All I Want for Christmas…
Chapter One
Late November, 1988
November weather was truly upon the Washington DC area. The outside temperature was what the local weatherman from Channel 5 would term as downright chilly. However, the temperature inside one office, many levels below the lobby of an unpretentious building located at 1565 Constitution Avenue NW, was steadily rising.
An interesting fact that the Section Chief of the top secret intelligence group known as the Agency contemplated while shaking his head.
Buried beneath the city street, camouflaged under the moniker of International Federal Film and unknown to most members of the community who passed above them daily, was an entire mammoth office complex that continued to function day or night, through the scorching summer and the blustery assault of winter. Neither sleet nor rain, nor anything else prevented them from accomplishing their task of protecting the nation's security like an impenetrable shield
Well, the review of yesterday's level of that guardianship hadn't been too promising and today wasn't shaping up to look much better in the eyes of the Section Chief. One agent shot in the line of duty in the past twenty-four hours, an upcoming meeting with the Agency's largest thorn, Dr. Smyth, and an increasing pile of new incoming files that needed to be reviewed and assigned. And it all awaited William Melrose's immediate attention, attention that he was in very short supply of this morning.
If he could just put his telephone on do-not-disturb for the next forty-eight hours, he might stand a small chance in hell of getting partially caught up.
That is, if he did not run out of the rapidly dwindling supply of patience that he had been allotted for the shortened workweek thanks to the upcoming holiday. Was it any wonder then that his blood pressure had been on the rise as of late?
As if on cue, the accursed telephone rang again. He nearly growled aloud as he began to pick up the receiver, catching himself just in the nick of time before the caller on the other end would have heard the impolite sound effect.
Part way into the conversation, Francine Desmond entered his office clutching several files in her hand. She came to a quick stop as she took in the look on her supervisor's face. She had gotten very good at reading him over the years and right now he was teetering back and forth between annoyance and skepticism.
"I don't believe this," he said to her as he hung up his phone and exhaled slowly while looking out over the slowly but ever increasing mountain of work upon his desk.
"What is the 'this' and maybe I can help," she offered.
"There's some little old lady who insists on speaking to someone with authority. She won't tell us anything over the telephone and she insists on meeting the head honcho."
"Oh," Francine smiled and tried to interject some humor into the dreary morning. "That would be you, Billy."
"Francine, please. I've got a meeting this afternoon with Smyth. I've got three agents out on vacation, one now on extended medical leave."
"And more work than you know what to do with," she continued for him. "It never changes. So why does this lady want to speak to you?"
Billy looked anxiously out his open door past Francine and then spoke in a low voice.
"She apparently came to DC because some relative died. She was going through personal items and came across one of the flyers we put out last winter," Billy paused for a moment to take in the startled look that had now appeared on Francine's face.
"Oh," Francine whispered. Then she looked at her boss. "Billy, it's been over a year."
"I know, but it could be a genuine lead."
"Maybe," she responded slowly and somewhat dubiously.
Billy rose from his desk and grabbed his suit jacket, continuing to speak as he shrugged into it.
"Come on, at least you can assist me with this. Now, who can I finagle into meeting with Smyth today?"
"They pay you the big bucks to deal with that one," she told him as she quickly followed him out the door.
The Daniel Boone National Forest – Kentucky
Although the sun was shining brightly, the air inside the small cabin that lay nestled deep within the forest of trees in the wilds of Kentucky was almost as cold as that of the outside. The man inside heaved himself out of his chair and then limped over to the fireplace to hurl a few more logs onto the burning flames.
Then, Godric Devylrokovskii sat back down in the chair at his little desk and began furiously typing away on his typewriter. Only occasionally did he halt long enough to glance over at his hostage as his fingers flew over the keyboard.
Today, he had chosen to take delight in keeping his victim chained to the post of the bed. Not that he probably needed to take the extra precaution. The object of his revenge did little more these days than cower in a corner like a frightened mouse.
He chuckled to himself and once again set upon the task of his typing, fueled onward by the glorious sensation that now filled him. Revenge was a wicked and yet totally marvelous thing as he had discovered. And, judging from the expressionless look on his victim's face, he, Godric Devylrokovskii, felt as though he had become the ultimate maestro of it.
Chapter Two
Francine smiled politely at the little old woman seated in front of them. Mrs. Dinty, as they had learned her name to be, had to be at least a hundred years old and she certainly had no fashion sense whatsoever. The woman had a thick black sweater pulled on over a very thin, dark green dress, a dress that Francine very much wanted to tell Mrs. Dinty was not at all appropriate for the weather this time of year.
Then, much to Francine's dismay, were the bright pink socks with powder blue Nikes that adorned Mrs. Dinty's little feet. Feet that came nowhere near to touching the floor as she practically danced in her seat with excitement. Never mind her visible lack of fashion style, the elderly woman seemed very obviously anxious to share whatever it was that had prompted her to call IFF earlier this morning.
"I'm so glad y'all came," she said as she pressed her withered hands together.
"Well, of course, Mrs. Dinty," Billy told her. "You did say that it was urgent."
"Oh yes, yes indeed. Horribly urgent."
Mrs. Dinty reached into her sweater pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper, which she then handed to Billy, all while revealing a happy smile that lacked several teeth.
Billy calmly unfolded the paper, knowing already what it was because of the unique telephone number that had been assigned to this particular case. A number that, until this morning, had received not one single call. He gave a subtle nod to Francine and then asked the excited little woman to tell them how she came upon this particular piece of paper.
"You see, my cousin Almira, well her husband moved her up here years ago. I'm her only survivin' kin. They's both dead now. Well, I was going through a box of old newspapers and magazines and found this inside one of them thar flyers. And that's when I called ya."
"I see," Billy responded. "And just why did you call us Mrs. Dinty?"
"To see if ya ever did find that girlie in the photograph."
"No," Billy said, shaking head sadly. "We never did."
The old woman frowned sadly.
"I seen her, so I did."
"You did?" Billy asked.
His tone was less than enthusiastic. After all, it had been a little over a year and they'd had absolutely nothing handed to them to work with. It was hard to continue maintaining hope, especially after working as many years in this profession as he had and seeing the things that he had.
"I did, I did," the older woman was saying as she practically bounced in her chair with excitement. "At least, I think it was her. Now, it was about a year ago. I was up at the general store and this man came in with this girl. I thought it a might peculiar, so I did."
"Why did you find it peculiar?" Francine asked. "And where was this place?"
"At the store," she repeated.
She sighed sadly, as if remembering something before continuing.
"Now, this man came in and he was buying supplies the same time that I was gathering up some fixins for my venison stew. Said he was going to be staying at his kin's huntin' cabin. I mean, men folk do it all the time, they love to go shootin' the buck, so they do. But this girl, she was real quiet like. You know, like not all there. But she was pretty, much too pretty for an ugly ole goat like him. That's when I looked at her and saw her eyes. There was nothing there."
Mrs. Dinty lowered her voice and whispered.
"Ya know, like when the light is out and not a soul is home?"
"I see," Billy said. "Mrs. Dinty, could you tell us where this general store is?"
"Course I can, it's the only one for a hundred miles. All the folk goes there. We ain't no big 'troplis like DC is. Can you imagine, this is the first time I've ever been outta Kentucky! It sure is thrilling."
"Yes, I'm sure," Francine said politely. "Mrs. Dinty, would you mind looking at some photographs for me?"
"Will it help?"
Francine pulled the folder out of her briefcase and opened it, and then she handed the few photographs to the older woman.
"Oh my, yes!" Mrs. Dinty actually yelled, her old voice screeching across the room and through Francine's eardrums like the sound of an agitated parrot.
"That be her!"
Francine and Billy both looked at each other.
"Mrs. Dinty, would you be able to come with us?" Billy asked.
Mrs. Dinty leaned forward in her chair towards Billy. "We gonna go somewheres 'portant?" she asked eagerly.
"Mrs. Dinty, you may have just given us the first lead on this case," Billy informed her.
Chapter Three
The shades had been drawn and his office door had been locked. For the moment, he wanted nothing but blessed solitude. He needed some time to think, a few uninterrupted moments to make decisions that might make a difference, if there was still one to be made in the outcome.
He wasn't a pessimist; one could not work in the business and continue for long if that mindset became the norm. He was, however, a realist. He knew the statistics. He knew the odds. He could quote study percentages in his sleep, if he had to.
Taking a long sip of coffee, he allowed his mind to drift back in time, to a year earlier when one beautiful autumn day had brought the beginning of a nightmare that still had not seen an end. A day when everything had started normally, a progression of grumpy agents arriving in the morning to first load up on caffeine and then to whine, like always, during the morning staff meeting.
If there had been a clue that anything was going to go awry, he had not seen it. None of them had.
By Wednesday evening, a day later and once he'd finally returned home to join his wife on the couch to watch the eleven o'clock evening news, the world had already seemed to spin and careen out of his control. Instead of being able to slip away from the harsh reality of it within the comforts of his home, it was the first bit on the evening news.
That's when it hit him, cold and brutal, full on in the face. That was when the reality of it all truly sunk in. Away from the Agency, away from all of the members of the investigating team, away from all of the cast of players who had unwittingly been thrust into the drama that was playing out.
This was not just another Agency case and it was very real, very personal.
The announcer on the television had just finished saying something before launching into the top story as he had sat down on the couch. Billy could recall that moment of the broadcast with vivid recall, including the picture that had appeared behind the broadcaster. It was one of the photos pulled from the Agency files and handed over to the Virginia State Police in the wee hours of the morning.
"And our top story this evening is one that has baffled investigators while bringing despair to one local Virginia family. An Arlington mother, Amanda Elise King, is still missing this evening, presumed to have been abducted Tuesday shortly after noon in Georgetown. And, tonight, investigators still have little to go on."
The broadcaster had paused for just a moment and Billy could still recall the gentle touch of his wife's hand upon his own, a remainder that his precious wife was still with him while another husband had no idea where his wife was.
"The only clue at this time seems to be a small section of security film footage. It was taken from another business across the street from the dry cleaners where the car she had been driving had been found. The film clearly shows a dark sedan pulling in just moments after Mrs. King parked her car at the Harold's Dry Cleaning location just a few blocks from where she works."
The photograph of Amanda had been replaced by the grainy black and white image that showed a few moments of film that was the only thing that they had ever had to go on. A section of film that, by now, Billy had committed to memory for the rest of his life.
"The film clearly shows a dark form emerging from the back door on the driver's side of the sedan, who then walked behind his vehicle and approached the silver car that Mrs. King was just getting out of. Unfortunately, that is the last piece of footage that shows either the dark sedan or Amanda King. The camera is set to do a sweeping rotation and the next time it panned over the parking lot, both the sedan and Mrs. King are gone."
