Story takes place in April 2000. Jamie King's wedding day allows Amanda & Lee to reminisce about their own…

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters copyrighted by Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Production Company. It is meant for enjoyment purposes only. I retain the right to the plot and not the characters. All characters in this story are fictional. Do not distribute this story in part or full without the express written consent of the above author.
 
 

"Jamie," Amanda yelled nervously from downstairs. "The photographer will be here any minute. You've got to get down here."

Lee looked over at his anxious wife hoping to be able to help out a little. He wasn't sure who was more nervous about the day, his stepson or his wife. "Amanda, relax. Let me go see what's keeping him."

Amanda smiled. "You don't mind?"

"Not at all. It's his wedding day; he's bound to be a little nervous. Maybe a quick little talk, you know, man to man will help."

"Lee, I talked to him about the birds and the bees a long time ago," Amanda reasoned impatiently.

Lee chuckled and shook his head as he began his ascent up the stairs. "Well, good, I'll scratch that off my list."

Amanda watched as Lee disappeared upstairs. She was glad that Lee and Jamie had been able to forge such a strong relationship. It had been a very tenuous alliance at first. But Lee had been persistent and Jamie had finally relented. Lee was a good influence on both of her boys, but had really helped Jamie come out of his shell. And now, today, he was getting married. She never thought this day would come; her baby was getting married…

***

Lee knocked on Jamie's door. "Come in," Jamie answered, then looked over in surprise to see that it wasn't his mother, but his stepfather. "Lee?"

"Hi, Champ!" Lee responded. "Your mother's about ready to have a conniption. What's the hold up?"

"I can't get this damn tie on straight. I've tried and tried, but it still looks awful. Yours looks great; I think this one's defective," Jamie fretted nervously.

Lee laughed softly. "Calm down, Jamie. I've had a little more practice at this than you. Besides, it's just a little off kilter." Lee answered jovially as he straightened out his tie, then turned him to face the mirror. "See, you had it almost right. So just calm down."

"Calm down? I'm getting married in a just over an hour!"
 

Lee smiled at his stepson. "It's normal to have butterflies on your wedding day. I would imagine that Cindy is going through the same thing right now."

"You think?" Jamie answered skeptically.

Lee nodded, thinking back to the days before he and Amanda got married. They kept putting it off for one reason or another. At first they missed their blood tests; then they had to schedule a meeting with the Justice of the Peace, but they finally were able to set the date. "Jamie, it's perfectly normal."

"Were you this nervous when you married Mom?"

Lee blushed. How had he known that this topic of conversation would come up? He sat down on Jamie's bed. "Actually, I was more nervous. You have to remember that when I married your mom, you hardly knew me. When I said 'I do' to her, I got a package deal."

Jamie glanced at Lee with concern.

"Hey, now, it's not what you think. I was thrilled when she agreed to marry me. I loved her so. And I had watched you two boys for so long at a distance. I knew you both quite well. Yet, you only knew me as an acquaintance or your mothers' co-worker. It wasn't an easy situation."

"I never thought about that," Jamie answered thoughtfully. "But you two eloped. That's got to be easier than standing up in front of a hundred people dressed like an over starched penguin."

Lee laughed heartily. "First of all, you don't look like an over starched penguin. And secondly, eloping has its drawbacks. You're getting to share one of the most important days of your life with the woman you love while you're surrounded by the people who love and care about you the most. Don't underestimate how wonderful that is. The memories of today will be with you both for the rest of your lives."

"You sound like you regret not having a big wedding." Jamie commented casually.

"I regret that you and Phillip and the people who mattered most in our lives weren't there to share in the happiness we both felt that day," Lee said with a far off look in his eyes. He remembered the look of love in Amanda's eyes as she said her vows. He remembered how he felt and how those simple words meant so much more than he ever thought possible. "If you could have only seen how beautiful she looked that day."

"I've seen the pictures," Jamie nodded in agreement.

Lee nodded, then shook his head to clear his thoughts back to the current situation. "Did you know we were almost late to our own wedding?"

This time Jamie laughed. He finally started to relax a little. "Really? Mom, late for her own wedding; now that's really funny."

"We'd been working a particular annoying case. The kind that just won't quit…" Lee thought back to the Nick Grant case and how he almost ruined their wedding. "To make a long story short, your mother drove about eighty miles an hour to get us to the Justice of the Peace on time. Then, we both had to change in a bathroom the size of a closet. It's quite comical when I think back at it, but at the time…"

"You're kidding?" Jamie grinned.

"Gods honest truth," Lee said holding up his hands as if he were swearing on a bible. "Feel a little better?"

Jamie nodded. "So, Lee, what's the secret of a good marriage?"

Lee laughed. It was hard to believe that he was having this conversation with his stepson. For so many years he had been known as Lee Stetson, playboy of the year. And now he was giving marital advice. How time certainly had changed things.

