I Scream…. You Scream….. We All Scream for Ice Cream
Lee Stetson was a terribly frustrated man. He had been working like a dog for the past six weeks. Cases seemed to come his way faster than he could solve them and because of their nature, he had been unable to utilize his partner's help. He had just spent the past two weeks in Germany finishing up the Mannheim case. Only last night or really early this morning, he had arrived stateside. Of course his plane had been delayed so he spent the better part of the early morning hours filing his report. After stopping by his apartment to shower and change, he would be heading to see Amanda. Not only had his caseload been awful, it had also kept him away from his wife and he was just about at the end of his rope. Nothing, but nothing was going to keep him away from Maplewood Drive for a second longer. Or so he thought!
"Scarecrow," Billy Melrose called out. "You got a minute?"
Lee stopped dead in his tracks. If Billy was calling him back to his office to give him yet one more case he was going to lose it.
"What!" he bellowed a little more loudly than even he realized.
"Why don't you come into my office? I have something I'd like to discuss with you."
"Not now, Billy. I haven't slept in fifteen hours – I have been on case after case and I am going home. Let somebody handle whatever crisis has developed. Right now I don't care!"
Billy knew that Scarecrow really didn't mean half of what he was saying. He had learned long ago that the Scarecrow's bark was generally worse than his bite, at least where he had been concerned. Billy just accepted Scarecrow's impassioned outbursts as a part of his complicated psyche. He did, indeed, have a surprise for his favorite agent, if he could only get him to listen long enough to what he was saying.
"Lee, the reason I called you in here is that I have a special assignment for you. I…"
"No way, Billy," Lee exploded. "I have not had a break in six weeks and I refuse to take this assignment." He began pacing in the confined space of his boss's office. He ran his hand through his tousled hair for the third time.
"Why can't you get Francine or Beeman, Fred Fielder, or anybody else to take this case? Why me?"
"Because, you are the only one who can do it. Now if you will just keep quiet long enough for me to tell you about it, I think you'll change your tune."
As tired as he was, Lee was now intrigued. He stopped pacing and sat down across from his friend. "Okay, let's have it."
Billy smiled and said, "Your assignment is meeting your w… your partner at this address. I'm sure she can fill you in on the details of the 'assignment.'
The assignment to which Billy was referring was a one-week well-deserved vacation for both Lee and Amanda. Billy called Amanda down to his office earlier to tell her about the time-off when he was sure Lee was on his way back from Germany. Billy knew that Amanda would be the one Lee would want to spend his free time with. Deep down he knew about their secret marriage. After all, wasn't he their Section Chief? He didn't quite understand their reasons for keeping the marriage secret, but, as long as their work didn't suffer because of it, he would keep their secret until they were ready to share it with him and the rest of the world. He wondered, though, whom they thought they were fooling. Anyone just had to observe them and they'd be quick to see two people very much in love.
Billy had been somewhat taken aback at Amanda's request. She had asked Billy to pass along the address to Lee because she figured that he'd be seeing Lee before she would. The address she gave him was a park where Phillip and Jamie would be playing in a tournament soccer game. Lee had promised to attend before his schedule became so full. She wanted to remind him in case she didn't have a chance to see him before she left home with the boys. She knew he loved the boys as much as she and would do anything to keep his promise to them.
Lee was at first confused. Why would Amanda be briefing him on an assignment and why was she meeting him at this address instead of the agency, her house or his apartment? And why did Billy have such a silly grin on his face? And what had he started to say before he said your partner? It must be the lack of sleep, Lee thought. He shook his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts.
"Do you have any idea where this address is?" he asked Billy.
"Well, let's see what the computer has on it."
Billy began searching and came up with the name Memorial Soccer Field.
"Does that mean anything to you?" he asked Lee.
Lee paused for a moment trying to put the pieces of this perplexing puzzle together.
"Now it does!" Lee said as the light began to dawn. "What is today's date, Billy?"
Billy looked at him strangely and said, "Man, you're more tired than I thought if you don't even remember that today is Saturday, August 1.
With that, Lee stood up and headed for the door. "Thanks, Billy. See ya soon!"
Billy chuckled as he watched Lee head out of the office. Whatever he remembered, it surely put a spring in his step.
Lee drove quickly to his apartment, dragged his bags inside and jumped into the shower. He was beginning to feel quite human again as he let the water course over his tired body. His thoughts turned toward Amanda and he enjoyed the mental image of having her join him in the shower. But that was not to be at this moment. He got out of the shower and dressed in jeans and a short-sleeve polo shirt. With lightness in his step, he left the apartment and headed to Memorial Soccer Field.
