Set: Christmas Eve, the year they were married.
 

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.
 
 

Lee and Amanda sat cuddled together comfortably in the den. A warm fire was softly glowing in the fireplace. Two wineglasses sat on the coffee table, each glass with hardly a drop left. The wine bottle was just inches away, its contents long gone. The lights and decorations on the Christmas tree reflected in the firelight, the scent of pine delicately permeating the air.

Phillip and Jamie had finally gone to bed, planning an early morning assault on the presents piled beneath the tree. Dotty had followed them upstairs, claiming she was feeling ‘so very tired’ from all the pre-holiday excitement. Amanda and Lee smiled warmly, both knowing she was just being polite.

"I really wish I didn’t have to leave you to go home to an empty apartment. I want to make love to you and wake up in the morning with you in my arms," he whispered softly in her ear as he nibbled on it delicately.

"And how would I ever explain you, in my bed, on Christmas morning to mother and the boys?" she responded softly, adjusting her head encouraging Lee to continue, but knowing he would have to stop.

"You could tell them you’re a frustrated housewife with a healthy sex drive," he suggested mischievously.

"But you forget, I’m not just a housewife," Amanda chided him with a smile.

"How true, but I thought you might be a little uncomfortable if we told them you were really a spy," he teased, but his frustration over their clandestine relationship was anything but amusing.

"Very funny," Amanda complained.

"OK, how about we tell them that I ‘am’ your Christmas present," Lee answered, continuing his kisses down her neck. His hand was gently gliding down her leg and up, under her skirt.

"Lee, if you don’t stop, we’re going to end up making love right here, on the couch."

"I’d really prefer your bed."

"Come on, you know we can’t; not with the boys home."

"Amanda, when was the last time the boys came in your room in the middle of the night?"

"I don’t remember, but…"

Lee’s lips covered hers, not allowing her to finish her sentence. The kiss was impassioned. The romantic atmosphere in the room only intensified his need for his wife: the warm crackling fireplace, the soft Christmas music playing in the background, the smell of fresh pine from the Christmas tree, the lights magically twinkling.

"Lee," she whispered hoarsely breaking off their kiss.

"I know, I know," he complained as he reluctantly pulled away. "This is so hard."

"What is?" she giggled devilishly.

"You’re quite the comedienne," he answered, tickling her playfully.

She shrieked loudly, pulling away from him.

"Shhh, you’re going to bring the whole family down here," he warned.

"You started it," she grinned as she adjusted her skirt and brushed her hair from her face.

He kissed her once more, then glanced at the clock ticking quietly on the mantle. "It’s after midnight, Merry Christmas, Amanda."

"Merry Christmas, Lee," she returned, responding with a deeper, more impassioned kiss.

"I, ah, think we better not get that idea started again. Wait here," he said as he got up from the couch, "there’s something I want you to open while we’re alone."

A few minutes later he was back on the couch. He was carefully holding a small box, wrapped clumsily in shiny red foil Christmas paper and tied with a gold ribbon.

"What’s that?" Amanda inquired curiously with a warm smile.

"Your Christmas present," Lee whispered softly in a deep, husky voice.

"Oh yeah? What is it?" she asked with interest.

"Open it."

Amanda gingerly pulled off the ribbon, and then carefully undid the tape, trying not to rip the shiny foil paper.

"Amanda, just rip it open," Lee groaned impatiently.

"No, the paper is so pretty and you obviously took the time to wrap it yourself," she smiled, knowing Lee usually had his annual Christmas gifts of scarves wrapped for him.

Lee watched nervously as she finally got to the tiny, black velvet box. She glanced at him with a curious look before she opened it up.

Suddenly, her eyes opened wide and she exclaimed, "Lee, this is your mother’s engagement ring!"

"I know," he said softly, his hand caressing her face. "I think she’d want you to have it. I want you to wear it."

"But, Lee, you’ve already given me a beautiful engagement ring."

He smiled lovingly at her. "Amanda, this ring is one of the few things I have of my mother’s. Without you, I would have never…" he paused. Finding the right words was very difficult for him.

