The Reluctant Santa

A/N: I originally wrote this for the 40th SMK Anniversary Fanzine: Covert Casseroles. The title was originally The Case of the Reluctant Santa and the Microdot. This story takes place during Season 2. Thank you to Taya and Karen for their proofreading and editing.

Chapter 1

On Christmas Eve, Amanda King was surprised when she was asked to report to her supervisor, Billy Melrose's office. She'd requested the week off from work and was busy preparing for Christmas. Amanda had been shopping, wrapping presents, and baking dozens of cookies to give to her neighbors and everyone at The Agency.

"Mother, I have to go to work for a few hours."

"Amanda, don't those people know it's practically a holiday? After all, it's Christmas Eve."

"Hopefully, I won't be too long. They lost a film reel I was working on in the editing room."

"Please, be home in plenty of time for the Christmas Eve service and dinner. I still can't understand how that happened last year."

"Yes, Mother," Amanda called as she hurried out the back door.

At the Agency, Billy and his assistant, Francine Desmond, were pouring over details of a last-minute operation. His office was decorated with all the traditional Christmas trimmings. They could hear the faint sound of holiday music playing in the bullpen. Billy sighed, knowing the news he was about to give to his top agent, Lee Stetson, wouldn't be well received. The duty roster was filled with agents who were not as experienced, and he needed Scarecrow for this vital job.

Francine was making last-minute notes on the logistics of the operation when Lee knocked on his Section Chief's door.

"Come in," Billy bellowed.

Lee entered, nodding to Francine. "Hi, Billy. I was told you wanted to see me?"

"Yes, Scarecrow. Something important has come up, and I need you to go undercover."

"Great! Is it somewhere sunny and exotic like Barbados or—"

Billy cut him off, "No, sorry. It's here. I need you to retrieve a microdot."

"Why, Billy? I'm not a low-level courier."

Francine interjected, "It's not just any microdot. It contains a list of double agents from Eastern Bloc countries."

"If it gets into the wrong hands, all our agents will be compromised. It will set us back dozens of years in intelligence information on those nations. Needless to say, their lives are at stake," Billy added.

"How did the list get out of our hands?" Lee inquired.

Billy answered, "What do you think? Someone was willing to double-cross us. Stefan Cazacu, the Romanian, made a deal with the East Germans. He thinks he's handing it off to a courier this afternoon."

"However, we found out who he is, and we have him in custody," Francine informed him.

"So, you're going to go in his place," Billy added.

Lee addressed them both, "But he knows what I look like. He's worked with me before."

"That's right. So, you're going to be in disguise and wear a wire." Billy nodded.

"Okay, so where do I meet him?"

Billy sighed before answering. "In Macy's® at the downtown mall. Agents will be stationed at the exits to pick him up after you get the microdot. You'll be incognito as Santa Claus in the children's toy department."

Seeing the look on Lee's face, Francine tried to keep from laughing.

"Bii-ll-ly. Santa Claus, really? No way!" Lee groaned. "Not me! Why not Fred Fielding? He's on the duty roster too."

"Do you want the lives of those double agents in his hands?" Billy questioned.

Lee ran one hand through his hair and blew out a breath. "How did he ever get to be an agent, anyway?"

"You've heard of Congressman Fielding from North Dakota?"

Lee nodded.

"His uncle." Billy shrugged.

"It pays to have connections," Francine snarked.

"Figures. Billy, are you sure there is no one else? You know me and kids just don't get along." Lee stared frantically at Francine.

"Don't look at me. I don't do rugrats, poopy diapers, or sticky fingers of any kind. As of now, I'm on my way to Tahiti, Scarecrow. Billy, here is the file with all the details." Francine dropped the file on his desk, gave Lee a smug grin, and added, "See you next year, Santa," as she exited.

"You seemed to do well with that kid, Alexi. Remember the ACM case," Billy reminded Lee.

"C'mon, Billy. You know Amanda took care of him most of the time."

Billy was unmoved by Lee's protests. He spotted a figure in the bullpen, and with a smile, he said, "And it just so happens…"

Lee was startled by a knock on the door. He turned to see Amanda standing in the window of Billy's office.

"Amanda?"

Billy motioned for her to come in.

As she entered, Amanda greeted them, "Hello, Sir, Lee, Merry Christmas."

Lee hung his head. "Yeah, yeah."

"You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Merry Christmas to you too, Amanda." Billy smiled, "I have an important job for you to do. Lee needs your help to retrieve a microdot. You're going undercover as an elf. One of Santa's helpers at Macy's® in the mall downtown. Lee needs expert help with the children while waiting for the drop."

"I would love to help, but it's Christmas Eve, sir. I always go to church with my family, then we have a nice family dinner. If you remember, I missed last year when Lee and I were stuck in the woods, and he got shot because the Russians were trying to kill that poor agent. I felt so bad lying to him, pretending to be his daughter, and I didn't get home until early morning. It was very hard explaining to my mother—"

Billy grinned and cut off her rambling, "It will only take a few hours this afternoon. It should only be between one and five. We aren't sure of the exact time the microdot will be handed off."

As Billy spoke, Lee cringed. He did his best to avoid anything related to Christmas. The more Billy described their assignment to Amanda, the more he wanted to get on that plane with Francine.

"This is very important, Amanda. We need you. People's lives are at stake." Billy added, "Cazacu has never met you, and Lee needs someone good with children, so you're perfect for the job."

"When you put it that way, sir. I can't say no."

"Very good! You two should head down to the store. We have briefed the security staff and assured them there is no danger. Agents will follow Cazacu, and we'll grab him when he leaves the store."

Amanda tapped her watch. "Now, you're sure I can leave by five o'clock? The church service starts at six, and then we have dinner at my house…"

Lee took Amanda's arm pulling her out of Billy's office before she could say any more. "Let's go, Amanda!"

In the car, Amanda was very excited. "You know I always wanted to be one of Santa's helpers in the mall. This reminds me of the movie 'Miracle on 34th Street'." Amanda paused and thought for a moment. "Well, maybe not. This is Christmas, not Thanksgiving…it was about the parade and whether Santa was real…Well, I guess the only thing that's the same is you are going to be a Santa at Macy's® and you're not really Santa. But it's a wonderful movie, don't you think?"

"Uh, well, I've never actually watched it. You know I'm not into all the trappings of Christmas."

"It's a sweet movie. I could watch it all the time!" In typical Amanda fashion, she proceeded to tell Lee the plot.

After a few minutes of Amanda's detailed descriptions, Lee's patience soon wore thin. "A-man-da! Enough about the movie. Here, look at the file." Lee shoved it into her lap. "There's a picture of Stefan Cazacu, so you know what he looks like. He will approach you and say, 'I want to give a wish list to Santa from my daughter. She is sick and couldn't come."

Amanda studied the picture. "It's awful this man has betrayed his country and now ours. I wonder why?"

"Greed, Amanda, greed. He has no loyalty to anyone except himself."