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Lee Stetson checked his watch for the third time, silently cursing the full moon. Everything that could go wrong today had done so, including spending the last fifteen minutes crouched painfully under the kitchen window of Amanda's home.

He and Amanda had spent the morning chasing the bane of his existence--Serge Ivanovich. Serge had led them on a merry chase around the Mall and managed to put up a good fight, before Lee finally slapped the cuffs on him outside the Lincoln Memorial. His hand still throbbed from the punch he’d landed on Serge's jaw, and he flexed his fingers a couple of times, trying to ease some of the stiffness from them.

An early lunch in the park with Amanda had brightened his day considerably, until that kid on the out-of-control skateboard ran right into her, knocking her down. He berated himself for not doing anything to prevent it. His back was turned, and he couldn't get to Amanda fast enough to avoid the collision with the skateboarder.

She’d insisted she wasn’t hurt, but her pants were torn, and an ugly red scrape marred her creamy skin. He’d taken her home to change, and, since they didn't have anything pressing going on at the Agency, convinced her to stay home and take care of her leg.

Of course, he'd forgotten about the unfinished reports waiting for them back at the Q-Bureau. They were due by the end of the day, and, with Amanda gone, the responsibility to complete them fell to him.

He'd worked nonstop for the rest of the afternoon and managed to turn them into Billy on time. He'd never had a chance to check up on Amanda, which explained why he was hiding out in her bushes.

He had to make sure his partner . . . ?

His best friend . . .?

The woman he loved . . . was all right.

There, he’d finally thought it. The big “L” word. He’d admitted, at least to himself, how he truly felt about Amanda. He just wasn't ready to say it out loud, yet. Hell, he might never be ready.

It seemed his bad karma had followed him to Amanda's. Usually, by now her family had left the kitchen, and he could steal some time alone with her. Not tonight though. Just a few minutes after he arrived, he’d heard Dotty say she was going upstairs to soak in a bath and read her latest romance novel. A few minutes after Dotty left, Phillip had said he was going to his room to play a new video game.

And Jamie seemed to be taking forever to complete his homework, something else that was unusual. He always had his homework done before supper, and Phillip was the one who needed to be hog-tied to finish his assignments. With a sigh, Lee resigned himself to waiting a little longer before talking to Amanda.

His legs cramped, and he needed to move around. Taking a chance, he rose and peeked in the open window. Amanda stood at the kitchen sink, drying a dish. It looked like she was deep in thought, and she jumped at Jamie's voice. Lee jumped, too, afraid he'd been spotted, and quickly squatted back down.

Jamie's plea for help with his homework drifted out to him. Concerned that it would be a while before Amanda was alone, he stood again, crossed his arms over his chest, and leaned his back against the side of the house, making himself as comfortable as possible, while standing in Dotty's garden.

He smiled at the sweet sound of Amanda's voice. "Sure, sweetheart, what seems to be the problem?"

"Well, Mom," Jamie began, "we have to explain the difference between an enemy and a nemesis, and I can't seem to do it."

"That doesn't sound hard. Let's see what the dictionary says."

Conversation stopped as, Lee assumed, Amanda searched the dictionary.

"Okay, the definition of an enemy is either ‘one that is antagonistic to another; one seeking to injure, overthrow, or confound an opponent, something harmful or deadly.’

And the definition of nemesis is ‘one that inflicts retribution or vengeance; a formidable and usually victorious rival or opponent.’ Boy, that is a tough one. Where's the thesaurus? Maybe that will give us a clearer picture."

The voices quieted, and Lee pictured Amanda walking over to the bookcase in the living room, grabbing the reference book, and returning to the table. Her voice traveled like music to his ears.

She read aloud all of the synonyms for enemy. "There doesn't seem to be anything in here for nemesis, so I guess you'll just have to use what the dictionary said."  She sounded disappointed that her search had failed.

"I've already tried that," Jamie replied. "All I could come up with is, enemy means two people or sides against each other on a particular issue. Nemesis is confusing me though."

"What's confusing, dear?"

Oh, great. Just what he needed. Dotty had finished her bath and was now joining in the homework-fest.  He stifled a groan. At this rate, he'd never get to see Amanda. Maybe he should go home. He'd call her when he got there.