After a brief physical description, the announcer went on to say that the suspects should be considered armed and dangerous and that if anyone had any information to either call the telephone number at the bottom of the screen or to contact the Virginia State police.
Billy shook himself out of his reverie. After the lengthy amount of time that it taken them to debate going public, they hadn't gained any more information other than that small section of film. A section of film that was grainy at best and, despite attempts to electronically enhance it had yielded them no clues. The only thing it did was confirm the fact that Amanda had been seen in that parking lot and that someone, in a few brief moments had taken her, leaving Lee's Vette parked and completely untouched.
Until today, they had been left with a trail of nothing, not even a solitary bread crumb.
Except, today, from nothing had come the interesting meeting with the little old lady from the boon docks of Kentucky.
Well, it was the week of Thanksgiving and, in Billy's personal opinion, they had been long overdue on things to give thanks for.
Once he'd phoned Dr. Smyth and filled in him, the Agency's biggest and most persistent thorn in the side had relented due to the circumstances. He had quickly rescheduled the afternoon meeting and would keep his pesky, annoying self out of this particular investigation, which, according to the old man, would have interfered with his holiday dinner invites from among the elite of DC.
So now, they actually had what seemed to be a genuine lead in a case that had gone entirely too long without so much as a speck of dust for them to investigate. They had a location, an actual starting point that gave them something to work with.
And now, William Melrose had a problem.
He had to inform Lee Stetson of the development.
It wasn't as if Lee didn't have the right to know. Hell, he should be the first person Billy made a call to.
What he was concerned about was Lee's reaction to the news and, if nothing else, Billy was fairly certain of how Lee was going to react. First, shock. After all, when your wife has been missing for over a year, presumed dead and absolutely nothing discovered in all of that time to say otherwise, well, yes, one would be shocked.
Next would come the anger and the incessant need for immediate action. Lee would rant and rave like a lunatic, pacing the office and pointing out that they didn't need to be sitting on their asses when they should be doing something.
All of which were legitimate points.
Billy knew that Lee needed to be apprised and that Lee would not only insist on being a member of the team that would get sent in, he'd insist on heading it up.
As a long-time friend, Billy completely understood all of that, but as his Section Chief, he wondered if it was a wise choice. Would he be sending in an agent who would maintain that professional calm and rationalization that many times led to the difference between life and death in the field or would he be sending in a man hell-bent on finding his wife, a man who might possibly rush in half-cocked and muck up the entire mess?
And, even worse and God forbid, would he be sending Lee in to find nothing but a body to bring home in a black bag?
As much as Billy wanted a resolution to this particular case, he had no desire to see that particular scenario play out. Unfortunately, he had worked in this business for far too many years and he knew what the odds were.
And so, he sat. For many long minutes, he debated the whole situation repeatedly in his mind. And when, and only when he was confident in his decision did he make the calls to bring in those who would man the team. And, as he waited for them to arrive and assemble, he took a moment to pray. Someone had once told him that sometimes, it helped.
Chapter Four
The day before Thanksgiving
It was mid-afternoon and a dainty flurry of dancing white snowflakes fluttered about in the whisper of the wind as the Agency Jeep finally pulled up to the old general store that Mrs. Dinty had told them about. As Francine looked out the window, she realized that Mrs. Dinty had been right. It did seem as if it were in the middle of nowhere, set back just a bit from the gravel and dirt road that wound its way through the woods towards Cave Run Lake.
Their drive down from DC had been unusually quiet, far too quiet for Francine's liking. Leatherneck had driven and although he had attempted conversation, the third member of their team had remained aloof.
Leatherneck keyed off the ignition and the vehicle suddenly became even quieter, if that could have been possible. Francine took the opportunity to quickly powder her nose and also to steal a glance of him from the compact mirror. She could only wonder what was going through his mind.
The three agents climbed out, Francine especially thankful for the opportunity to stretch her legs. And then they began their quest, each probably speculating on what the outcome would be.
Once inside they found the only occupant was the store's keeper, who smiled up at them from where he sat on the stool at the counter flipping through a magazine.
"Howdy," he greeted them.
"Hello," Leatherneck said.
"Hi," Francine said.
Lee merely nodded his acknowledgment, his hazel eyes already slowly surveying the old store as though he were looking for something of great importance.
Leatherneck approached the counter, placing his hands down upon it.
"We're wondering if you could possibly provide some information."
"Well," the storekeeper paused before continuing. "Fishin's lousy this time of year," he offered.
Leatherneck chuckled.
"Not exactly what I had in mind."
The storekeeper slid off his stool and replaced the magazine back in the rack behind the counter.
"Well, then I reckon you tell me what you're lookin' for and I'll try to help."
"We're looking for a woman," Leatherneck began. "She was kidnapped and we have reason to believe she might have been brought through this area."
"Kidnapped?" the old man's face turned up into a scowl at that word. "Well, I would be glad to help, but what makes you think I have any information?"
Francine reached into her purse and pulled out some pictures.
"Would you mind looking at these?" she asked
The shopkeeper nodded. "Let me get me spectacles."
He retrieved them from where they lay beside the old cash register and placed them on over his nose. Then he looked at the pictures.
And then he frowned.
"I just can't be sure. She's very pretty, but I don't really recall seeing her."
Francine sighed.
"You're sure? It's very important."
The old man looked over the edges of his glasses and studied Francine.
"She a friend of yours?"
Francine nodded.
"And a coworker. She's a Federal Agent. It's really important if you know anything, anything at all."
The old man just shook his head sadly, then looked at the third member of their party who was wandering through the store, his hands jammed down into the pockets of his jeans.
"Whose he?" he asked quietly.
"Her partner and her husband," Leatherneck answered. "Look, mister, if you can help us at all."
"Please," Francine pleaded. "Anything. She's been missing for a little over a year and this is the first lead we've had."
The man looked at her incredulously. "A year, you say?"
Francine nodded and then the old man ran his tongue over his bottom lip and cocked his head to the side, obviously trying to recall anything that the agents might find useful.
"You know, well now, I can't be sure, but there was this man who came in a few months ago. Back when it was raining for that long spell. Anyhow, he had this girl with him. All bundled up in a coat and a hat pulled down over her ears. I thought it a might strange; it was wet but not that cold. Anyhow, he said that she was his wife but had been injured in a car wreck and wasn't right, if you know what I mean."
He pointed down the one dusty aisle.
"She went over there and stood. She kept looking at one of them porcelain collector sets and I recall he had a hard time of it getting her to leave."
"Gift sets?" Leatherneck asked.
"Can you show me which ones?" Francine asked.
"Reckon so," the storekeeper said.
The old man moved from behind the counter and began walking towards one of the aisles, the wooden floorboards beneath him creaking with his footfall. He stopped in front of what Francine surmised was to pass as a gift item section. Then, he scratched his chin as he looked over the items.
"Oh, yes, here now. You see the Lambert twins were in here just an hour or so before hand and managed to break one of them. Now, as I recall, she kept shaking her head and picking them each up. She might not have been all there but I think she knew which one she was looking for. Seemed mighty distraught, so she did."
"Which set?" Francine asked in frustration.
"Oh, from that one movie. You know the one with the flying monkeys and the witches. What was it called again? Oh yeah, the Wizard of Oz. Must have sold the set though, it ain't here anymore."
Leatherneck slowly voiced his question.
"Which piece was broken?"
"Oh, the Scarecrow. The Scarecrow was the piece them darn kids broke."
Chapter Five
Godric looked out the window, noting that snow was beginning to fly and that in a few more hours it would be dark outside. With nightfall, he knew the temperatures would drop even more.
He began bundling up in his thick coat, conscious of the fact that he would need to bring in more wood for the fireplace. Never mind that he had had the foresight to install a perfectly good generator and electrical system into the cabin in the months prior to executing what he believed was his one glorified goal in an otherwise pitiful existence on this hunk of rock. Despite an American upbringing, he was still Russian and as such, he knew the joys of a roaring fire and good Vodka to chase away the winter's chilly hold upon a weary body.
As he moved towards the door he looked back at his acquisition and smiled.
"My revenge is glorious, little mouse, is it not?"
SMK – SMK - SMK
Leatherneck slowly voiced his question.
"Which piece was broken?"
"Oh, the Scarecrow. The Scarecrow was the piece them darn kids broke."
At the sound of that, Lee turned quickly to look at the old shopkeeper and for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, Francine heard the once familiar voice of Scarecrow the agent.
"You're sure of that," Lee asked.
The man nodded.
"I remember it seemed to upset her, that it wasn't there. And then the fellow paid for his stuff, grabbed her by the hand and pulled her out of here."
"Do you know where they went?" Francine hurriedly asked.
"I believe he said something about purchasing old man Howard's cabin. Howard moved on up to the DC area about twenty some years ago and finally sold the cabin when he got too old to travel down each year for hunting."
"Mrs. Dinty's brother-in-law," Francine exclaimed. "I wondered why on earth the flyer was in there. Now we know."
"Where is this cabin, my friend?" Leatherneck quickly asked.
"I can draw you a map," the shopkeeper said, already going back to his countertop. The three agents quickly followed him.
Francine caught a glimpse of Scarecrow's determined face and for the first time in many, many long months she saw a glimpse of the man who had buried himself far below the layers of the agent.
Chapter Six
"Yeah, that's right Billy, Howard. And make it fast."
Lee hung the phone up and then looked at his fellow agents.
As much as he wanted to just race to the cabin, he had made a promise to his Section Chief. Hell, it had been more like a variant on the oath that all agents took when they vowed to do justice in the name of national security.
However, a promise to his Section Chief and long time friend was a promise and he had to stick to it, even if it meant waiting longer for the resolution. It wouldn't do them any good to go rushing in until they were positive that the cabin was the location that they needed to be heading to. Although Lee's gut instinct told him to go, he had to hold back, he had to follow the rules.
It wasn't something that Scarecrow was used to doing; action was his strong point. Acting on those instincts made him feel as though he was accomplishing something, anything. Waiting, well that was something that was hard to do, given the circumstances. Scarecrow hated waiting but at this point, the man behind Scarecrow, Lee Stetson, had to admit for all the right reasons that this time inaction was the more plausible scenario.
It was a promise that he had made and by God, he was going to stick to it. Even if it meant waiting longer for resolution. It wasn't going to do them any good to go rushing in until they were positive that the cabin was the location they needed to be heading towards. Although Lee's gut instinct told him to go, he had to hold back, he had promised to follow their orders.
In the meantime, the waiting was hell. It was driving him nuts. Therefore, to compensate the surging impulses roaring through his body, he began to pace the tiny hotel room that they were currently awaiting in.
