July 4, 1988

The Fourth of July began cloudy and dry. Amanda was hoping the day would turn out better than the last two weeks had been, since Lee had been gone under zero contact conditions. The entire family missed him and she was tired of the separation. It had been years since they had gone this long without seeing each other, much less talking, and she ached to talk with him again. Originally, Amanda had been slated to go on the trip with Lee, since they were now officially partnered in the Q Bureau. However, she had come down with flu-like symptoms and Dr. Kelford had not cleared her for overseas travel.  Lee had traveled to the Middle East with another agent. Since then, they'd heard no word other than that Lee had made all of his check-ins.

Joe had invited the boys over to his new house with Carrie the past weekend, wanting to spend quality time with them before his new baby arrived. Carrie was eight months along and the boys were excited to be big brothers. The boys were supposed to come home later on that day and Amanda had planned on grilling hamburgers. She could hear Dotty bustling about upstairs and smiled to herself. Her mother had made plans with Dr. Zernov, who had recently taken a professorship at Georgetown. Dotty seemed very taken with the Russian professor, and Amanda was glad. Captain Kurt had turned out to be more of a friend than anything else, and Dotty wanted more romantic companionship, although she had told Amanda she didn't really want to ever get married again.

"Good morning, darling," Dotty sang as she entered the kitchen breezily.

"Good morning, Mother, looks like you're off to an early start," Amanda commented. Dotty had brought a blanket and the picnic basket into the kitchen and Amanda smiled. Dotty was so happy.

"Yes, darling, Andrei and I are going for a picnic in the park, just like our first date several years ago, and then we're going to a faculty banquet tonight on the campus. It should be delightful."

"Well, I hope you enjoy yourselves. It's gonna be awful quiet around here this morning," Amanda smiled at her mother.

"No word from Lee, I take it?" Dotty queried. She wouldn't say it, but she was a little concerned for her daughter. She had seemed run down lately, tired all the time... Dotty looked at her daughter critically. "Amanda," she asked.

"Yes, Mother?" Amanda answered absently. She sat at the breakfast bar with the newspaper and was nibbling on a piece of toast.

"How have you been feeling lately?"

"Oh, you know...a little tired. I haven't been sleeping well since Lee left," Amanda smiled at her mother.

"All right, darling...maybe you should rest this morning," Dotty said. She suspected there was more to this story, but didn't want to press. ‘Oh, but wouldn't it be wonderful if it were true?' she thought to herself. Dotty shrugged and continued gathering her things together. A few minutes later, she heard the honk of Dr. Zernov's car. She kissed her daughter goodbye and left for what she hoped would be a wonderful day.

SMK SMK

Amanda spent the morning straightening up the house and then settled onto the couch with a book. She knew her mother had been fishing for information this morning, and she hated keeping anything from her. Since they had confessed all last year, Amanda had been very straightforward with Dotty about everything...as much as she could. However, she couldn't tell her mother her news until after Lee came home. She remembered what had happened two weeks ago...

The day after Lee had left, Amanda had continued feeling ill. Dr. Kelford insisted she come into the clinic so he could run some tests, telling her, "You've worked very hard to reach agent status, but I can't allow you in the field until I find out what's going on." She had agreed. That afternoon, Dr. Kelford had asked her to return to the clinic.

"Well, Mrs. Stetson, I'm sorry to tell you that I can't authorize field work for you, except for light assignments. I'm going to monitor your situation closely," he said with a smile. Amanda had been shocked...what was wrong with her? "Dr. Kelford, sir, is this something I should be worried about? I know I've been feeling rundown, but the flu is going around..."

Dr. Kelford laughed. "Amanda, I really don't think I'd worry about this condition. It'll clear up in about eight months or so, give or take a couple of weeks."

Amanda stared blankly at him and repeated, "Eight months or....oh! Dr. Kelford, are you telling me I'm pregnant?"

