~~~~SMK~~~~
Christmas.
BAH, HUMBUG!
For as long as he could remember, he had hated this holiday, dreaded
it with every fiber of his being. The only way he had survived was to
hole up in his apartment for the duration. He passed the time
polishing off a bottle of Dom and stuffing his face with guacamole,
idly watching one college football game after another.
Amanda changed all that right from the moment she had barged into his
life full of holiday spirit and homemade COOKIES.
That first year, enemy soldiers surrounded them, trapping them in a
remote cabin in the woods, and she still managed to make Christmas
special. Another year, toy makers peddling stolen tank designs held
them captive, but her holiday spirit never dimmed.
When international intrigue took a day off, they battled crazy
shoppers at the mall. One thing's for certain, since Amanda came into
his life, Christmas was no longer just another ordinary day.
Now, five-years later, she was his secret wife, and he went to great
lengths to give her the Christmas she deserved. Just like one of
Santa's ELVES, he decorated the apartment leaving no space untouched.
Across his entry table, old St. Nick steered his SLEIGH through fake
SNOW. Fat, striped CANDLES sat atop his mantel. He even managed to
get his hands on some authentic MISTLETOE, which he tacked in every
doorway in the apartment.
The scrawny tree he rescued from the supermarket sat in front of his
window, dropping pine NEEDLES faster than he could sweep them up.
As he nestled one more surprise for her underneath the fragrant
boughs, his blood hummed with excitement. He had some special plans
for tonight. After Christmas Eve dinner with the family, he would
whisk Amanda back to his apartment for their own private celebration.
She would never believe he wrapped all the boxes himself, even going
so far as to place a GLITTER bow on one, and a CANDY CANE on another.
He pictured the look on her face as she opened them. Of course, she
would show him how very much she loved everything, including him.
Just thinking about he and Amanda alone, snuggled by the fire,
unwrapping their gifts and each other, heated his blood, tightening
his groin, making his pants uncomfortable.
Derailing that train of thought, he dashed into the kitchen and mixed
up a batch of his world-famous EGG NOG, carefully sliding the full
bowl into the fridge to chill for later.
He had just finished washing the dishes when he heard her key in the
lock. He dried his hands, tossed the dishtowel over his shoulder, and
stood in the kitchen doorway, watching while she snuck another
festively decorated box under the tree.
Everyday, it seemed, the stack of treasures grew a little more than
the day before, and he had to fight the urge to UNWRAP a corner of
the boxes and peek inside, but he promised to be patient and wait
until they got back to his apartment tonight.
She noticed him standing in the doorway and glided across his living
room, stopping in front of him. Wrapping his tie around her fist, she
tugged him down and rubbed her lips across his.
"Mistletoe," she said against his lips.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer deepening
the kiss. She traced his lips with her tongue. He opened for her
granting her entrance. Her tongue danced with his, and a soft moan
escaped.
Reluctantly, he broke the contact. "Yum, CHOCOLATE." He gently kissed
her once again. `Good morning."
"Good morning to you, too. Mother made hot cocoa with breakfast. I
slept through the alarm, so I took mine to go. There is some left in
the thermos in the car, if you would like some. Are you ready to
leave?"
"Sure. Just let me grab my coat and we can go."
He slipped on his suit jacket and overcoat, and followed her out the
door, snagging the shopping bag he had packed with some last minute
presents as he exited the apartment.
~~~~SMK~~~~
It seemed everyone had decided to stay home today and get a jump on
the holiday. The RIDE into work only took a few minutes and they even
found a parking space right in front of the Georgetown entrance.
After clearing up some long overdue paperwork, they headed down to
the bullpen and the annual Christmas bash.
The festivities had already gotten underway. Francine rushed over to
them, running her usual Beaman avoidance pattern. Duffy had one glass
of RUM PUNCH too many and tried his tired pick-up lines on the girls
in the steno pool--without much success.