He arrived as the second quarter started. He surveyed the stands and soon found Amanda sitting with several other parents. He began to climb the bleachers to join her. He longed to take her in his arms and give her a kiss that would cause her to melt. Unfortunately, that would have to wait until later. His frustration level began to climb again. For now, he would have to settle for a quick peck on the cheek, if she would even permit that here in public among her friends and neighbors.
"Hi," he said.
She jumped at the sound of his voice.
"Hi, yourself! I'm so glad you're here. I take it you got my message," Amanda said excitedly.
She was ready to jump into his arms and kiss him with all the pent up passion of the past several weeks. Instead, she took his arm and pulled him down beside her. She began telling him all about the game and how Phillip and Jamie were doing.
Lee, despite of his smoldering frustrations, enjoyed watching the boys play and even became caught up in the event, cheering and rooting them on. During a break in the action, both boys came over to the stands to say hi. They were thrilled that Lee had come to watch them play. He had been giving them both some pointers throughout the last couple of weeks and because of this, they both had become better players.
Amanda said, "Why don't we go over to the concession stand and get something to drink? Have you had anything to eat today?
"No, I haven't and I think I could eat a horse!" he exclaimed.
They walked toward the concession stand but before they reached it, Lee abruptly pulled Amanda into a tiny, hidden alcove. He then pulled her against his body and whispered; "Now I can give you a proper hello."
With that, he kissed her the way he had been dreaming about. Amanda responded immediately to him returning the kiss and causing his knees to buckle.
"Welcome home stranger," she said breathlessly as they pulled apart. For a moment they simply held onto each other in a firm embrace. Cheering and shouting from the crowd reminded them both of their location and they reluctantly pulled away from each other.
"Come on, let's get you that horse," Amanda playfully said.
The game was finally over and the boys came running over to Lee and Amanda.
At once, they both shouted, " Can we go to the Goofy Golf arcade? The whole team is going to celebrate our victory. Can we Mom, is it okay?"
"Okay boys, we can go," Amanda grinned. "You're going to come with us aren't you?" she asked looking at Lee.
"Yeah, Lee, we want you to come. After all, your coaching helped us win the game, " Jamie said.
"And, beside, we'll get to show off your car!" Phillip said excitedly as he ran off to join the other team members.
Lee laughed but felt a warm feeling about being included in these family events. He was becoming more of a family man and it was a feeling that he deeply enjoyed.
Lee sat with Amanda under a tree while the boys played Goofy Golf. Although he was enjoying this, his mind began to drift in its thoughts to what he would like to be doing with and to his wife. Again, the frustration he'd felt earlier began to creep back into his mind. He ran his fingers through his hair, something he did frequently when he was frustrated.
Sensing something was wrong Amanda tried to lighten his mood. "I know what you need," she began rambling, "an old fashioned ice cream cone. There's nothing better on a hot, summer day. They have the best ice cream here. It's the only time I let my cravings get the better of me. Come on, let's go see what they have today. This place offers the most flavors of anywhere in the DC area! "
Reluctantly he agreed to the ice cream cone. Amanda took great delight in looking at all the flavors before deciding on cherry chocolate chip. She laughed at Lee because he chose vanilla. "You have no imagination," she said playfully swatting him on the arm.
"I have a very vivid imagination and I will share some of what I have imagined doing to you later this evening," he whispered in her ear.
"Promises, promises," she laughed as she walked back to the tree they had been sharing.
As they sat down, Lee groaned inwardly because walking toward them was Joe. He felt his frustration level beginning to mount yet again. He knew Amanda's feelings for Joe, but it still bothered him to see just how friendly and at ease they were with each other. He quickly made short work of his ice cream cone.
"Hi," Joe said somewhat sheepishly. "Amanda, I'm sorry to bother you here but I wondered if you would mind if I picked up the boys today instead of tomorrow. I came across some tickets for the ballgame tonight, and if it's okay, I'd like to take the boys.
"Joe, you certainly are not bothering us and I think the boys would be delighted to go to the game with you. They are actually packed for their visit, so all we need to do is run home so they can get cleaned up, " Amanda answered.
At this Lee's ears perked up. Visit, what visit, he thought. Maybe the boys would be with Joe for the rest of the weekend. Then, he and Amanda could wrap up this assignment, which he still did not know about, and still have a part of the weekend to be husband and wife. Now he was beginning to get excited. His excitement didn't last long. Dotty! There was still Dotty. Oh, well, maybe Amanda could come to his apartment and then….
"Lee…Lee," Amanda said as she nudged him in the arm. "Are you okay?" She noticed the look of concern on his face and thought it must be because of Joe.