"Jamie's having trouble with his homework," Amanda answered her mother. "He needs to explain the difference between an enemy and a nemesis."

"Well, dear, that shouldn't be hard for you. After all, Joan Richards was your nemesis all through high school."

His ears perked up at Dotty's comment. He stopped dead in his tracks and settled back against the wall again, as close to the window as he dared. He didn't have too long to wait before Amanda spoke again.

"Oh, Mother, don't be silly. Joan wasn't my nemesis. She was just difficult to get along with."

"Amanda, that girl was just plain nasty. Remember the cheerleading tryouts? And how about homecoming? Oh, and let's not forget the prom. Now I'm going back to read the last few pages of my book, then there's an old Cary Grant movie on television I want to watch. I think I'll take a glass of milk upstairs with me."

The unmistakable clink of glass on glass told him Dotty had added a splash of Galliano to her milk. He shuddered at the thought of what that must taste like. Amanda had laughed at the face he’d made when she first told him about her mother's special concoction.

"Good night, dears."

"Good night," Amanda and Jamie replied in unison.

"Good night, Dotty," Lee whispered into the darkness. One down and one to go. He breathed a sigh of relief. Soon he'd be able to make his presence known. Then his Amanda would come outside and sit with him for a while. He couldn't wait to ask her all about this Joan person. Shifting his weight to a more comfortable stance, he settled in to wait for the resolution of Jamie's problem.

"So, Mom, do you want to tell me about this Joan person?"

"Yes, Amanda, tell us about Joan," Lee whispered.

"Not particularly. Now finish up your homework."

"Okay, Mom, but I still have the same problem. Maybe if you give me an example, I could figure it out."

"Nice try, buster," came Amanda's quick reply. "Let me see that definition again."

Lee had to agree. It was a nice try. Jamie showed real promise with Class C interrogations. At least he came by it naturally. No one was better than his mother at getting people to talk.

"Okay, Jamie, how about this? A nemesis is someone who inflicts punishment for a perceived wrong in order to be victorious in a particular event. I think."

"Sounds good to me. Thanks, Mom."

A soft thud echoed as Jamie packed up his books. It wouldn't be too much longer before the teen headed upstairs to get ready for bed. Amanda ran a tight ship where her children were concerned, and bedtimes were strictly adhered to.

Mentally, he counted off the time he thought it would take for the coast to clear, and then he turned and peeked in the window again. Amanda stood by the stove, rubbing her leg while she watched the kettle. Anxious to see her, he tapped on the glass window of the back door.

She turned the gas off, opened the door, and smiled at him.

His stomach fluttered. "Hi, beautiful."

"Hi, yourself."

"I came by to see how you were doing and to apologize once more. I really am sorry I couldn't do anything to stop that kid this afternoon.”

She placed her fingers over his lips, quieting him. He kissed them softly, and she beamed at him.

"There was nothing you could have done. Neither one of us saw that boy until it was too late. It was an accident. Accidents happen, Lee. I'm all right--that's all that matters."

He clasped her hand in his, gently stroking his thumb across her knuckles. "Good, I'm glad to hear it. Can you sit with me for a bit or are you too busy?"

"I can sit for a while." She led him to the gazebo and tugged him down onto the bench. He laid his arm across her shoulders, and she snuggled closer into his embrace, resting her head against his shoulder. "Mother went upstairs to watch an old movie, and the boys are in their room, playing video games."

"I know, I heard."

Amanda pulled back and looked him in the eye. "Just how much did you hear?"

“Oh, not that much." He slyly waited for her to settle back against his side before adding, "Just enough to want to know all about a certain nemesis of yours." She stiffened in his arms, and he tightened his hold. "I believe your mother said her name was Joan Richards. Care to explain?"

"Not really."

"Oh, come on now, you can tell me. Remember, I said I wanted to find out all about you? Well, this is a good way for me to find out about Amanda West, teenager."

"It was a long time ago, and I hardly remember it."

He didn't believe her for one second. Amanda had a mind like a steel trap and remembered the smallest details. "I'd still like to know about it. Tell me what you remember. Please. Besides, I never went to the same school long enough to make friends, let alone enemies. I'd like to hear how high school was for a 'normal' person."

