Bread and Butter
by Tjsmklvr
Rating: K
Setting: Immediately following Season 2’s ‘Our Man in Tegernsee’
Summary: My take on what might have happened after we left Lee and Amanda at the end of the episode.
Written: November 2020
Genre: Canon’ish
Special Thanks: Thank you to my new friend and beta Rhonda for finding all my typos and making great suggestions. A HUGE ‘thank you’ to my beta and sounding board, Sheila.
As they walked further and further away from the Munich Police Station, Amanda’s chest felt lighter and lighter. “What’s gonna happen to Harry?” she asked with an inward cringe, as she already suspected the answer.
Lee sighed in resignation. “They’re gonna throw the book at him.”
“Gee, that’s too bad.” Amanda looked both ways before following Lee across the street. “You know,” she held up her index finger for effect, “If when Harry discovered that counterfeiting ring, he had just told the Agency about it instead of throwing in with them, he’d probably would have been a hero and he could have had any assignment he wanted.” She shook her head in disbelief. Harry seemed like such a nice man when Lee had first introduced him to her. Sure, he was a little too much into his schnapps, but he was friendly.
“You know, it’s funny you could figure that out, but Harry couldn’t.” Lee shook his head.
Amanda shrugged. “It’s logical.”
“You’re a very logical person.” He smiled warmly.
“Yes, I am.” She smiled back. “How did you figure out that Harry was one of the counterfeiters?”
“It was a couple of things. First of all, his lifestyle . . .” As they came to a cement pillar, they instinctively linked their pinkies together for the briefest of moments, before letting go once they moved past. Amanda quirked her brow ever so slightly in surprise before they smiled at one another and Lee resumed his explanation.
“No matter how good the rate of exchange is he could never afford that chalet.”
“Yeah, you said a couple of things.” She eyed him curiously.
“Well the clincher was that morning at breakfast, I’d asked him if he’d remembered our conversation from the night before. He remembered counterfeit twenties.” She looked at him quizzically. “I never mentioned twenty-dollar bills.”
“Oh! Very clever of you!” Her brows raised and she couldn’t help the laugh that escaped.
“Well, thank you.”
From a distance, she could hear someone yelling and her shoulders tensed.
“Frau King!”
She smiled politely toward the approaching man, as she leaned into her partner and whispered through gritted teeth. “I thought the police were finished with us?”
“Uh, ‘one question,’” Lee joked, but eyed the man suspiciously.
Lieutenant Volkenaur came to a stop in front of them nearly out of breath. “Frau King, I don’t wish to detain you any further, but uh . . . one question.” He smiled nervously.
“Yes?” She strained to smile warmly at the man.
“What are you doing for dinner this evening?” He watched her hopefully.
Amanda couldn’t help the nervous laugh that escaped.
“Perhaps a typical Bavarian meal?” He pressed on.
“Thank you very much, but I think I’ll be having dinner with my family tonight in Arlington, Virginia.” She smiled up at Lee looking for confirmation. “Or breakfast, whichever it is. Anyway, I think I’ll be eating at home.”
The once hopeful look on the man’s face had given way to disappointment. He shook hands with both of them before bidding them farewell.
Amanda took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. She couldn’t help but feel bad for turning the man down.
“Amanda,” Lee whispered, “Did you forget our flight isn't until tomorrow morning?” He regarded her with a puzzled look.
“Shhh! Lee, he’ll hear you!” She grabbed at his lapels and then straightened his tie. When she was certain the lieutenant was out of earshot, she continued. “Yes, I know that. I just didn't want to hurt his feelings." She glanced back at the trench coat clad man as he moved dejectedly toward the brick building from which he came.
“Why didn’t you just say ‘yes’ to his invitation? He seemed pretty smitten with you. Following you through Germany like a lost little puppy and all--”
“He was hardly following me around,” she interrupted. “Besides, he thought I was a counterfeiter!”
“I don’t know, Amanda . . . he seemed pretty excited to ask you out.” He grinned, clearly enjoying himself.
“Well, if you really think so, maybe I can still catch up to him.” She turned and began walking toward the detective’s retreating form.
Lee grabbed her arm to stop her. “Amanda! I was kidding!”
She turned on her heel with a wide grin. “Gotcha!”
