Author: Taya Johnston (tjsmklvr)

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: "Scarecrow and Mrs. King" and the characters of Lee and
Amanda are the property of Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon
Enterprises. The story belongs to me and is for entertainment
purposes only.

Timeline: AU - End of "The Eyes Have It"

Feedback: Yes, please, on list or off.

Summary: This is in answer to the "Mundane Task Challenge," which
asked to write a short scene in which Lee and Amanda perform a
mundane task with a little excitement.

Author's Notes: Thank you Bubba and Lush yet again for all your
support and encouragement! You caught my silly mistakes and pointed
out when I didn't make sense and in turn made this a better story.
Hope I wasn't too big of a pain the butt!  Thanks also to Miriam for beta'ing this on the second go around. 

EYE CATCHING

"A-MAN-DA!"  She could tell he was frustrated with her mothering
him, even before the annoyance in his voice made its way to her
ears.

"Lee, you heard what the doctor said--"

He cut her off before she could finish.  "I know.  I need to rest.  And I'm doing just that, but--" It was his turn to be cut off.

"He also said you need to use these eye drops twice a day for 3
days.  You know those contacts messed your eyes up something
awful."  She shook the bottle of drops towards the couch where he
was sitting.  "You need to follow his orders completely, not just
pick and choose which ones suit you.  If I have to use my newly-appointed position, believe me, I will."  She tried to sound stern,
but knew it fell on deaf ears.
 
"My eyes feel fine, really, Amanda.  Just a little itchy."  He looked
at her with a small smile.  She knew he was trying to charm her into
dropping the subject.

"I don't care, Scarecrow.  An order is an order.  Now, come on into
the bathroom, and I'll help you put them in."  She smiled as she
walked around the couch and grasped his hand.  He allowed
her to pull him from the couch and guide him towards his bedroom.

"Now, this won't hurt a bit. I promise."

"Yeah, that's what they all say."  He followed her into his bathroom
and sat down on the closed toilet seat.  "This really isn't
necessary; I can do it myself, Amanda."

"If you could do it yourself, it would have been done already.  Now
wouldn't it?  Your arm is in no condition to be lifted anywhere near
your eyes."  Her right eyebrow arched, just daring him to argue
with her.  She had to laugh at the bemused look on his face.  "Close
your mouth, Scarecrow.  You're gonna catch flies."  Her laughter
quickly filled the small room.  She was rewarded with a sigh of
resignation from her handsome partner.

Amanda smiled at him as she reached for a towel on the shelf above
him.  Her hand inadvertently brushed up against his arm, sending
tiny volts of electricity coursing through her body.  She wasn't
sure if he felt them too.  But she could only hope that he did.

She quickly pulled back, only to see a strange look on his face.  It
was a mixture of surprise and was that . . . desire?  No, it couldn't
be.  `What would Lee want with the likes of me?' she reasoned.

Still, on their way out of the Agency earlier, there was that tender
kiss he gave her on the back of her hand, when they were waiting for
the elevator.  That act alone had sent her body into an electrical
storm that she fought to contain.  `What I wouldn't do to feel his
lips on mine, not because of a case, but because he wants them
there, needs them there.'

"Earth to Amanda," Lee said, waving his hand in front of her face to
regain her attention.

"Hmmm? Oh, I'm sorry, Lee. I was just . . . " No sense in letting
him know how easily he could distract her.

"Well, let's get these drops in, shall we?" she rushed to say with a little too much enthusiasm, even to her own ears.  "Now, it says 2 drops per eye."  Twisting the cap off, she leaned in towards him, but found that she needed to get closer.  "Um . . . let me . . . just squeeze in here."  She tried to nudge her right leg in between his thighs.  She shyly met his eyes and grinned.

She wasn't expecting him to have his feet so firmly planted when she tried to move them and she quickly lost her balance.  His hands grasped
her waist as she clung to his shoulders.  Amanda wasn't sure exactly how, but she somehow managed to fall onto his lap.  "Oomph!"

His hand slowly traveled up her arm and lightly touched her cheek.  They stared into one another's eyes for what seemed like an eternity.  'It would be so easy to just lean in a bit closer, and press my lips to his,' she thought.

She was hastily brought out of her `Scarecrow-induced fog' when she heard his voice.  "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm so sorry, Lee.  I guess I just lost my balance."  Her cheeks
were quickly becoming flushed with embarrassment.

