PART 2

Season 3

The boisterous activities in the bullpen were somehow different this year. There was eggnog and fruitcake and the usual revelry, but something had changed. An astute observer would attribute the change to the presence of a certain agent, codenamed Scarecrow. Not only was he in attendance, but he was almost enjoying himself. The attractive brunette by his side may have been responsible. He'd succumbed to her cajoling; deciding that putting in an appearance at the party would not only please her, but his boss as well.

They were now acknowledged as a reliable team, the strengths of each balancing out the other's weaknesses. No other agent, save one Francine Desmond, would have dared to make brash comments about their skills. The respect they had earned from their coworkers was well deserved.

Crowded around the table as Lee regaled them with the tale of how he'd found one of their most seasoned field agents locked in a freezer, the other agents roared with laughter. Francine, her face reddening as she overheard the discussion, vowed to get even with Lee for that one. And she had the perfect plan. She'd embarrass Lee and his housewife partner, and she knew just the way to do it.

"Lee, Mr. Melrose needs to see you in his office, ASAP," she sweetly told him, interrupting his tale.

"What? Ah, hell. Be back in a bit," he told his disappointed audience.

"You, too, Amanda," Francine said.

"All right, Francine. I wonder what Mr. Melrose wants. I sure hope nothing has come up, Lee, it is Christmas Eve, and I have to finish wrapping gifts, and the tree needs decorating, and there's service this evening, and..." she trailed off as they approached Billy's office.

Knocking on the door, Lee opened it when he heard no response. "Billy?" he asked, sticking his head through the door. "That's funny, he doesn't appear to be here."

"Lee, why would Francine tell us he needed to see us, when he's not..." she stopped as the crowd behind them started chanting, "Kiss, kiss, kiss!"

"Francine!" Lee said looking up at the mistletoe they were now standing under. "She set us up."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to be good sports and play along," she said, smiling at the handsome man next to her. She certainly didn't mind. "After all, Lee, it is a tradition."

"True. And if we pretend to enjoy it, I bet Francine would lose that smirk she's wearing," he said with a wink.

"I suppose I could pretend..." Amanda stopped as she saw his wink. Gasping as he swept her into his arms, she locked onto his gaze. The sounds of the party faded to a steady hum as she lost herself in his eyes.

With his lips hovering over hers, the feel of her sweet breath more intoxicating than the eggnog, Lee hesitated. He knew they were on the verge of something important in both their lives, almost ready to take that step, almost ready to forge ahead, almost ready to...

"Kiss, already!" someone yelled.

Lee considered their situation as he held Amanda close. This was neither the time nor the place to move ahead; reputation be damned. He grinned wryly at her and leaned closer, placing a feather-light kiss on her lips. He then reluctantly pulled back and with tenderness in his eyes, gazed down at the woman in his arms. This vibrant, loving woman who had brought so much to his life, this woman who was his partner and best friend. Clearing his throat, he said, "That may not have had quite the effect we were hoping for."

"Not exactly," she said, grinning up at him as she got her heart rate under control. 'One of these days, Lee Stetson, one of these days,' she thought to herself as she looked into his twinkling eyes. "But it'll have to do for now." Looking around, she realized that everyone had turned their attentions elsewhere. Everyone that is, except for Francine. "Don't look now, but Francine is looking daggers at us."

"Oh, she is, is she? I think I have an idea," he said, the look of devilment back in his eyes. "Did you happen to see where Beaman went?"

"No, why? Oh, Lee... you wouldn't! Poor Francine," she said, giggling.

"Uh, huh, poor Francine, indeed. Ah, there he is. Come on." Pulling Amanda by the hand he led her over to the slightly inebriated Beaman.

"Beaman, just the man I was looking for," Lee said, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Oh, hi, Lee, Amanda," he slurred, rising unsteadily to his feet, "whassup?"

"Francine's looking for you. She wants to give you your Christmas present - a very personal Christmas present." The earnestness in Lee's face was so comical that Amanda had to stifle another laugh.

"Oh? Really? I thought she was avoiding me, again. Thanks, Lee," he said as he began to weave his way across the bullpen, calling, "Francine, pumpkin, honeybuns, I'm here, sweety. What gift do you have for your Beamakins this year?"

Dissolving into laughter, Lee and Amanda decided to beat a hasty retreat. Exiting the bullpen to the sound of laughter, the two congratulated themselves on their swift and sure revenge.

"Well, Lee, Beaman and Francine - that's one Christmas tradition I'll never tire of," she said, laughing.

"Agreed, Amanda. That's two traditions I have under my belt, now. You may reform me, yet," he replied as, hand-in-hand, they entered the elevator.

Season 4

Off-duty agents, fruitcake, eggnog, tall-tales, revelry, and a little flirting - it was the typical Agency Christmas party. The opportunity to forget terrorists, KGB agents, and the cold war was enough to engender the Christmas spirit amongst all attending.