For now, it seemed pacing and waiting were all that the Scarecrow could do.
SMK – SMK – SMK
Inside the cabin, the fire now burned brighter, the heat from her flames rippling outward and eliminating some of the chill. Music resonated throughout, a recording of Giazatto's Adagio in G minor. As the hauntingly dark, over nine minutes long composition from the recorded orchestra rose and fell Godric Devylrokovskii's fingers rapidly pounded upon the keys of his typewriter.
Like a man on a mission, possessed by whatever demons held control over his soul, he pounded away and the words spilled upon the page with a frantic flurry. Over and over the arrangement played and over and over Gordic tapped away.
And, in the corner, his little mouse sat huddled, her knees drawn up to her chin.
Her dark eyes were void of anything cognizant and yet they looked as haunted as the melody that played out around her.
Chapter Seven
The sky was still dark, the morning light of the sun not yet ready to rise. Beneath the cold inky blackness, inside one of the motel rooms, the occupants had already risen and were more than willing to begin the day despite the absence of the sun. Backup from the Agency had arrived, maps had been strewn out upon the scratched surface of the wooden desk and the plan of attack had been finalized as much as it could be, given the variables.
The Agency Section Chief had arrived, along with several other agents in the late hours of the evening and he now quietly sipped hot coffee as he reviewed everything one final time. The team would not move until he gave the word and he would not give it until he was certain.
Despite the annoying pacing of Scarecrow, William Melrose would not be hurried. If the mission were to be successful then he wanted every advantage to their side. He was not going to consider the alternatives but he was considering every detail and no matter how much pacing Scarecrow did, Melrose was going to take his time.
Finally, satisfied that they had a feasible plan, Billy took one final sip of the bitter brew and then set his mug down.
"All right people, let's get this show on the road," he informed them.
With a precision born from years of being in the business, his team moved into action. It wouldn't take them long to finish loading their gear into the vehicles and then they would be on their way. He knew they were all anxious to get going, it was in their blood. The need for action, the thrill of achieving their goal, the very qualities that made them all good agents and it was these very qualities that assured Melrose that they would meet their objective.
As the last one out of the room, he said a silent prayer as he flipped the light switch out.
He only hoped that they were not too late to make a difference.
CHAPTER EIGHT
After making their way as far as they could along what was little more than a dirt trail, the agents pulled the two vehicles to a park beneath giant trees that would probably have been beautiful in their full summer glory of leaves. This morning though, the branches looked pointed, gnarly and ugly against the still gray sky. The bitter wind blew around them and sent the thinner branches to quivering. It was not a very hospitable morning to be outside and the weather forecast predicted it to get even less hospitable later in the day.
They were working with a brief reprieve from the snow showers that had whitened the ground beneath them and blew up in swirling white clouds here and there wherever the wind fancied it to. Hastily the agents piled out of their vehicles and gathered along the side of one, ready to spring into action. From this point on their action was going to be by foot.
It wasn't just because the terrain got more difficult but because they needed to go in as silently as possible. They needed the element of surprise but even more crucially, they needed to know exactly what they were up against before they met it head on.
Because of the remoteness of the area, the shopkeeper had told them yesterday that their odds of running into anyone else other than their target were slim and that Slim had already left town.
William Melrose hoped that that piece of information was correct. The agents around him grabbed their gear, checked their bearings and with scarcely more than a word, they began the long walk that would bring them closer to their goal.
SMK – SMK - SMK
Godric Devylrokovskii had awoken not just with a chill brought on by the outside conditions. Something in his bones spoke to him and the words they spoke were not fortuitous.
He hurried through his morning preparations, hardly tasting the few swallows of coffee he took time for as he dressed and made ready his plan. He had anticipated such a thing but over the long months he'd begun to wonder if he'd been too successful in his plan of revenge and totally outwitted the Scarecrow.
But this morning, his bones and his senses told him that the pieces of the puzzle had been put together. It would not be long before the Scarecrow would come looking for what was his and then, then Godric knew that he could commit the final act of his grand scheme. The final act that would ensure proper restitution back to the man who had brought such misery down upon his life.
With an alarmingly psychotic smile etched upon his weary features, Grodric grabbed both his gun and his captive and headed out the door.
"We're off to meet the Scarecrow, my little mouse," he laughed as he pulled the door to the cabin behind him.
CHAPTER NINE
Francine shivered a little as she watched her fellow agents double checking their weapons one final time before they began their trek through the snowy wilds. From the look of what Leatherneck had stashed beneath his clothing, the man was anticipating encountering an army.
Lee wasn't much different. Francine knew exactly what lay hidden beneath the faded blue jeans and heavy jacket of her friend.
Coupled with the raw intent that was written on Lee's face, if there was anyone in this cabin foolish enough to cross the line, well, Desmond knew they didn't stand any better of a chance than a snowball did in hell despite the frigid conditions.
Leatherneck moved out, following their boss and Francine turned towards Lee, who stood silently unmoving.
"Lee," she began, her voice sympathetic.
"Save it," he uttered back harshly as he roughly shoved his gun into the back of his jeans beneath his jacket.
Leatherneck turned and gave Francine a warning look. They'd already discussed the issue last night over dinner before Billy had arrived with the backup team. Lee had practically taken an oath in front of Billy that this was no different than any other assignment. He would do what he needed to do as an agent, if they encountered anything that necessitated taking action.
If that wasn't what they encountered, well, Lee hadn't been able to make any promises. He had, however, quietly said that he couldn't think of two other people he would rather have with him, should it come to that.
Somewhere in between grabbing his gloves from the back seat and slamming the Jeep door shut, the agent Scarecrow took over and Lee Stetson, the man was deeply buried.
Leatherneck and Francine watched for a few moments as Scarecrow began walking ahead of them, his long stride and posture speaking nothing but control and focus.
As they began to follow him they looked again at one another. Both were thinking the same thing. What was it going to take to snap that control and unleash the raw emotion that Lee Stetson had been bottling up since the day Amanda had been pulled from his life?
SMK – SMK – SMK
Godric was literally dragging Amanda through the snow as they headed out into the still darkness of the almost morning. His intent was for the final showdown not to be in the cabin. Oh no, he'd long ago picked the perfect spot and now his only intent was to get there quickly, even if it did mean dragging his little mouse along.
While he had the advantage of being dressed for the conditions, complete with proper footwear, she only had a thin pair of flats on and nothing but a heavy sweater with jeans. Not that it mattered to Godric, he didn't intend for her to make it through the day so what did a little frostbite matter now?
As they made their way to God only knew where, he began humming as he pushed their way through the trees and brushes, branches snapping back at them along the way.
The tune he hummed was the same eerie one that he had played over and over for months.
If she heard it or even acknowledged it, he didn't know.
Godric Devylrokovskii was a man with goals today. The first being to take his little mouse to what would be her last spot on this earth as very possibly his own.
"Oh, what a glorious day, my little mouse," he said as they neared the spot. "A glorious day indeed."
CHAPTER 10
As they made their way through the woods in as much silence as they could, Lee's mind began to run over the same path that it had multiple times since Amanda's disappearance. Those last few days, what he wouldn't do to have them back.
An unusual but hard earned early quit on Friday and the boys spending the night with friends had afforded them a long overdue private evening at his apartment. Saturday spent watching Philip's game and a family night of movies had followed.
And then, on Sunday, another long overdue but much needed lunch with their Section Chief. They had reached the point where they could no longer continue to keep their personal relationship a secret at work and, frankly, both had grown weary at the attempt. Whatever the consequences, they had mutually decided that their marriage was worth far more in the long run than either of their careers. Jobs came and went but what they had found in each other was life lasting.
Part of the ease of making the decision had been their realization that if they wanted a child then now was the time to begin thinking seriously about it. Another part had been a discussion Lee had had a few weeks earlier with Joe while waiting for the boys after a game that Amanda hadn't been able to attend. Funny how Lee and Joe had finally settled into a very amicable friendship after Joe's marriage to Carrie and Lee and Amanda had informed Joe of their own secret marriage.
Joe had sensed a little of the strain from both of them and had hesitantly broached the subject while they waited. To Lee's surprise, Joe didn't criticize or even preach. He simply offered that his own mistake of believing that he could combine both his work and a family while half a world away hadn't worked and it had cost him dearly. He and Carrie had actually set down before their own wedding and discussed in depth what they could and couldn't live with as far as expectations and their own careers. It had proved both informative and helpful and Joe simply offered that maybe Lee and Amanda should set down now and take a look at things both in the present and for their futures.
In doing so, they had realized that changes needed to be made and the first one started with their boss. In the end, it had gone far better than either of them could have expected. Billy had been both sympathetic and understanding, given the circumstances and his own past experiences with Jeannie. He didn't condemn them or even given a hint of the riot act since he'd long had suspicions that their relationship had gone very much past the line of just professional partners.
He'd offered both friendship and suggestions, vowing to keep it under wraps until they'd decided exactly which course to follow. And deciding on that had been relatively easy, once they'd gotten past coming clean. They were to announce their engagement after Amanda's birthday, plan a small ceremony on their anniversary and hope that Smyth didn't rain down upon them too hard.
Billy had offered both his support for them as a team and also shared that he knew Harry Thornton would back them every step of the way, especially since the old man had more than a little ammunition against the dreaded thorn within the Agency. It might not be a cakewalk but it was far more than either of them could have hoped for.
Lee could still recall that morning in the Q-Bureau, Amanda giving him a quick kiss on the lips, her soft laughter as he had teased her.
"Is that all," he had asked her.
Her seductive smile as she promised more for later that evening still haunted him. It had been followed by a quick I love you and then she was gone.
By one-thirty, when Amanda hadn't returned with their lunch and his calls to the mobile phone in the Vette had gone unanswered, he had known. Something was terribly wrong.
And just like that, their lives, their future, every dream had vanished into a puff of dissipating smoke.
As Lee stepped over dead branches and pushed onward, he kept one thought in his mind. The same thought that had kept him going all of this time.
If she were still alive and if he had anything to say at all in the matter then the bastards responsible were going to pay and pay dearly. Once the Scarecrow was finished and if there was anything left at all, the pitiful souls were going to wish they had died a quick death.
CHAPTER 11
The cave wasn't very big but it gave Godric exactly what he was looking for. A vantage point to see while not being seen. The entrance was well hidden by the brambles and such while allowing him to keep an eye out for the one he knew would be coming. Satisfied for the moment, Godric slipped back inside and surveyed his little mouse.
She was lying to the side, looking like a rag doll that had been carelessly disregarded. Her jeans were damp and covered with mud from the many slides that she had taken on the trek here. The paleness of her cheek was now sporting the beginning colorings of a bruise where he had slapped her when she had balked at being pushed inside the cave. It had been the first sign of resistance that he had seen from her in many months but he would not allow it to ruin his plan.