"Lee, you don’t have to explain."

"Yes, I do. Even with this crazy mystery marriage, you’ve shown me things that I never dreamed were possible. We share a closeness, not only when we’re making love, but every moment we’re together. I’ve never experienced that before, it’s extraordinary. You share my life, my dreams, just like my mother shared with my father. You’re my life. I want you to wear this ring, tonight, tomorrow, and for the rest of your life as a symbol of how much our love means to me."

"Lee, I love the ring and the gesture. I’ll cherish this always," she sighed loudly, hating to finish her thought. "But how can I wear it? How would I explain it to mother and the boys? How long do you think it will take before Francine spots it? We have enough trouble at the office now."

"Amanda, we can’t keep up this charade much longer. I don’t think there's a person in the office, including Francine, who doesn’t know we’re involved. I want to make love to you on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the rest of the year. It’s the perfect time for us to get engaged. Your mother is expecting it, the boys must be, too. We’ll be the center of attention at the Agency for a few days, a week at most, then people will go back to their business and leave us alone."

"What about the boys’ safety? They’ll still be at risk." Amanda rehashed the same argument they had gone over month after month for almost a year now.

"We’ll take whatever precautions are necessary; the boys are targets regardless of whether we live together or not. Admit it, you know it’s true," Lee whispered lovingly.

She nodded, the same thought had occurred to her many a night, as she lay sleepless and alone in her bedroom.

"Amanda, it’s Christmas," he reached for the box she held tightly in her hand, and removed the ring from it. "This is the only present I have for you. It’s everything I want in the world; I was hoping it would be what you want, too. Let this be the start of a new beginning together. No more sneaking around, here or at the office. What do you say?"

Her hands were trembling and tears of joy filled her eyes. She whispered hoarsely, "Yes."

He whispered back as a bright smile formed on his face, "Yes?"

She nodded once, and he quickly reached out for her left hand, his own hand trembling. He deliberately slipped the ring, an endearing piece of ‘his family’ on her finger.

After a long sensuous kiss, he held her in his arms. The joy in his face was pure heaven.

"I love you, Amanda."

"I love you, Lee," Amanda replied as she looked at the shiny diamond, which reflected the ebbing, amber glow of the fire.

Their embrace continued, Amanda’s head resting on Lee’s shoulder. Lee gently pulled her protectively to him as a chill began to permeate the room, the fire fading into the night. Lee gazed at the dwindling fire, his thoughts wandering to the future they would share. Then slowly, without another word they drifted off to sleep in each other’s arms.

***

At dawn’s first light the boys were up; even as teenagers the delight of opening presents on Christmas morning got them out of bed early. They rushed downstairs to find Amanda and Lee curled up together on the couch, fast asleep.

"Should we wake them up?" Jamie whispered to Phillip.

"If we want to open our presents we have to," Phillip reminded his younger brother.

"Did you know Lee was going to spend the night?" Jamie questioned.

"I don’t think he planned on it, dummy, I think they fell asleep together. Look, they’re still in the clothes they wore to church last night."

The whispering voices were enough to wake Lee. His eyes opened for a moment, then squinted he tried to focus in the now bright room.

"Morning, Lee," Phillip greeted him with enthusiasm and a grin.

Lee removed his arms from Amanda carefully, then tried to stretch the kinks out of his neck. "Morning, Phillip, Jamie." He gently shook Amanda. "Amanda, wake up. I think we ah, fell asleep."

Phillip and Jamie giggled at Lee’s embarrassment.

Amanda stirred slowly and mumbled. "What time is it?"

"Almost 7:30, can we open up our presents now?" Jamie answered quickly.

"In a few minutes. Go wake up your grandmother, and I’ll start breakfast," she replied as she too tried to stretch the kinks out of her neck and back.

"I uh, guess we nodded off," Lee whispered nervously as the boys left the room.

