Synopsis: A scene extension for what might have happened if "Weekend" had taken place in Season 3 instead of Season 1.

Date Written: June/July 2000

Weekend Dreams

by Linda

email: [email protected]

Lee and Amanda returned to their room after their candlelit gourmet dinner. They were posing as newlyweds at the Cumberland, a fabulous resort, hoping to prevent a kidnapping. Lee said, "I think we carried that off pretty well, don't you? We were very convincing."

Amanda replied with a smile, "Yes, we were very convincing. We convinced Mrs. Craddock and she's been married for 30 years."

Lee had removed his tuxedo jacket while they were talking, and now began to further undress and fluffed up the pillows. Amanda, standing just inside the entrance to the room, nervously glanced at the bed and said "I guess you plan to..."

"Yeah, do you mind? It's been a long day."

"Oh, no, I don't mind, you must be tired."

"Yeah, tired..." Lee continued to remove his suspenders and tie and said, "I just want to grab a couple hours of sleep."

"Yeah, you have to get your rest to do your job well." Amanda smiled nervously, "Lee, you know we still haven't discussed... the... accommodations (gesturing towards the bed). You know... there aren't... enough accommodations."

Lee tried to pacify her. "You see, there weren't any suites available. This was the only room that I could get, OK? I mean if Francine had come along like we'd agreed and... (looking at her doubtfully).....you see, it's surveillance, not an assignation."

"I know that, it's not a problem.

"Good, fine, it's no problem." He was just about to get into the bed when Amanda spoke again.

Amanda offered, "You know, I could call the housekeeper and ask them to send up a rollaway bed. I do this all the time when we travel with the boys. It's only a little additional expense and..."

Lee interrupted, frustratedly running his fingers through his hair, "Amanda, everyone thinks we are newlyweds."

She said in a quiet voice, "And I suppose a rollaway bed wouldn't look right, huh?"

Lee shook his head, trying to be patient, "No, no, it would not look right." A pause while they looked at each other.

Lee volunteered, "Look, I will take the couch."

"You won't fit on the couch.."

"I said I will take the couch."

"You won't fit."

"I'll fit. You just watch."

"You won't fit," she said again as she gave him one of her "you'll soon see I'm right" smiles.

Lee tried several ways to fit onto the small, stiff, uncomfortable-looking formal sofa. He had a choice of his upper body fitting, or his lower body, but not both parts at the same time. He groaned in exasperation as he got up from the couch and moved to stand a short distance from her, running his fingers nervously through his hair.

He decided to try a different tack. "Look, Amanda, I know how you feel about this, and believe me, I understand. But look at it this way. How long have we been working together?"

"Over two years."

"We've gotten each other out of some pretty tight scrapes. You have saved my life several times, and I have saved yours, right?" She nodded, wondering where he was going with this. "And we are just friends-good friends-but it's not like we're involved with each other or anything. I trust you implicitly. Do you trust me?"

"You know I do."

"Then if you trust me, and if I give you my word that I won't touch you, couldn't we share the same bed? It would be much more comfortable for both of us."

It sounded plausible. But Lee thought that if she only knew how he felt about her, she would detect the flaw in his reasoning, and he did feel a twinge of guilt for trying to gloss over the situation with this circuitous logic. But his intentions were honorable. He loved her and respected her, and he certainly wouldn't take advantage of the situation. How much sleep he would get with her just inches from him would be debatable, however. This evening he had his arm around her almost constantly, caressed her and kissed her hand, all under the guise of their cover. He marveled at the feelings these simple endearments aroused in him, and was glad for the excuse of the cover to explain the expression he knew must be visible on his face.

Amanda thought of course he was right. Except for that "just friends" bit. What he didn't understand was that it wasn't just him she was unsure of, it was herself. Oh, this was so complicated! She had loved him for so long. And the physical attraction she felt for him was overwhelming at times. She had dreamed of him holding her, kissing her, making love to her. Of course he didn't know that. She had done her best to conceal her feelings from him. She longed for him to touch her, but for the right reasons, because he loved and cherished her, not simply because she was available for the night. She didn't want to be just another of his female conquests. Could she sleep in the same bed with the man she loved and not touch him? Yes, Amanda, of course you can. You might not get a lot of sleep, but you certainly have more pride than to throw yourself at him just because you are attracted to him, right?