Oh no, Godric smiled, nothing was going to stop him now. The almighty Scarecrow was going to pay, finally and if felt too good to have the little mouse do anything that might jeopardize it.
SMK – SMK - SMK
"The cabin's just ahead," Leatherneck said quietly as he returned to the group who had stopped to rest and to allow Jeffrey a chance to check his ankle out after a particularly nasty slide on the snow.
"Any sign of anything?" Melrose asked.
Leatherneck shook his head. "Looks very quiet."
Melrose sighed.
"And we have to go in quiet."
"We can circle a team around the back, the trees provide excellent coverage," Leatherneck offered. "And another team can come up to the front from the side."
"Good. Jeff, how's that ankle?" he asked as he turned to the agent sitting on a log.
Jeffrey shook his head.
"I think it would be best if I held up on this side, sir. I don't think I'm going to be running any marathons but I can watch your backs."
Billy nodded.
"Leatherneck, you and Lee circle round the back. Francine and I will cover the side and Anderson and Jeff can cover us. Remember people, we may only get one chance to do this right, so I'm asking for perfection."
Lee grunted as he stood up from the log he had been sitting on with Jeff.
"One chance is all I need," he grumbled as he began to make his way.
Billy cocked his head towards Leatherneck to indicate that he should follow Stetson and the rest of them began to take their positions.
CHAPTER 12
Minutes later, there was one team of very frustrated agents standing inside an empty cabin.
"Billy," Francine called from the back room that appeared to serve as a small bedroom.
She emerged from there, holding in her hands a woman's purse.
Lee quickly moved to grab it from her and began rifling through the contents. Seconds later he was holding up the familiar diamond heart pendant that Amanda had always worn.
"Where is she?" he angrily hissed through clenched teeth.
"Those tracks in the snow haven't been there more than a few hours," Leatherneck said. "And might I suggest that if want to follow them, we'd best hurry before the snow covers them."
"Very good Sherlock," Francine mumbled.
"Can it blondie. I've been hunting and tracking in the woods since I was in diapers, courtesy of my Gramps. And even though that snow isn't falling very heavily now, it will be later. We've got a lead, let's roll."
"I give the orders around here," Melrose said, but in a voice that wasn't too terribly agitated. Leatherneck was right and they didn't have time to spend listening to Francine and Leatherneck exchange barbs, as they'd been prone to do in the past few months.
He watched as Lee slowly dropped Amanda's necklace back into her purse and carefully place it upon the small table. It was the first tangible trace of her that Lee had had since she'd been taken and though Billy could understand the emotional upheaval that Lee must be feeling right now they didn't have the luxury of taking time to digest it.
He tried to smile encouragingly at the younger man and then they too left the cabin to follow the others.
CHAPTER 13
The agents had followed the trail until they came to a spot not far away from the cave but hopefully still out of visual range.
"Great," Lee grumbled. "We're sitting ducks if he sees us."
"Maybe he's not armed," Francine suggested.
"Yeah right," Leatherneck replied. "He didn't pick that spot for nothing. He knows exactly what he's doing."
"It's a set up," Billy said. "Too many variables. We've got to lure him out into the open where we can see him."
"And how do you suggest we do that?"
"I don't know, yet," Billy said.
"Hmm….," Leatherneck mumbled.
"You got something?"
"I don't know," the man said as he surveyed the scene before them. "I'm thinking I can swing out the side and climb down from above. Drop down a gas can and force them out. You guys can come up the hill and get them from the front."
Billy nodded.
"Could work. I'm betting we've not been spotted yet and that's to our advantage."
"Then let's quit debating the issue and get to it," Lee grumbled.
"Easy Scarecrow. Remember our deal," Billy reminded him.
"I know what the deal is," Lee replied icily.
"Get going Leatherneck."
"Yes sir!"
CHAPTER 14
While they waited below anxiously, Godric was also anxious. He kept going to the small entrance of the cave and peering out with his binoculars to see if he could find any sign of the one he wanted to see.
Frustrated that he wasn't seeing anything, he turned and looked at his captive. She was cowered in the farthest depths of the small cave, huddled and shaking, her dark eyes wide as saucers.
He laughed quietly.
"Ah, my little mouse. I wonder just how much you really are aware of. Do you know what today is? Do you know how long I've waited for this moment? To catch the great Scarecrow and then take him down. What a wondrous thing, to know that he will be coming and that I will be the one who brings his demise."
SMK – SMK - SMK
The group of agents below watched as Leatherneck made his way down the small hill that formed the top of the cave. He moved carefully in the now heavier falling snow, which while thankfully was helping to hide them from the view of their hunted it was also blocking their view of what their hunted might be doing.
They watched as Leatherneck gave them the signal that he was ready to act.
And then they watched as he pulled the tab and leaned over to toss the can into the entrance of the cave.
There were a few tense moments and then tendrils of the smoky gas began to creep outward. Moments later, a gun shot tore out from the cave, the sound ricocheting around them but the bullet not finding a human mark.
The man that came sputtering out of the cave had covered his mouth with a handkerchief.
That wasn't all he had done.
He was holding Amanda close to him, her form obviously very near collapse.
"I will kill her if anyone tries anything else," he hollered out into the cold morning air.
"Drop the gun!" Billy called out.
The man coughed then shook his head.
"I said I will kill her and I will. Do you not see the gun I have pointed at her head? At this close range, I won't miss," he told them in slow words.
"Damn," Billy hissed.
"It's no good," Francine whispered. "I can't get a clean shot at him, not with Amanda in front of him like that."
"I'm going up there," Lee stated.
Billy grabbed his arm.
"You make one wrong move and she's dead, you know that?"
"Yeah, well I'm not in the mood to sit here waiting until he gets bored and decides to do it anyhow. And he will."
"You don't know that," Billy said.
"Yes. Yes I do. I know who that man is."
"Who?"
"Godric Devylrokovskii. And now this all makes sense."
"Devylrokovskii?"
Billy thought back and then it came to him.
Now that he knew the name of Amanda's captor, the whole nightmare made sense.
CHAPTER 15
Godric Devylrokovskii was a case file that dated all the way back to 1981. An American with Russian parents who had defected when Godric was little more than a teenager. America had suited his parents nicely but apparently Godric had never truly left the mother country.
Along the way as an adult he made a few acquaintances that also shared the same misplaced loyalties. One thing had led to another until Godric was working and successfully making a profit selling items to the Russians that weren't necessarily for legitimate sale.
One of Lee's cases that year had been the take down of Godric's small but in the eyes of American intelligence leaders, far too effective group. It had ended in a warehouse, with a fiery explosion and the finding of two bodies in the aftermath. Unfortunately neither body retrieved from the ashes could be positively identified as Godric's.
After that there had been no trace on the radar of the spy and it was assumed that either he had died in the explosion, fled to Russia somehow, or had suffered the consequences of the failure and had ended up in the bottom of the Potomac.
But now, after all of these years, here he was in the flesh and with Amanda. While he'd moved off their radar it appeared that Scarecrow had been locked on and in easy view for Devylrokovskii.
Now they had just one problem.
The man was holding a gun to Amanda's head and Lee Stetson was not going to take too kindly to that, especially after the length of time Godric had been holding her captive.
Billy reached into his pocket for the roll of Tum's that he had stashed earlier this morning.
CHAPTER 16
"I'm going up there," Lee stated again.
Billy sighed.
"Okay. I guess I don't need to tell you not to do anything rash."
"I'll only do whatever it takes," Lee informed him.
With that Scarecrow took off, leaving the rest of them to await the outcome. While they waited, Godric hollered back out to them.
"I want the Scarecrow!"
"He's not here," Billy called back.
"Don't lie to me! I know he is."
"He's not," Billy yelled. "We had to leave him back near our vehicle. He twisted his ankle."
Francine raised her eyebrows at that.
"We've got to keep him occupied till Lee gets up there," Billy told her in a quiet voice.
"You expect me to believe that?"
"It's the truth," Billy answered. "Now, about the woman."
"You don't get her unless I get the Scarecrow!"
"I'll come up there," Billy volunteered. "But you're not getting the Scarecrow because he isn't here."
"Then I'll just have to shoot her," Godric informed them.
"It's not her fault he twisted his ankle," Billy shouted back up. "She's nothing but an innocent in whatever this is."
Godric's wicked laughter filled the air.
"An innocent? I hardly think so. She's much more to the Scarecrow than that and when I'm finished Scarecrow will have paid for his crimes against both me and my country. He will have paid in blood. Fitting retribution, don't you think?"
SMK – SMK - SMK
Leatherneck heard the soft footfall of Scarecrow approaching from behind him where he was crouched. Seconds later Lee dropped down beside his fellow agent.
"We've got to draw his attention off her."
"Gotta plan?"
Lee frowned.
"Not yet."
"I don't think we've much time," Leatherneck answered.
"I kno
CHAPTER 17
"Retribution for what?" Billy called out to the man barely visible through the falling snow.
"For all that the Scarecrow has done."
"And for whatever that is you'd kill an innocent woman."
"Oh my, yes I would. And I would kill him as well."
"You don't want to kill her."
"That would be where you're wrong."
SMK – SMK - SMK
"Man, you better have a plan coming soon," Leatherneck whispered.
"I do. You want to play chicken down?"
Leatherneck turned to face Lee, a wide grin on his face.
"Would love to man."
With that Leatherneck backed up from his position and left Lee crouched alone.
Lee exhaled.
"And pray that Godric goes down without a hitch."
CHAPTER 18
William Melrose waited with more impatience than he'd ever felt. He wasn't sure what Lee was going to try but he was seriously wishing that he'd try it soon. He was beginning to believe that they were running out of time as far as Godric was concerned. And he didn't want that to happen.
He didn't have long to wait.
He heard it first.
The low sound of someone whistling drifted out on the air.
The dark image of someone approaching them became visible through the snow.
"Hey!"
The sound of Leatherneck's voice reached them.
"Anybody seen my dog? I lost my dog!"
Godric turned to look down at the figure approaching them.
"I've lost my dog! She's a dumb hound dog. Ya seen her?"
Godric cautiously lowered the gun to his side before the approaching figure could see it.
"Haven't seen your dog. Go look elsewhere!"
"She came this way, so she did. I've gots to find her. She's old and dumb. If I don't find her, likely she'll freeze her self to death."
"I haven't seen your dog!"
Godric's voice seemed to sound more agitated with each word.
"Ah, shucks! Ya sure. My Pa gave her to me before he up and died. I've got to find my dog."
Godric groaned.
"Your dog ain't here."
"No?"
"No."
