Eye of the Beholder

Author’s Notes: A big thank you to blue_lioness, onewing, amh, Desiree, brina, poison and systor1 for your reviews. I haven’t forgotten this story, I’ve just been updating a couple of my other stories that I’ve got going. As always, please review when you’re done reading.

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“I was wondering about something, my dear,” Hank says as they step into her apartment building and cross the lobby, ignoring the security guard.

“What’s that?” Amanda asks as she starts to dig around in her purse for her keys with the hand that’s not wrapped around Hank’s waist.

“What did you see in Jeff?” he questions while Doug pushes the elevator call button. “He seems to be a most unpleasant fellow.”

“He’s actually a pretty nice guy and he’s funny…sometimes,” she replies as she finds her keys and pulls them out. “Of course, the last couple of times I’ve seen him, he’s been less than fun to be around. Being caught with your pants down can be very embarrassing and does tend to put people on the defensive.”

“That doesn’t exactly explain tonight’s behavior,” Hank points out.

“No, it doesn’t,” she agrees as the elevator dings its arrival and the doors open up.

“He came looking for you tonight, sugar,” Doug states as he pushes the floor button while the other two follow him into the small compartment.

“It did seem that way,” she sighs as she leans her head against Hank’s shoulder. “I have a feeling he had more to say than Bobbi gave him crabs. I wonder what he really wanted.”

“Something tells me you’ll find out soon enough,” Doug warns as he takes her keys from her and the doors open a second later.

“Probably sooner than I’d like too,” she grumbles as they all troop down the hallway towards her apartment.

“I’ll help in any way I can if he starts to cause you problems,” Hank offers.

“That’s very sweet of you, but Jeff is a more mundane problem than James,” she replies with a smile. “Mundane problems I can handle.”

“If you change your mind, you have my number,” he says with a sly grin.

“That I do,” she responds with a smile of her own while Doug opens her door.

“Yeah, and she drew little hearts and flowers around it, too,” Doug teases.

“They aren’t hearts,” she shoots back as she lets go of Hank to chase down her best friend with intentions of bodily harm. “Those are butterflies.”

Doug laughs as he dances out of her reach and then immediately trips over her bags.

“Hey! No fair booby trapping the front entryway,” Doug complains as he climbs to his feet.

“Well, if you want to catch a boob…,” she implies with a grin and Doug casts her a withering glance as Hank chuckles from behind her.

“I should just take my movie and go home,” Doug grumbles.

“Well, if you don’t want dessert, that’s your decision,” she replies with a shrug as she picks up her bags and heads for her room.

“That’s blackmail!” Doug yells after her while Hank shuts the front door.

“Just stating the facts,” she counters as she closes her bedroom door.

Hank silently watches while Doug stares daggers at the closed bedroom door and the mutant quietly chuckles to himself. With a huff, Doug sheds his coat and hangs it on a peg near the front door after pulling the chosen DVD out of his pocket. Hank follows suit and then steps into the now rather empty looking living room.

“Go ahead and get comfortable, Hank,” Doug states as he heads over to the entertainment center. “She’ll be out in a bit.”

“What is she doing?” Hank inquires as he moves towards the couch.

“Getting into something more comfortable,” Doug tells him while he puts the DVD into the player.

“Is she aware that you called me the other night?” Hank quietly asks as he carefully sits at one end of the sofa.

“No and if she ever finds out I’ll probably never see another one of her sundaes again,” Doug softly answers before continuing in a normal voice. “You should feel very honored, Hank.”

“How so?” Hank questions.

“You’re the first guy that she’s dated that she’s invited to one of our Sunday rituals,” Doug tells him as he plops down on the other end of the couch and picks up a couple of remotes that have been sitting on the coffee table.

“She’s never invited another boyfriend up for sundaes and movies?” Hank inquires.

“Nope,” Doug confirms and then pauses in mid-button push. “Wait a minute…did you just say…‘boyfriend’?”

“Yes, why?” Hank replies.

“She’s already calling you her boyfriend?” Doug asks, turning to look at the other man, his eyes wide with shock.

“Yes, why?” Hank repeats.

“Wow,” Doug murmurs as he leans back into the cushions. “It usually takes a month or two before she calls some guy she’s dating her ‘boyfriend’. Jeff had only just gained that exalted title when she caught him and Bobbi doing the horizontal mambo and it took him a couple of months get to that level. I’m not sure if I should be thrilled or worried.”

“Hopefully the former,” Hank replies as they hear Amanda’s door open.

Hank turns to see her come out wearing nothing more than an old pair of sweats and fuzzy socks. Not very exciting attire at first, but it only just registers in his brain that she’s not wearing a bra just before she disappears into the bathroom.

Mate, Beast purrs as Hank tries to get his libido under control.

“She must be wearing something really interesting if that catch in your breath was anything to go by,” Doug says, still staring at the TV.

“Actually, she’s wearing sweats and fuzzy socks,” Hank says after clearing his throat, his voice not as strangled as he feared it would be.

