December 20, 1988
"Hey, Lee, could you hand me that box over there?" Amanda, perched
precariously on her tiptoes, one hand holding onto a tree branch, leaned over
and, with her other hand, pointed across the room at a red cardboard carton,
trimmed with green.
Lee, who had just come in from outside, looked at her, an impish grin
crossing his face. "Box? Which one?" he asked innocently, looking around
the room.
"Oh, for gosh sakes, that one," she bristled with exasperation. "That one,"
she said emphatically, leaning over further.
Mischievously, Lee indicated a plain brown carton and asked, "This one?"
Amanda, losing her patience as well as her balance, again pointed at the box
she desired. "No, that one, the red one. Lee, please, bring it here."
Lee let out an amused chortle and lifted the carton. Stepping over the
assorted decorations littering the floor, he gingerly made his way across the
room, just in time to slide behind Amanda and keep her from falling.
Rolling her eyes, Amanda righted herself, then took a deep breath. Releasing
the tree branch, she turned to face her husband. "Okay, wise guy, hand me
those ornaments."
Dutifully, Lee turned over the container of trimmings and quickly planted a
light kiss on his wife's cheek. "This tree is looking great. How on earth
did you collect all this stuff?"
"Oh," answered Amanda, lifting the top off the box and picking out a delicate
glass bauble, "some of these belonged to my grandmothers. Mother has
carefully saved them. Protecting them from Phillip and Jamie has been one of
her great challenges."
"I can imagine," Lee grimaced at the thought of the two rough and tumble boys
crashing around all the highly breakable objects.
"Yep," she added, "Mother's kept them safe and has accumulated her own
ornaments and decorations, and, of course, I've added some things over the
years, myself. It takes a lot of thought and love to decorate a house
properly, you know."
Lee smiled warmly at his wife and winked. "No, actually, I didn't know, but
I do believe I'm learning." Then, he stepped back and turned away. He
paused for a moment, a distant look darkening his face, then threaded his way
through the jumble of gilt and spangle that littered his path, over to the
sofa. The dour look upon his face deepened, as he stood motionless,
wondering if his plan would work.
Amanda looked at him, half with amusement at his ignorance, half with concern
about his past and wondered whether all the fuss and celebration might be too
much for him to handle. She hung the hollow glass ornament carefully on a
limb of the fir tree beside her, and then daintily picked her way through the
colorful disarray scattered across the carpet to the far side of the room.
Standing before Lee, she looked up into his exquisite eyes, trying to fathom
his thoughts. Finding his protective emotional wall firmly in place, she
sighed, then brushed her hands against one another. "How about some hot
chocolate, big fella?"
"Hmmm? Oh, sure, sounds good," he answered absent-mindedly. "Why don't you
go get it started? I'll meet you in the kitchen in a minute."
Lee, left alone in the family room, waited until he heard the sounds of
running water and mugs clattering on the counter before he switched gears and
began to activate his secret mission. Amanda had warned him that she'd
tolerate no funny business from him this Christmas, that there would be no
seclusion from the holiday this year, and no buying only pre-wrapped scarves
as gifts. She made it clear to him that now that he was a full-fledged
member of the family, he was expected to participate in the festivity and
enjoy it all
Lee was skeptical, but since she insisted, he planned to make certain that
there was something he could truly enjoy for the next two weeks. He crept
over to the front closet, silently opened the door, reached inside, and
snatched a small plastic box from the shelf. Earlier in the day, he'd
stopped off at a nearby florist and picked up the green sprig of a plant
dotted with small white berries, which he now held in his hand. Lee grinned
broadly. This would, indeed, be a very enjoyable holiday for him. His mind
wandered to all the times he anticipated catching Amanda unaware.
In the midst of his momentary daydream, the sound of heavy footsteps storming
into the kitchen accompanied by excited voices brought him back to reality.
Lee opened the small package, removed the plant, and slipped it into the
pocket of his jacket. Perhaps his fun would start sooner than expected. He
made his way into the kitchen, greeted his mother-in-law and stepsons, and
moved beside his wife, who was now readying several more mugs for hot cocoa.
Marshmallows, escaped from their bag, sprawled along the counter. Lee
reached down and picked one up. He took a bite, enjoying the creamy
sweetness. Yes, Christmas with his new family would be fun.
Pouring the chocolate, Amanda listened to Phillip's report on how crowded the
shopping mall had been and about how many empty shelves he'd come across in
his search for presents.
Jamie piped up, lecturing his brother about how he should have started his
shopping earlier.
Amanda popped a marshmallow into each mug, then handed one to each person.
Lee took a sip of the hot liquid, then placed his mug down on the island
countertop. He reached into his pocket and surreptitiously pulled out the
bit of greenery he'd hidden there. He made sure that Dotty and the boys saw
it, but kept it hidden from Amanda. Once he had everyone's attention, Lee
held the twig of mistletoe over Amanda's head. Taking her by surprise, he
leaned down and pressed his lips energetically against hers. Shocked by his
sudden advance, she instinctively pushed him back, away from her.
Lee, along with the others, broke into convulsive howls at Amanda's reaction.
Seeing what had transpired, Amanda joined them in their amusement. As the
laughter subsided, she approached her husband and lifted his hand and the
mistletoe over his head, then kissed him softly and gently. He responded
warmly, and when that kiss ended, he began another, and then another.
Dotty, seeing the passion building between the newlyweds, ushered the boys
from the room. As she walked out, she stopped at the doorway and turned
back, her contentment at her daughter's happiness evident upon her face.
Then she followed the boys up the stairs, leaving the happy couple to begin
their holiday celebrations.
The merry, happy, jolly, romantic end.
Story Notes:
DISCLAIMER:
Scarecrow & Mrs. King and all related characters, including Lee Stetson and Amanda King, named in this fanfiction do not belong to me, but are the property of Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Productions. This
story is for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended. All ideas and characters not stemming directly from the series are the property of the author.
Scarecrow & Mrs. King and all related characters, including Lee Stetson and Amanda King, named in this fanfiction do not belong to me, but are the property of Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Productions. This
story is for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended. All ideas and characters not stemming directly from the series are the property of the author.