"Ya sure?"
"I'm sure."
By this time Leatherneck had gotten as close to Godric as he possibly could without drawing too much suspicion.
"Well, if ya ain't seen my dog, have you seen my chicken?"
"Your chicken?"
"Yeah, my chicken."
CHAPTER 19
Lee had crept closer and closer to the edge while Leatherneck baited Godric.
"Well, if ya ain't seen my dog, have you seen my chicken?"
"Your chicken?"
"Yeah, my chicken."
At this Godric looked good and frustrated at the apparent dumb hunter who had blundered his way into the scene. In fact, Godric actually took a step forward towards Leatherneck. In a split second Lee took in the location of the gun which Godric had hidden against his side. The opposite side from Amanda.
In a heartbeat, Lee reacted.
Like a lion going in for the kill, every muscle reacted accordingly with the rush of adrenaline. Lee leaped from his crouched position and sailed through the air with deadly accuracy.
His body connected against the back of Godric and sent the man tumbling to the ground beneath him while Amanda pushed away to the side.
Leatherneck reacted by grabbing Amanda and pulling away from the scene.
Billy and Francine rushed in towards where Godric had now rolled over and was attempting to aim for Lee's face with the gun in his hand.
Lee's reactions were far quicker and whacked Godric's hand that held the gun, sending it sailing through the air.
That's when all of Lee's rage kicked and he began to pummel Godric in the face. All of the bottled up emotions that Lee had harbored for Amanda's kidnapper bubbled to the surface like hot magma that had been corked up for far too long and now that the cork had been popped off, it burst out with a force equal to an atom bomb.
Godric wouldn't have stood a chance except for the fact that Billy managed to pull the angry agent off of. Godric would have used the opportunity to flee except for the fact that Francine had her gun trained on him.
"You make one more move and I'll kill you before you take your next breath," she snarled at him.
While Billy held Lee back, Francine kicked Godric in the side and told him to roll over. Then, using no gentleness at all, she whipped his hands behind his back and cuffed him.
"Now get up you son of a bitch," she ordered.
Godric slowly moved to a kneeling position and Francine, having no patience for him, hauled him up by his coat collar.
"Now, what do you say about a nice long stay at deluxe accommodations?" she said with a sarcastic smile.
Lee almost moved out of Billy's tight grasp but Billy harshly spoke.
"I want him in lock-up, alive Scarecrow."
"You're lucky, you know that?" Lee shouted at the man. "If I'd had my way you be a dead bastard by now. You hear me? Dead!"
Lee shrugged Billy off and moved to where Leatherneck was seated by Amanda.
It was not the reunion scene that Lee would have pictured. The reality of what he was seeing stopped him dead in his tracks.
She was kneeling on the ground, cowering with fear. Her dark eyes were like obsidian mirrors that revealed nothing more than stark terror. There was a bruise mark on one side of her cheek. Her hair, damp from the snowfall, hung limply down her much too thin face. Her lower lip was quivering and she reminded Lee very much of a frightened caged animal.
"Amanda," he whispered her name, wanting nothing more than to comfort her and to reassure her that everything was going to be all right.
The only response he received was a dark and haunted look that held no recognition, no acknowledgment of him.
And in that moment, Lee's heart shattered into a million splintered pieces. For in that moment he realized that Amanda wasn't any nearer to coming back to him than she had been an hour ago.
CHAPTER 20
Lee paced the deserted corridor of the hospital mindlessly. Francine and Leatherneck watched him with worried expressions on their faces. Their friend would travel the entire length of the corridor, maybe pause long enough to look out the glass windows of the door at the end for a few moments, and then walk back up to the nurse's station.
They'd both lost count of how many times he had done so.
He was now at the far end again, looking through the glass.
That's the moment Billy returned to them, carrying a tray laden with coffee mugs and creamers.
"How's he doing?" Billy inquired.
"Still pacing, repeatedly," Leatherneck told him with a nod of his to where Scarecrow stood.
Billy set the tray down on the table in front of the most uncomfortable couch he had ever encountered.
"Where is that damned doctor at?" he growled.
Francine shrugged.
"These things do take time," Leatherneck offered sympathetically.
"Yeah, I know," Billy said quietly.
The trio sat down on the offending couch and waited with their coffee. It was all they could do until the doctor's came out and told them just exactly what Amanda's condition was at this point.
And at the lone end of the corridor the Scarecrow stood and waited, looking out at the glass. There was little he could do for his wife at this moment and his three coworkers could only wonder at how hopeless he might feel, yet again in regards to helping Amanda out of this one.
CHAPTER 21
December 20th, 1988
Lee Stetson swung his Corvette easily into the parking space, the same parking space he'd been using for several weeks now. Ever since Amanda had been transferred from the hospital in Tennessee and into the Hoover Rehabilitation Center just outside of Arlington, he'd been making twice daily, sometimes more, trips to visit.
The Center had been established a little over a decade ago, a rehabilitation center for Federal agents from all groups who still needed specialized psychiatric care following traumatic situations. It was a lovely building, from an architectural standpoint. The grounds were lovely, from a landscaping point. The staff was exceptional, hand-picked from the best of the best by a board who had established very stringent guidelines for the care of agents in need.
Not that Lee cared about any of it nor did it seem to matter much. Day after day he returned and day after day, things had remained fairly unchanged.
That is, until this morning when he had received a telephone call from Dr. Anholt's assistant requesting he come to meet with them at eleven. Lee was uncertain about the meeting. When he'd been here last night, nothing had seemed to be different.
In the weeks following Amanda's arrival here the only thing that had changed was her outward appearance. The bruises had faded; the thinness of her face had been replaced by a slight weight gain.
But she had yet to seem cognizant of most of the world around her.
Lee slid his long frame out of the coupe and headed into the building, scarcely taking note of anything around him. He didn't notice the gray winter skies, filled with clouds that promised snow later in the evening if the weatherman at Channel Five was correct.
As the clerk at the front desk cleared him, she informed him that the meeting would be in the conference room down the hall. Her face was void of anything that would have given him a clue about the meeting.
He made himself at home in the room, which looked more like a family den than a conference room. Done in dark wood and neutral shades, with the added touch of a fireplace, it tried to give all of the comforts of home to the family of those who found themselves admitted here.
Lee had been in the room several times since Amanda had been admitted and he did give it two points. The first being the couch which was more comfortable than he would have thought and the flickering flames from the fireplace which took the chill out of the winter air.
And so he sat and waited, his mind spinning over all that happened. He'd had the chance to read the typed journal that Godric had kept for some time. In fact, the man had begun it the day that he had begun his plan to avenge what had happened to him. If Lee had only known for sure that the man had survived that explosion in the warehouse he would have never given up the search for Godric.
Apparently Godric had almost escaped the warehouse from a back entrance. But for the intervention of one of his team's accomplices, who had fled like a scared sissy just prior to the explosion, Godric would have remained inside, meeting the fate of the others.
Instead, the accomplice had managed to have Godric removed from the DC area and cared for by an old retired Russian physician who had fled to America only a few short years earlier. It seemed that while Godric recuperated his evil mind began weaving a plot to avenge himself.
The man's journal detailed every little detail, from finding Scarecrow to discovering the one thing that would hurt the most.
Amanda.
She'd been in an innocent victim in something that had happened prior to her even meeting Lee, let alone knowing anything about the Agency.
Godric's journal did more than just tell how he had planned his revenge on the Scarecrow. It gave the details on how he'd come to find the remote cabin, how he had studied for ways to break a person with using little or no physical harm and it chronicled every single day of Amanda's captivity.
It told them the story that she could not. How he'd snatched her in the parking lot at the dry cleaners. It told how he drugged her and smuggled her to Tennessee. It described how he'd locked her in a closet, deprived her of everything connected to the outside world, how he taunted her with threats to her family and how for days on end he said not a word to her.
Godric seemed to take great delight in describing how he subdued Amanda from an outgoing woman into little more than a shell of a human being over the many long days that she'd been held.
It gave Lee little comfort to know that his greatest fear, that of Amanda being sexually abused at the hands of some then unknown assailant, could not have happened. Godric's severe injuries from the warehouse explosion had left him both demented, scarred, and unable to act that hideous crime out.
It left the man quite able to plot and carry out his revenge and poor Amanda had suffered because of him. Which led them right back to this room, a room where Lee was left awaiting the arrival of the specialists who were caring for his Amanda and who, so far, had not been able to return to him the parts of Amanda that made her so special.
Her laughter, her spirit, her kindness, things that were lost and things that Lee feared might never be returned to them.
And so he sat, waiting, a frown marring the handsome features of his face. A man who wanted nothing more than his wife, a man who wondered if she'd ever really come home to him and to her family.
CHAPTER 22
Finally, Lee's waiting was put to an end. Dr. Anholt and Dr. London came into the room, trailed behind by Phaff who was slurping on a milkshake. Lee almost grinned.
"Good morning Lee," greeted Dr. London, a petite middle-aged woman who spoke in a quiet voice all of the time.
"Morning Lee," Dr. Anholt greeted as well. He was a tall man, an avid fan of basketball, Lee had discovered during their many talks.
Phaff just nodded his head while slurping his drink.
Once all three were seated, Dr. London began speaking.
"We've been reviewing your wife's case file, Mr. Stetson, and with your approval, we'd like to try something different."
"Such as?" Lee asked warily.
Dr. London folded her hands and nodded towards Dr. Anholt.
"Amanda hasn't made much in the way of progress the last few weeks," he said.
"No joke," Lee sarcastically commented.
"Now, now Lee," Phaff interjected. "What we're trying to say is maybe she needs a change of scenery."
"With all due respect, I think she needs more than a vacation, don't you?"
"Maybe not, my boy. As you know, Amanda hasn't been any trouble since she's arrived here. She's a model patient. She's calm, quiet, and pleasant."
"She doesn't do anything," Lee told him. "How could she? There doesn't seem to be anything there."
"Lee," Dr. London interjected. "I know that you are angry, but please try to listen for just a moment. I've been following Amanda very closely, every day. Once Amanda began to regain her strength she began displaying certain habits that make me think that she's still got a chance to recover."
"Really?"
"Yes. She makes her bed, she tidies up her room. She brushes her teeth, goes to the bathroom, dresses herself, all without any aid. That's more than we can say for a lot of the cases in here."
"That's why they're here, because they've cracked. Are you telling me that my wife hasn't cracked, that she's normal?"
Phaff picked up the conversation.
"Amanda's case is different. You know that some of the agents in here have seen things, been involved in things that totally turned their brains into a melted mush. Burned out beyond all belief. Hagerson from the FBI went on a killing spree after witnessing his entire team being executed."