That would do it. Amanda always felt sorry for him whenever he spoke about living with the Colonel. He felt bad playing on her sympathy for him, but he really wanted to know everything about her.

She sighed. "I've never told anyone, not even Joe. So you have to promise not to tell anyone."

He felt honored that she trusted him and just a little smug that he'd know something Joe didn’t. "I promise." He kissed her to seal the bargain.

Settling back against the lattice, he closed his eyes and listened as Amanda described the events that took place on the very first day of high school. He imagined Amanda as a timid thirteen-year-old, sitting in the auditorium for an orientation speech, when some snot-nosed upstart picked on her, trying to force her to move to another seat.

Then she told him about the boy who stood up for her and became her champion from then on. The old green-eyed monster reared its ugly head. Lee hated the thought of anyone but him being her champion. He felt a little better when Amanda revealed the name of her white knight. He'd met her friend Mike and been delighted to learn that Mike had no romantic interest in Amanda or any woman, for that matter. The two were only friends.

"That's all I really remember."

He wasn't buying it. "Amanda, your mother said that Joan was your nemesis. I'm sure there was more to it than a few cross words between girls. Tell me what happened with cheerleading, homecoming, and the prom." He pictured Amanda in pigtails and a very short cheerleading outfit. He had a feeling a more risqué image of her in that outfit would be repeating itself in his dreams tonight.

"Okay.” She sighed, as if the weight of the world rested on her slim shoulders.

"The first time Joan pulled something was at the cheerleading tryouts. There were only two spots open to freshmen and three of us competing for the spots. Well, really only two, Joan and myself. The third girl, Sheila, was the sister of the captain so she pretty much had a spot. Not only did Joan steal my cheer, but she locked me in my locker so I never made it to tryouts."

"Oh, Manda, that's terrible." He chuckled.

"It sure was, but I had the last laugh. I was the only one who could do a full split, so I got the spot without even trying out. And since I was the lightest, I was the top of the pyramid."

He couldn't contain his mirth any longer and let out a full belly laugh.

Amanda pouted. "It's not funny. I was really scared."

"You're right. I'm sure it was scary then, but you have to admit, it is kind of funny now. Just one question, how’d you get out of your locker?"

"Mike, of course. We walked home from school together every day. He always met me by my locker after class, and when he showed up, he heard me knocking and let me out."

He laughed harder, and tears rolled down his face. While he never got stuffed in his locker, he clearly remembered stuffing the nerdy kids and the newbies in theirs. He sort of felt guilty now; they must have been just as scared as Amanda had been.

She pulled out of his embrace and crossed her arms over her chest. "If you are going to continue to laugh at me, I won't tell you the rest."

He promised to behave and prompted her to tell him the rest of her tale. She told him of the little things--missing homework assignments she knew she’d turned in, projects that disappeared or were somehow destroyed. While she had no proof Joan had anything to do with the incidents, she knew in her heart of hearts that she was responsible.

Next, she recounted, in vivid detail, the events of the Annual Sophomore Homecoming Pep Rally.  He could almost smell the smoke from the bonfire the kids had built on the campus of the Community College. His blood began to boil as she explained the dirty trick Joan played on her. Telling everyone that she had a family emergency and wouldn't need a ride home was mean.

The more she told him the angrier he became. When her ride left without her, Amanda had been stranded at the college. Since her folks were out of town, she had to walk five miles back to the high school. He couldn't believe the risk she’d taken.  Something terrible could have happened. His gut churned at the thought of all the perils she might have encountered.

He didn't care that Mike had met her about halfway back to school. It was a stupid prank. Anything could have happened to a young girl walking alone late at night. If he ever met up with this Joan person, he was going to give her an earful. He couldn't sit still any longer; he rose from the bench and paced the length of the gazebo. His jaw clenched, and he yelled, "Do you know how dangerous that was?"

"Sure, but I had to get back somehow." She reached out and grabbed his hand, giving his fingers a gentle squeeze. He calmed instantly and sat back down on the bench. Once more she snuggled into him. The wind rustled the leaves, and the crickets chirped as they sat quietly. He said a silent prayer of thanks that his Amanda wasn't seriously hurt. Since she hadn't continued, he assumed that there were no more incidents between the two teens.

