Author's Note: This is an idea that has been rattling around in my brain for about ten years now, ever since I purchased the original script for "Ship of Spies" on eBay and saw that in the wedding ceremony, the minister used Lee's real name, not the fake one used in the actual episode. That led to the idea of the marriage being legally binding, then that led to the idea of an annulment being out of the question if the marriage had been consummated. After the kiss they shared during the ceremony and the longing way they both looked at each other afterward, I didn't think it was a huge stretch to think that it could happen even that early in their partnership with a little creativity, so here goes. I hope you like what I've come up with to get them there. Of course, those of you who know my writing know that I have a sick and twisted, some would even say, evil mind.

Note: For the purposes of this story, I am going with the original script, not the filmed episode and I'm adding a little creative license in modifying it slightly to have been a double-ring ceremony. It starts between the showdown on the beach and their return home from San Angelo.

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Wedding Bell Blues-Chapter One

Lee and Amanda entered the lavish hotel room in San Angelo, both staunchly avoiding making eye contact with one another.

Amanda fidgeted nervously as she surveyed the room, chilled champagne in an ice bucket on the table, a roaring fire in the fireplace, candles, rose petals on the bed. She licked her lips nervously, averting her eyes from the bed before Lee caught where her gaze had gone. "So...uh...you said our flight back home leaves at one O'clock tomorrow?" she said.

"Uh...yeah, one O'clock," Lee said hoarsely as he swallowed hard, having also taken in every detail of the room that they were to spend the night in...together...alone. He recalled vividly the kiss they'd shared earlier in the day after reciting their vows in front of the disinterested-looking minister. The way Amanda's lips felt beneath his, the way she'd kissed him back, the jolt it had sent through his whole body had left him feeling anything but disinterested. The room set up this way was only making it worse. It was the perfect seduction setup. Of course, they were supposed to be newlyweds, which technically, they were. He glanced for a moment down at the shiny gold band on his hand and sighed.

Amanda caught this small gesture from Lee and gazed down at her own left hand adorned with the diamond engagement ring he placed on her finger a few days ago, nestled alongside the plain, but elegant gold band. She fumbled nervously with them and said, "So, this is a nice room," not sure what else to say. Her eyes couldn't help but glance back to the bed and desperately wondered what Lee was thinking about this whole thing, knowing that he'd noticed it too. She wondered how they were going to get through the night. She knew that they were married so it technically wouldn't be wrong for them to share a bed, but she couldn't help being nervous, especially after the way his kiss at the ceremony had made her feel. The way that his gaze had lingered on her after it was over, the way he seemed reluctant to let it go at those two soft kisses, the way that he'd kissed the tips of her fingers when she'd reached to wipe her lipstick from his lips.

"Oh, yeah, nice," Lee concurred. He looked at her finally, took her hands in his to try to ease her nervousness. "Look, the room was booked for both of us as part of the cruise travel package since we're supposed to be married," he explained.

"Not supposed to be married, Lee," Amanda said. "This isn't like any other cover we've ever played. We are married now."

"I know," he said with a sigh as he released her hands and ran his hands through his hair. "But the case is over. Miles and Jillian have been handed over to the local authorities and we don't have to keep up our cover anymore. When we get back, we'll just have this thing annulled and that will be that."

"Is that what you want," Amanda questioned not quite ready to let him off the hook yet. She knew what she'd seen in his eyes after they kissed.

"Isn't that what you want?" he fired back.

"Well, like you said at the start of this case, you know how strongly I feel about marriage."

"Which is exactly why we should end this charade now," Lee said though as soon as the words left his mouth, he wondered if he meant them. The way they'd kissed, they way they'd both reacted to it meant that it wasn't entirely a charade. There were some feelings there; he just wasn't sure what it all really meant. He wasn't exactly the settling down type. "I mean, you don't wanna' be married to a guy like me, do you?"

"Right, and you don't want to be married to a woman like me," Amanda said hoping against hope that he'd argue with her. "I mean, I'm not exactly your type."

"This may have escaped your notice, Amanda, but I don't exactly have any one type. And it's not that I wouldn't want to be married to you specifically, I just never wanted to be married to anyone."

"You know what? We should discuss this when we get back to DC. Right now, I just wanna' get in the shower and wash all the sand and dust off me." She brushed her hands over the frilly wedding gown she wore; brushing off imaginary sand, but it was more to have something to do with her hands, other than fumble nervously with the wedding set on her left hand.

"Right," Lee nodded. "You know something, while you're doing that, I think I'll take a trip down to the front desk and see if I can't scrounge us up another room."