"Most definitely, Amanda, congratulations!" Amanda had jumped up and given the older man a hug.

"Oh my gosh! I can't wait to tell Lee!" she gushed, then stopped. "Oh my gosh! Lee! He's zero contact right now! Doctor, you don't have to share this with anyone, do you?"

"Well, I'm technically supposed to tell Dr. Smyth, but I suppose I could lose the paperwork on my desk until Lee comes home...as long as it isn't too long from now."

Smiling from the memory, Amanda sat back on the couch and said to herself, "Oh, Lee, when are you going to be home?" ___________________________________

Around noon, Amanda heard a distant ringing. She rubbed her eyes and realized it was the telephone. Apparently, she'd dozed off reading her book. She grabbed the phone and answered it, "Hello?"

"Miss me?" Amanda broke into a grin when she realized it was Lee on the phone.

"Lee! Does this mean what I think it means? Are you coming home?" she asked, unable to control the tears in her eyes.

"Yep! I finally finished this wretched assignment...longest two weeks of my life!" Lee responded. "So, do you have a date for tonight?"

Amanda chuckled. "Well, actually, I do, with two handsome young men. I'm very popular, you know."

Lee laughed. "Well, think I could squeeze into your harem? I should be home around 6, maybe sooner."

"I'll have dinner waiting," Amanda promised. "Oh, Lee, I can't wait to see you!"

"Same here, ‘Manda, same here," Lee whispered. They hung up the phone and Amanda rushed upstairs to begin preparing for his arrival. She wanted tonight to be special.

SMK SMK

Around 5:00, Joe brought the boys home. Amanda met them at the door. "Hey, fellas, did you have a good time?" she asked as Joe helped bring their things in. "How's Carrie feeling?"

Joe kissed Amanda on the cheek. "She's pretty miserable...you remember how that last month can be. But, we're pretty excited about next month. Boy, it sure seems like yesterday that ours were tiny."

"I know it...time really flies, doesn't it? It's hard for me to believe that Phillip's going to be driving soon. He's nearly as tall as Lee!"

"And Jamie," Joe continued, "I can't believe how grown up he seems. He's not a little boy anymore." They started sharing memories of when the boys were little, before Joe had left on his trek to save the world.

Amanda smiled at the memories as well. She was so glad that she and Joe had remained friends and that he had found someone special like she had. It was good for the boys to see how close their parents still were. Joe gave the boys a couple of hugs, then said goodbye.

The boys ran upstairs with their stuff and Amanda started getting things ready for dinner. She began preparing the ground beef for grilling and hummed to herself. As she made herself busy, she didn't notice a familiar shadow at the back door. Lee watched his wife as she bustled about. It amazed him sometimes that she was really his wife. As Amanda turned toward the windows, Lee said, "Hi there!"

Amanda's face lit up and she ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck. "Oh, Lee! You're home! Oh, I'm so glad!" Lee bent down and kissed her, holding her close. They nestled together and stood there for quite some time. Finally, Amanda broke away and said, "I am so glad you're back. This had to be the longest two weeks of my life!"

Lee grinned and followed Amanda out of the kitchen, carrying his luggage with him. As they began walking up the stairs, Phillip and Jamie ran down, basketballs in hand. "Lee!" they both cried out. Lee laughed as they came at him, roughhousing and hugging. "Hey, man, glad you're back! Mom's been moping!" they laughed.

"Moping?" Lee questioned, looking at Amanda with a smile. She shrugged and he shook his head.

"Oh, fellas, now you scoot. Lee just got back and needs to put his stuff down. He'll shoot hoops with you later!" Amanda laughed and led Lee upstairs, while the boys headed outside.

"Wow, we get some alone time? How'd I rate that?" Lee chuckled. Amanda pulled him closer and kissed him again.

"Come here- I want to tell you something," Amanda whispered. Lee walked into the bedroom with her as she shut the door. They walked over to the bed and sat down together.