A very married Ray Saunders-a glass of the spiked beverage in one
hand, and a leggy, blonde from accounting wrapped around him, stood
over in the corner. Lee would have to find out her name, and file
this little tidbit away. You never know when a little piece of
BLACKMAIL would come in handy.
Francine ducked out of the party, successfully eluding Beaman and his
wandering hands. He and Amanda circulated around the office, shaking
hands and exchanging holiday wishes with their colleagues.
Looking around the crowded room Lee spotted his boss standing near
the buffet table outside his office. Judging by the red suit and
white beard Billy sported, he must have lost another bet on the last
Redskins game. With his hand resting on the small of Amanda's back,
he guided her over toward Billy.
"Ho, ho, ho, Santa, how are things in the North POLE?" Lee teased.
"Stow it. Scarecrow," Billy growled, then turned to Amanda, and with
a smile on his face, wished her a Merry Christmas.
She handed him a plate of her freshly baked cookies and a small gift
box wrapped in pretty, green paper. "Merry Christmas, Sir."
Lee could not resist the urge to tease Billy. "So tell me," he made a
show of looking under the desks and inside Billy's office
window, "where did you park the reindeer?"
"I'd button it if I were you. There is still that opening in the Nome
office. The transfer papers are right there on my desk just waiting
to be filled out and signed."
"Okay, okay, I get it. Go ahead open your present. It's from Amanda
and me."
Inside the box, nestled between red and green tissue paper, sat two
tickets to the Miles Davis concert at the Kennedy Center.
Billy's face lit up like a Christmas tree, his grin stretching from
ear to ear. He kissed Amanda on both cheeks before pulling Lee into a
manly embrace and thumping him firmly on the back.
Lee ended up with a face-full of fluffy white beard, and after
returning Billy's embrace, stepped back brushing the offending hair
off his cheeks.
Billy presented them with the two days off the duty roster, a dinner
for two at Emilio's, and the traditional fruitcake his wife, Jeannie,
baked for the office. Surprisingly, Lee had enjoyed last year's cake
very much and looked forward to sharing this year's version with his
family.
Billy's phone rang, and he entered his office to answer it. They took
the opportunity to escape.
Timing, as they say, is everything, and for today, at least, fate
smiled upon them. The elevator doors closed just as Dr. Smyth stepped
out of the elevator on the opposite bank, shielding them from a round
of bad nursery rhymes and phony holiday cheer.
No doubt, Smyth's usual offering of GCs—gift certificates, lined his
pockets. Two of which would be waiting for them on their desk when
they returned to work after the holiday.
With a wave and a final Merry Christmas wish to Mrs. Marston, they
left work and headed home.
~~~~SMK~~~~
The mouth-watering aroma coming from the kitchen reached out to them
as soon as the stepped into the foyer. The air redolent with the
homey scents of fresh-baked cookies and the savory-seasoned Christmas
goose roasting made his stomach rumble. He could not wait to dig into
Christmas dinner.
Amanda hung their coats in the hall closet, and went to help Dotty in
the kitchen. He took his bulging shopping bag into the family room
to hide his gifts under the tree, just little extras that caught his
eye, and one special present for his entire family. Even Amanda had
no clue about his extraordinary gift. They had decided to open
presents all together on Christmas morning, before Amanda's famous
Christmas waffle breakfast.
Hefting the huge box out of the bag, he leaned over the spruce and
secreted the package behind all the others. The tree shuddered and
sent baubles tinkling. One ORNAMENT tumbled from the branches and
only his quick reflexes kept the fragile orb from smashing on the
floor.
Gently, he set the trinket back on the tree. He took a moment to
admire his handiwork then went to find his wife.
A little later in the afternoon, he and the boys piled into the
Wagoneer and went to pick up Aunt Lillian at the train station. He
loved the train station. A long ago trip there changed his life, and
he would be forever grateful to twenty-five men in red hats.