Then she told him nothing eventful happened during her junior year, confirming his assumption.  Joan had come down with a bad case of mononucleosis and spent the remainder of the year playing catch-up. Amanda, much to his chagrin, had become involved with the drummer from Mike's garage band.

Somehow he couldn't picture cheerleader Amanda hanging out with a drummer, much less dating one. Drummers were notoriously "bad boys." He pictured her dating a real intellectual, or maybe the captain of the football team. It surprised him a little that her parents actually let her go out with a motorcycle-riding, leather-clad, tattooed degenerate.

Evidently, her folks felt the same way. They hated him and tried hard to get her to stop seeing him, without much success. But the attraction faded quickly for Amanda, and she eventually broke up with him. Good thing, too, because he ended up in prison for armed robbery.

She shivered in his arms, and he thought he heard her sniffle. He tugged her closer and ran his hand down her arm. “Hey, are you cold?”

She shook her head and brushed her hand over her cheek, then placed it back on his chest. She sniffled again, and a tear dropped onto his shirt.

“Amanda, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong; it’s just . . . that summer . . . Daddy passed away. I took it really hard. I always thought I was to blame for his heart attack. Daddy always said my dating would be the death of him, and I dated someone he and Mother didn’t approve of . . .”

“Amanda, stop! You are not to blame for your father’s death, anymore than I am for my parents being killed.”

He knew just how she felt though. For a long time, he had thought he'd done something wrong, and if he were just a little better behaved, then they wouldn't have left him. It took him years to understand that he hadn't caused his parents’ death.

She amazed him. Life had placed such heartache on her slim shoulders, yet she'd never lost her love of life or her belief in people. Her unwavering faith, more than anything else, had helped him become a better man.

"I know. I guess just remembering that time brought the old feelings back to the surface."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. Let me give you something else to think about." He held her closer and lowered his head, his lips gently brushing hers.

Her arms banded around his waist, and he traced her lower lip with his tongue. She opened for him, and he deepened the kiss. A purr of pleasure reached him, his or hers he couldn't be sure. She wound her arms around his neck, burying her fingers in his hair and kissed him senseless. All too soon, oxygen became a necessity, and reluctantly, they pulled apart, settling back on the bench. Once again, she snuggled into his shoulder.

"Feel better?"

"Much, thanks. Now let's see, where was I? Oh, yeah, senior year."

"You don't have to tell me any more."

"I know, but I want to."

She let out a deep breath--he could feel it feathering across his chest--and began her tale again. He smiled when she told him nothing happened the first few months of the school year. Unfortunately, when the school held a dance to honor Sadie Hawkins, the temporary truce ended. The girls had to ask the boys to the dance. She was afraid that no one would accept her invitation, so she asked Mike to escort her.

Lee couldn't imagine anyone in his right mind not wanting to be with Amanda. When he told her just that, she reminded him of their early partnership, when he'd done everything in his power to avoid her. Sheepishly, he ran his hand through his hair and explained he was crazy back then.

Wanting to get her back on the topic, he asked, "Let me guess, Joan wanted to go with Mark?" Deliberately, he used the wrong name. What had started out as a small act of jealousy over the men Amanda dated had turned into a bad habit, and one he thoroughly enjoyed because it always irked her.

"Mike," she corrected, stressing his name, "turned her down even before I asked him. He was still mad at her for all those pranks she pulled. It seemed I wasn't the only one she tormented. Joan targeted all Mike's female friends."

“So what happened at the dance?”

“I didn’t get to go to the dance. It was a shame, too, because Mother and I worked every night for almost three weeks making my dress. It was really something, too. Strapless, floor length, emerald green velvet, with a matching silk-lined wrap. The worst part was the hidden zipper. I never put one in before, and it took a while before it was just right.”

“I bet you looked beautiful in it. I wish I could have seen it. How come you didn’t go to the dance?”

“Oh, well, someone moved the crash mat.” Amanda answered.

“A-man-da,” Lee groaned. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but can you give me a little more of an explanation? What do you mean by someone moved the crash mat?”