“Okay, okay. I deserved that.” He sighed. “What do you say I treat you to an honest to goodness Bavarian meal, Frau King?" he asked, in his best German accent.
“Wunderbar!” She smiled warmly.
SMK*SMK*SMK*SMK*SMK*SMK*SMK*SMK*SMK*
The ‘oom-pah’ music could be heard emanating from the tall building as they rounded the corner. The large, blue ‘HB’ adorning the façade indicated this was the place Lee had described. Amanda barely had a chance to take in her surroundings when she felt Lee’s hand tugging her inside. The strong smell of cigarette smoke assaulted her, but as she moved further into the building, she inhaled the
savory meats, cheeses, and pastas that seemed to be coming out of the kitchen nonstop. One particular dish that had passed by on a waitress’ tray smelled amazing. She was certain she’d never determine which item it was in the inevitable sea of German words inscribed on the menu.
The waitress seated them at one of the large picnic-style tables along with several other people. Lee introduced the two of them to the other five people sharing their table. Dining at the same table with perfect strangers was something she had experienced in her previous trips to Germany and once again, she was charmed by the novelty of sitting at the same table with other tourists, learning about other cultures and listening to tales of their traveling adventures. She loved traveling abroad, meeting new people and taking in all the amazing sites. And what sites there were to see in this old building.
As she craned her neck to stare up the beautifully painted ceiling, she could hear Lee ordering them each a beer. A chill ran up her spine when she felt his breath on her ear. “You know, everything but the ground floor was destroyed in World War II. It took until 1958 to be rebuilt.”
“Really?” She was amazed at his knowledge. He always had some little nugget of detail that fascinated her.
“Yep. Really.” He took the large beer mug from the buxom waitress with a nod and placed it in front of Amanda, before taking the other for himself.
“Oh my gosh!” She yelled over the loud horns of the band. “Lee, I can’t drink all this!”
“Just do your best, Amanda.” He laughed as he lifted the heavy mug and clinked it to hers before taking it to his lips for a gulp of refreshing wheat beer.
~SMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMK~
“Oh my gosh! That was so good!” Amanda pushed the plate away and leaned back.
“You barely touched your wiener schnitzel, Amanda. Didn’t you like it?”
“Are you kidding? It was delicious! I ate a lot of it but I can only eat so much, Lee. Besides, between the spaetzle and the Hefe . . . Hefe,” she sighed, giving up. “The beer—"
“Hefeweisen.” he corrected.
“Right!” She grabbed the heavy stein of beer with both hands and brought it up to her mouth for a swig.
“Uh, perhaps you’ve had enough of that too.” He laughed as he pulled it from her clutches. At her pout, he continued. “Come on, let’s dance.”
He led her out onto the small wooden dance floor in front of the band and she fell into his warm embrace. The music was just fading as they reached the dance floor, but the band quickly began a new song.
SMK*SMK*SMK*SMK*SMK*SMK*SMK*SMK*SMK*
“You know, Lee I’m so glad I turned Lt. Volkenauer down and accepted your invitation instead.” She smiled at the strangers walking past.
“Oh yeah?” He tightened his grip around her waist to steady her as they made their way down the cobble stoned street toward their hotel. While he’d been careful to make sure she didn’t drink too much at dinner, she nevertheless appeared to be having difficulty walking straight. “Hey, watch yourself,” he warned as he guided her into the revolving door of their hotel.
Nodding to the hotel attendant behind the desk, Lee steered her toward the stairs that would take them to the second floor of the old hotel. He stopped abruptly when they reached her door. “You were saying?”
“Oh!” She reached up and grabbed hold of his tie. “Yeah, you always know how to show a girl a good time.” She smiled broadly before leaning up on her tiptoes and placed a chaste kiss to the corner of his mouth.
“Uh . . . well.” He gulped nervously. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself, Amanda.” He smiled warmly down at her. “Why don’t you hand me your key and we’ll get you settled in for the night, huh?”
“Oh, thank you, Lee.” She fumbled with the zipper of her purse before finding the elusive key and handed it to him.
Seconds later, he held the old carved wooden door open to allow her to proceed him. He heard a click and then the room was bathed in a soft, yellow hue when she turned on the light next to the bed.