He pulled into the first available parking space and the trio when in
hunt of their charge.
"I can see her luggage!" Phillip pointed out as they walked among
departing passengers.
"Really, which?" Lee inquired.
"The purple paisley bags, two of 'em!" Phillip squealed, ending in a
giggle.
Sure enough, he saw Aunt Lillian stooping to pick up the bags. Lee
and the boys had arrived just in time. They rushed over to greet her.
"How about we take those for you, Aunt Lillian?" Lee asked her.
"Oh, Lee! I am so glad to see you all again!" Lillian exclaimed
enveloping them in a cloud of cloying perfume as she hugged them one
by one.
He gallantly offered his arm, held his breath, and escorted Lillian
to the waiting Jeep. Philip and Jamie, each toting a suitcase,
trailed behind them, well out of range of the odorous cloud.
They all piled into the Jeep for the drive home. The boys opened both
windows in the back, and even though he was freezing, Lee refused to
ask them to shut them. They needed the fresh air to counteract
Lillian's perfume.
Once back home, Lillian went to the guest room to settle in and
unpack. Dotty rushed upstairs to help. The sisters secreted
themselves in the bedroom until Amanda called them down to dinner.
He looked forward to this meal with his family since Thanksgiving.
Secretly, he had been happy when Joe announced on Thanksgiving he
would be going back to Africa and would not be back for at least six
months, maybe longer. He suspected he was the only one pleased to
hear that, and hid his glee from the other guests. He could never
hide anything from his wife, so he did not even try.
A part of him felt bad for Amanda. He knew how much Christmas meant
to her, and for her sons not to see their father for the holiday
upset her greatly. Nevertheless, for him, spending Christmas with his
family, not having to share them, meant more than he could say.
Amanda placed the golden-brown goose in front of him. He could swear
he heard the table groan under the weight of all the food she and
Dotty prepared for dinner.
He took the carving knife and began to slice into the succulent bird.
A chorus of oohs and aahs rang around the table. He passed the
platter around the table, and took the next one handed to him,
serving himself from each dish, until his plate overflowed.
Good food, good conversation and plenty of laughter made this the
best holiday he had ever spent. He had eaten too much food, and
groaned slightly as he stood up from the table. Since the women did a
fantastic job on cooking, Lee volunteered the men of the family to
clean up.
As soon as the last dish made its way into the dishwasher and the
last plate of leftovers stored in the fridge, Phillip and Jamie
shanghaied Dotty and Lillian for traditional Christmas Eve trip to
the movies.
He and Amanda declined the invitation to join them, opting instead to
tour the neighborhood decorations on the way back to his apartment.
~~~~SMK~~~~
He poured two glasses of eggnog, topping each with some freshly
ground nutmeg, set them on the tray next to the pitcher and carried
the tray out into the living room.
Amanda had started a fire in the fireplace and waited for him on the
couch, a pile of unopened presents next to her. Once he set the tray
on the coffee table, he turned on the stereo and the smooth, mellow
voice of Johnny Mathis crooning about a Marshmallow World filled the
room.
He dimmed the lights and lit some candles before snuggling up next to
his wife. She took the glass of eggnog from him, gently tapping it
against his. "Merry Christmas, sweetheart."
"Merry Christmas," he returned. They each sipped the potent potable
sealing their wish. He took the glass from her hand, set them both on
the coffee table and took her in his arms.
She wiggled closer, draping her legs across his lap. He kissed her,
softly at first, one kiss after another until he needed more intimate
contact.
Her hand rested against his cheek, gently caressing him. He tugged
her closer until she sat on his lap. Her fingers tangled in his hair,
massaging his scalp.
He buried his hand in her hair, tilting her head just a bit and
kissed her, sliding his lips across hers, lightly at first then with
ever-increasing pressure. He glided his tongue across her lips and
she eagerly opened for him. He took her up on her offer and delved
inside her warm, sweet mouth, deepening the kiss.