"Yeah, I kind of figured that out. It’s too late to worry about that now. Come on, I need some coffee," Amanda answered with a resigned shrug.

A few minutes later Dotty came into the kitchen and was surprised at the sight of Lee. It was obvious that he had spent the night. She stifled a laugh, certain it hadn’t been planned; his clothes were quite wrinkled and he sported a five o’clock shadow. He was not the usual neat and tidy Lee Stetson she was used to.

"Merry Christmas, Amanda, Lee."

"Merry Christmas, Dotty," Lee replied awkwardly, surprised that there weren’t any comment about him still being there.

"Merry Christmas, Mother," Amanda greeted, kissing her mother’s cheek.

"Amanda, is that a ring on your finger?" Dotty asked with glee as she spied her finger immediately.

Amanda blushed, not remembering that she was now wearing Lee’s mother’s engagement ring. "Yes, Mother, Lee asked me to marry him last night and I’ve accepted."

Dotty hugged Amanda, then Lee. "That’s marvelous; what a wonderful Christmas present. Let me see that ring." Dotty reached out to look at the ring. "Oh, Lee, it’s exquisite."

"It belonged to my Mother," Lee grinned with pride.

"It’s really quite elegant, Amanda, you must be thrilled."

Amanda reached for Lee’s hand. "Yes, Mother, I think we’re both quite excited."

The boys, now out of their pajamas bounded back down the stairs. "Excited about what?" Phillip asked enthusiastically.

Amanda looked at Lee who was beaming with pleasure. "Lee and I are getting married. He asked me last night."

"Yes!" Phillip cheered happily, "I knew it would be Christmas."

Amanda watched in delight at her older son’s reaction to her upcoming marriage; then she looked over at Jamie. She was relieved to see that he too was smiling.

Jamie extended his hand to Lee. "Congratulations, Lee."

Lee shook his hand, "Thank you Jamie, it means a lot of me. I promise to take good care of your mom. She’s the most precious person in my life. But both of you boys are very important to me as well. I’m looking forward to all of us being a family."

"Enough of the mushy stuff. Can we please open our Christmas presents now?" Phillip asked anxiously.

"Yes, yes! Go on, we’ll be right in," Amanda laughed at their eagerness.

"Maybe I should be going?" Lee suggested, feeling a little awkward.

Amanda laughed at him, "Going? And miss all the fun. This won’t take that long. You’ve never seen anything like Christmas at the King household. You can go home and shower when they’re done and be back before dinner is served at one."

Amanda took Lee’s hand and followed the boys and Dotty into the family room. She was right; the boys tore through the presents with unmitigated glee. Lee watched the whirlwind with astonishment.

He remembered back so many years ago, to when he was a little boy. It was a memory that he had suppressed for so long; he was sitting beside a large Christmas tree, decorated with handmade decorations and tinsel, a bright silver star adorning the top. A star that he had made special for his mother. There were presents all around him and his mother and father were looking on with pride like he was watching Phillip and Jaime. He smiled brightly at the long forgotten, yet cherished memory.

He leaned over, kissed Amanda’s cheek ever so lightly and whispered. "Thank you."

Amanda looked at him curiously. "For what?" she whispered back.

"For giving me such a wonderful gift."

She looked in his eyes, they sparkled like always, but somehow there was a special magic in them. The magic of Christmas was alive in his eyes, his smile and in his heart. A magic that had been lost for so many years, when he was a little boy and so much was taken from him so abruptly.

***

End Part 1
 

* * * * *
 

Part 2

The doorbell rang just after noon. Dotty answered the door. "Merry Christmas, Joe," she greeted with a hug as she let him in. "Where’s Carrie?"

"She was invited over to her sister’s house. We’re going to meet up later."

"Well, come on in. I’ll tell Amanda you’re here; dinner's almost ready. The boys are in the family room playing their new Nintendo game with Lee."

"Lee’s here?" Joe said, obviously displeased.

"Yes, he’s helping to keep the boys out of the kitchen. The way they’ve been nibbling all morning, I don’t think they’ll eat much dinner," Dotty complained.

