SOS Episode Fillers

Introduction: This is my first attempt at FF. It is a filler for the Ship of Spies episode, purely vacation-inspired fluff. On the beach with no FF to read, I started this one of my own. I always thought that they should have made SOS a 2-part episode (actually '24' style would be better!) and had a little more fun with the whole cruise environment and theme. It seemed tragic that Amanda, who was so excited to go on a cruise in the first place, did not have more time to enjoy the amenities. I am betting that she did do some fun cruise-y things, but they were just edited out. This adds a whole new dimension to the "some things happened" speech Lee gives in the TAG. With that in mind…

Rated: PG-13 for steam and innuendo.

Feedback: Please! As it is my first attempt of something not forum related, any constructive criticism would be very much appreciated.

Very special thanks to a couple of my new SMK-friends, Julianne and Di for doing the beta duties and more importantly the encouragement and support. This story would not be here without them. All grammatical mistakes and uninspired prose in this version are entirely of my own doing.

Archive: I would be honored, just ask

Part 1 – Advantages of Sunscreen (or Lessons in Lounge Chairs)

This scene begins early afternoon on that first full day abroad. After they found Emeliano Gomez in their cabin, Lee left with Emeliano to check out some of the other areas of the boat.

'This is a cruise and I'm sitting alone in my cabin again,' Amanda mentally complained to the flat pillow in her arms. Punching it a couple times, she continued, 'I was stuck in here most of last night... I'm just wasting my time sitting here… waiting… it's sad when it is a perfect day outside… sunny, nice breeze… the perfect cruise day… who knows when Lee will be back or where he is for that matter… maybe I could learn something on the Aloha deck by the pool… a little sun… it's not like there's anything else I could be doing right now anyway… I'll just leave Lee a note so he'll know where to find me' rationalized Amanda in her typical rambling style.

After placing the pillow back in its spot on the bed, Amanda opened her top drawer and began an internal debate between the striped one-piece bathing suit and the red bikini. She had bought the bikini on sale on a whim for a date once, although she could not remember with whom. The unrevealing one-piece was her old faithful, great for neighborhood parties with the kids. 'The bikini is definitely more appropriate for a cruise – more sophisticated… I am under-cover. I should be worldly and daring…well, this suit isn't exactly daring… besides old faithful ties behind my neck and the bikini's shoulder straps are detachable, I can just take them off… can't have tan lines with a wedding dress… and the fact that Lee likes me in red has nothing to do with this decision…' she rationalized to herself.

Amanda padded across the Aloha Deck in sandals wearing sunglasses with a towel wrapped around her waist. 'Ok, have the sun block… taking care of your skin is very important… would not want to be burnt for the wedding… not that its going to happen…I am sure that Lee will get us out of it… but just in case…' The deck was semi-deserted, probably only 15 couples altogether. It looked as though a teacher had separated everyone into groups of two. Each couple seemed to have their own separate space – a couple kissing at one end of the pool, a couple whispering to each other at another end, a couple holding hands between lounge chairs, and another couple reading in the shade… Amanda settled into a lounge chair in a relatively couple-less area.

Carefully covering her stomach, arms, and legs with sunscreen, she took another glance around and could not stop her mind from wondering what it would be like to be here relaxing with someone she loved instead of being here on an assignment. She laid back and closed her eyes basking in the heat of the sun. Her unoccupied mind drifted back to the romantic cruise that she would rather be on. Daydreaming of swimming slow laps in an empty pool. She would stop at the side of the pool catching her breath. As she wiped the water out of her eyes, strong arms would wrap around her from behind. Arms belonging to the man who truly loved her. She would turn into his embrace, smiling and wrap herself around his tanned muscular body. He would hold her and the water would lap against their backs. She would rest her cheek on his shoulder and hold on to his neck, her fingers gently toying with the back of his wet hair as he guided them through the water. Gentle waves and his hands would caress her back and shoulders. She would start a trail of teasing kisses up his neck and then look up into his eyes smiling and Lee would ---- Startled, she jerked her eyes open temporarily erasing the mental picture. "Oh my gosh" she exclaimed aloud. Internally she banished her thoughts, 'Lee? Lee? How did my mystery man become Lee? This cover relationship must be seeping into my subconscious… Wow, that was incredibly vivid…way too vivid! I have got to stop reading the sex scenes in mother's romance novels!' With a deep determined breath, she decided 'no more daydreaming'.