"Well, excuse me, I'm no expert," Lee angrily said, "but wouldn't you say that Amanda's mind isn't far from a muddled mess?"
Dr. London shook her head.
"I don't think so. Locked up, yes. Forever muddled? No. In Amanda's case I believe that the situation she was in triggered a totally protective device, closing herself off completely. I highly doubt that she'd go down the same path as Hagerson. She's never displayed any violent tendencies in the past and she certainly hasn't displayed any here."
"Comforting," Lee murmured as he leaned back and crossed his legs. Then he looked directly at her. "So, cut to the chase, what exactly is it that you're trying to say?"
"We'd like to see how Amanda reacts to more familiar surroundings. We'd like for you to take her home for Christmas and see how she interacts."
"You want me to take her home?" he asked rather dubiously.
All three nodded.
"Amanda's been nothing but pleasant the entire time she's been here," Dr. Anholt said. "The staff love her. Even old Mrs. Hilligass calls her a little doll, and that's saying something from that battle-ax because we highly doubt she likes anyone, including herself."
"Okay, so my wife is quiet and pleasant. That's all she is. She doesn't speak, she doesn't respond, she doesn't do anything except smile occasionally. What makes you think that by taking her home will help?"
"She'll be surrounded by the people who love her," Dr. London said warmly. "And, besides, it's Christmas. I'm sure her family would love to have her home for the holidays."
Lee focused his gaze on the table.
"Lee," Phaff's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Wouldn't you like to have her home for Christmas as well?"
Lee looked back up at the Agency shrink.
If he were to be totally honest, that's all he wanted for Christmas. To have his wife, completely well, by his side and with their children, in their home and normal. Except that Lee had learned the hard way and a long time ago that having anything normal just wasn't in his deck of cards.
Besides, he had long ago ceased believing in Santa Claus.
CHAPTER 23
Lee pulled the Jeep into the driveway at 4247 Maplewood Drive the next day just a little after noon. The family, Philip and Jamie and Dotty had been advised the previous afternoon at the Hoover Rehabilitation Center by the team treating Amanda on what to expect and how to act. The boys were still hesitant while Dotty was her usual excited self.
Lee couldn't blame the boys one bit. They might well be on their way young adulthood but inside they were still Amanda's boys and he knew what they were feeling. That want and need of having your parents with you, exactly as things had been. It saddened him to know that were dealing with the loss of one of their parents, similar yet not to what he had experienced as a young boy.
Dotty, on the other hand, was absolutely positive that this would prove to be the medicinal cure for Amanda. Lee didn't want to burst her bubble but he had been in the business in a long time and he had seen agents, some who he had thought were invincible, go down only to never return. In his heart he wanted nothing more than their Amanda to be just that, but the pragmatic side of him wasn't convinced.
Dr. Anholt had followed behind in her vehicle, with the boys, while Phaff had joined them in the Jeep. They would stay for awhile, just to make sure that Amanda transitioned well, and if things proceeded as they hoped, then they would leave and the hands of fate would determine the rest.
The boys piled out of Anholt's vehicle quickly and scurried to open the house while the rest of them got out. Phaff encouraged Amanda to get out of the vehicle while Lee made sure that his mother-in-law got out safely. There was already a light coating of snow on the ground and the intermittent flurries that they were receiving now were predicted to change over to a major snowfall later in the day.
Lee had, on Phaff's suggestion, parked his Vette in the garage, safely out of the snow as well as out of Amanda's sight. Since the Vette had been her last point of contact and where her entire ordeal had begun, they had reasoned that it shouldn't be the first thing that she saw upon returning home. Lee had wholeheartedly agreed.
They made their way into the house, Amanda following like an obedient puppy. If there was any type of recognition or thought process going on inside that pretty head of hers, it wasn't showing. Her dark eyes, while still beautiful, had remained unchanged.
Lee was the last one into the house and as he shut the door and closed out the chilly air, he could only hope that one day soon those beautiful dark eyes would be as vibrant and expressive as they had been before this all had begun.
CHAPTER 24
After they had had lunch and the doctors had left, the white house on Maplewood Drive fell eerily silent. One could feel the unease of the boys and even Dotty seemed a little hesitant on what they should do next.
They'd suggested talking to Amanda, which they had all done on their visits to the Center but now it seemed as if none of them knew what to say. They encouraged them to involve Amanda in their daily routine but now it seemed there was little to do.
For Lee, he had requested and been granted time off until the start of the New Year. The boys were officially on Christmas Break now and Dotty, who normally had a mile long list of activities to complete, now appeared to be without a clue as to what to do.
Finally, thankfully, Dotty broke the silence.
"Philip, Jamie, would you boys mind running up to the drug store and getting me a few more rolls of wrapping paper?"
Both boys nodded a little too eagerly.
"Let me go get my purse," the older woman said.
"We'll go get our coats," Philip responded and with that they hurried out of the room, leaving Lee and Amanda all alone.
Lee cast a glance at his wife, who sat on the couch quietly, her eyes towards the beautiful Christmas tree that the entire family had lovingly decorated the previous weekend. If she noticed any of the beauty of it, Lee didn't know.
Once Dotty had given the boys the money and instructions on what colors she would like, they hurried to get out of the house. Dotty reminded them not to stop anywhere else along the way as they slammed the front door shut.
"Well," she said. "That will take care of them for about an hour and if I know them, they'll stop on the way home to visit Kenny for a bit. They can't seem to get enough of that new game toy thing that his aunt sent him for Christmas."
"Wait till Christmas morning, when they see theirs," Lee chuckled.
Dotty smiled.
"You really didn't have to buy them that. They're so expensive," she pointed out.
"Yeah, but they've been really good this year, with everything," Lee reminded her.
Dotty nodded.
It was true; the way her grandsons had stepped up after the initial shock of Amanda's disappearance had faded had been remarkable.
"They are turning into fine young men," she said.
After a moment of silence, Dotty spoke again.
"You know, I really didn't need that extra wrapping paper."
Lee smiled at her.
"I knew that."
"Once they get back though, maybe I'll take Amanda upstairs with me while I finish wrapping the presents."
"That's a good idea," Lee replied.
"And you, young man, do you have all of your Christmas shopping done?"
Lee actually chuckled.
"I have a few more things to get."
"Not scarves, I hope."
Lee laughed.
"No, not scarves this year."
"I remember one Christmas, Amanda was just three years old," Dotty laughed softly. "I remember how her Daddy carried her down the stairs that morning. Thank goodness at that age she wasn't up at the crack of dawn."
Lee watched Dotty smile fondly at the memory.
"She saw all those presents under the tree and her eye's just lit up, big as saucers. That's the year we gave her Lois Anne for Christmas. She didn't put that doll down all day, carried it with her everywhere."
"I bet she was a beautiful little girl," Lee said as he tried to imagine Amanda as a happy toddler, her dark eyes sparkling with excitement on that long ago Christmas morning.
Dotty nodded, then inhaled sharply.
"Oh Lee," she murmured. "I want my little girl back."
Lee pulled his mother-in-law into a quick hug. "I know Dotty, I know."
CHAPTER 25
Christmas Eve
There was no doubt about it; it was officially going to be a white Christmas in Arlington, with the possibility of it getting even whiter by Christmas morning. The boys were getting antsy; they'd been with Dotty all day helping her out with last minute tasks.
Now everything was wrapped and under the tree. Dotty's care basket for Mrs. Watson down the street was ready to be delivered. All of the preparations for tomorrow's Christmas dinner had been taken care of and it seemed as if Christmas Day would proceed without a hitch.
Lee had purchased and wrapped all of his gifts, stopped by the Agency for a little while in the morning and had returned home with one of Jeannie's famous fruit cakes and presents from Billy and Francine for the boys.
Yes, Christmas was rolling right along.
The only thing missing was Amanda's full presence. Despite all of Dotty's enthusiasm, Amanda didn't seem any different to them than when they'd brought her home.
It was so frustrating that Lee wanted to scream. There was that little impatient part of him that wanted to take her by the shoulders and shake her until she reacted to something, anything. Of course, he would never do that to her, but he wanted so badly for something to change, for that as yet unknown trigger to unlock her and release her back into life, into his life.
The boys were outside and Lee and Dotty had just wrapped up in the kitchen when Amanda came in and stood at the window, looking outside. She tilted her head to the side and both Lee and Dotty had the same idea at the same time.
"Why not?" Lee asked.
"Couldn't hurt," Dotty agreed.
Minutes later, Lee was leading Amanda outside. Snowflakes were falling, the air was brisk against their faces and the boys were laughing. For just a minute, Lee was reminded of that cartoon with that dog and all of those kids. They'd watched the Christmas special just last week. For some silly reason, Lee grinned.
It felt good to be holding Amanda's gloved hand in his, it felt good to be outside and then his face felt cold and wet as a well aimed snowball hit him in the shoulder.
The peals of laugher from the boys echoed through the yard.
"So that's how you want to play, is it?"
He quickly let go of Amanda's hand and bent down to scoop up some snow in his hand. Yes, it was good packing snow and before he knew it the snowballs were flying fast and furious.
The three of fellows chased, ran, dived, tossed and cheered. Amanda stood and watched them, or at least Lee thought she was watching. They tried very hard to keep her out of the line of fire but still included her with calls of "did you see that Mom?" and "Man, I nailed Lee good, didn't I Mom?"
Then, as Lee was running from Jamie and towards Amanda, Philip managed to miss his running target and Lee watched the snowball ricochet off of Amanda's earmuffs and break apart all around her.
At the same instant, he lost his footing and slid into Amanda, sending them both toppling onto the snowy ground of the backyard.
As he lay in a heap over her, he instinctively took his left hand and brushed some of the offending snow away from her face. For just an instant, before she blinked her wet lashes, he thought he saw a flash of something familiar in her dark eyes. But, then she reopened them and whatever it was that he thought he had seen was long gone.
Philip and Jamie were suddenly surrounding them, asking them if they were okay and the thought was pushed from his mind as he managed to pull himself and Amanda up from the ground.
She seemed fine with it all, the boys were laughing and then Dotty was calling them inside for dinner. The snow covered foursome headed back to the house, the boys giggling all the way.
It wasn't until well after dinner and the boys had headed upstairs to get ready for bed that Lee had a moment of silence to reflect upon it. He was seated at the table and Dotty had just placed a welcoming cup of hot cocoa in front of him.
As he stared into the milky chocolate, he saw again that faint expression that had crossed his wife's eyes. It had been brief and maybe it had been nothing more than a self-created image that stemmed from his subconscious desire to have his wife back. That had to be the answer, he thought as he sipped his drink.
He wanted his wife back so badly that now he was seeing things that didn't really exist. He shook his head sadly.