He looked up and saw that Joe had gone over to talk with the boys.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he said as his attention focused back on Amanda. She was busily working on her quickly melting ice cream cone. Lee became more fascinated as he watched her. She was delighting in this confection like a little child. She was totally focused on it, trying to get it under control before it became a sticky mess in her lap. All his conscious thoughts were trained on Amanda as she set about enjoying the dripping cone in her hand. Lee watched as her tongue darted out of her mouth and licked the cone. As he watched her, he felt his body reacting to her. His eyes began to darken with desire and he wished that at this moment, his body was the recipient of her attentions instead of that **** cone. Talk about frustration! Each time her tongue would dart out, he felt his body tighten. Next he watched as her lips settled over the cone. That was almost his undoing. He nervously ran his hand through his hair. He knew he had to stop looking at her before he embarrassed himself in front of God and the Goofy Golf crowd but he was drawn to her. He found he couldn't take his eyes off her. A bit of ice cream dribbled down and landed on her blouse. His had almost shot out to wipe it away, but he stopped himself, shifting uncomfortably. As he looked up, he noticed her lips were covered in ice cream and he almost leaned forward to taste them and capture their sweetness for himself. The dripping cone also ran over her fingers and he wanted to take them one by one in his mouth and ….
"Mom, Mom," Jamie called, "Dad has tickets to the game tonight. Is it okay if we go? Please!"
The stampede of his two teenaged stepsons brought Lee out of his reverie and caused Amanda to drop the remainder of her cone. Amanda gave him a curious look but turned her attention to the boys.
"Yes, you can go, but first we have go run by the house so you two can get cleaned up and so your dad can pack the car. "
The boys were jumping up and down for joy as they headed off to join Joe. The crowd began dispersing as families loaded up their children to head home.
"Are you okay?" she asked again noting the darkening shade of emerald in Lee's green eyes. She noticed he had a little trouble standing up and figured he had just been sitting cross- legged too long. That was not the problem at all!
"Amanda, since the boys are going with Joe tonight, do you think you could come by the apartment later on? I mean, uh, do you and your Mother have any plans for this evening?
He was almost pleading as he asked the question. Lee didn't realize the husky edge his voice had taken on but Amanda now knew why he sounded so desperate.
"Sweetheart, I don't have any plans with Mother tonight, but, I do have plans…definite plans."
Lee's face fell and his frustration level rose another notch. He was not going to be able to stand much more.
"Oh," was all he could sadly manage.
"Remember we have an assignment," she said trying not to grin.
"Okay, what's the assignment? We might as well get it over with," he asked dejectedly.
Somehow his heart was just not in this.
Amanda took pity on him. She couldn't bear to see him suffer anymore. She leaned up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Well, since the boys are going to the game tonight with Joe…. and since they will be with him all next week on a camping trip,….. and since Mother left this morning to visit Aunt Lillian for the next week,…. and since I have the next week off, I thought I would…."
She was punctuating each of these statements with light kisses along Lee lips and jaw. She had to stop and stifle a laugh because the look on Lee's face was so pitiful.
"Amanda, are you going out of town?" he said gruffly. He was about at the breaking point and this was NOT what he wanted to hear. She saw his jaw clench and his face redden slightly.
"No, I'm not going out of town. I am going to spend the next week at my house on an R & R assignment with my partner," she said smiling seductively.
"R &R - what's that and why haven't I heard of it before?" Lee was more confused now than before.
"Oh, you've heard of it, you just don't do enough of it," she whispered in his ear. "It's called Rest and Relaxation!" she said as she coyly bit his ear.
With the realization finally dawning on him, Lee was about to wrap Amanda in his arms and kiss her until she melted into a puddle on the ground like the reminder of her ice cream cone. Since the park had not fully cleared, Lee simply pulled her closer to him and whispered in her ear.
"Why don't you go on home and help the boys get ready. I'll swing by the store and pick up some things for dinner. Then maybe we can get started on this 'assignment'.
Amanda kissed him lightly on the lips and laughed, "That sounds like a plan to me! See you in a while," she said as she walked toward to the car.
Lee made a quick trip to his apartment for a quick shower and to pack a few things and then headed to the grocery store. He picked up a couple of steaks, fixings for a salad, along with a nice but provocative red wine. He was about to check out but was detoured down the frozen food isle by a crazed seven year old driving an overflowing shopping cart. Stopping before the ice cream counter, his thoughts turned back to the afternoon's ice cream experience. He thought about all the things he wanted to do both with and to Amanda involving ice cream. He thought two could play this game. Before he could stop himself, he had selected every possible flavor of ice cream available and piled the pints into the cart and headed to the check out.
Lee let himself into Amanda's house through the back door with the extra key she had given him. Joe's car was gone and the house was quiet so he figured the boys were already gone.
"Amanda….Amanda," he called but got no answer. He started up the stairs to put his things in her bedroom. He then heard her in the shower and a plan formed quickly in his head. He turned down the bed, lit several candles and headed back down stairs. He made quick work of putting the groceries away. He did have a considerable amount of trouble fitting thirty pints of ice cream into the freezer. After a bit of frustration, he finally managed to fit them all in accept one. That one he emptied into a bowl and headed upstairs. He quickly got undressed and climbed into bed.