He watched Amanda’s reflection in the dresser mirror as Amanda took off her watch, and then her earrings. Lee couldn’t help the smile that appeared on his face. The light from the small lamp cast a glow around her, giving her an almost ethereal appearance. She hummed a tune he recognized as one of the songs that they had danced to earlier. He was pulled from his musings when she stumbled against the large piece of furniture, nearly falling in the process. “Are you okay?” he called out as he moved to steady her.
“Oh yeah, just having a bit of trouble taking off my shoes.” She attempted once again to remove the offending attire, hopping on one leg as she attempted to unbuckle the shoe.
“A-Man-Da!” he scolded as he wrapped his arm around her waist. “Here,” he guided her toward the chair next to the bed. “You sit down and I’ll take off your shoes, hmm?”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that, Lee.” She shook her head but did as she was told.
He kneeled in front of her and gently lifted her foot onto his knee. “It’s not a problem. Besides, it’s better than watching you teeter back and forth,” he smiled as he looked up into her eyes.
“Lee?” She eyed him warily.
“Yes, Amanda?” he slipped off her right shoe and placed her foot back onto the floor before lifting her left to unbuckle that one.
“Can I ask you a question?” She watched him cautiously. “I mean, besides that question,” she inquired nervously.
“A-Man-Da,” he rebuked. “Just ask.”
“Right,” she nodded. “I was just wondering . . . earlier today, when we were leaving the police station, and we came to that um . . . cement pole at the crosswalk, we separated but then . . . you linked your pinky with mine for just a moment.”
“Yeah?” he asked expectantly as if it were nothing.
She shrugged. “Well, why? I mean, why did you do that?” she rushed.
“Oh, Amanda. What does it matter, huh?” he eased her shoe off, then placed her foot back onto the floor before standing abruptly, not liking the direction this conversation was going.
“I’m sorry, Lee. I didn’t mean to upset you.” She pulled her legs up under her.
He sat on the edge of the bed a few feet from her. “I’m not upset, Amanda,” he snapped and then grimaced, not intending to be so defensive. He ran his hand through his hair and then stood, moving over to the small window in the corner of the room, pushing aside the lace curtain to look down at the street below. “Look, I don’t know what it means . . . but I . . . I remember my mother doing that with me whenever we would come upon an obstacle and we’d have to separate.” He glanced over his shoulder to gauge her response, when he saw her ever-present understanding, he continued, “She’d mutter something under her breath, but I can’t seem to recall what she said, and then we’d link pinkies.” He shrugged. I guess it . . . just seemed natural to do it this afternoon with you.
Amanda’s eyes glistened as she listened to him recall a very special, and scarce memory of his childhood. She moved to stand behind him as he stood in front of the window. “Oh, Lee.” She gently squeezed his arm. “That’s such a sweet memory.”
He pulled free of her grasp. “It’s silly, is what it is,” he said, uncomfortably.
She stood back to let him by as he moved toward the door. “I think I know what she said, Lee,” she hurried before he left the room.
“What? What do you mean?”
“My mother, she did the same thing. It was a superstitious thing, I think,” she shrugged. “To show that whatever obstacle, you know, like a person or a pole . . . that it didn’t come between the two people.” She smiled warmly.
He nodded in understanding. “So, what is it that you think she said?” he asked curiously.
“Bread and butter,” she replied matter-of-factly.
He scoffed, “Bread and butter?” Was she pulling his chain?
She nodded. “Nothing could come between you two, you went together like bread and butter.” She smiled fondly at the thought.
He replayed the long-forgotten memory over in his mind, this time replacing the mumbles with the new phrase and laughed. “Bread and butter!”
Amanda smiled at the obvious relief on the handsome spy’s face. “Thanks for a wonderful evening, Lee. And coming over here and clearing my name, and well, just everything.” She reached up and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. “I’m sorry about your weekend plans with Jillian being ruined.”
“I’m glad I was here to help,” he said as he opened the door. “And I had fun tonight too,” he added, leaning against the door jamb. He gave her a wink and left the room, making sure the door was closed tight behind him. He strolled down the small corridor to his room, slipped the key in and opened the door, but gave one last glance toward the room he’d just left. “Good night, Butter,” he whispered to himself.