"You okay, dear?" Dotty's voice interrupted his thoughts. "You look as if you were a million miles away."
She joined him at the table, her mug in front of her.
"Just thinking," he told her.
Dotty gave him that knowing smile.
"I think she had fun."
Lee smiled.
"I think we all did and I think it's been long overdue."
Dotty nodded in agreement, then reached over and took his hand.
"Give it time, son."
He nodded.
"For just a moment, it seemed normal," he told her after a long silence.
"And it will be again. I know how much you miss her."
"I do," he agreed. "Speaking of which, where is she?"
"Looking at the Christmas tree," Dotty told him with a smile. "She seems to love the lights."
Lee rose from his chair.
"It's getting late," he said. "And the boys are sure to be up at the crack of dawn."
"I was hoping that your battle might have worn them out enough that they would sleep past the break."
Lee smiled sympathetically at her.
"Well, one can hope."
He walked into the living room. Just as Dotty had predicted, his wife was gazing at the tree. She was seated in front of it, her knees drawn up and her hands around her legs.
The room was darkened except for the twinkling lights of the tree and he had to admit that he couldn't remember ever seeing a more beautiful sight.
He walked slowly towards her and then knelt down behind her.
She turned to look at him.
Suddenly his heart ached for more, so much more. He wanted nothing more than to see her eyes glimmer with passion, needed to feel her arms wrapped around him and he longed for her sensual kisses that he was afraid to admit he might never feel again.
Despite the fact that she was here, he still felt a keen loss for everything that they had once shared. It was like an enormous weight of grief and despair had settled over him as he looked at her and he was more than a little shocked to feel the liquid warmth of a few tears trickle down his cheeks.
Her reaction shocked him.
Her fingers reached out to stroke his cheek, wiping the tears away as quickly as they had fallen and her eyes had taken on such a sad look that Lee felt as though he had suddenly had the air knocked out of him.
Without thinking, he reached and took her hand in his and held it. His clasped her fingers in his and squeezed lightly, relishing the feel of her warmth, cherishing the brief moment of contact that they shared for no more than a few precious seconds.
"I love you more than you will ever know Mrs. Stetson," he told her in a ragged voice.
Then he dropped her hands from his and stood up. He needed to get away from her, needed to refocus his trend of thought. Without saying a word to Dotty, he made his way to the backdoor and stood outside in the cold air of the wintry evening.
He hadn't seen the frown that had crossed Amanda's face when he had abandoned her so quickly. He hadn't seen the slight shake of her head nor the clouded look that had suddenly surfaced in her eyes.
And, just like earlier in the day, the fleeting expression vanished as quickly as it had come.
CHAPTER 26
As Lee stood outside in the cold December air, he tried to reign in all of the emotions that were running rampant throughout him. He could remember a time in his life when he had felt very few emotions, and those that he did were only fleeting ones at that.
That was before Amanda had come into his life. Not only had she brought him a previously unexperienced way of looking at the world and the things around him. No, she had gone and done something that many had thought impossible, including himself. She had brought him back to the world of living, had shown him how to truly enjoy life once again. She'd shown him that he could be worthy of and should actually go on to obtain the things that he had convinced his mind long ago that he was not worthy of.
She had brought him friendship and then love.
And just like everyone else in his life that he had given his heart to, she had been taken from him, stolen away by some lunatic who wanted nothing more than revenge. Revenge for something that Lee had done prior to meeting Amanda, for something she hadn't even known about, other than maybe reading a few lines in some old report.
Because of something that Lee had done, Amanda had been a victim. Godric had stated so, even if not verbally. Lee's mind recalled the portion of the older man's journal that he had read countless times.
Success has come at last and the sweet taste of revenge is mine. I have plotted, planned, calculated. All of those wonderful words that translate into the intricate planning of what I believe to be the catalyst towards the downfall of the so-called mighty Scarecrow
In the year 1981, Scarecrow took me down and left me for dead. The leader of a group of agents, he was the one who gave the order that killed two of my brave comrades and very nearly stole my own life. By miracles of miracles, I was pulled from the flames by a comrade, to rise again like the phoenix.
But heal completely, I did not. The Scarecrow took away my strength. He took away my opportunity to return to my Russia and left me abandoned in the cold and unwelcoming arms of a country that I can not, will not ever call my own.
And for that, I took away what he should not have. I know that he feels it, as I feel the pain each day of bones and body that will never know another sunrise or sunset without pain. As I will never be able to enjoy the comforts of a beautiful woman, than shall he not as well.
It is a shame, for she is such a beautiful creature, but I can at least take solace in knowing that he too spends his darkened nights alone, longing for the touch of a woman that he craves as much as I long to return to the open arms of my country, my Russia.
And while he and I are alone, so is she. It is amazing what one can do to such a spirited soul, without the single touch of a finger. Darkened days and nights, locked away from the reality of this harsh and horrible world. Days turned into weeks, weeks merged into months until finally she became my little mouse.
Quiet, subdued, and broken but yet still cared for because my little mouse must not wither away into the nothingness that has now swallowed whole my illusion of returning home to Russia as a hero.
She is his greatest desire, a desire of which I have complete dominion over and will continue to do so for as long as time allows me.
Lee didn't want another man to have dominion over his wife. He wanted the still ever present hold broken. He wanted his wife back. He wanted his sons to have their mother; he wanted Dotty to have her daughter. He was greedy; he wanted what he had never thought he could have. For too short of time he'd had a taste of a life that he'd never wanted and now he knew that he could never go back.
"Oh Amanda, Amanda. You're the only thing I want for Christmas. If you only knew how much I love you, how much I've missed you. You're all that I want for Christmas, my darling Manda."
Standing alone outside, in the icy cold winter air, on that dark night that should be joyous to mankind, Lee Stetson shed the tears of man in despair, a man who felt alone and angry and confused. A man who had only wish for Christmas, a similar wish to one many years ago when he was but a young boy. Would this wish not be granted, as the other had not?
CHAPTER 27
By the time that Lee had come back inside, he was not only chilled thoroughly but he was alone. Only a few lights remained on, an obvious sign that Dotty had led Amanda upstairs and that it was bedtime for the inhabitants of the house on Maplewood Drive.
He trudged up the stairs to the bedroom, hoping that Amanda hadn't fallen asleep yet while he gathered his things for another solitary night upon the couch.
Thankfully, the bedroom light was still on and he found Amanda sitting on the bed, already clad in a pair of silky blue pajamas. He remembered when he had bought her the set and how beautiful she had looked the one and only time that she had worn them for him.
She still looked beautiful even though they were a little baggy fitting on her now. She only briefly glanced up at him as he passed through the room grabbing his own pajamas and then slipped into the bathroom.
Once he had finished getting ready for bed, he came back out of the bathroom and was surprised to find that Amanda had turned down the bed. She was sitting on the one side of the bed, holding the little stuffed animal that the boys had brought to her during her stay in the hospital.
She looked at up him and gave him a small smile.
"Ah, goodnight Amanda," he managed to say.
Lee was already in the process of picking up his blankets for the night when she shook her head and patted the empty spot on the bed beside her.
He looked at her curiously for a few moments and then it dawned on him. The side of the bed she was patting with her hand was the side of the bed that he liked to sleep on.
"I'm sleeping downstairs, remember?"
Heck, he didn't know if she remembered. How could he? These days the beautiful woman that he married did little than a toddler would do. An occasional smile or maybe a tilt of her head summed up all of the reactions that they had been able to coach out of her since her rescue.
Lee had to fight to contain the angry scream that threatened to arise from him over the absurdity of it all.
But Amanda's next action diminished his anger.
She, apparently having other ideas, playfully patted his side of the bed again.
"Oh, Amanda," he exhaled as he ran one hand through his hair.
The look on her face was adorable. Like a persistent child, one who would employ every stubborn tactic in the book to achieve what she wanted and Amanda had always been stubborn, no doubt about that.
He mulled it over for a moment and then decided that he might lay down on the bed with her, for a short time. Just until she fell asleep and then he would go downstairs to the lonely couch. But for now, if it would make her happy, then there was no way that he could deny her. Heck, he'd never been very good at denying her anything.
As he sat down on the bed beside her, he couldn't help but notice the way her face seemed to light up even more.
"You're a scoundrel, Amanda Stetson, no doubt about it," he teased.
Her only response was to place the stuffed animal at the foot of the bed before she crawled under the covers. It didn't take long for her to settle down and Lee reached over to turn the light off.
Once the light was out, it didn't take long for Lee to realize, with a heavy sigh, that there was far too much empty space between them. This was their first Christmas Eve together as a married couple and yet the situation was preposterous because he wanted nothing more than to hold her throughout the night until the insane moment of the early hours of Christmas morning arrived and her sons would barrel like a freight train downstairs to discover their Christmas presents.
Except, this year, Lee was really hoping that they paid heed to the small discussion that they had had regarding the subject prior to Amanda coming home.
He fidgeted a little, trying to get comfortable in the bed. He found it insanely hard to do. Already he could feel his body responding to the proximity of his wife. He had been denied for far too long and wished that it would not be for much longer.
Lord, he didn't know if he could take much more. He was just about at the point where he was thinking of leaping out of the bed and barreling those stairs himself when she did it.
His innocent wife suddenly leaned over, and in what Lee thought to be only a mimic of actions that she had seen, placed a quick kiss on his forehead as though she were bidding him a good night.
Only his Amanda he thought as he couldn't help but laugh softly in the dark as she just as quickly rolled back over on to his side.
"Good night Amanda," he told her with a hint of amusement in his voice.
CHAPTER 28
Lee had thought that he would only stay in the bed with her until she fell asleep. Apparently both she and his own body had had different ideas. He had remained there for a few quiet minutes, reminding his body that his wife was little more than a child and that he had to maintain his distance from her.
And then, just when he had pretty much gotten done lecturing to his own mind; she had sleepily rolled over and cuddled against him.
Lee had practically groaned aloud.
He had remained as motionless as he could, lying there in the dark and listening to her breathing patterns that told him that she was very nearly sound asleep. He would only have to wait it out a few more minutes and then he could slip from the bed.
Lee had allowed himself to shut his eyes for a moment, trying to block her out and that's when his body had decided that it had other intentions for the night. Exhaustion overtook him and soon he had joined Amanda in slumber.
Lee didn't know what it was that woke him a few hours later. Maybe it was the sound of the chilly winds whipping round the house outside. Maybe it was the fact that he rolled over in his sleep and encountered nothing but an empty bed.
He slowly opened his eyes and realized in the soft shadows that he had not gotten up and gone to the couch as originally planned. And then, as he awoke more completely, he realized that his wife wasn't in the bed beside him.
Lee Stetson sat up straight up in bed, in full panic mode.