Amanda came out of the kitchen to greet Joe moments later. "Merry Christmas, Joe."

Joe smiled and kissed his ex-wife. "Merry Christmas, Amanda."

"Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. Where’s Carrie?"

"Um, she went over to her parent’s house. We’re going to catch up later at my parent’s house," Joe explained nervously.

"The boys are looking forward to seeing your folks. How are they doing?"

"Mom’s doing well, dad’s not getting around as much," Joe answered as they headed into the family room.

"Give them my love," Amanda replied, then looking at her sons enthralled with their new game. "They’ve been playing that all morning," she said to Joe shaking her head. "Why don’t you boys go wash up for dinner."

"Aw, mom, can’t we play a little longer? We’re not really that hungry."

"Phillip and Jamie King, I told you if you kept snacking you’d spoil your dinner. Now march up those stairs and get washed up for Christmas dinner. You will sit down with us whether you eat or not!" Amanda answered crossly.

They boys knew better than to argue with that tone and reluctantly headed upstairs as they were ordered.

"I guess they’ve been a handful. I remember how I was when I was that age," Joe laughed.

"Yeah, I could be a handful too," Lee concurred.

"Hey, can I get a volunteer to carve the turkey?" Amanda asked.

"Sure, I’ll do it." Lee and Joe both answered at the same time.

Joe shot Lee a look of annoyance, and Lee backed off. "You go ahead, Joe."

Joe headed into the kitchen; Amanda smiled thankfully at Lee. "You OK?" she asked.

"Yeah, I’m fine. I got the best Christmas present I could ever imagine," Lee grinned happily, putting his hands firmly on her waist and pulling her to him.

Amanda reached out, touching Lee’s face with a tender caress and teased. "But I haven’t given you your Christmas present yet."

Lee kissed her squarely on the lips, grinning brightly. "And the day gets better and better."

"Why don’t you corral the boys into the dining room. We’ll be in soon as the turkey is carved."

Amanda headed into the kitchen to check on Joe. She planned to tell him after dinner about their engagement.

"Amanda, I need to talk to you," Joe said quietly as Dotty grabbed the mashed potatoes and rolls and headed to the dining room.

"Sure what’s up?" Amanda asked.

"Privately," he whispered.

"Oh! Now?" she asked with an uncomfortable grimace.

Joe looked down at the half-carved turkey as Dotty came back into the kitchen, he replied, "No, how about after dinner?"

"Sure thing, I wanted to talk to you, too," Amanda smiled.

They sat down and said a special Christmas blessing. Then everyone dug into a delicious turkey dinner and all its trimmings. The discussion was jovial with the boys excited about their many new gifts and a week off from school. But then there was a sudden breach in the conversation.

"Hey, Dad, Mom and Lee are getting married," Phillip announced casually.

Lee and Amanda both looked at each other quickly, then over to Joe who sat there opened mouthed, his fork slipping from his fingers onto his plate with a loud ‘clink’. After a moment’s hesitation, Joe managed a replied.

"Married? When did all this happen?"

Amanda’s face was as white as freshly fallen snow. She had wanted to tell him the news privately. She had been carefully concealing her engagement ring since Joe had arrived.

"Lee asked me last night," Amanda explained softly.

"Yeah, Lee even spent the night," Jamie added boldly, without any explanation.

Joe looked over at Lee with disgust, then turned and glared at Amanda. "Can I talk to you for a minute, alone?" he demanded angrily.

"Joe, hold on a second," Amanda started, but she was interrupted.

Joe was already getting up from the table. "Now, Amanda!" he said with authority.

Amanda got up, looked at Lee. She knew what he was thinking and shook her head no; she would take care of it. Lee swallowed hard. ‘What a mess,’ he thought as he reluctantly let her handle it. He and Dotty both grimaced as they heard the back door slam.

"Amanda, how could you do this? You let Lee spend the night with the boys in the house?" Joe raged loudly.

"Joe, calm down."