She sighed. It was getting late and they were both tired. It had been a long day and tomorrow would likely be even longer. She thought she was probably being overly fastidious about this. She knew she could trust him, so surely she could trust herself.

"You're right. I'm sorry to be such a goody-two-shoes about this. We are good friends and I do trust you, Lee, I never meant to imply that I didn't. Which side of the bed do you want?"

She took the bathroom first. The warm shower helped to relax her. She wished now that she had packed a nightgown with a little more coverage than the long white spaghetti strap number she emerged wearing. But she didn't want to sleep in her clothes as that might imply to Lee that she really didn't trust him despite her words. He didn't really even look at her anyway as he went into the bathroom. She figured she was worrying unnecessarily.

When Lee re-entered the bedroom after his shower, he found Amanda standing by the dresser wearing one of his dress shirts over her beautiful white nightgown. The shirt overwhelmed her slender figure. The sleeves were rolled up and she left it unbuttoned in the front. She quickly explained, "I hope you don't mind about the shirt. It looked like you had packed an extra one. I felt a little cool. I didn't bring a robe as you only gave me 10 minutes to pack and...well...I.....I hadn't realized what the sleeping arrangements would be," she finished awkwardly.

"Oh, not at all. It's perfectly fine. You... ah... you look kind of cute in it," now it was his turn to feel awkward. He knew what she intended. She thought the shirt would cover more of her so she would feel less exposed, yet if she left it open it would look like she had just casually decided to put it on. That may have been her intention, but seeing her wearing his shirt endeared her to him even more. It took all his self-control to resist taking her in his arms and kissing her at that moment. Sleeping in the same bed with her was going to be harder than he had imagined.

They talked for a few minutes about their day and planned their strategy for tomorrow. They then made small talk while they avoided the inevitable moment of actually getting into the bed together.

Lee finally said, "Well, it's late. I guess we should turn in."

"Yeah, I guess we should." Amanda removed Lee's shirt and carefully folded it and laid it over a chair. They then lifted the quilt and got into the bed.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Lee asked, "Are you comfortable?"

"Um, very. You'll be glad you are not on that awful little couch!" she teased.

Lee chuckled, well maybe, although sleeping only inches from a woman as lovely as Amanda was going to take all his self-control despite his earlier speech. "Good night, Amanda, sweet dreams."

"Good night, Lee." Being in the same bed, it felt like they should kiss good night, but of course that was out of the question.

Amanda drifted off to sleep and dreamed of Lee. After the day she had and the situation she was in, how could she not? She remembered how he had put his arm closely around her several times as part of the cover, and how he had caressed her and kissed her hand numerous times. She was very aware of these touches and found it almost unnerving to play her cover when she was reacting to his touches in such a way. At one point during dinner when he was kissing her hand for an extended time, she became so emotional, she could barely speak. She had asked him if this was absolutely necessary, and he had replied that it was part of their cover. He had looked straight into her eyes as he spoke and continued to kiss her hand as if he was immensely enjoying it--he was so good at playing a cover. She, on the other hand, had a difficult time keeping her true feelings for him from showing in her face.

Lee had a harder time sleeping. He was keyed up from the events of the day and the tension of the situation they were in. He told himself he would have to come to terms with his feelings for Amanda. She had become so important to him that he could not imagine his life without her in it. He thought she sometimes knew him better than he knew himself. He relied on her so much on a day-to-day basis. He knew she was his best friend, but had not realized he had fallen in love with her until recently. He turned to look at her sleeping peacefully, a gentle smile on her face as if she were having a pleasant dream. His arms ached to hold her. He wanted to make love to her more than anything, but he had given her his word. And he wasn't sure how she felt about him. He knew she cared about him, but was not sure of the depths of those feelings. He couldn't resist lightly touching her hair while she slept. So soft and silky and fragrant, like all of her. He bent toward her and inhaled deeply so her scent would remain with him while he slept. He finally fell asleep, dreaming of holding her tightly in his arms.

