Title: On the Beach -with Steve and Amanda
Author: Janet R
E-mail: trevor.Rampley@virgin.net
Rating: PG
Challenge: 116) A romance between Steve and Amanda. They have
been close for a long time with lots of flirting going on.
Summary: Steve realises that he wants more than friendship.
Steve was tired. Hungry. Fed up. You name it. He had been on
stake out for a week. Not exactly the most enjoyable detail a
police lieutenant could pull. Still, if the stake out paid off
they'd have the evidence they needed to prove that Johnson knew
the guy who'd killed his business partner. From there it would be
a skip and a jump to proving that he actually ordered the hit
himself to cover up his embezzlement .
Stake outs did funny things to the mind. Steve had found himself
thinking what was going on at Community General. He hadn't seen,
much less spoken to his dad, Jesse or Amanda for a week. All his
life consisted of was the stake out and sleep. He found his
thoughts turning more and more to Amanda. He was concerned about
how she was dealing with the divorce and the demands of being a
single working mum to CJ. He knew that his dad and Jesse were
concerned too.
The next day, after a well deserved sleep , a shave and looking
forward to a few days off Steve strolled into the foyer of
Community General. He was hoping to catch up with his dad for
lunch. He saw Mark ahead of him in the corridor.
' Hey dad,' he called.
Mark turned,
'Oh hi son. How's the stake out going?'
'It's going,' said Steve,'but I think we're getting there. Right
now all I have on my mind is lunch. Are your free?'
' Sorry son, I'm busy right now, but I think that Amanda may be
free. Try her, she's in her office', said Mark.
'OK , I might just do that. See you at home later', replied Steve
as he turned towards the elevator.
He pressed the button to take him up to the floor where Amanda
had her lab and office. As he walked along the corridor he could
see through the glass wall of the office that Amanda was on the
phone and, if he didn't miss his guess, it wasn't a friendly
call.
'Knock knock', said Steve poking his head around the office door.
Amanda didn't answer, she was staring into space.
'Seen any good dead bodies lately?', joked Steve
'No', said Amanda grimly, 'but I know one I'd like to'.
'Not me, I hope', said Steve, with a grin on his face.
Amanda looked up and, realising it was Steve, attempted a smile
and said,
'No, of course not. My ex actually. Yet again, he's cancelled his
time with CJ. Air Force! CJ was so looking forward to spending
time with his dad. All he's talked about for days is going to the
beach with daddy'.
'Well, ' said Steve,' I have a few days off. How 'bout I take
him? A poor substitute for his days, but maybe he'll enjoy it.'
'Oh Steve, that's wonderful! CJ will be delighted. As for being a
poor substitute ………….never! CJ loves you. In
fact, he couldn't love you more if you were his daddy,' Amanda
said with feeling.
Suddenly, Steve was overwhelmed with the feeling that there was
nothing he'd like more than to be CJ's real dad. Something of his
thoughts must have shown on his face because Amanda said with
concern,
'Steve, are you okay?'
Steve quickly recovered his balance and replied,
'Yeah, sorry. Just hungry. Want to join me for lunch?'
'Terrific, give me five minutes finish up and we'll go'.
The next day found Steve and CJ firmly ensconced on the beach. To
be accurate, half of Steve was actually under the beach . CJ was
having a wonderful time pouring bucket loads of sand over Steve's
legs in an attempt to make Steve his 'buried treasure'. Just as
it seemed that Steve was going to totally disappear, Amanda came
down the beach from the house that Mark and Steve shared. CJ
forgot his shovelling in his haste to get a cuddle from his mum.
'Hi Amanda, we didn't expect to see you for hours yet,' said
Steve as he disentangled himself from the sand.
'Your dad told me to take the afternoon off and join you two
here. I don't think my mind is where is should be at the moment',
replied Amanda, tiredly brushing her hair off her face.
'Sit down, we're just about to eat weren't we CJ? Do you think
mommy would like a sandwich?' Steve asked the little boy.
Lunch eaten and CJ tucked up underneath and umbrella to shield
him from the sun, Steve and Amanda had time to talk.
'So, how are you really coping with the divorce and all,' asked
Steve.
'Oh I don't know Steve. Sometimes I think I'm on top of it all
and then others when I don't seem to be coping at all', Amanda
said sadly, ' I feel so tired and alone at the moment.
There was such a look of emptiness on her face that Steve reached
out and pulled Amanda toward his chest so that she was leaning
against it. She resisted for a moment and then let herself relax.
Steve put his arms around her and said'
'CJ's asleep, why don't you see if you can join him'.
For a long time there was silence. All that could be heard was
the sea gently lapping on the shore. Steve leant back against the
wall of the sand dune with his arms around Amanda. He could tell
by her breathing that she was gradually relaxing and eventually
she fell asleep.
Amanda stirred in her sleep, turning so that her face was cradled
by the muscles on Steve's chest and her arms crept around his
waist. Steve's arms tightened around Amanda as he looked down at
her sleeping face. Before he knew what he was doing he bent his
head and kissed Amanda, very gently, on her forehead. She stirred
for a second and then buried herself deeper into Steve's t-shirt
covered torso.
For a long time Steve sat quite still, unable to comprehend the
quantum leap he had mentally just mad. Amanda was his friend!
Yet, as he looked down at her, he was conscious of feelings that
went far deeper than friendship. Again Amanda moved in her sleep,
this time her head slipped so her face was tilted upwards. Before
he could stop himself and without thinking about the consequences
Steve bent his head to meet Amanda's and gently pressed his lips
against hers. They remained still for several seconds, like a
tableau. Then Amanda's arms crept up around Steve's neck and she
began to return his kiss. Steve tightened his arms around Amanda
and increased the intensity of his kiss. He could feel his desire
rising , but he wanted to make sure that Amanda knew what she was
doing and who she was kissing. He gently disengaged his lips from
hers ignoring, just, the small sound of disappointment that came
from the back of Amanda's throat.
'Amanda,' he said gently,
Amanda opened her eyes.
'What's the matter? Why did you stop kissing me?' she asked.
'Because I wanted to make sure you knew it was me you were
kissing and not your ex-husband,' replied Steve, ' I value our
friendship, but I've just discovered I want more than that from
you. I don't want to be second best or a rebound. So if I'm
either, I'll back off'.
Amanda smiled,
'You'd never be second best to anyone Steve, let alone me. I
don't know where this could lead, if anywhere at all, but I'm
willing to try. For the record though, I knew exactly who was
kissing me. Now if you don't mind lieutenant,' she said with a
grin on her face,' I think you ought to carry on with your
investigation'.
Steve's last coherent thought as his body pressed Amanda's back
into the sand was that this was one investigation he was happy to
conduct for as long as it took.
THE END
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