She got up and dove into the pool in a relatively un-coupled area and swam a couple quick laps. Returning to her chair, she wished for a good book – not a romance novel though, a nice, light mystery. Maybe a mystery with a ruggedly handsome hero or a worldly and sophisticated private investigator…

Julie McCoy walked through the doors to the Aloha Deck expecting to see a crowd of people lounging by the pool. Scanning the area she complained to herself, 'Good grief, this place is dead too! Where is everyone? Well, I guess I know where most of the people are; this has got to be the most boring cruise I have ever worked.' Julie had only been on this ocean liner five hours before she had called headquarters and taken this particular cruise off her preference list. "Never again," she muttered aloud! The crew is standoffish and the passengers were so busy with each other that they aren't any fun. If she were on the Love Boat this week, there would have been one if not three romantic dramas to join in and resolve. But it is just boring, boring, boring here. Maybe she was a little jealous – she wished she had a special someone of her own to hide in the cabin with all day. That was her main complaint with this trip - she had too much time on her hands and she was doing too much obsessing – contemplating and analyzing – her feelings for the three main men in her life. Oh, how she wished any of the three were here now to keep her company. She had never felt this lonely on the sea before and she blamed it all on bad ship karma…

Spying a woman sitting alone, she headed that way ardently praying for a romantic dilemma that she could help solve or just a friend to talk to for a while. A little conversation or any diversion from pondering the current state of her love life…

Amanda spotted the female crewmember headed her way and smiled a friendly welcoming smile. She was excited about the opportunity to obtain some crucial information about Orlando or anything that might be pertinent to the case.

"Hi, I'm Julie McCoy!" Julie said as she smiled to her new best friend.

"I'm Amanda," she said as she shook her outstretched hand, "care to sit down? I'm just enjoying the sun and I forgot to pack a book."

"People watching just isn't the same when its just couples, is it? I'm the Special Programs Director on this cruise. I'm visiting from another boat – The Love Boat – to coordinate the passenger activities. It really is a different environment here which is weird because the ship layout is very similar and the ocean view is the same." Processing the information, Amanda enjoyed the flowing manner in which Julie spoke, but was disappointed that Julie would not be able to provide much help for the case. Thankfully Julie seemed like a really nice person and Amanda decided instantly she liked her. As the proceeding conversation would prove, she was friendly, bright, and intelligent. Besides it was not like Amanda had anything else to be doing at this time except maybe daydream about Lee or the mystery man…

"I can't believe this area is so deserted. I would have thought there would be more people out here on such a beautiful day," observed Amanda.

"Ours at the Love Boat would be packed. It just seemed like there are more people…" Julie reminisced.

"And more things to do," Amanda finished Julie's thought with a sympathetic glance. Watching all these couples together seemed to be getting to her new friend too.

"Where is your fiancé?"

"He had some business to take care of," Amanda said wistfully. Jumping to mental conclusions, Julie knew this type of man well – obsessed with business, taking advantage of their situations, too little time for their spouses or kids while working long hours. Just another type of relationship-challenged male, marrying a manager for their life not a partner to share their days with. She hoped she was wrong for Amanda's sake. She felt a little sympathy for her new friend, if only she could get her fiancé to a couple of her classes maybe she could help. It is not a good sign when a woman is deserted on her wedding cruise – if they were on the Love Boat she would help Amanda find a new someone, someone much more devoted and attentive.

Amanda's comment interrupted her reverie, "I bet you miss your friends." That was all the opening Julie needed to begin the tale of her three favorite co-workers – Doc, Gopher, and the Captain. Amanda listened like an old friend while Julie elaborated with lengthy descriptions of their looks, hobbies, and personalities. When there was a break in Julie's rambling, Amanda commented, "They seem like really special people."