The End
Setting: Immediately following Season 2’s ‘Our Man in Tegernsee’
Summary: My take on what might have happened after we left Lee and Amanda at the end of the episode.
Written: November 2020
Genre: Canon’ish
Special Thanks: Thank you to my new friend and beta Rhonda for finding all my typos and making great suggestions. A HUGE ‘thank you’ to my beta and sounding board, Sheila.
As they walked further and further away from the Munich Police Station, Amanda’s chest felt lighter and lighter. “What’s gonna happen to Harry?” she asked with an inward cringe, as she already suspected the answer.
Lee sighed in resignation. “They’re gonna throw the book at him.”
“Gee, that’s too bad.” Amanda looked both ways before following Lee across the street. “You know,” she held up her index finger for effect, “If when Harry discovered that counterfeiting ring, he had just told the Agency about it instead of throwing in with them, he’d probably would have been a hero and he could have had any assignment he wanted.” She shook her head in disbelief. Harry seemed like such a nice man when Lee had first introduced him to her. Sure, he was a little too much into his schnapps, but he was friendly.
“You know, it’s funny you could figure that out, but Harry couldn’t.” Lee shook his head.
Amanda shrugged. “It’s logical.”
“You’re a very logical person.” He smiled warmly.
“Yes, I am.” She smiled back. “How did you figure out that Harry was one of the counterfeiters?”
“It was a couple of things. First of all, his lifestyle . . .” As they came to a cement pillar, they instinctively linked their pinkies together for the briefest of moments, before letting go once they moved past. Amanda quirked her brow ever so slightly in surprise before they smiled at one another and Lee resumed his explanation.
“No matter how good the rate of exchange is he could never afford that chalet.”
“Yeah, you said a couple of things.” She eyed him curiously.
“Well the clincher was that morning at breakfast, I’d asked him if he’d remembered our conversation from the night before. He remembered counterfeit twenties.” She looked at him quizzically. “I never mentioned twenty-dollar bills.”
“Oh! Very clever of you!” Her brows raised and she couldn’t help the laugh that escaped.
“Well, thank you.”
From a distance, she could hear someone yelling and her shoulders tensed.
“Frau King!”
She smiled politely toward the approaching man, as she leaned into her partner and whispered through gritted teeth. “I thought the police were finished with us?”
“Uh, ‘one question,’” Lee joked, but eyed the man suspiciously.
Lieutenant Volkenaur came to a stop in front of them nearly out of breath. “Frau King, I don’t wish to detain you any further, but uh . . . one question.” He smiled nervously.
“Yes?” She strained to smile warmly at the man.
“What are you doing for dinner this evening?” He watched her hopefully.
Amanda couldn’t help the nervous laugh that escaped.
“Perhaps a typical Bavarian meal?” He pressed on.
“Thank you very much, but I think I’ll be having dinner with my family tonight in Arlington, Virginia.” She smiled up at Lee looking for confirmation. “Or breakfast, whichever it is. Anyway, I think I’ll be eating at home.”
The once hopeful look on the man’s face had given way to disappointment. He shook hands with both of them before bidding them farewell.
Amanda took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. She couldn’t help but feel bad for turning the man down.
“Amanda,” Lee whispered, “Did you forget our flight isn't until tomorrow morning?” He regarded her with a puzzled look.
“Shhh! Lee, he’ll hear you!” She grabbed at his lapels and then straightened his tie. When she was certain the lieutenant was out of earshot, she continued. “Yes, I know that. I just didn't want to hurt his feelings." She glanced back at the trench coat clad man as he moved dejectedly toward the brick building from which he came.
“Why didn’t you just say ‘yes’ to his invitation? He seemed pretty smitten with you. Following you through Germany like a lost little puppy and all--”
“He was hardly following me around,” she interrupted. “Besides, he thought I was a counterfeiter!”
“I don’t know, Amanda . . . he seemed pretty excited to ask you out.” He grinned, clearly enjoying himself.
“Well, if you really think so, maybe I can still catch up to him.” She turned and began walking toward the detective’s retreating form.
Lee grabbed her arm to stop her. “Amanda! I was kidding!”
She turned on her heel with a wide grin. “Gotcha!”