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea," Amanda said trying to sound upbeat but inwardly disappointed. If the kisses they'd shared were any indication, if they were to actually act on the fact that they were now newlyweds, she had no doubt that she'd be in for an incredible night.

"Good, I'll do that then," Lee said disheartened that she'd agreed with him and so quickly.

'Ok, Well, I'm just gonna' go..."She gestured toward the bathroom door.

"Yeah, and I'll..." he gestured toward the door leading into the hallway.

"Right," Amanda said with a nod.

"Right," Lee said nodding back.

They both stood staring at each other for another beat then went their separate ways.

Amanda stepped into the bathroom and turned on the water in the tub to let it get warm while she undressed. She glanced at herself in the mirror as she unpinned the veil from her hair and laid it aside. She glanced down again at the rings on her finger and started to take them off since Lee had made it clear that he had no desire to stay married to her, but then she thought better of it. No, we're still married for now, she thought.

She quickly undressed and stepped into the shower, letting the hot water beat against her back as her thoughts whirled. In all the time she'd thought about what it would be like to get married again, she'd never imagined this scenario, married to a man who didn't want to be married just to maintain their cover. Despite what he said with his mouth though, his eyes told the real story. Though he may not want to be married to her, he most definitely wanted her. That much had been obvious. She may not have taken as many trips around the block as he had, but she'd been around enough to recognize when a man wanted her.

As she lathered up and began to wash the grime from her body, her thoughts began to drift and she couldn't help wondering what it would be like if Lee would ever acknowledge that he wanted her as much as she wanted him, if it were his hands on her, touching her.

"Damn!' Lee swore as he re-entered the room. He'd had no luck getting another room. They were all booked because of the scores of newlyweds from the cruise. He paced nervously around the room and tried to get a handle on his nerves. His pacing took him past the bathroom door where he heard the shower running. He pulse quickened as he thought of Amanda just on the other side of it and imagined her wet and naked. Stop it, Stetson, he thought. He was still trying to force his mind to focus on something else when he heard the soft moaning coming from the bathroom. Was she crying? He knew he'd hurt her feelings when he said they should end this charade, but he didn't think it was that bad. I mean, it's not as if the wedding had been for real. They weren't in love, were they? Who are you kidding, Stetson, he chided himself. You know you're crazy about her and have been for a long damn time. He decided he should apologize for the abrupt way he'd talked about ending it and explain what he really meant.

"Amanda," ha called as he softly tapped on the door. When he received no answer, he turned the knob averting his eyes from what he might see on the other side of the door and was going to call her name again when her voice stopped him.

"Lee," she moaned.

His head abruptly turned at the sound and gasped at what he saw. Through the glass shower doors, he saw her bare form outlined in front of him. Not only that, Amanda was touching herself and it was clear the way she'd spoken his name that she was thinking about him while doing it. He felt a wave of desire flood through him and couldn't help but wonder what she'd do if he decided to join her in the shower and make her fantasy a reality. He shook his head and quickly closed the door. No, she'd most likely just scream and throw him out, and then things would be awkward between them. "It's just a harmless fantasy," he said aloud to convince himself. After all, he'd had fantasies about her. It was only natural when you spent as much time together as they did. But that was before she was your wife, he reminded himself.

He crossed the room to where their bags were neatly piled in the corner, having been brought from the ship trying to get as far away from the bathroom as possible and not think about what Amanda was doing in there Was she thinking about him because she was crazy about him too? He tried to distract himself by picking up his suitcase, then thought better of it and put in back down. There was no point in unpacking when they were just going to be leaving tomorrow. He closed his eyes, sighed and decided consequences be damned, he had to find out the truth. He marched resolutely across the room to the bathroom, and had just reached for the knob again when Amanda came through the door wearing one of the hotel's bathrobes and carrying her wedding attire.

"Oh, I was just about to knock and see how close you were to being done," Lee covered quickly. "I got all dusty too."

"All yours," she said. "So, no luck?"

"Luck?" he said swallowing hard. Had she guessed his true intention had been to join her in the shower?

"In getting another room?"

"Oh, no, all booked up. I guess we're stuck with each other tonight," he said trying to make a joke of it. "I'm just gonna'..." He gestured backward toward the bathroom door trying not to think about the fact that he'd just heard her crying out his name while pleasuring herself, trying not to think about what might have happened if he'd walked into that bathroom a few minutes earlier, what it would be like if he'd been the one giving her that pleasure. He quickly walked into the bathroom, closed the door firmly behind him. As he unbuttoned his shirt, he imagined Amanda hands undressing him. What would she do? Would she do it slowly, one button at a time, pausing the kiss the skin beneath each button, or would should be impatient and tug at his shirt letting buttons pop off and fly in all directions before touching him? These thoughts plagued him all through his shower.