"They are," Julie mused. After a short silence, Julie continued, "Amanda, can I ask you a personal question?"

"Uhh, sure."

"Have you ever had feelings – I mean real, complex, intense feelings for someone you work with?" Julie queried.

Amanda almost choked at the question. She did not speak afraid of what she might say. She remembered to breathe and nodded her head in a gesture of support.

"What am I thinking, you are engaged. You probably don't even remember the stark confusion of falling for someone that you shouldn't. It is just that we are such great friends; I would hate to risk ruining it. But sometimes, so many sometimes I just want to throw caution to the wind and grab him, throw him down and kiss him like he has never been kissed before. Then never let him go - " Julie stopped her ramble to come up for air. "Oh, wow, I am sorry. I did not mean to babble on like that. I think all this couple-ness is getting to me."

Amanda could not breathe let alone form complete sentences. This chat had taken a turn too close to home. Amanda briefly wondered if talking about her situation would help add perspective; she did not have the luxury of sharing her current romantic dilemma with a friend. And unfortunately as much as she might be tempted, she knew it was not an option now either. She did feel a little better knowing someone else had a similar problem – she had seen glimpses of the truth in her own heart – she did want to grab Lee, turn his world upside down and never let him go. She took a couple deep breaths glad that Julie was too engrossed in her own self reflection and putting her feelings back in check to notice that Amanda's hands were shaking. Regaining enough composure, she tactfully changed the subject to a safer topic, "So, what type of special programs do you have planned for this trip?"

Julie's pride and enthusiasm for her job and cruise program itinerary were apparent; her eyes brightened and her face gained animation as she began to explain the agenda. "We have the standard receptions and dinners and the game activities are posted several places – I'm sure you have one in your room." Amanda nodded in confirmation and threw in a little smile as encouragement for her to continue. "I'm only in charge of the couples seminars on this cruise. I just help out with the other stuff. For this cruise we're offering five different classes in the next two days and there are two sessions of each class. We have three classes for couples – 'What a Good Marriage Needs', 'The Power of Touch', and 'The Marry Guide to Money'. Then there is one just for women called 'Understanding your Man' and one just for men called 'The Married Man's Guide.' You and your fiancé should sign up for at least one of them…"

Amanda smiled at some of the titles; she knew that these classes probably had some great information for newlyweds. Being divorced, she knew what a difference this type of information could make to the success and enjoyment of a marriage. She shook her head at the thought of understanding Lee, a class probably would not help, but on the other hand, it could not hurt. When Amanda looked back at Julie, she found her staring across the deck…

Amanda followed Julie's gaze and stopped on a familiar sight – Lee. He was dressed in blue swimming trunks branded with a trendy little alligator and bordered with a red stripe. Shirtless and shoeless, there was a towel draped across his shoulders. Black shades made reading his expression at that distance almost impossible. 'I really hope that he isn't mad at me for not staying in the room,' was Amanda's first thought.

'Ahhh, there she is. And what do you know, there is not a man there with her making moves on her… looks like she is killing time chatting with a staff person…WHAT is she wearing? Oh, this time I care! A bikini? Red – very nice…is it strapless? There is cleavage… her flat stomach… Lee, GET A GRIP! This is Amanda – just Amanda' he chastised himself. Continuing his internal wave of thoughts, 'it is our cover… we are engaged so I am supposed to be attentive and aware of her… wow, look at those legs… almost there… wonder if she's watching me too… deep breath… back to work mode, Scarecrow…'

Julie noticed that the man was coming directly towards then. Secretly hoping that she was mistaken, "Is that your fiancé?" she asked.

"Yes, that's Lee…" Amanda answered keeping her eyes on him.

'Too bad. He's gorgeous,' she thought to herself noting the confidence and determination of his walk. Out loud she said, "Lucky you."

Veiled by her sunglasses, Amanda took the opportunity to let her eyes travel up his frame slowly lingering on the areas she did not see very often - his legs, abs, chest and shoulders.

Julie watched Amanda watch her approaching fiancé and smiled, "Looks like you're still pretty taken by him. He's a cutie."