He checked the bathroom, she wasn't there. He hurried out into the hallway. The bedroom doors for both Dotty and the boys were closed.
Lord, he hoped she hadn't ventured outside on a night like this. She'd freeze to death.
He went downstairs, muttering softly to himself.
"Amanda, you never stay put."
As he neared the bottom of the stairs it became apparent that the Christmas tree lights were on for he could see the soft twinkling off and on pattern against the wall. On the last step he heard the very faint sounds of Christmas carols in the background.
That's when he realized where she was.
She was seated on the floor, an afghan draped around her shoulders and gazing at the tree. The glow from the lights danced upon her long dark hair.
"Amanda," he whispered as he lightly touched her shoulder, not wanting to startle her.
When she turned her face to look at him, he saw that there were tears sliding down her face, her eyes were dark watery pools reflecting the varying colors from the lights. The sight tore at him like nothing he'd ever felt before and he dropped down beside her quickly.
She blinked and bit her lip, an obvious sign that she was trying to regain some composure. It didn't work because another deluge of tears began streaming down her pretty face.
"Hey," he told her as he gently pulled her into his arms.
To his surprise, she quickly wrapped her slender arms around him and buried her face into his chest. The sounds of her light sobbing filled the quiet room.
He had no idea why she was crying and yet it caused him to feel her pain.
"Baby, hush," he told her gently as he rubbed her back.
For as long as she allowed it, he held her. It could have been a few brief minutes or it could have been for hours. He wasn't sure.
The only thing he did know was that he held her until she calmed down and the sobs had changed over to sniffles and a few hiccups.
Then she pulled away from his embrace, running one hand beneath her nose.
He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead and then tenderly rubbed his thumbs beneath her eyes, trying to wipe away the remnants of the tears.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Lee nearly stopped breathing. In the dark, those hushed words had nearly been inaudible. For a moment, he wasn't even sure that he had heard them and yet he had and they were like the sounds of the sweetest music ever played to his ears.
He gazed at her intently, taking in every detail. From the loose silky dark waves of hair that framed her face to the small expanse of skin exposed from the slight dip of her pajama top. He inhaled the light floral fragrance from her hair and then his focus settled on her eyes.
Amanda had always had expressive eyes, like windows to her soul. Eyes that he'd been easily able to read, giving him the ability to judge her mood or gauge her fear or to see the depths of her passion when they made love.
For far too long those eyes had revealed practically nothing to him.
But now, in this quiet moment beneath the Christmas tree those dark teary pools spoke to him. He brushed his fingers over her lips and watched in amazement as her eyes drifted shut and a look of something not quite discernible flashed across her face. She actually leaned into his touch.
The next thing he knew, she was in his arms. Cuddled against him, her head against his chest, holding on to him as if she would never let go.
And then, beneath the dancing lights of the decorated tree, Lee heard her murmur words against his chest. Words that he had longed to hear and all but given up the hope of ever hearing again.
"I love you."
Dotty tossed yet again and finally realized that she wasn't going to be able to fall back to sleep. Maybe a glass of warm milk with a splash of Guliano would help. She reached for her robe and shrugged into it. Then she slipped into her bedroom slippers.
She wrapped the sash of her robe a little tighter as she made her way out into the hallway. As she neared the bottom of the stairs, the sound of something caught her ears and she stopped. Catching the faint sounds of Lee's voice, curiosity got her and she peered around the corner.
What she saw brought tears to her eyes and a joyful smile to her face for beneath the Christmas tree, sitting on the floor together, she watched as her daughter kissed her son-in-law, a brief but obviously very heart-felt kiss. It was followed by a soft 'I love you' before the two of them melted together in an embrace.
Dotty took a quick step back and as a quietly as she could, padded back up the stairs.
"Oh," she breathed softly, "oh my gosh."
She reached for the tissue box beside her bed and wiped at her eyes.
"I'm not dreaming this," she asked aloud.
"Of course I'm not," she answered.
As she sat there alternating between crying and smiling, Dotty West thought that nothing else in the world had ever been more perfect, more beautiful than what she'd just witnessed. In fact, this might be the best Christmas ever for all of them.
Epilogue
As the weeks slip by and the end of March nears, things within the Stetson-King household resemble pretty much that of any other suburban house with teenage boys as the warmth of spring chases the remnants of winter away. There are still complaints about homework and curfews and they sometimes have to be reminded to do their chores instead of shooting hoops or enjoying the very cool video game that Lee bought them for Christmas.
Dotty is still Dotty, ever active and ever nosy and back to flying the big blue skies with her beloved Captain on the weekends, now that her daughter is home and seems to need her less than before.
Amanda's recovery has ups and downs, the occasional nightmare in the middle of the night or brief moments of panic when she's alone in a room.
She still doesn't leave the house alone and has only just begun to feel comfortable riding in Lee's Corvette again. There are times when she seems to momentarily lose her way in the middle of a conversation, as though she can't quite pull the words she wants out but they are getting fewer and farther with each passing day.
To this day though, she has very little recall of the events following her actual abduction in the parking lot and leading up to the night of Christmas Eve when she found herself sitting beneath that lovingly decorated Christmas tree in a home filled with love.
Phaff says she might never remember any of it. Her family hopes she doesn't.
As for Lee, he's left the field behind but not the Agency. The Q-Bureau has been expanded and he now oversees a staff of five agents. It may be mostly a desk job and his former partner may not ever return to active duty but he's not complaining.
Why, you might ask.
It would seem that he and Amanda have their hearts set on ending this year even better than last, even if it does mean one in the morning feedings and changing dirty diapers.
Yes, Lee Stetson was granted his Christmas wish last year and sees no reason to doubt about the one for next Christmas. You might even say that the Scarecrow believes in Santa Claus and Christmas miracles.
The End
Story Notes:
Legalese & all of that other mumbo-jumbo:
Sometimes my muses whisper, sometimes they scream. This is one of those that screamed loudly enough and so persistently that I had no choice but to write it, something that could not have been done had it not been for the assistance of several very special people.
Thank you to The Brit - who assured me that the idea was both unique and compelling, as well as providing a Dr. Phaff worthy psychological analysis into why this story idea formed in the first place.
Thank you to Miss Edna and Elmo, who provided material for some of the background locales and characterizations.
The title may be cliché and it may have even been used before, but it works perfectly for the thoughts and hopes of the characters in this work, which is why I chose it. Many pardons requested if anyone is offended.
As always, the original characters and ideas of SMK belong to those that hold the rights. All other characters, story, and so-forth are the result of a crazy vision of mine and/or extra research done to enhance this work that is purely for entertainment purposes only.
I promise to return our beloved characters back to the dusty shelves of forgotten television, though I sincerely believe that that is not good enough for them. The revered Corvette remains undamaged, as always, though I did leave her alone and unattended for a short time.
Interesting notes:
I have no idea what the weather conditions actually were for the time frame of this story. I sometimes research them, to be more accurate, but for this one I am taking the liberty of making it unusually cold and snowy along most of the northeastern coast.
The nemesis's name came to be thanks to BL's creativity but doesn't really exist in the Russian world, as far as I can find, which is good for that any similarity between characters and actual existing people clause that you find in books. We just thought it sounded good. His first name, Godric, means "power of god" and became rarely used after the Norman Conquest.
I don't think the show actually provided a middle name for Amanda, so I'm using one that I think sounds fitting. I've used it before, I like it, so there. And, yes, I'll probably continue to use it.
Adagio in G Minor is a real strings and organ piece by Remo Giazotto, an Italian musician. Published in 1958, the piece has been used in Orson Welles' "The Trial" and the film Gallipoli, as well as throughout "Dragon's Domain", an episode of the British/American show "Space: 1999." The entire piece as featured on the 1998 released Year 1 Soundtrack, of which I have the copy, provided an interesting concept and background music for creating Godric Devylrokovskii's character in this story. I never know where inspiration is going to come from and yeah, sci-fi is totally another beast, but slaying the dragon is a familiar concept no matter the genre.
To be on the safe side, I am issuing both a tissue alert and a drink from Styrofoam cup instead of glass suggestion while reading this because you already know that Twisted Sister could never write just another conventional and normal Christmas story.
I hope that you enjoy. Please let me know what you think.
As my one little niece says – Peace out to ya!
Sometimes my muses whisper, sometimes they scream. This is one of those that screamed loudly enough and so persistently that I had no choice but to write it, something that could not have been done had it not been for the assistance of several very special people.
Thank you to The Brit - who assured me that the idea was both unique and compelling, as well as providing a Dr. Phaff worthy psychological analysis into why this story idea formed in the first place.
Thank you to Miss Edna and Elmo, who provided material for some of the background locales and characterizations.
The title may be cliché and it may have even been used before, but it works perfectly for the thoughts and hopes of the characters in this work, which is why I chose it. Many pardons requested if anyone is offended.
As always, the original characters and ideas of SMK belong to those that hold the rights. All other characters, story, and so-forth are the result of a crazy vision of mine and/or extra research done to enhance this work that is purely for entertainment purposes only.
I promise to return our beloved characters back to the dusty shelves of forgotten television, though I sincerely believe that that is not good enough for them. The revered Corvette remains undamaged, as always, though I did leave her alone and unattended for a short time.
Interesting notes:
I have no idea what the weather conditions actually were for the time frame of this story. I sometimes research them, to be more accurate, but for this one I am taking the liberty of making it unusually cold and snowy along most of the northeastern coast.
The nemesis's name came to be thanks to BL's creativity but doesn't really exist in the Russian world, as far as I can find, which is good for that any similarity between characters and actual existing people clause that you find in books. We just thought it sounded good. His first name, Godric, means "power of god" and became rarely used after the Norman Conquest.
I don't think the show actually provided a middle name for Amanda, so I'm using one that I think sounds fitting. I've used it before, I like it, so there. And, yes, I'll probably continue to use it.
Adagio in G Minor is a real strings and organ piece by Remo Giazotto, an Italian musician. Published in 1958, the piece has been used in Orson Welles' "The Trial" and the film Gallipoli, as well as throughout "Dragon's Domain", an episode of the British/American show "Space: 1999." The entire piece as featured on the 1998 released Year 1 Soundtrack, of which I have the copy, provided an interesting concept and background music for creating Godric Devylrokovskii's character in this story. I never know where inspiration is going to come from and yeah, sci-fi is totally another beast, but slaying the dragon is a familiar concept no matter the genre.
To be on the safe side, I am issuing both a tissue alert and a drink from Styrofoam cup instead of glass suggestion while reading this because you already know that Twisted Sister could never write just another conventional and normal Christmas story.
I hope that you enjoy. Please let me know what you think.
As my one little niece says – Peace out to ya!