"It's okay. Are you sure you're all right?"  She watched his eyes
travel up her figure, as if he was taking a mental inventory of all its parts.

"Oh, sure. I'm just fine.  How about you? I didn't hurt you, did
I?"  She reached up and caressed his arm where it had been cut
earlier in the week.

He grasped her fingers and held them in his hand.  "Yeah, I'm fine,"
he whispered, as he smiled at her shyly.

She felt the blood rush to her head and pulled her fingers from
his hand.  Getting to her feet, she began the search for the now missing bottle of eye drops.  Within seconds she was able to locate the bottle under the cabinet where it rolled during their earlier mishap.

"Okay, let's try this again."  She rinsed the bottle off under the
cool running water in the sink and dried her hands on the towel
draped over her shoulder.

This time, he spread his legs to allow her better access.  She moved closer to him and placed her hands on either side of his face. When she started to place the drops in his right eye, she realized how very close they were.

Amanda`s breathing became shallow, and her heart raced.  Being this close to him set her body on fire.  She tried to focus on the task at hand, but, looking into his beautiful hazel eyes, she didn't have much luck.

Somehow she managed to administer the required amount of drops in
his right eye.  She found it difficult to slow her breathing down,
especially when she felt him place his hands on her waist once
again, to no doubt steady her.  It of course had the opposite
effect.  Amanda wasn't sure how much more of this closeness she
could take.  It was cruel and unusual punishment.  No woman should
be forced to be this near to Lee Stetson and still be expected to
keep things platonic.

When she looked down at his hands, he merely shrugged and
tightened his grip. She could only smile shyly and continue the
task at hand.  "One down, one to go," she joked, trying to lighten
the tension in the room.

"Okay," he mumbled.

She pulled back to look directly into his eyes. She noticed the
strange look on his face and the tensing of his jaw. He seemed to
only do that when he was uncomfortable or upset. He didn't have a
thing to be upset about, so he must be uncomfortable, she
reasoned.  But why was he uncomfortable around her?  Could he be
feeling the same electricity?

"Hey, are you all right, Amanda?  You seem so distracted.  I can
finish this up if you need to go." The look in his eyes told her
that he hoped she'd say no.

"No, I'm fine.  We're almost done."  She moved closer to his left
eye, to begin administering the last of the drops.  She brushed his
hair back, away from his eye, and let her hand linger a bit too long.
She knew it was too long, but her heart wouldn't, or couldn't, allow
her to pull away.

She wanted to touch him, needed to touch him.  But what did he
want? Well, if the rapid rise and fall of his chest was any
indication, he wanted her just as much.

"Amanda."

The husky timber of his voice brought her out of her reverie.  She began to pull her hand back, but he grasped it and held it against his cheek. She could only look on wide-eyed.  "Yes, Lee?"

"I was just wondering.  Would it be all right if I kissed you now?"
He looked deep into her eyes.

She tried to hide the look of passion that was no doubt present. `Did he really just ask me if he could kiss me? Is this a dream?'

Even if it was, she knew she would rather keep sleeping then risk
waking now.
 
"I think I would like that very much."  She couldn't believe she was
actually capable of forming a complete sentence.

Removing her hand from his cheek, he eased her down until she was
sitting on his lap.  He placed his right arm around her waist and
pulled her closer.  His left hand began rubbing ever so
tenderly up and down her thigh.

They looked into each other's eyes and lightly laughed.  After two and a half years and a lot of sexual tension, they were finally going to kiss - in his bathroom, no less.

Lee's lips captured hers hesitantly. Amanda pressed her lips to his
in a more passionate kiss then the first.  Her hand slowly made its
way to his face and began an exploration that was two and a half
years in the making.  She ran her fingers through his hair, pulling
him deeper into the kiss. Their tongues began an exploration of
their own, which only seemed to intensify the electricity in the
room.  His hands roamed to the buttons on her blouse as he attempted
to free her of it.  `His hands are like magic on my skin, his mouth
is so soft, I can't believe this is happening . . . finally.'
 
"Um . . . Amanda?"

She was abruptly pulled from her daydream when he exclaimed, "A-man-da!"
 
She looked down at Lee, sitting on the toilet seat below her. Eye
drops running down his face.  "Oh, Lee! I'm so sorry."
 
She dabbed his face with the towel.  `What was I thinking?
Of course it was a daydream.'  But, someday soon, they would be together.  `Someday very soon,' she thought `and it won't be a dream.'

The End