"I will not! We’re trying to raise two teenagers here and you’re fooling around right under their very noses," Joe yelled louder and louder.

"Joe – will you give me a chance to explain? You’re making a mistake."

"So, Lee didn’t spend the night?" he asked hotly.

"No, Lee spent the night here, I admit that. But it’s not entirely what you think. We fell asleep downstairs in the den after church last night. Lee asked me to marry him, we were cuddling on the couch; nothing happened. The next thing I knew it was morning…" Amanda tried to explain. She and Lee had never done that before, she hadn’t planned on letting him spend the night; they really just fell asleep.

Joe was pacing in the backyard. "You expect me to believe this is the first time."

"You can believe what you want, but it was. Now, can we go back inside? It’s freezing out here," Amanda suggested, not wanting to continue the argument.

"Amanda, I think you’re making a big mistake here. Aren’t you just letting yourself get caught up in the excitement of ‘Lee Stetson: American spy’?" Joe spouted in a mocking tone. "You’re his assistant - a secretary. I hope you two are planning a long engagement, because I think you’re setting yourself up for a big hurt. Not to mention the boys…"

"First of all, Lee and I are not a mistake. Secondly, I’m not his assistant; I’m his partner." Amanda watched the look of astonishment on Joe’s face. "Yes, Joe, it’s true, why is it so hard for you to believe that I’m more than a secretary at the Agency?" Amanda blurted out angrily. She was tired of the way Joe always thought he knew what was best for her, underestimating her abilities.

"Amanda, you’re moving too fast with him, with the Agency. You need to take a look at yourself." Joe tried to reason with her in vain.

"I’m not moving too fast. We’ve been divorced for over five years. I’ve known Lee for four years; I’ve been working at the Agency just as long. We’ve been dating for over a year now.."

Joe interrupted Amanda yet again, but this time not with words. He reached out for her and pulled her into his arms, kissing her passionately. It took a few moments before she realized what was happening. She pushed him away and slapped him sharply across his face.

"What do you think you’re doing?" she yelled loudly.

The force of her hand and the sharpness of her voice stunned Joe. "Amanda, I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life. And leaving you was the biggest. Please give us another chance."

Amanda looked at him with shock, "Joe, you’re a married man! What about Carrie? You’re acting like a jealous fool."

Joe shook his head. "Carrie left me. That’s why she isn’t here."

Amanda exhaled slowly, taking the time to choose her words very carefully.

"I’m very sorry to hear that. I didn’t know you two were having problems.  I hope you’re able to work things out. But regardless, that doesn’t change the way I feel about Lee. Joe, I care about you; we have two wonderful children together and we’ve shared a lot of good times. But I’m in love with Lee; he’s my life now. What we had is over, we can’t go back; we both have to move forward."

Joe just nodded sullenly, his face red with embarrassment.

"How about we go back inside and finish Christmas dinner?" Amanda suggested apprehensively.

"Yeah, sure," Joe replied as he opened the kitchen door for her.

The remainder of dinner was made up of uneasy chatter. No one quite knew what had been said since Amanda and Joe had left the table. The boys had eaten more than their fill and eagerly asked to be excused to enjoy their gifts. Amanda nodded her consent, glad to have dinner over with.

"I’ll help you clean up, Amanda," Lee announced. "Joe, why don’t you give that Nintendo game a try. Phillip’s pretty good at it already."

Joe gave Lee a loathsome stare then a quick look at Amanda to see that she was watching him closely. He finally nodded politely and headed into the family room.

"I could clean things up, why don’t you both go watch the boys play?" Dotty suggested.

"Mother, you’ve already been such a big help today. Why don’t you go and relax?" Amanda suggested, not really wanting to spend any more time with Joe than she had to at the moment.

"You’re sure?" Dotty asked. Amanda nodded and continued cleaning off the table.

While they were putting the dishes into the dishwasher, Lee finally asked. "Is everything OK between you and Joe?"

Amanda leaned against the counter, looked up at him and replied. "Yeah."