“Okay, okay. I deserved that.” He sighed. “What do you say I treat you to an honest to goodness Bavarian meal, Frau King?" he asked, in his best German accent.
“Wunderbar!” She smiled warmly.
SMK*SMK*SMK*SMK*SMK*SMK*SMK*SMK*SMK*
The ‘oom-pah’ music could be heard emanating from the tall building as they rounded the corner. The large, blue ‘HB’ adorning the façade indicated this was the place Lee had described. Amanda barely had a chance to take in her surroundings when she felt Lee’s hand tugging her inside. The strong smell of cigarette smoke assaulted her, but as she moved further into the building, she inhaled the
savory meats, cheeses, and pastas that seemed to be coming out of the kitchen nonstop. One particular dish that had passed by on a waitress’ tray smelled amazing. She was certain she’d never determine which item it was in the inevitable sea of German words inscribed on the menu.
The waitress seated them at one of the large picnic-style tables along with several other people. Lee introduced the two of them to the other five people sharing their table. Dining at the same table with perfect strangers was something she had experienced in her previous trips to Germany and once again, she was charmed by the novelty of sitting at the same table with other tourists, learning about other cultures and listening to tales of their traveling adventures. She loved traveling abroad, meeting new people and taking in all the amazing sites. And what sites there were to see in this old building.
As she craned her neck to stare up the beautifully painted ceiling, she could hear Lee ordering them each a beer. A chill ran up her spine when she felt his breath on her ear. “You know, everything but the ground floor was destroyed in World War II. It took until 1958 to be rebuilt.”
“Really?” She was amazed at his knowledge. He always had some little nugget of detail that fascinated her.
“Yep. Really.” He took the large beer mug from the buxom waitress with a nod and placed it in front of Amanda, before taking the other for himself.
“Oh my gosh!” She yelled over the loud horns of the band. “Lee, I can’t drink all this!”
“Just do your best, Amanda.” He laughed as he lifted the heavy mug and clinked it to hers before taking it to his lips for a gulp of refreshing wheat beer.
~SMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMKSMK~
“Oh my gosh! That was so good!” Amanda pushed the plate away and leaned back.
“You barely touched your wiener schnitzel, Amanda. Didn’t you like it?”
“Are you kidding? It was delicious! I ate a lot of it but I can only eat so much, Lee. Besides, between the spaetzle and the Hefe . . . Hefe,” she sighed, giving up. “The beer—"
“Hefeweisen.” he corrected.
“Right!” She grabbed the heavy stein of beer with both hands and brought it up to her mouth for a swig.
“Uh, perhaps you’ve had enough of that too.” He laughed as he pulled it from her clutches. At her pout, he continued. “Come on, let’s dance.”
He led her out onto the small wooden dance floor in front of the band and she fell into his warm embrace. The music was just fading as they reached the dance floor, but the band quickly began a new song.
SMK*SMK*SMK*SMK*SMK*SMK*SMK*SMK*SMK*
“You know, Lee I’m so glad I turned Lt. Volkenauer down and accepted your invitation instead.” She smiled at the strangers walking past.
“Oh yeah?” He tightened his grip around her waist to steady her as they made their way down the cobble stoned street toward their hotel. While he’d been careful to make sure she didn’t drink too much at dinner, she nevertheless appeared to be having difficulty walking straight. “Hey, watch yourself,” he warned as he guided her into the revolving door of their hotel.
Nodding to the hotel attendant behind the desk, Lee steered her toward the stairs that would take them to the second floor of the old hotel. He stopped abruptly when they reached her door. “You were saying?”
“Oh!” She reached up and grabbed hold of his tie. “Yeah, you always know how to show a girl a good time.” She smiled broadly before leaning up on her tiptoes and placed a chaste kiss to the corner of his mouth.
“Uh . . . well.” He gulped nervously. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself, Amanda.” He smiled warmly down at her. “Why don’t you hand me your key and we’ll get you settled in for the night, huh?”
“Oh, thank you, Lee.” She fumbled with the zipper of her purse before finding the elusive key and handed it to him.
Seconds later, he held the old carved wooden door open to allow her to proceed him. He heard a click and then the room was bathed in a soft, yellow hue when she turned on the light next to the bed.