“Boy, you’ve got it as bad as she does,” Doug chuckles. “That’s actually a good thing, in my book.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Hank responds, holding onto his dignity by a mere thread.

Amanda emerges from the bathroom a short time later with her face freshly washed and her hair brushed into loose shiny waves down to the middle of her back. Hank swallows hard as she walks past them to the kitchen, not even looking at either one of them. Hank can feel his cheeks heating up while Doug snickers from his end of the couch and the sounds of cabinets, drawers and fridge doors opening and closing soon reaches them.

“Would you care for some help, my dear?” Hank offers, not entirely sure he can stand at this moment, but feels the need to make the offer none the less.

“No, thanks, I’m good,” she calls back as the sounds of bowls and spoons being made ready fill the air. “So, what type of toppings do you guys want on your sundaes?”

“The usual,” Doug answers as he plays around with the remotes.

“Right, cod liver oil, pencil shavings and ball bearings,” she cheerfully responds. “Hank?”

“Oh, anything edible will be fine, thank you,” Hank replies, still a bit puzzled by her response.

“Uh-oh, you’re going to get tar, shaving cream and brown gravel,” Doug warns with a giggle.

“Dare I ask?” Hank calls towards the kitchen.

“You could, but we probably wouldn’t get to the movie since it’s another one of those embarrassing life moments that I’d rather not relive, thank you,” she replies as more interesting sounds come from the kitchen.

“Ok, just checking,” Hank responds, trying not to sound too worried.

Doug and Amanda both chuckle at his discomfort while Doug finishes getting the movie set up and she works on their sundaes. A few minutes later, she returns to the living room with three bowls in her hands and a smirk on her face. She hands the bowls out and then takes a seat on the couch between the two men while Hank takes a quick glance at Doug’s to see it covered in caramel sauce, toasted cocoanut and those small silver ball candies that by all rights should break teeth when bitten.

“Thank you, my dear, it looks quite tasty,” Hank states as he picks up his spoon.

“You’re welcome,” she replies while Doug hits the ‘play’ button on the remote.

Without really paying attention to what’s under the chocolate sauce, whipped cream and little chocolate sprinkles, he takes a spoon full and eats it. After getting a delightful surprise, he takes a closer look at his dessert and chuckles.

“I never thought the re-enactment of Guy Fawke’s getting caught was amusing, but if that’s what floats your boat…,” Doug mutters.

“I have a feeling Hank just figured out what my base component is for my sundaes,” she tells her friend without taking her eyes off of the screen.

“I must admit that I never thought to put a Twinkie in a sundae before,” Hank admits.

“Do you like it?” she asks nervously.

“It’s quite delicious, my dear, thank you,” Hank assures her, looking at her, instead of the movie.

“You’re welcome,” she smiles at him, also ignoring what’s happening on the TV screen.

“If you two are going to make big puppy dog eyes at each other, I’m taking my sundae and going home,” Doug warns.

“Please explain to me the draw backs of that plan,” she replies, still looking at Hank.

“In that case I’m staying right here so you two don’t get any funny ideas,” Doug shoots back and the other two chuckle at him.

“Perhaps we should all just finish our desserts and watch the movie,” Hank suggests in a slightly commanding voice.

“Yes, Dad,” Doug and Amanda answer together and both break down in giggling fits.

Hank chuckles and briefly shakes his head before going back to his delightful Twinkie sundae. The other two calm down and follow suit with only the sounds of the movie and spoons clinking against the bowls filling the apartment moments later. A sense of contentment fills him as Hank leans back into the couch cushions and finishes his food.

About half way through the movie, Doug glances over at the other two on the couch and sees that they’re both totally absorbed with the movie. He watches them out of the corner of his eye for a minute and he finally figures out what’s bugging him about what he sees. They’re sitting next to each other, but they’re not touching and that’s something this best friend can’t tolerate.

Very carefully and quietly, Doug toes his sneakers off under the coffee table and then tucks his legs up underneath himself with his feet very close to Amanda’s hip. He goes still for several minutes, casually noting that Hank’s arm is draped along the back of the couch and he works very hard to keep his face still so as not to give anything away. He makes one final adjustment, stops moving for a few minutes and then in one swift movement he plants his feet on her hip and shoves her into Hank!

“DOUG!” she yells as Hank instinctively wraps his arms around her to protect her, a small growl escaping his throat.

“Boyfriend and girlfriend watching a movie together on a couch and not cuddling,” Doug quietly grumbles, his feet not moving from where they are. “It’s not right.”

She turns her gaze to Hank and he looks back with a rather amused look on his face.

“Hi,” she says, her cheeks starting to turn a lovely shade of red.

“Hi,” he replies, Beast is practically purring inside of his head.

“Do you mind?” she asks, her heart pounding against her ribs, afraid that he does object.

“It depends on what I should be minding,” he responds as he tilts his head in curiosity.

“Us sitting this close,” she clarifies.

“No, my dear, I don’t mind at all,” he purrs as he holds her a little closer.