“Oh, Lee, I’m sorry.  I sprained my ankle in gym class and couldn’t go to the dance. You see, I was taking gymnastics at the time, and during a dismount off the balance beam, the crash mat slipped, and I ended up getting hurt.”

“Did Joan have anything to do with it?”

“I don’t think so. She wasn’t in my class. But, hey, you never know.” Amanda smiled. “Mike felt so bad that he took me to the prom.”

“The prom? Tell me about it.”

 “I’d rather not,” Amanda mumbled.

Feeling bad that he'd upset her, he decided to let the matter drop. She'd tell him the rest, eventually. "Billy gave me our new assignment. We’re helping the Brits for the next few days. They're hosting a party next week at their embassy, and they have a rookie agent in charge of security. Ten Downing Street asked the President if the Agency would go over the security arrangements, just to be sure nothing was overlooked. Since we aren't that busy, I said we'd do it. Who knows, if all goes well, maybe we'll get an invite." Lee smiled at the thought of spending the night slow dancing with his best girl.

“Sounds like a plan,” she agreed. "I think I still have the green dress in the attic."

She turned into him, nuzzling his neck. Then, in words spoken so softly, he felt rather than heard them, she whispered, “I dumped the whole bowl of punch over her head.”

“Amanda, did you just say that you dumped punch on Joan?”

She nodded and spoke with her lips still nestled against his neck. "Joan was teasing Cathy, and I just lost it. I mean, she was saying some awful things."

Settling back against his side, she continued speaking, without looking at him. "I just couldn’t stand by and let her hurt Mike’s sister like that. Cathy went to the prom with Rob; he played guitar in the band. They were crazy about each other. Mike didn’t want any of his friends dating his sister, so I promised I'd keep an eye on Cathy and make sure she stayed out of trouble.

I found Cathy standing by the refreshment table, crying, and Joan hurling insults at her. I just got so mad. Cathy is two years younger than us. And she was still in that awkward stage girls go through. Her figure hadn't filled out, and she still carried some baby fat. Not to mention brand new braces. I don’t know what came over me, but I picked up the punch bowl and dumped it over Joan’s head. Joan was nominated for prom queen, but the big red stain on her white gown quickly diminished her chances for the coveted crown."

Shyly, she peeked at him from under her lashes. "The entire party applauded. Mortified, Joan left in a huff. We all thought she went home, but she went straight to the principal and told him what I'd done. I almost didn’t graduate. The next week, I had to stand in front of the whole senior class and apologize to Joan. Standing at the podium, I could see Mike, Roger, and a few other students who we hung out with sitting in the front row, so it wasn’t as bad as I had feared. I had the last laugh though. When Joan’s name was called at graduation, she tripped walking up to the stage to get her diploma. It was a very graceful fall.” Amanda laughed.

He laughed with her. “So was that the end of it, or did your nemesis follow you on to college?” Lee asked, silently proud of Amanda for standing up to Joan.

“That was the end of it. We went to separate colleges. You know I went to UVA, but Joan went to school out West. I think somewhere in Arizona. Last I heard, she was married and had three daughters.”

“I hope they didn’t take after their mother.”

“Yeah, me, too,” Amanda agreed.

They sat wrapped around each other, enjoying the peaceful night and the simple pleasure of being together. “Amanda, it’s getting late.” Lee stood, pulling Amanda up with him. “I really should be going.”

“Yeah, I guess it is kind of late, and I better get inside before someone starts looking for me.”

Hand in hand, they walked to her back door. She turned to face him, winding her arms around his neck. “Good night, Lee.” She gently brushed her lips across his.

“Good night, Amanda.” Lee kissed her softly. “Thank you for the education.”

“Lee?”

“I finally found out why you handle Francine so well. Compared to Joan, Francine's a piece of cake.” Lee chuckled. “How about I pick you up early tomorrow? I'll take you to breakfast before heading in to work?”

“It's a date. Seven-thirty?”

“Seven-thirty it is.” He kissed her again, more deeply this time, before heading to the gate. He turned around and winked.

She blew him a kiss and whispered, “You’re welcome.”

He slipped behind the wheel of the Corvette and waited until all the lights inside her house were turned off. When he turned the key in the ignition, the engine roared to life, and he drove home.

The End