SHOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Disclaimer: I don't own Scarecrow and Mrs. King, nor the song I'll be home for Christmas. The version of the song, 'Please Come Home for Christmas' is sung
by Charles Brown and Gene Redd. I don't own much of anything but I did write this story. Please don't post it unless you tell me where you place it. This story
was written to fulfill two challenges: One where Amanda and Lee have a little girl named something besides a name used on the show and the other a
Christmas challenge to have Lee and Amanda kiss under Mistletoe.
HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Summary: Lee is own assignment. It's Christmas eve and all he and Amanda want for Christmas is for him to be home.
Acknowledgments: I want to thank all the GG's that have been so supportive of me lately, when I needed a lot of encouragement to get back to writing again.
Amanda Stetson stood looking out the Bay window of her New one story brick home. She was holding her infant daughter Samantha, while watching the heavy
snowfall and missing her husband Lee. He had been away overseas on assignment, since three days after Thanksgiving. Lee called to check on his family, every
chance he got but it wasn't the same as having him there.
"It's so unfair Sami" Amanda cooed to her little girl as she rubbed her back in little tiny concentric circles. "I finally get your daddy to look forward to the
Christmas season, even get him to promise not to put his name on the duty roster and fate rears her ugly head by keeping him away on a case abroad. Oh well
baby girl, noone ever said life was fair." Amanda eased the baby off her shoulder and checked to see if her eyes were still open. Little Samantha had finally
drifted off to sleep again so her mother glanced wistfully out the window once more, then turned and proceeded to carry her daughter back to the nursery.
After placing the baby back in her crib, Amanda returned to her own bedroom. She turned on the mini stereo, hoping a little Christmas music would make her a
little less Melancholy. Once again she moved over to the window and began to gaze out. She scanned the darkness hoping for a miracle, that if she looked long
enough, hard enough, Lee would somehow magically appear.
The CD that she had turned on a few minutes earlier shuffled to the next song. As the first few bars began to play, Amanda recognized the song and gave a
small, sad, chuckle at the appropriateness of the selection. The singer began to croon the sad lyrics, and she joined in with him.
"Bells will be ringing the sad, sad news
Oh what a Christmas to have the blues
My baby's gone I have no friends
To wish me greetings once again
Choirs will be singing ";Silent Night";
Christmas carols by candlelight
Please come home for Christmas,
Please come home for Christmas
If not for Christmas, by New Year's night
Friends and relations send salutations
Sure as the stars shine above
For this is Christmas, yes, Christmas my dear
It's the time of year to be with the one you love
So won't you tell me you'll never more roam
Christmas and New Year's will find you home
There'll be no more sorrow, no grief and pain
And I'll be happy, I'll be happy, once again
There'll be no more sorrow, no grief and pain
And I'll be happy, happy Christmas, once again
By the time the song ended, a single, solitary tear, had begun to crawl it's way down her cheek. Suddenly she was no longer in the mood to listen to the sounds
of the season anymore. Walking over to the stereo, she shut it off. Next she climbed into bed and got under the covers. Amanda rolled unto her side and picked
up the Golden frame that held the wedding photo of her public marriage ceremony to Lee.
"Be safe Scarecrow. Merry Christmas, I love you Lee, hurry home" Mrs. Stetson whispered to her husband's picture. She then brought her index and middle
finger to her mouth, kissed them and then lovingly placed them on the glass. Once she had returned the frame back to it's place of honor on the nightstand table,
Amanda cutoff the light, rolled unto her back, closed her eyes and waited for sleep to over take her.
A few hours after sleep finally overcame Amanda Stetson, an international flight that had been from Dulles because the weather had forced it's shut down,
landed in nearby Maryland at BWI. Fortunately for the travel weary, passengers, the snow wasn't as heavy in the area, so aviation authorities had decided to
leave the airport open for at least a few more hours.
After he disembarked from the aircraft, an anxious Lee Stetson, hurriedly made his way to the baggage claim area. When he arrived there, he realized the
luggage hadn't been unloaded off the plane yet because the overhead displays weren't listing a conveyor belt number for his flight.
"Oh great, another delay" grumbled Lee.
There was nothing he could do but wait, so he did. About five minutes later, the conveyor belt finally cranked up and the passengers' luggage slowly began it's
circular journey. That brought a smile to Scarecrow's face. He retrieved the first piece of his checked baggage. Now all he had to wait for was the box of
presents he had purchased for his family. He laughed to himself as he thought about how proud Amanda would be of him; He had completed all his Christmas
shopping all by himself, and this year, nobody was receiving a scarf from him.
Lee's good mood was spoiled as he realized the conveyor belt had stopped. An audible groan could be heard from Stetson and his fellow passengers at this new
delay to them reaching their destinations.
Twenty minutes later, Lee and his luggage, were on their way to the rental car counter. He encountered a large line when he got there. Evidently quite a few
people had the same ideal as him, to rent a car and drive the rest of the way to their destination.