Towards morning, Amanda became aware of her dream state. She and Lee were sleeping together in a beautiful bed. He was holding her tightly and kissing her and telling her how much he loved her. She was ecstatic. She drifted into a deeper sleep state for awhile. The next time she became aware of dreaming she was still in his arms. They were cuddled together in the bed. It felt so wonderful to be held by him while they slept. Their bodies seemed to fit together perfectly. The dream was so real she thought she could feel the heat from his body keeping her warm.

Lee was sharing Amanda's dream. It felt marvelous to hold her and feel the warmth of her soft skin against him and her hair upon his face. As soft light began to filter into the room, he began to awaken. He became aware that he hadn't been dreaming--he was actually snuggled up with Amanda in his arms. He wasn't sure how this had happened. He must have reached out for her in his sleep and she somehow ended up in his embrace. He looked down at her still sleeping peacefully, the filtered rays of sunlight shining over her face and catching the glints in her hair. He couldn't believe how lovely she was. Would she be angry with him when she awoke and found them together like this? She would think he couldn't be trusted after all. But it wasn't really his fault. He was sincere in the promise he had made to her. He hadn't intended to embrace her. He wasn't sure what to do. If he released her now, she might awaken and this extraordinary sensation he was experiencing would end. Lee smiled to himself, thinking he could get used to this. He decided to steal these few minutes and just continue to hold her and watch her sleep, savoring every moment.

Amanda felt like she was in a trance. She was trying to awaken, but could not seem to force herself to do so. She was too content in her dream state with Lee's arms wrapped around her. She heard him whisper in her ear, "Amanda." She stirred and snuggled closer against him. She didn't want to wake up and end the dream. Again came the whispered "Amanda."

She turned her head slightly towards him and murmured, "Mmmm... Lee... kiss me again." She felt his warm lips brush her hair, her earlobe and her neck. She shivered with the depth of emotion she was feeling. Surely a dream could not be this intense. She realized then that she was not dreaming and turned to face him as she opened her eyes. His face was millimeters from hers. There was no way on earth she could resist the powerful emotions that were coursing through her body. His mouth captured hers in a long, passionate kiss as the tension of the past months was partially released. He explored her face with kisses and then moved to her neck. Amanda moaned softly as his lips awakened all the emotions she had been trying so hard to suppress. His mouth found hers again and they kissed until they were breathless. He then pulled her face against his neck and stroked her hair. She kissed him on the neck while she inhaled his scent. He felt like he would not be able to control the situation if this continued for another minute, promise or no promise. He gently moved slightly away from her. They looked at each other with all the love their eyes had been concealing.

Lee was the first to speak. "Amanda, I love you with all my heart."

She smiled at him. "I have waited to hear those words since the first day I met you. I think I knew in that first moment when I looked into your eyes that I could never love anyone else as I would grow to love you." They kissed again and he held her in a close embrace. No other words were needed.

After several more minutes of kisses and caresses, Amanda teased, "Well, remind me never to trust you again! So much for your promise not to touch me."

Lee grinned and defended himself. "Well I was doing just fine until you turned to me and asked me to kiss you. I would have been a fool to turn down that invitation, even if you were only half-awake. So maybe you are the one not to be trusted." He brushed his lips across her forehead and entwined his fingers in her hair.

She laughed softly and gently touched his cheek. "Do you know what happened? One minute I was drifting off to sleep dreaming of being in your arms, and the next thing I know, we are snuggled up together in bed."

"It must have been our subconscious selves thwarting our good intentions! I dreamed of holding you, and when I awoke I was surprised to find I actually was. I worried you would be upset after the promise I made, but I still couldn't bring myself to let you go. I never want to let you go."

Amanda smiled gently. "Is this what happens when "friends" share the same bed? I guess I won't be hearing your speech anymore."

"What speech?"

"How we are just partners, just friends, not involved in any way."

Lee laughed sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess that line's been worn a little thin."

"Yeah, I guess. I think we can safely retire it now."

Their lips met again in a lingering kiss holding the promise of a future together.

The End