“Good,” she sighs as she rests her head on Hank’s shoulder and he tries to turn his attention back to the movie.

“OUCH!” Doug yelps as he gives a little jump.

“Are you alright?” Hank asks as Doug starts rubbing one of his feet.

“You could have just asked me to move my feet,” Doug grumbles as she chuckles evilly. “You didn’t have to pinch me.”

“Now where would have been the fun in that?” she questions as she wraps her arm around Hank’s middle.

“That wasn’t very nice, my dear,” he gently admonishes, trying to keep his lips from twitching with the smile that’s trying to get out.

“Neither was pushing me into you,” she points out.

“Two wrongs do not make a right,” he counters.

“But three lefts do,” she laughs and he has to chuckle at the absurdity of her answer.

He shakes his head, kisses the top of hers and then gets comfortable with her in his arms. With a contented sigh, she relaxes into his embrace, silently hoping for the night to never end.

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“What should I do with her now?” Hank inquires.

“I usually stick a pillow under her head, cover her with a blanket and call it a night,” Doug answers as he gets the DVD out of the player.

“You just leave her on the couch?” Hank asks, horrified.

“Hank, look at me,” Doug says, turning to the mutant currently pinned to the couch by a sleeping Amanda. “I’m only a couple of inches taller than her and about half as wide. Let’s be real, I’d hurt myself.”

“Good point,” Hank concedes. “If you wouldn’t mind helping me, I will put her to bed.”

“What do you want me to do?” Doug questions as he moves towards the couple.

“Move her legs to where I can reach them,” Hank instructs.

Doug complies and a moment later, Hank carefully gets to his feet with his girlfriend in his arms and heads for her bedroom. Doug precedes him, turning on the bedroom light and then turning down the covers, accidentally knocking Blue off of the far side of the bed in the process. After tucking her into bed, Hank retrieves the teddy bear and tucks it under the covers with her, resisting the urge to sniff it since it now carries her scent on its fur.

“Where’d that come from?” Doug asks as Hank kisses her forehead and a second later she curls up with Blue and gives a small sigh.

“I won it for her when we went to the carnival,” Hank answers as he caresses her face with his fingertips before turning to go.

“She’s sleeping with a teddy bear,” Doug quietly chuckles. “I’ve now officially seen everything.”

“Come, we should go before we accidentally wake her up,” Hank states, looking back at her, reluctant to leave.

“That’s why you’re just standing there like a big, blue statue,” Doug snickers after several seconds of Hank not moving.

“I must admit that I’m rather reluctant to leave,” Hank softly sighs.

“Come on, big guy,” Doug says as he goes over and starts pushing Hank out of the room. “You can ogle her some other time. Preferably when she’s wearing a lot less.”

“You think that way about your best friend?” Hank asks as he reluctantly allows himself to be herded out of her bedroom.

“What am I? Her mother?” Doug snorts as he goes to get his coat from its peg.

“I haven’t met her mother yet, so I wouldn’t know,” Hank replies as he retrieves his own outerwear.

“Heaven help you if you ever do,” Doug warns as he gets her spare key from a drawer. “You’ll find yourself being fitted for a monkey suit before you can blink.”

“They aren’t really that bad are they?” Hank asks as they step out into the corridor and Doug locks up behind them.

“Those people should be locked up,” Doug grumbles while they head for the elevators. “Here I am, going through an emotionally rough time and they think that Amy’s brought home a future husband. They’re a bunch of loonies, the whole lot of them.”

“I’ll keep that in mind if I ever do get the chance to meet them,” Hank chuckles as the elevator doors open up for them. “You called her Amy. I take it that’s her nickname.”

“Yeah, but do yourself a favor, don’t ever call her Mandy,” Doug warns as they step into the small space.

“She’s not a Barry Manilow fan I take it,” Hank muses.

“It’s a good thing we can’t be arrested for the things we’d like to do,” Doug chuckles as the doors open. “Otherwise, she’d need a really good lawyer and Manilow would need a really good proctologist.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Hank replies a smile tugging at his lips. “Thank you for the warning.”

“Forewarned and all that stuff,” Doug replies with a smile as the elevator doors open and they exit.

“You seem to be a lot more involved with her love life than most friends I’ve met,” Hank says while the cross the lobby.

“You make her happy and that makes me happy,” Doug replies as they step out into the cold night air. “I’ve seen her have too many bad relationships and I’m trilled to see her excited about something other than a case she’s working on. I just have one request.”

“What’s that?” Hank inquires as they stand just outside the doors to her apartment building.

“If things don’t work out between the two of you, let her down gentle,” Doug requests, his eyes begging. “I’ve seen her with a broken heart once in my life and I don’t ever want to see it again.”

“I assure you, Doug, that I will do everything in my power to never be the one responsible for bringing a tear of sadness to her eye,” Hank replies whole heartedly.

“Good, I’m glad to hear that,” Doug says as he starts to step away from Hank. “I better get going. Good night, Hank.”

“Good night, Doug,” Hank replies before turning to head for his car, carefully mulling what he’s learned this evening over in his head.