Shaken back to reality by the first part of Julie's remark, she cleared her throat and mumbled, "that he is and he knows it too." And then to herself, 'Back to work mode!'

After introductions and a little light idle chitchat, Lee had found that he liked Amanda's new friend – she was amusing, intelligent, and very perceptive – at least that was his initial assessment of her character. She had an Amanda-like optimistic quality about her and the same enthusiasm about her job.

Lee and Amanda were both relieved when Julie excused herself to talk to a crewmember that was walking by. Lee had settled into the lounge chair next to hers. Amanda started to move to a sitting position facing Lee. He grabbed her hand to steady her then forgot to release it. Cramped between the two lawn chairs Lee's knees were just outside hers. They both leaned forward as they prepared to whisper status reports. A casual observer would have noted the intimacy of their positions and the intensity of their conversation and dismissed it as normal behavior for a honeymoon cruise. Amanda and Lee were so engrossed in their "work" mode and exchange of information to be aware of the proximity of their bodies and their current state of undress.

"Lee, you're not mad at me for coming out here, are you?" Amanda began. "I was just sitting in the room waiting and waiting… I thought I might learn something out here."

"No, its fine. It was a good plan. So, what have you learned?" Lee replied desperate for any information that would help them locate Orlando. To answer his query, Amanda proceeded to tell him, in her typical ramble-style, what she had done and learned since they had separated – which pretty much amounted to nothing except Julie's insights into the crew's unusual behavior.

Amanda had just finished her report and Lee began his when Julie returned to pick up the clipboard that she had left on her chair. Noting the couple's seemingly absolute lack of awareness to the physical world around them and with concern for her new found friend, Julie resisted the urge to return to her chair and previous conversation and interrupted their conversation only long enough to warn her new friend that she had better put some suntan lotion on her back if she was going to continue to sit like that. Vaguely feeling the heat on her shoulders, she thanked Julie already on her retreat and picked up the lotion bottle. Continuing with his report, Lee took the lotion from her grasp automatically and motioned for her to turn around. Cramped between the two lounge chairs Amanda's movements were slightly clumsy as she swiveled around so her left shoulder and back were in front of Lee. When Lee subconsciously detected her struggling to maintain her balance with only one hip on the edge of the shaky chair, he shifted forward and moved his leg next to hers to steady her. Had Amanda not been so intent on his continuing case update, she probably would have jumped up in shock when she realized her other hip was now supported by his lower thigh and their bare skin was touching from that point all the way down to their ankles.

Lee proceeded to slap some suntan lotion on her back caught up in voicing his frustrations about not making any progress on the case. Whether it was because his touch was so clinical in manner or because she was concentrating so intently on his words, she was not even aware that HIS hands were moving across her back. In turn, he was multi-tasking - subconsciously applying the sunscreen. He would regret not being able to remember any details about his actions or Amanda's back when he pondered this scene later.

Just as he was replacing the lid on the bottle, they were interrupted with a loud "Hrmph!" and looked up to see Julie standing in front of them.

"There is absolutely no way I am going to let you two get married-," she declared. Shocked by Julie's statement, Amanda tensed teetering on the edge of the unsteady lounge chair. As she started to stand, she lost her balance landing unceremoniously on Lee's lap. They both glanced up and froze when they were met by the stare of an intimidating Julie squared off in front of them holding a clipboard against her chest waving a single sheet of paper in her other hand. Instinctively Lee's right arm encircled Amanda's waist clenching her tightly against him protectively while his left hand reached for a gun – then he remembered it was hidden back in the cabin because it did not work with his current outfit. Julie's outburst hung in the air like a storm cloud as her expression changed from mock accusation to utter confusion at their reaction. They looked like they were facing a firing squad – tense, defensive, and horrified. 'Maybe they have some unresolved relationship issues. Good thing I came back. They need my help!' she thought to herself.

"Relax, I was just kidding. Really – relax!" Julie reassured them with a confused smile. Lee and Amanda each took a ragged breath when her statement registered. Lee loosened his grasp around Amanda's middle just a little and Amanda relaxed her left hand clenching his left knee. Amanda found her voice first and quietly stuttered, "W-w-what?"