He watched Amanda’s reflection in the dresser mirror as Amanda took off her watch, and then her earrings. Lee couldn’t help the smile that appeared on his face. The light from the small lamp cast a glow around her, giving her an almost ethereal appearance. She hummed a tune he recognized as one of the songs that they had danced to earlier. He was pulled from his musings when she stumbled against the large piece of furniture, nearly falling in the process. “Are you okay?” he called out as he moved to steady her.
“Oh yeah, just having a bit of trouble taking off my shoes.” She attempted once again to remove the offending attire, hopping on one leg as she attempted to unbuckle the shoe.
“A-Man-Da!” he scolded as he wrapped his arm around her waist. “Here,” he guided her toward the chair next to the bed. “You sit down and I’ll take off your shoes, hmm?”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that, Lee.” She shook her head but did as she was told.
He kneeled in front of her and gently lifted her foot onto his knee. “It’s not a problem. Besides, it’s better than watching you teeter back and forth,” he smiled as he looked up into her eyes.
“Lee?” She eyed him warily.
“Yes, Amanda?” he slipped off her right shoe and placed her foot back onto the floor before lifting her left to unbuckle that one.
“Can I ask you a question?” She watched him cautiously. “I mean, besides that question,” she inquired nervously.
“A-Man-Da,” he rebuked. “Just ask.”
“Right,” she nodded. “I was just wondering . . . earlier today, when we were leaving the police station, and we came to that um . . . cement pole at the crosswalk, we separated but then . . . you linked your pinky with mine for just a moment.”
“Yeah?” he asked expectantly as if it were nothing.
She shrugged. “Well, why? I mean, why did you do that?” she rushed.
“Oh, Amanda. What does it matter, huh?” he eased her shoe off, then placed her foot back onto the floor before standing abruptly, not liking the direction this conversation was going.
“I’m sorry, Lee. I didn’t mean to upset you.” She pulled her legs up under her.
He sat on the edge of the bed a few feet from her. “I’m not upset, Amanda,” he snapped and then grimaced, not intending to be so defensive. He ran his hand through his hair and then stood, moving over to the small window in the corner of the room, pushing aside the lace curtain to look down at the street below. “Look, I don’t know what it means . . . but I . . . I remember my mother doing that with me whenever we would come upon an obstacle and we’d have to separate.” He glanced over his shoulder to gauge her response, when he saw her ever-present understanding, he continued, “She’d mutter something under her breath, but I can’t seem to recall what she said, and then we’d link pinkies.” He shrugged. I guess it . . . just seemed natural to do it this afternoon with you.
Amanda’s eyes glistened as she listened to him recall a very special, and scarce memory of his childhood. She moved to stand behind him as he stood in front of the window. “Oh, Lee.” She gently squeezed his arm. “That’s such a sweet memory.”
He pulled free of her grasp. “It’s silly, is what it is,” he said, uncomfortably.
She stood back to let him by as he moved toward the door. “I think I know what she said, Lee,” she hurried before he left the room.
“What? What do you mean?”
“My mother, she did the same thing. It was a superstitious thing, I think,” she shrugged. “To show that whatever obstacle, you know, like a person or a pole . . . that it didn’t come between the two people.” She smiled warmly.
He nodded in understanding. “So, what is it that you think she said?” he asked curiously.
“Bread and butter,” she replied matter-of-factly.
He scoffed, “Bread and butter?” Was she pulling his chain?
She nodded. “Nothing could come between you two, you went together like bread and butter.” She smiled fondly at the thought.
He replayed the long-forgotten memory over in his mind, this time replacing the mumbles with the new phrase and laughed. “Bread and butter!”
Amanda smiled at the obvious relief on the handsome spy’s face. “Thanks for a wonderful evening, Lee. And coming over here and clearing my name, and well, just everything.” She reached up and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. “I’m sorry about your weekend plans with Jillian being ruined.”
“I’m glad I was here to help,” he said as he opened the door. “And I had fun tonight too,” he added, leaning against the door jamb. He gave her a wink and left the room, making sure the door was closed tight behind him. He strolled down the small corridor to his room, slipped the key in and opened the door, but gave one last glance toward the room he’d just left. “Good night, Butter,” he whispered to himself.
The End