Lee took a deep breath and finally answered, "There is no real answer to that question. But you love Cindy; remember that always. Love her, trust her and listen to her. And one other thing."

"What's that?" Jamie asked.

"Spend every day with her like it could be your last," Lee said with feeling.

Jamie looked at Lee with deep understanding. When he had finally found out that Lee and his mom were spies he was shocked to say the least. And as imaginative as a teenager's mind could be, not to mention a few James Bond films, he was sure that there were probably many 'tight' spots that they had gotten into over the years. But he understood and respected 'national security' and 'need to know' and despite his curiosity, he never asked any questions.

"Lee," Jamie finally replied. "Thanks a lot."

Lee smiled at Jamie. "Hey, no problem, just butterflies. Everything will be fine."

"Well, I didn't mean for our little talk. Although," he sighed, "I do appreciate that as well. Thanks for being here - for me, for Mom, all these years. I know it couldn't have been easy, especially in the beginning. But you hung tough. I hope someday I can be as good a father as you've been a stepfather."

Lee swallowed hard. Here he was giving his stepson a pre-marriage pep talk and he ended up getting the biggest compliment he could ever ask for from him.

"Jamie, I have a feeling you're going to make a fine husband and a wonderful father," Lee replied with tears in his eyes. "You make your Mom and I very proud."

"Thanks, Lee," Jamie replied. "Coming from you it means a lot."

"Hey," Lee replied, looking at his watch. "If we don't get downstairs soon, YOU'RE going to be late to your own wedding."

Jamie laughed. "Yeah, I guess I better get a move on it. I wouldn't want Mom to have a conniption..."

***

Later that same day…

Jamie took his mother's hand and guided her to the dance floor for the traditional 'mother-son' dance.

"Jamie, it was a lovely wedding ceremony. Cindy looks so beautiful; you've never looked more handsome," Amanda gushed at her son.

"And you didn't even cry," Jamie said in surprise.

"You'll never know how hard that was. I just can't believe you're all grown up," Amanda sighed with mixed emotions. "It seems like only yesterday that you were in diapers."

"MOM!" Jamie complained as he carefully led her around the dance floor, not paying much attention to the crowd of people watching them. "I'm 25 years old."

"I know, but someday you'll understand," Amanda whispered. "It all flew by so quickly."

They danced silently for a minute then Amanda looked up at her son and asked, "Jamie, when did you learn to dance? You haven't stepped on my feet once tonight."

"The evening is young, Mom," Jamie teased. "Actually, I have to thank Lee for that. He's been coaching me for weeks. I was afraid of tripping on Cindy's wedding gown and ripping it."

"Keeping secrets from your mother, huh?" Amanda laughed.

"Maybe just one or two; kind of runs in the family," Jamie answered jovially. Then his thoughts turned more serious. "Mom, I can't thank you enough for everything you've done."

"Sweetheart, I didn't do much of the wedding planning. Cindy did most of this and she did a wonderful job," Amanda reminded her son.

"That's not what I meant, Mom. You were always there for us. I want you to know how much I really appreciated that."

"Jamie, that's what being a parent is all about. Besides, I missed some stuff too," Amanda said wistfully.

"Let me remind you of a few hundred things you were there for. For starters, there were birthday parties, remember 'Pretzels the Clown' when I had the measles? How many hikes and camp outs with the Junior Trailblazers? Don't forget about the poison ivy, or was it poison oak? Endless little league games, too many to count. You even taught me the hook slide! You were always baking us cookies, not to mention the endless PTA cake sales. You've been an amazing mom. I love you." He kissed her gently on her cheek.

Tears slowly fell from her eyes.

Jamie shook his head. "Mom, you got through the wedding without crying and you cry on me now, while we're dancing!"

Amanda wiped them away. "You didn't really think I'd get through the day without shedding a few tears did you?"

"No." Jamie smiled brightly at his mother. "I'm just glad you're my mom."

"I'm really glad that you’re my son. I'm very proud of you. I wish your father had lived to see this day, to see the kind of man you've become."

Jamie shrugged his shoulders in dismay. "Yeah, I would have liked that too. I miss dad, but I'm glad that Lee's here to share today with me. He's really been there for me; I've learned a lot from him."

Amanda laughed softly. "You didn't always feel that way about him. I remember a particular time when you two didn't get along at all."

"Yeah, as Phillip would have put it, I was one heck of a 'dufus' back then."

"You were just being very over protective of your mother," Amanda laughed.

"That's putting it rather mildly," Jamie replied regretfully.

"Well, maybe someday you can tell him how you really feel," she suggested.

Jamie nodded. "Actually, Mom, I already have."

Amanda's eyes got glassy again, but this time she held back her tears. "You really have grown up to be quite a man, Jamie King. I hope you and Cindy have many years of happiness together."