"Well, as a friend, I simply can't allow Amanda to marry someone who doesn't respect and cherish her," Julie began. Lee and Amanda relaxed a little more, the tension leaving their faces. Then Julie began a speech that thoroughly chastised Lee for his abhorring, unemotional display of putting lotion on her back. Initially Lee was totally embarrassed. He might have been more ashamed of his behavior had he been able to process the assault of Julie's words. He was having a hard time concentrating after it registered that Amanda was in his arms on his lap. Both of them had been so tense after Julie's initial outburst that when they realized her intentions, the tension and stress oozed from them and they naturally relaxed – unfortunately they relaxed back to normal mode not work mode. And with the relaxing caused surges of awareness.

[Warning if you are under 14 years old or have a strong aversion to fairly general descriptive steam, please skip the next 4 paragraphs. Really, just skip them; I will fill you in when you get there. And if you are that young, why are you reading this? There is a lot of reading material out there that much better suited for your enjoyment! But SMK is a pretty awesome show, isn't it?]

Julie's persona returned to a sunny saleswomen disposition when she began her unprompted and uncontested argument to attempt to convince Lee that he should be attending the 'Married Man's Guide' seminar. But neither listened to her as she launched into the course objectives, key points, and the speaker's background. The awareness of each other's bodies and their current positions was overwhelming. Lee slowly noticed that he had molded Amanda tightly against him and all she was wearing was the little red bikini that his mind was saying was certainly not enough, but his body was saying it was a little more than necessary. He then noticed that he could feel the bare skin of her abdomen against his arm and his hand was molded against her ribs. He was shocked to find the tip of his thumb had ended up just under the edge of her top and he literally gasped when he noticed that he could feel every time she exhaled. He stole a look down her side and saw the red covered bottoms and her not-covered hip and thigh. He shut his eyes and knew it was way too late to try to keep his body from responding. When he opened his eyes he was greeted by the sight of her bare shoulders and neck and his senses were assaulted by the mixed sensation of her light perfume and suntan lotion. His mind was working frantically for a way to get her off his lap before she screamed and before it came to the point where he could never look her in the eyes again. He shut his eyes to either savor the moment or figure out how to tactfully get out of this situation with some dignity. He took a ragged breath….

Amanda felt that breath against her neck - she had been trying to concentrate on the words Julie was speaking – and it sent sparks shooting through her body. She could feel the hairs on his legs against hers (and said a mental prayer that she shaved carefully that morning). She could feel his bare chest against her shoulders and upper back – the heat was radiating from his skin. When she first felt him beneath her she wanted to jump up, but once she was over the initial shock of being in contact with so much of him, she enjoyed the contact. She could feel when he shifted slightly behind her. How long had it been since she was this aware of a man? She was having difficultly breathing because of his hand so close to her, well her chest – it was more possessive and protective than passionate, but his possessiveness seemed to stir her inside where she is sure she would have moved away quickly if he was trying to be passionate. She closed her eyes for a second and for a moment let her mind roam to how she would feel if this was her mystery love holding her tightly against him – which was probably not the wisest thing to think about because her body seemed to melt farther into his. She could tell Lee was having a hard time breathing and could feel one of his legs shaking slightly beneath hers. She should probably help them out of this situation, but for the life of her, her mind would not process any alternatives…

Lee's eyes jerked open when he felt her sink further into him. He was hoping that she would help him get out of this, but it appeared that she was doing the opposite of helping. He wondered if she had any idea what she was doing to him. Finally, his brain came up with a solution – if he could shift her rear over to his left leg and off his lap – that might put the enough distance between them to save himself from further embarrassment, yet not raise Julie suspicions. Whether it was an innocent attempt to make a smooth, believable transition or simply because he could not resist the opportunity to torture Amanda like she was torturing him - he would have to examine his motives later - he slowly moved his hand across Amanda's abdomen by gently running his fingertips across her skin like you would trail them through sand. His fingertips ever so slowly crossed her body continuing until they reached just below her hip. As he trailed four or five gentle kisses up the back of her neck, he gently shifted his weight and moved her off his lap and to his left leg…