"You don’t sound very convincing. You two were outside for quite a while. Maybe I should go talk to him? I really hadn’t planned on spending the night. This is my fault, let me explain…"

"NO!" She blurted out and Lee gave her an uncomfortable stare. "Really, I’m sorry. I’m just a little on edge."

Lee pulled her into his arms. "I can see that," he answered as he kissed her tenderly.

"That helps," she smiled, then nodded at the stack of dirty dishes, "but the dishes."

"What exactly happened out there?" he asked with a mix of concern and curiosity.

"Let’s get these dishes done," she replied not wanting to discuss it now.

"Amanda, the dishes can wait, now what was said out there?" Lee asked nervously.

"Later, not right now," she sighed heavily.

Lee didn’t want to add to the strain, so he dropped the issue for the moment.

They continued to clean up the kitchen when the boys called out to her. "Mom, it’s your turn. You’re the only one who hasn’t played. Even grandma got to the second level."

Joe came into the kitchen. "Go ahead, I’ll help finish up."

Amanda looked uneasily at Lee. He reached out for her left hand, kissed it briefly, then nodded silently toward the family room. Amanda turned and headed into the family room.

Joe looked at Lee, then goaded. "I would have thought you could have afforded a larger diamond."

Lee gritted his teeth and answered simply, "It belonged to my mother."

"Oh, I see, a hand me down," he answered snidely.

"Joe, can I suggest you just drop it. Now is neither the time or the place," Lee said trying to maintain his cool.

"Oh, and spending the night here last night was OK?"

"We fell asleep together, on the couch, fully dressed. Nothing happened. Now are you satisfied?" he said with his voice getting louder by the second.

"No, I’m not!" Joe shouted and the boys and Amanda all turned towards the commotion. "I don’t like the fact you’re sleeping with my wife at all."

"Ex-wife!" Lee answered heatedly.

Amanda swiftly entered the kitchen, followed closely by the boys. "Will you two stop it? You’re ruining Christmas," she said tearfully.

Lee looked at Joe with aversion, then reached his arm around her waist. "I’m sorry."

"Dad, they fell asleep on the couch. He’s never spent the night here before, honest," Jamie replied remorsefully, not sure what else to say. He was shamefully sorry he ever mentioned it in the first place.

"Jamie, I appreciate your help here, but I’ve already explained things to your father. Now, Joe, why don’t you spend some time with your sons?"

Joe’s face was red with anger. He spewed vehemently, "I wanted to spend Christmas with my family, not having to compete with - him."

"Dad, Lee’s an all right guy. He’s not trying to compete with you. He’s mom’s fiancee; he’s just our friend," Phillip remarked with unusual maturity for a teenager.

"Boys, come on, the show’s over. Christmas sometimes brings out the worst in adults," Dotty said, giving the three adults a disgusted look. Then grabbing both of the boys she headed out of the room with them, saying, "Come on, you can teach me how to get to the next level…"

The three adults stood looking uncomfortably from one to another. Amanda was the first to finally speak.

"I think we better take this outside. The boys have heard more than enough for one day."

The three of them headed out to the gazebo and Amanda started issuing orders. "OK, now I’ve had it. Sit down, both of you."

The tone in her voice made them both comply without hesitation, Joe sitting on one side, Lee on the other.

"Joe, I’m surprised and a little disappointed with you. We’ve never fought in front of the boys, not even when we were still married. I don’t want to start now.  Is that understood?"

"Yes but, Amanda, I don’t like the way Lee’s hovering over the boys. That damn Nintendo game he bought them…"

"Was exactly what they wanted for Christmas," Lee interrupted loudly.

"You’re so smug, Stetson, you think you’re ‘Secret Agent Man’, " Joe snarled.

"Joe, stop it. Stop it right now. Like it or not, Lee is going to be their stepfather. For the boys’ sake, I think it’s in their best interest for the two of you to try to get along."

"Amanda’s right, Joe. I’m not trying to replace you; the boys will never call me dad," Lee said trying to hide the animosity in his voice.

