Valentine's Special by AlaskanFan

Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Enterprises own these wonderful characters. All I get from writing about them is the pleasure of visiting Lee and Amanda from time to time.

I want to acknowledge Ermintrude421 for raising the question about how Lee spend Valentine's Day in her story "Cupid Doesn't Live Here Anymore." This is my version of how he spends the holiday.

Valentine's week was filled with pitfalls for a man like Lee Stetson. At work, he could hardly move without bumping into some single woman with wish-filled eyes. Every evening, he returned home to an answering machine relaying provocative messages. Most difficult were the women who had obtained tickets or reservations and asked him to join them for the day. Each woman was hoping to win the coveted prize of being Lee's Valentine's sweetheart.

Lee had recognized in his youth that asking a woman for a date on Valentine's Day conveyed a serious message – one Lee certainly did not wish to send. Over the years, he had tried several methods of dealing with that special day.

He feigned illness. He sought refuge in work. He left town. One year, he made the mistake of simply hiding in his own apartment. He overlooked the fact that his distinctive car in the parking lot would suggest that he was indeed at home for the evening. He was surprised at the number of women bold enough to knock insistently at his door. He had begun to consider the merits of sneaking down the fire escape in the unlikely event that any of them tried to pick the lock.

Three years ago, he had crafted a winning strategy and was fully satisfied with the results. He could honestly say that he had plans for the evening. And he could report that he had dined and danced the night away. It was a brilliant scheme.

Tonight, he dressed carefully in his tux and red bow tie. He remembered to bring the flowers as he locked his front door. He presented his door man with a bottle of champagne as an extra precaution against unwanted intruders in his apartment. And he drove across town with a twinkle in his eye and every hope for a stellar evening.

The dining room was decorated with red accents befitting the day. Candlelight and soft music set the atmosphere. Gracious ladies in elegant gowns flitted like butterflies throughout the room. Distinguished men dressed in their best gazed affectionately at the lovely ladies. Lee entered the room and scanned the tables quickly. One arm waved in summons and he answered with a smile. He gently pressed through the crowd, greeting people along the way.

Arriving at his goal, he set the corsages on the table so that he could embrace first Lois and then Glynnis. He presented the orchid with the blue ribbon to Lois, and the one with the purple ribbon to Glynnis. The trio enjoyed the excellent dinner, and danced the night away. The Birchwood Retirement Community, home to dozens of retired Agency personnel, had more females than males, and Lee generously danced with many women, not just his dates. The Stetson charm sparkled brightly as he celebrated the founding generation of the Agency on Valentine's Day.

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Author's Note: Birchwood was featured in Season 3, The Pharaoh's Engineers. Lee reveals in that episode that he visits the retirees on a fairly regular basis. Since Amanda hadn't heard about this activity, we can assume that he kept those visits quiet. I thought it would be an excellent way to solve his Valentine's dilemma.