Amanda gasped when his fingertips ran across her body. The sensations they evoked were unbelievable, coupled with the feel of his kisses on her neck - kisses, why was he kissing her? – the rest of this situation had been accidental! Lee leaned over and whispered "sorry" in her ear – his breath on her ear had the same effect as the breath on her back. Shouldn't she feel relief to be farther away from him, but somehow she just felt tormented. Lee must have sensed her discomfort; he shifted his upper body to the right away from her and then offered her his right hand to hold as support. She hesitantly, put her hand in his and they both started to relax, but this time to a state closer to work mode. Oblivious, Julie was still droning on and on about the credentials of one of the class instructors, Amanda had to hold back a giggle – the word and their previous position – well something about that seemed amusing.

[If you have will power and stuck to your convictions by skipping those paragraphs, congratulations. I commend you on your will power. Here's what you missed – frankly, not much. You know she landed in his lap, they both kind of freaked out about the closeness because they were just wearing swimsuits and Julie was still droning on and on unaware that neither of the spies were paying any attention to what she was saying.

To those of you who didn't, show of hand of who would have gone into the gutter farther. Anyone?

But for you youngsters, I'm serious about finding other things to read – have you tried the Amber Brown series, Princess Diaries, Mary Kate and Ashley, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (is a wonderful book!- high school-ers, friendship, romance)? OK, so I was probably reading romance-y things at that age too – and see how I turned out?

Anyway, back to the fluff…]

"Well, Lee what do you think? Don't you think you should sign up for this class?" Julie asked while looking at him seriously.

The confusion was apparent on Lee's face. She had been talking forever, but Lee honestly could not recall even one complete sentence she had uttered. His mind raced in reverse hoping that figuring out what started her dissertation might give him some insight to where it had led and what an appropriate response might be. Class? Then he remembered this lecture started because he was not attentive when he put sunscreen on Amanda's back – seemed unimaginable at this point that he would not have realized he had touched her. When he looked up, Julie was staring at him intently while Amanda was just staring intently at his right thigh, seemingly mesmerized.

Somehow finding his voice, Lee attempted a defense. "Julie, I am usually much more attentive, I'm sure that 'Manda would attest to that." He reached his left arm up and ran his fingers tips slowing down from her neck to her lower back and left his hand there.

'Oh my gosh!' was Amanda's internal reply. 'What's he trying to do to me?' Julie was looking at her for confirmation and Amanda was caught between wanting to sell him out, defend him, or torture him back. Blame it on being overwhelmed by the romance and couple-ness of her surroundings or blame the intricacies of the cover they were so successfully playing, but Amanda decided a combination of all three options might be the most fun. She let go of the hand she was holding, reached her right hand up and said "well, he can be attentive when he wants to, but there are several things he could work on that would make him a better husband" in a very low voice while slowly running her fingernails lightly down from his shoulder diagonally across his dolphin chest finishing just below his belly button. She had watched the emotions in his eyes as she played with him. To her surprise his eyes glazed over and he looked like he was having trouble finding oxygen – she would have never guessed she could have had that kind of effect on him and she was immediately embarrassed for her display and for toying with his emotions. She returned her hand to his and gave it an almost apologetic squeeze.

When Julie processed Amanda's comment, she flipped a couple pages in her clipboard deciding that maybe taking the couple course "What a Good Marriage Needs" together might be a better suggestion for her new friends. Smiling at how cute they looked nestled together listening to her, she began listing the outline and objectives for this course again unaware there would be no comprehension of the words that she uttered.