"Damn right they won’t. Not while I’m still around. Those are my boys in there and don’t you forget it. Amanda was my wife first, remember that."

Lee didn’t like the tone this conversation was starting to take. This no longer seemed to be about the boys. It was clear that Joe was upset about him marrying his ex-wife.

"Amanda, why don’t you go check on the boys. I think Joe and I need to talk things out: man to man," Lee suggested in a calm tone.

She shook her head no. "What? And leave you two alone together; no way."

"Amanda…" Lee repeated

"No."

"Go ahead, Amanda, I can handle myself with him," Joe answered loftily, nodding his head at Lee with aversion.

Her temper was continuing to rise. "I said no! Today is Christmas, and instead of enjoying a relaxing afternoon with my family, I’m in my backyard, freezing, trying to get my fiancee and ex-husband to bury the hatchet. So much for ‘Peace on Earth’. I can’t even have peace in my own family room."

Joe interrupted, "Amand…"

"I’m not finished," Amanda snapped angrily. "Joe, one more snide remark out of you today and I’ll throw you out myself – and don’t think I can’t do it, because I can. Lee and I are getting married. I hoped you’d be happy for me, for us. But if you have to be petty and hurtful, I can make arrangements to drop the boys off at your place in the future and you and I will have ‘contact zero’. Is that understood?"

"Understood," Joe mumbled unhappily.

"Good, because Lee and I have given marriage a lot of thought. This is not some crazy whim of mine as you’d like to think. I’m a damn good agent, I’m no longer the housewife you left behind; there is no chance at a reconciliation, not now or ever. I suggest you try to work things out with your wife, because your ex-wife is spoken for. Any questions?" Amanda finished, staring sharply at Joe, the look on her face showed she meant every last word she said.

"No," Joe answered in a defeated tone.

Lee sat there in a stunned silence, never seeing this side of Amanda before. Slowly he began to piece together what happened outside earlier in the afternoon.

"Now, I expect that you two go inside and enjoy the rest of the afternoon with the boys. If you both can’t handle that, I will ask you to leave…"

Lee got up and reached for Amanda’s hand to head back inside. A few moments later Joe got up and followed them in.

End Part 2
 

* * * * *
 

Conclusion
 

Lee brought Amanda in a cup of tea and sat down beside her on his couch.

"Would you really have thrown Joe out this afternoon?" he asked, intrigued.

"Lee, will you stop?"

"I'm really curious," he answered.

"Why? Don't you think I could have?"

"Taken Joe? I have no doubt he wouldn't have had a chance. He underestimates your abilities; he always has. But I wasn't sure you would have done that in front of the boys," Lee stated honestly.

She sighed and then turned to him. "I didn't want the boys feeling like they were in the middle of a war zone. Christmas in our house has always been peaceful, full of joy. If he hadn't calmed down after our little chat, yes, I would have thrown him out, bodily if I had to."

"Remind me to never get you mad at me."

"Can we please drop it now?" she asked, weary of the subject. She picked up her teacup and sipped at it, trying to relax.

"Consider it dropped. So where's my Christmas present?" he asked with a silly grin.

"I'll get it in a moment. It's in my bag."

"I'll get it," Lee suggested as he started to get up from the couch.

She grabbed his arm and stopped him. "No, you won't. Gosh, you're as bad as the boys," she scolded him as she laughed. "Just sit down and I'll go get it. But you have to close your eyes, and no peeking."

Lee was grinning broadly. "I love Christmas!" he added playfully.

"I wish I had that one on tape for Billy. He'll never believe 'you' said that. Now I'll be right back," she said with a contented smile as she put her cup of tea down on the table and headed into the bedroom.

Lee waited on the couch, sipping his coffee and glancing impatiently from the window, back over towards the bedroom door.

"Amanda, are you wrapping it in there or what? I'm just going to rip it open so don't bother. The suspense is killing me."

"Are your eyes closed?" she called out from the bedroom.