It took him an hour and a half to rent a car because just before he reached a rental agent, the computers went down. When the computer came back online, there
were no four wheel drives available, so he had to settle for a sedan. Lee didn't care what kind of vehicle it was, as long as it got him safely home to his family.
To pass the time during his drive home, Scarecrow turned on the car radio. "The holiday classic, 'I'll be home for Christmas' was playing. Lee began to hum
along to the music. When the song ended, he said aloud, "that's what I want more than anything in the world right now, to be home with my family for Christmas."
"Home" Lee said with a contented sigh as he pulled the rental car into the driveway of his Arlington Virginia home. It had been a long and tedious drive, but he
had made it. Lee grabbed his belongings, exited the vehicle, and made his way carefully up the walk. He unlocked the door of the house, entered in, closed and
locked the door behind himself. Lee took a deep breath. The house smells like 'Christmas' he thought t himself. From the delicious smelling aromas filling the
air, he reasoned Amanda and Dotty Must have been up late into the night getting a head start on Christmas Dinner.
Blinking lights from the den, drew him into the room. The six and a half foot pine tree, was expertly decorated with strings of blinking mini lights, red and gold
glass balls and matching Garland, a few feet of strung popcorn, and lots of tinsel. A glance at the bottom of the tree, reveled the area was already overflowing
with presents. Lee knelt down and placed the ones he had brought home around the perimeter. As he rose up off the floor, Scarecrow reflected on the fact that,
Christmas, a holiday he would have gladly voted to abolish, if it had been on a ballot a few years ago, had become so important to him. Having people who
love you and who you love make all the difference in the world. Right now, Lee Stetson had a burning desire to see those people so he hurried out of the room,
to 'peek in' on his slumbering family.
The first room he came upon was his Mother-In-Law's. Dotty always slept with her door open a quarter of the way. After he was satisfied that she was safely
nestled in her bed, Lee moved on to check on his boys.
Phillip's room was right next to Dotty's. He quietly turned the knob and made his way cautiously inside. Lee shined his pocket flashlight at the floor, so he
wouldn't trip over anything in the messy room. Phillip was lying on his stomach, his head under the pillow, lightly snoring. Scarecrow gently pulled the cover,
Phillip had obviously kicked off himself during the night, back up over his shoulders. He was such a sound sleeper; He didn't even stir. When he left his oldest
son's room, Lee moved on to his youngest son's.
Scarecrow was careful to shield the glare of the light with his hand because Jaime was a much lighter sleeper than his older brother. Lee smiled at the image his
sleeping child presented. Jaime's kind heart, was reflected in the innocence that shone upon his face as he slept.
Lee's next stop after he left Jaime's room, was the nursery. He put away his pocket light because the night light in the baby's room provided enough
illumination. He walked over to his daughter's crib and Stared down upon his sleeping angel.
"I've missed you so much, sweetheart" Lee whispered as he gently touched a lock of hair on her forehead. Daddy didn't want to miss your first Christmas. You
are such a precious darling. I've missed holding you so much" he said as he ever so gently reached down in the crib and lifted his infant daughter into his arms,
being careful not to wake her. Sami made a tiny whimper and scrunched up her face when she was first jostled, but settled down immediately. Lee ambled
around the room whispering words of affection to his little girl. When she started to squirm, Lee was afraid she was going to wake up fully, start crying and
disturb the whole house, so he reluctantly returned her to her bed. "Goodnight sweetheart, I love you" he said before he quietly left the room.
Lee walked the short distance from his daughter's room to the room he shared with his wife. When he entered their room, the glow from moonlight that was showing behind the curtain, that was not completely closed, highlighted his wife's beautiful silhouette. Lee used the skills he had acquired as an agent to undress without making a sound. When he had stripped down to his boxers, Lee placed something under his pillow and then crawled into bed with his wife, who was now lying on her back, facing away from him. He inched up behind her and she started to stir. Lee kissed the back of her neck, where he knew she was most sensitive and that brought her fully awake.
"Merry Christmas, Mrs. Stetson" he said as he gently nibbled on her ear.
"Oh Lee, you scared me" she said as she rolled over. Then she realized her prayers had been answered, he husband was really home, it wasn't a dream. "Lee,
you're home. I can't believe you made it sweetheart. You don't know how happy mother and the kids will be to see you" Amanda Stetson said in one breath.
"Oh yes I can because I know how happy I am to see all of you," Lee replied. "Now why don't we get an early start on our celebrating before everyone else
wakes up" Lee asked his wife as he pulled a sprig of Mistletoe out from under his pillow and placed it above her head.
"I'd be delighted, Scarecrow. Now that you are home, this will be the best Christmas ever, Amanda said as she kissed her husband with all the passion that had
been pent up for the last few weeks while he was out of town.
The End
Alleycat