As the song ended, Jamie guided her back to her table and to Lees' loving hand. With a smile and a nod to Lee, Jamie quietly whispered in his mother's ear, "If we can have half of what you and Lee share, we will both be very happy."
 
 

*** ***

With the reception nearly over, Lee looked around for his wife. He finally spotted her across the room, visiting with relatives. Lee headed over to her and tapped her nonchalantly on the shoulder.

"Excuse me," he said to her.

Amanda turned and smiled, but wearily answered. "Lee, please don't tell me that photographer wants to take more pictures?"

"No, it's not the photographer who wants your attention. The reception is almost over and as of yet, I still haven't had the pleasure of even one dance with my wife," Lee stood in front on his wife, waiting for her reply.

Amanda grinned broadly. "A terrible oversight on my part. I didn't mean to neglect you."

"So may I have the next dance?"

"The pleasure will be all mine," Amanda grinned as Lee took her hand and escorted her to the dance floor.

"No," Lee answered firmly, as he kissed her hand gently. "It isn't, the pleasure is mine."

Moments later the band began playing a slow dance.

"How convenient," Amanda whispered to Lee.

"Isn't it, though?" Lee replied with a scheming smile as he took her into his arms. He held her close and they glided magically across the dance floor.

"This whole day has flown by so quickly. I really did want to dance with you more than once today," Amanda said in a regretful voice.

"I know," Lee answered with a soft kiss to his wife's cheek. "It's been a busy day all around. But I must say, I think everyone has had a wonderful time; everything's gone off without a hitch."

Amanda nodded and sighed deeply, leaning into her husband's arms for comfort.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Lee asked with concern.

"Just going to be lonely at the house tonight; just you and me," she answered with sorrow.

"And that's a bad thing?" Lee kidded, trying to lighten her mood.

She smiled up at him. "You know what I mean."

Lee winked at her. "Yes, I do. And I've prepared for that scenario."

"You did, did you?" she asked in a questioning tone. "And what exactly does that mean? You didn't go invite the whole wedding party back to the house did you?"

"Bad idea, huh?" he shrugged.

"Lee, tell me you didn't?" she asked with growing trepidation.

Lee chuckled. "Of course not." Loosening his grip on his wife slightly, he reached into his coat jacket and pulled out an envelope.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Our reservations," he replied matter of factly.

"Reservations, for what?" Amanda asked in surprise.

"For some time alone with my wife. You've been neglecting me quite a bit lately; I felt a little cheated. I had a sinking suspicion if we got back to the house tonight, you'd be feeling a little melancholy about 'your baby' leaving the nest, so to speak. So I thought, perhaps this would be a good weekend for you and I to get away and, well you know..."

"Lee, I can't. We can't…just up and leave," Amanda started to argue.

"Sorry, I won't take no for an answer. There's nothing on either of our schedules that important. Jamie and Cindy will be off tomorrow on their honeymoon; Phillip is taking them to the airport. Your mother knows where we'll be in case of an emergency. You already took off Monday from work; so I don't see any conflict," Lee answered determinedly.

"So I'm the only one here who didn't know about this little rendezvous?" Amanda whispered, slightly flustered.

"Looks like it," Lee answered keenly, pleased with himself.

"So where exactly are we going?

"The Cumberland," he answered with a broad grin.

Amanda looked up at him, her eyes growing wide. They had once posed as newlyweds at the Cumberland. But that seemed like a lifetime ago. She had given Lee a hard time about the sleeping arrangements when she realized they would have to share a bed. But now her smile matched the one on his face.

"The Cumberland, what a wonderful idea," she answered happily.

"I'm glad you approve," Lee answered, kissing her gently on the lips then pulling her protectively into his arms again.

"I usually like all of your ideas," she whispered back to him as she glanced around the room, observing the many happy faces. She noticed that not only were Jamie and Cindy sharing the dance floor with them at the moment, but Phillip and his wife, Nancy, were as well. Then with another saddened comment, she added. "I can't believe this day is almost over."

"I'd thought you'd be relieved about that. Or is that regret I see in your eyes?"

"No, I'm happy for them," she concluded quickly.

"Do you regret us never having a real wedding?"

"Our wedding was very real," she answered emphatically. "Besides, it's not the wedding and the reception that matter in the long run. It's what you feel and pledge with your heart."

Lee had to smile about that. "Very well put, Mrs. Stetson."

"I'm glad you agree, Mr. Stetson."

"You know, no matter how big or small our wedding was, it would never change the way I feel about you. I love you so very much, Amanda."

Amanda smiled. She never tired of hearing those wonderful words spoken by him. "You know, a very wise man once told me that a relationship is like a fine wine, it gets better with age - he was quite right. I love you more today than the day I married you, Lee."

They looked deeply into each other's eyes, silently conveying how they felt about each other. They shared a lingering kiss and continued to dance, lost in the music and their love…

The end.
 

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