I usually forget this part, sorry, I don't own these characters, but I do love them. This is set before Lee says he loves Amanda. Amanda finds Lee in her home, in her bed…

Arlington

"Amanda, dear, are you busy?" Dotty West asked her daughter as she walked in from the outside garden.

"No, Mother, I was just doing some reading. Do you need help with something?" Amanda King asked as she put her book down.

"No, I just finished out there. I was wondering would you like to go and have lunch instead of us messing up the kitchen before dinner tonight."

"That sounds great, Mother. I'll get my keys and purse and we can go."

"Let me change first, Amanda."

"Okay, Mother; let me know when you are ready to go." Amanda sat back down and continued to read her new romance novel.

After a few minutes Dotty returned and the two women headed out to a local Italian restaurant for lunch. "Mother, this place really does the business; even at lunch it seems." Amanda observed.

The two women sat eating their lunch and catching up with one another. "It just seems that in the last year your job has started to come with more responsibilities. I hope they aren't taking advantage of you." Dotty mentioned toward the end.

"Mother, trust me they are not taking advantage of me. It is just that some assignments are harder and take more time to complete." Amanda thought that wasn't a lie. Lee's last case had him out of the country for the last two weeks. That left her working more for Mr. Melrose and Francine, but it wasn't too bad; Lee had made all his check ins and should be back in a couple of days.

"Amanda, after we are done here, would you like to go shopping with me? I have a blind date tonight and I want to make a good impression."

"I would love to; where are you going?" Amanda asked as she sipped her coffee.

"It is some dinner party with military personnel."

"Is it the party being held at the Opera House, Mother?"

"Yes, I think that is where it is. How did you know about it?"

Amanda couldn't tell her that she had been helping Francine with security for the event the last three days. "I know some of the people in security. They were telling me all about it. You should have a lot of fun."

"I hope so. The man that Kitty is fixing me up with is a confirmed bachelor. He never married but she did say that he raised a child before."

"A single dad in the military; doesn't sound like a bad guy to me."

"I hope not. I am just nervous because you know, dear, that some government men can be oh, I don't know, difficult."

"Difficult." Amanda said at the same time on with her mother bringing both women to stare and then laugh.

The two women spent the rest of the afternoon going to three different dress shops before they found a beautiful black beaded gown and wrap.

"You don't think this is too much money, Amanda?"

"Mother, it is fine, you look beautiful. Now let's get home before the boys do and find the cake I made for them to take to their dad's this weekend."

He stumbled from his car. He had to lie down. He couldn't go much farther; just a few steps and he would have the help he needed. Thank God he wasn't followed. It might be the only break he had in the last four days.

There it was; Amanda's house. Just a few more steps and he would be safe. No one would look for him here. He moved his hand to see if the make shift bandage was stopping the blood. He knew he was hit; he just had to keep moving. He didn't think he lost that much blood. He started to get dizzy; okay maybe he lost more than he thought at first.

He knocked on the back door. Realizing she wasn't home, he did the only thing he could; he picked the lock and found his way upstairs to her room. He fell across the bed on top of her covers and everything went black.

Amanda pulled the car into the driveway just as the boys were walking down the sidewalk from the bus stop. She stood waiting for them when she noticed the small drops of something that resembled blood on her drive. She followed the drops noticing they went to her patio French doors where found a larger amount by the doors. Testing the door she noticed it was unlocked; she knew she locked it.

As her mother and boys went in the front she came in the back beginning to run around, "Stay put you three!" She ran upstairs and began to check every room. She got to her room and saw the blood on her doorknob before opening her door. Dotty and the boys came up behind her and Dotty saw the knob as well and tried to hide the boys before they saw it; it didn't work.

Amanda opened her door and saw the lifeless body of her partner on her bed and the pool of blood covering her bedspread. Rushing to his side yelled at her mother to call an ambulance. Without thinking she said, "Tell them it is an injured Federal agent."

"Federal agent; what do you mean Federal agent?" Dotty asked but didn't argue with her daughter and repeated everything Amanda had told her to the 911 operator.

"Lee, talk to me." Amanda pleaded with him then instructed the boys to go wait downstairs.

Barely a whisper Amanda her Lee say her name. "Manda, help me, please."

"Of course I will; what do you need?"

"Give to Billy." He pulled his hand out of his pocket and gave her a small case. He closed his eyes and she didn't think he was still breathing.

"LEE! NO!"

Dotty showed the EMT's where to go; pulling her daughter off of the bloody man on her bed. Amanda tried to pull out of her mother's arms as the boys and Joe came in the room.

"Joe, help me with her please." Dotty begged having a hard time controlling her daughter. Joe pulled Amanda in his arms as she hit him to break free, but he held her tighter than she ever remembered before.

"Joe, let me go. He needs me; that is why he came here." Amanda cried.

"Amanda, you are only going to get in the way. Contact Mr. Melrose and then go to him. He didn't look good."

Amanda knew he had stopped breathing because she saw the paramedics doing CPR on him. She couldn't lose him, not now when they were just starting to get closer to one another. She couldn't lose another man she loved because of his job.

Amanda knew Joe was right. Feeling the case in her hand she said, "The boys have a cake to take with you guys and their stuff is already to go."

"Amanda, go do what you have to do; the boys will be fine. You are just going to have to explain this now."

"I know, but I have to check on Lee first." She called Billy and explained what was going on and told him she would meet him at the hospital. One hour later she was sitting outside the hospital trying to calm down before she went in; she didn't know if she could handle being told he didn't make it. What would she do if he died? What was he working on to get him in this condition and why would he come to her instead of going straight to Billy?

Billy and Francine walked up to her and saw her crying, Francine assumed the worst, "Oh, God, how is he?"

"I don't know. They were doing CPR on him as they took him from the house. He did manage to tell me to give this to you before he stopped breathing." Fresh tears began to fall. Billy placed his hand on her shoulder saying, "Well, why are we out here when we need to be in there with Lee?"

Amanda stood handing the small case to Billy Melrose and following her two associates into the hospital. While Francine took Amanda to sit in the waiting room, Billy went to find a nurse or doctor that could give him an update on Lee.

Amanda sat ringing her hands together when Francine reached over and grabbed them, "Amanda King, will you please stop ringing your hands? How in the world do you think that is helping Lee?"

"Ms. Desmond, could you please have some compassion? The last time she saw my nephew he wasn't breathing. I think might warrant some hand ringing."