Her soft purr of pleasure reached his ears and he lay her down on the
couch, stretching his body on top of hers. His big, clodhopper feet
knocked over the stack of presents. The resulting crash had her
pulling away and sitting up, forcing him to back to his own side of
the couch.
The romantic mood broken, he sighed, "I guess we should see what
Santa brought."
"Okay." She reached into the pile and pulled out a box wrapped in red
paper with white snowflakes and dancing Santas. "Here, open this one
first."
He tore open the package, tossing the paper over his shoulder,
revealing a set of his favorite aftershave and cologne. "Thank you. I
needed this." He leaned over and gave her a quick peck.
Sitting back, he handed her the box decorated with the glitter bow.
She giggled like a schoolgirl and accepted his offering. Plucking off
the bow, she stuck it on his shirt, directly over his heart. Piece by
piece, she carefully peeled the tape of the paper, and then smoothed
it out before placing it on the coffee table.
"Come on, already open it." The suspense was killing him and he knew
what the box contained. He wanted to see her face when she exposed
his gift.
She lifted the lid and placed it under the bottom of the box, setting
them one inside the other. The tissue paper rustled as she moved it
aside. "Oh my gosh!" Her eye lit up, twinkling like two stars, a huge
smile split her face. She stood, lifted the burgundy, velvet gown out
of the box and held it up against her. "It's absolutely gorgeous."
"You're gorgeous." He took her hand and tugged her back to the
couch. "That comes with an invitation to the White House New Year's
Eve party. So, will you go with me? Make me the envy of every man
there."
She squealed and threw herself into his arms, squashing his bow. "Of
course I'll go with you." She kissed him thoroughly. Her reaction to
his surprise eclipsed his expectations.
Back and forth they went, each opening a gift. She had given him new
cufflinks in the shape of a train. In honor of their first meeting.
He handed her the box with the candy cane garnish to open. His
traditional gift nestled inside. No ordinary present, he had bought
her a cashmere scarf in pink and reds to accent the black wool coat
he had secreted in a box under the tree on Maplewood Drive.
He opened an eel skin wallet, she a bottle of his favorite perfume.
She blushed when she opened the box from Rebecca's Fantasy. He hoped
she would model the sexy red lace negligee for him. He could not
decide on this one or a black lace TEDDY. The wide ribbons on the red
one made the decision for him. Amanda hated to have the scar on her
chest exposed. It did not matter that her scar would be the last
thing on his mind when she modeled this outfit for him.
She had also presented him with a hand tooled leather belt, a snowy-
white tuxedo shirt, a very good bottle of white wine, a book on
strategies of the Civil War battles, and silver shirt studs. A
chuckle escaped when he opened a small box that held three pair of
holiday BOXERS.
He would wear the black ones with the jingle bells on them tomorrow.
With any luck they would not ring when he walked, he would have to
pay attention to that when he dressed, no sense embarrassing himself
in front of the whole family.
She gushed over every box she opened, a pair of red gloves, and a
wallet, new slippers she could keep in the apartment, and diamond
heart earrings that matched her pendant.
Once she opened the last box, he scooped up all the paper into a ball
and tossed it into the fire. He refilled the glasses with eggnog and
wrapped his arms around his wife snuggling on the couch to watch the
paper burn.
He placed a soft kiss on her temple. "I loved everything you gave me.
You did not have to buy so much. You are present enough for me."
"I love you, Lee."
"I love you, too."
"Show me."
He did not need another invitation. Immediately, he stood, took her
hand in his and led her to the bedroom, closing the door behind them.
End.
Author's Note- Here are the links to the cufflinks, and shirt studs.
Also for Marshmallow World, this happens to be one of my favorite
songs.
http://www.cuff-daddy.com/polished-button-style-silver-cufflinks-
studs.html
http://www.cuff-daddy.com/unique-freight-train-cufflinks-in-chrome-
silver-finish.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yueQR28Eoto
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.