"Yeah, yeah, my eyes are closed, now come on. Christmas will be over before you ever get in here," Lee complained with childlike anticipation.

"No peeking!" she called out.

"Amanda!"

He could hear her finally crossing the room and at last she announced, "OK, you can open your eyes."

He opened his eyes to find her standing in front of him in a ruby red lace teddy. The silk clung softly to her trim body, lace accents trimming her breasts. She'd never worn anything that left her so 'exposed' before. Most of her negligees were long and flowing, sexy but never so revealing. His carnal thoughts were interrupted by her enticing voice.

"I was hoping you'd open this present very carefully," she whispered seductively.

His eyes gazed upon her, slowly taking in every accentuated feature. "You look incredible. I promise to unwrap you inch by inch," he replied huskily, standing up and closing the short distance that separated them.

His hands touched her soft satiny skin, and gently traced the thin, silk and lace teddy that accented her curves in ways he never imagined.

"Do you like your present?" she asked with desire.

"Most definitely," he choked out past his own flaming desire. Then he lifted her into his arms and carried her into his bedroom. He gently placed her down on the bed. His hungry eyes devoured her body as if he was making a game plan for his lovemaking.

She pulled him down onto her in an assertive fashion, then teased. "Didn't like sleeping on the couch last night?"

"Oh, I don't expect to be sleeping anytime soon," he grinned.

She started to say something else but he quickly stopped her by pressing his lips to hers. The incredible feeling of her lips on his, the taste of her mouth, her tongue were quite intoxicating. He enjoyed every sensation her body had to offer. He loved the softness of her skin, how wonderfully smooth it was and how it reacted to his determined touch.

He treasured making love to Amanda. Not only was she sensuous and beautiful, she was eager to please and not shy in letting him know how to please her. He was surprised by her intuitiveness in lovemaking. But then she had many talents that he had often overlooked until the day he woke up and realized not only did he care about her, but he was deeply in love with her.

His lips left hers and headed down her neck, towards her shoulders. He drank in an enchanting aroma. It was a blending of her perfume and... he had to stifle a laugh as he finally identified the scent: cookie dough.

She had looked forward to tonight. Having the time to be alone, to be husband and wife - their first real Christmas together was exciting all by itself. Her hands began to explore his firm, well kept body. They deftly found their way under his sweater, to explore the hot muscular skin underneath.

Lovemaking with Lee had been special from the start. It was a journey of fulfilling each other's needs and desires; it was a journey without words or tokens. Being intimate with Lee was an expedition into a world of pleasure, not just for herself, but for him. It was an excursion they took together with mutual abandon.

***

Afterwards, they held each other closely; they caressed each other's bodies, talking softly in whispers. Lee stroked her face as she snuggled against him.

"This was such a wonderful Christmas," Amanda whispered.

"I'm lucky to have found you," Lee confided.

"You're lucky that I'm patient," Amanda teased as she relaxed in his arms.

"I saved the best for last. Seriously, I want you to know how much I really enjoyed this Christmas. In the past it was just another day to watch football on TV. But you helped me remember what it was like through a child's eyes. Today will be a day I cherish forever," Lee murmured as he pulled her closer to him, his hand mischievously running down her long slender body.

"Oh, Lee, you don't know how happy you make me."

"The feeling is extremely mutual."

"You know, I really didn't know what to get you," she confided.

"I enjoyed your gift, it was perfect," he grinned.

"No, this ring was the perfect gift," she confessed as she admired its simple beauty. Knowing how much the ring meant to Lee made it even more special than her other engagement ring, the one he bought for her.

"Merry Christmas to you, Mr. Stetson," she murmured sleepily as she tried unsuccessfully to cover her yawn.

"Merry Christmas, Mrs. Stetson," Lee whispered as he covered it for her.

She kissed his hand delicately as she settled peacefully in his strong arms.

In turn he kissed her gently, pulling her protectively closer as he reached carefully behind him to turn out the light. It wasn't long until sleep came to them both. Ending what finally had become a truly wondrous and magical first Christmas together...

The end....

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