Amanda finished her shower feeling refreshed. It was a very hot afternoon and she felt dirty and sticky from the activities of the afternoon. She wrapped herself in a towel and headed to her bedroom to dress in anticipation of her evening with her husband. She was startled but amused to find her very naked husband already in bed waiting for her.
"Well, fancy finding you here. What are you doing with that," she said pointing to the ice cream.
"This? Oh, well, I ..I was still feeling a little hungry so I decided to have a snack while waiting for you. Would you like some?" It's not vanilla – It's orange cream delight," he said very proud of himself.
"What makes you think I'll let you eat that in bed? You know, I don't allow the boys to have snacks in their rooms," she said in a mildly mocking manner.
"But I promise to share," Lee pleaded giving Amanda his sexiest grin.
"Oh.. okay," she said as she crawled into bed beside him.
Lee filled the spoon with the now somewhat soupy ice cream. He took a bite himself before gathering another spoonful, which he held out to Amanda. As she opened her mouth, he titled the spoon slightly and the cold blob of ice cream dripped down on her chest.
"Lee….oh Lee," she exclaimed partly from shock because of the cold spoonful of melting ice cream on her flesh still hot from her recent shower. She reached for the towel she still had wrapped around her to begin cleaning up the mess.
Lee took the corner of the towel saying, "Here, let me." He slowly open the towel Amanda was wearing and let the dollop of ice cream continue to slide down her chest.
"Amanda, ….this afternoon, when you were eating your ice cream cone, …did you have any idea what watching you was doing to me?" he asked, as his eyes remained transfixed on the melting ice cream.
Amanda saw the darkening look of desire in his eyes. She breathlessly replied, "No, what?"
"This!" Lee whispered as he leaned forward to taste her flesh now covered with the melting ice cream.
"Oh wow," was Amanda's reply.
Lee sat back and took another bite of the melting ice cream. Setting the bowl on the nightstand, he leaned forward to capture Amanda's lips. She could taste the sweetness of the ice cream and her husband.
They spent the afternoon enjoying their new- found passion for ice cream.
Later that evening, they sat in each other's arms simply content to be. After a while, Lee asked, "how are we so lucky to get this particular assignment?"
"I think Mr. Melrose took pity on you."
They both laughed and reverted again to the comfortable quiet of just enjoying each other's company. Before long, Amanda began to stir in Lee's arms.
"I'm so glad to have you home. I hope you won't have to go away any time soon," she said as she began planting kisses along his neck.
"Hmmmmm," Lee murmured, "I don't think I'll be leaving any time soon," he said as he turned Amanda in his arms so she could have better access to his neck and chest. His hands were wandering lovingly over her back.
Amanda quieted for a moment and asked shyly, "Lee, are you tired? I'm mean, I know you haven't had much sleep lately and so if you wanted to go upstairs and go to sleep I'll understand."
"Amanda, sleep is not what I am thinking about at this very moment."
"Oh really," she said as she felt his body responding to the actions of her fingers and lips.
"Then what are you thinking about."
Lee chuckled softly but didn't answer her. He simply tightened his arms around her. Several minutes of silence passed before she spoke again.
"Lee, since you're not really sleepy…..ah…..do we….is there…..?"
"What is it, Amanda?
"Is there anymore ice cream?"
Chuckling, he titled her chin up so he could look into her eyes. Within them he saw so much love reflected it almost frightened him. He loved this woman so much. Would she ever know how much he really loved her? He bent his head to kiss her, tenderly, at first but the kiss quickly became deep, hot and full of all the longing he felt for her. He broke the kiss, which left them both breathless. He picked her up and carried her toward the stairs, but decided on a slight detour. Instead, he headed for the kitchen. Amanda didn't notice the detour since her head was buried in the crook of his neck.
"Amanda, open the door," he whispered into her ear.
"Hmmm?"
"Open the door," he grinned.
Amanda was somewhat confused seeing as they were standing in front of the refrigerator. "You want a snack," she asked incredulously.
"Not the frig," he said as he set her down. "The freezer," he said while opening the door.
Amanda gasped when she saw the contents of the now fully stocked freezer.
"Scarecrow, we'll both hafta go on diets if we go through all that," she smiled at him.
"Oh, I can think of several ways to burn off those calories. Care to join me," he asked as he took her by the hand and led her upstairs with yet another bowl of frozen delight.
The End
Story Notes:
Disclaimer: These characters are not mine; they belong the Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon productions. I just love and want to share them.
Author's Chapter Notes:
This takes place six months after the wedding – the marriage is still a secret.