'What is she doing! I can't believe she just did that!' Lee exclaimed to himself. Glancing down at the faint trail of red marks welting on his chest from her fingernail onslaught, the relief he felt at the position adjustment was short lived. After Amanda's display, he was aware that too many parts of their bodies were still touching. The tingling on his chest lingered, the material of her damp swimsuit against his leg, her fingers interlaced again in his, and his other hand burning against the small of her back. Distance is what he needed. She was still way too close, or if he allowed his mind a small diversion – way too far away. He was seriously tempted to scoop her up and carry her back to the cabin. But NO this was AMANDA, not one of his women he forced himself to concentrate and to breathe. With the perfect plan, Lee moved forward to feather a couple kisses on her bare shoulder. Then he had planned to gracefully nudge her towards her lounge chair. The mistake he made was looking down as he kissed her shoulder – he silently uttered a curse few men have ever uttered – 'bikini tops do not cover enough' - especially from certain angles. The smooth transition plan was aborted, in a very raspy voice, he pointed towards his leg and muttered "…bad knee…" and lightly pushed Amanda over to the other chair.

Amanda repositioned herself on her lounge chair. Her heart returned to its normal rhythm while her mind seemed to be racing at the speed of light. The whole exchange seemed unbelievable. These things did not happen with Lee – he was her friend, not a boyfriend. Her checks burned when she recalled her role in the mishap. She was surprised that she secretly enjoyed knowing she had a little power over Lee - that she, the little housewife, could make the sexy spy shudder. She should really be a little ashamed… With a deep breathe, she forced herself to focus on Julie's words – maybe she could get her to stop talking if she listened and made an appropriate reply.

Lee had decided that this was not the time to ponder his actions or his reactions. Julie was still droning on – he had never heard a woman speak for so long without interruption, which was saying a lot considering he had been working with the ramble master for over a year. Maybe if he paid attention to what she was saying, he could make an appropriate comment and she would go away.

Julie finally had what she thought she had all along – their undivided attention. At this point she was expounding on the "Power of Touch" class. Julie was explaining that there was a proven science to touching. Still obviously not thinking clearly, Amanda jumped in and spoke "I took class similar to that with my husband, errr – ex-husband." She cleared her throat realizing that she should not have said anything, but knowing that to get out of it, she had better continue "well, I was married before. We took the class together when we were engaged at college – it was one of those elective seminars. It was the 70s."

"Was it the steamy version or just the more clinical one?" Julie questioned with a twinkle in her eye.

Sneaking a look at Lee who looked shell-shocked and shaken, Amanda answered honestly "I guess it was kind of steamy – Practical Applications of Sensual Massage. It had a little psychology and physiology, you know, how the muscles work, how to ease tension and stuff like that."

Julie grinned and said "I have brochures about that to hand out after the class – the cruise line didn't want to go into its curriculum – even with married couples although I'm not sure quite why. Do you still remember anything you learned?"

Amanda smiled at her friend. Not risking a look at Lee, she answered in a very low voice, "Yes, I remember everything, these are things you don't forget. Must be used wisely though – you can turn even the toughest men into jello."

Julie giggled and looked at Lee "well?" Clearly traumatized Lee was staring in astonishment at the pair not believing the conversation, Amanda answered before he could find his voice "uhhhh, saving it for the honeymoon and the years ahead."

Lee knew that he had better get away – he ordered his mind to stop wandering, stood up and excused himself quickly to swim some laps. Amanda smiled at Julie and said, "we probably embarrassed him – he is shy." Mentally she wondered if she had went just a little too far…

Julie said that she needed to get going herself. She left Amanda a copy of the seminar schedule and strolled away. Amanda watched Lee glide through the water – his strokes were strong, smooth and swift – she was not surprised that he was a really good swimmer, very powerful and quick in the water. She shut her eyes and faded away into a dreamless nap…

After 50 brisk laps or so, Lee had a firm grip on himself and his emotions. He was still a little embarrassed at the lecture from Julie and a little flustered about the scene with Amanda, but he decided that this was not the time for any deep soul searching and that he should be more proactive and have a little fun. There was not anything he could do with the case until this evening so he decided that they should enjoy this time by the pool. Something a normal couple would do. So he befriended a couple and challenged them to a game of volleyball in the pool. He and Amanda won the beach ball challenge and had a great time frolicking in the pool together – like a normal couple – laughing and smiling with the occasional splash and dunk…