"Amanda, is anything wrong? You're kind of scaring me," Lee spoke quietly. He had missed Amanda on his mission, and had been worried about her while he'd been gone. He hadn't said anything to her, but when Dr. Kelford didn't clear her for travel, it had terrified him. The only time Dr. Kelford didn't clear someone was if there was a serious problem, not for just a cold or cough.

"No, sweetheart, nothing's wrong. Actually," Amanda smiled. "I think something is pretty terrific!" She looked at her beloved husband and continued. "What do you think about finishing out the garage attic into an apartment for my mother?"

Lee looked at Amanda confused by her question. "Huh? Sure, we've been talking about it and I think it'd be a good idea, but what does that have to do with you?"

"Well, I just thought it'd be a good idea since we're going to need a nursery." Amanda watched Lee's face to see how he reacted. At first, he looked confused but then, slowly realization spread over his face.

"A nursery? Amanda, does this mean...are you...are we...having a baby?" Lee sputtered, then stared at his wife as she nodded her head. "We are? Oh my gosh! Are you sure?"

"Dr. Kelford did the test himself. He had me come in for tests after you left, and they confirmed that you're going to be a father in about seven months." Lee grabbed her and held her close. They held each other close, relishing the idea that their family was growing.

"Well, I'm already a father...to Phillip and Jamie. You know I think of them as my own," he admitted as he gazed at her with love. Amanda could feel tears well up in her eyes. It touched her so much whenever he said this about her boys...their boys. Lee had jumped in as a stepfather more than ever once he'd moved in. The boys had grown closer to Lee over the past year and had started going to him with problems.

"I know, and it makes me so proud and happy. But, you didn't get to experience them from the beginning. Now you do," Amanda grinned. The idea of Lee dealing with a newborn was a little funny to her, but she couldn't wait a single second to share it with him.

Lee held her close again, kissing her and whispering of his love for his family.

SMK SMK

Lee lay in bed, snuggling next to his sleeping wife. He thought back over the evening, how excited the boys and Dotty had been about another baby. A baby...life was definitely going to change again. Lee thought back over the changes in the past few years. Six years ago, he had been mourning the loss of his partner. He'd reached rock bottom not long after that. He couldn't deal with another loss in his life, so he became even more reckless with assignments, taking as many dangerous ones as Billy would allow. He'd filled up his black books with the names of women he didn't even care about.

Then, Amanda had entered his life. He chuckled when he thought back to how much she'd irritated him in the beginning. He'd hated Billy for saddling him with a "housewife". But, she'd changed his outlook on life, almost from the beginning. He had pushed her away, but she pulled him back, making him care about her despite his trying desperately not to.

He remembered the time he'd taken Amanda to see Penny and Reza for the Fourth and how Penny had cornered him that night. "Mr. Stetson, I don't normally say things out of turn, but I must. You have a wonderful woman there...you should grab the opportunity while you can," Penny had said. It had surprised Lee that the Princess had said something like that. But, it had opened Lee's eyes. He remembered how that had led him to Leslie. Leslie...what a mistake that had been. He'd knowingly picked someone that reminded him of Amanda, trying to prove it wasn't really Amanda he wanted. That mistake, though had led to another change, one for the better. When he'd seen how jealous Amanda had been of Leslie, he realized that she had feelings for him as well.

He thought back to Emily and how she'd seen how much he loved Amanda, and how scared he'd been to admit it. Now, it seemed so silly but, at the time, he'd been terrified. Kind of like how he felt now. A baby... When he'd married Amanda, he'd felt that his life was complete. Her sons were his sons now, and he loved them more than he'd ever dreamed possible. He'd never thought about adding any other children, but they'd done nothing to prevent it. He glanced over at Amanda. God, he loved this woman. He didn't know how he'd gotten so lucky, but he was never going to take her for granted. She was his partner, his best friend, his lover, his wife, his soulmate...and the mother of his children.

He knew this was one of the best days of his life.