There was something missing, however. The Agency's top team, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, were no longer in attendance. They had just finished rounding up a terrorist group guilty of manufacturing weapons in a toy factory. Not a pleasant job at anytime, and doubly so on Christmas Eve.

"Lee, we'd better hurry if we're going to get home in time for dinner and presents. We've already missed Christmas Eve service and I don't want to miss anything else," Amanda said anxiously as she looked at her watch.

"I AM hurrying, Amanda," Lee replied. It wasn't as if he'd enjoyed spending Christmas this way. Why did she have to act as though he did? Glancing furtively at the woman he'd come to love and seeing the disappointment clearly written on her features, he suddenly had an idea. "Don't worry, Amanda, they won't have Christmas without us," he said as they turned onto Maplewood Drive.

During the ensuing family celebration, Lee found himself feeling welcomed into a family for the first time in his life. The Christmas dinner, the unwrapping of gifts, and the love in the air, were all new to him. He found himself wondering how had he gone through so many Christmases without this.

He did, however, have to force his dislike for Amanda's ex-husband out of his thoughts. He was determined to make the rest of Christmas unforgettable for his Amanda. And if that meant getting along with Joe King, then he'd get along with Joe King.

After the festivities were over, he finally had a few moments alone with Amanda. Smiling his most disarming smile, he said, "Amanda, I know earlier we joked about being trapped in a nest of killers as a Christmas tradition. Well, I want you to know that I remember another Christmas tradition we have, one that's much more enjoyable, one that I'm determined to continue."

Looking at the man nestled next to her on the sofa, her worries from the day finally gone, she smiled warmly at him. She couldn't imagine anything more fulfilling than sharing Christmas with this man, this man who completed her, this man who had entered her life unexpectedly and with the suddenness of a runaway freight train, this man who'd stolen her heart once and for all. "Oh? And what tradition is that, Lee?" she asked, snuggling further into his arms.

"Well, Amanda, going back to our first Christmas together, before we were trapped in that little cabin in the woods, there was the Agency Christmas party, remember?" Feeling her head nod in the affirmative, he continued, "We somehow ended up under the mistletoe, and well, I had a reputation to uphold, so I kissed you, remember?"

"Yeah, it was actually quite a kiss," she said. "It's funny, because you used to get so annoyed with me back then, and I was so surprised when you kissed me. I mean, you'd only ever kissed me when it was part of a case, but that kiss was somehow different..."

"Uh, huh. It was. I would never have admitted it, but you'd already started to have an effect on me." He gave her a squeeze. "And then there was our second Christmas. Billy assigned you to make sure I got into the spirit of things, remember?"

With a laugh she said, "Oh, yeah. You weren't thrilled to tag along with me. Billy sure did throw us together a lot back then. Do you think he did it on purpose?"

"I'm sure he did. Billy was determined to reform me, one way or another. I guess I should thank him..." pausing, he leaned down and kissed the top of Amanda's head. "We got caught under the mistletoe yet again."

"That was a much briefer kiss, if I remember right."

"I think I was almost afraid to kiss you that time. My emotions were in turmoil. I denied it, of course, but I'd come to see you as a vibrant, attractive woman by that point. Good thing I finally came to my senses, huh?" he asked, chuckling.

"Mm, hmm," she mumbled, entwining her fingers with his. "Then our third Christmas came along. And Francine..."

"Hah! We sure got back at her for that one. I don't think she spoke to me for two weeks. But that wasn't much of a kiss. I was so afraid I'd ruin everything if I kissed you the way I wanted to," he said, running his other hand across her shoulders.

"Oh? And how did you want to kiss me?" she asked, gazing mischievously up at the love of her life.

"Well, I wanted to kiss you until you were breathless. I wanted to kiss you until the world stopped. I wanted to kiss you as you'd never been kissed before..." his voice trailed off as he traced the outline of her lips with his fingers.

Catching her breath as he removed his fingers, she said with regret, "But, Lee, this year we were at the party for such a short time that we didn't have a chance to get caught under the mistletoe."

"I know." He grinned at her, reaching into his pocket. "It's a bit squished, but I think it'll do."

"Where did you get that?" she asked, looking at the pathetically mangled piece of plastic mistletoe he held in his hand.

"I, um, kinda swiped it off the neighbor's door," he said sheepishly. "I don't think they'll miss it, though - I only took a tiny piece. But then I had to sit on it all evening, so..."

"Well, better mangled than nothing," she said as she gazed into his warm hazel eyes. "I think this is a Christmas tradition I definitely want to keep."

Nodding his agreement, he held the homely sprig of mistletoe over her head and slowly lowered his face to hers. Pausing with his lips just above hers, his warm breath tickling her nose, he said, "You and your family have finally made me understand the spirit of the season. Merry Christmas, Amanda, I love you."

"Merry Christmas, Lee, I love you, too," she whispered breathlessly.

The ensuing quiet was broken only by the crackle of the fire and the slight whispers of endearment as the two lovers, the world around them forgotten, shared the one Christmas tradition they would never forget.

THE END