Chapter One                                                                                                               Saturday, December 23, 1989

Amanda Stetson looked out her living room window at the blanket of snow that surrounded her home. She couldn't help but smile at the beautiful picture in front of her. She turned around and looked at the evidence of Christmas: a beautiful tree, decorated by loving hands, but bare around the bottom to keep little hands from grabbing precious ornaments; a plate of Christmas cookies, half-eaten on the coffee table; several albums of Christmas music stacked on top of the turntable, ready to be played. Christmas was her favorite time of year, but this year was different. Grief had touched her family in recent months, changing their lives forever. Although this was the first Christmas for baby Katie, it was also the first Christmas without Joe and Carrie King.

Amanda looked up and saw her youngest son, Jamie, walk down the stairs. "Good morning, sweetheart," she said, giving him a smile.

"Morning, Mom," he responded listlessly.

Amanda walked over to him and gave him a hug. "So, anything planned for today?" she asked, ruffling his hair.

"I don' know," he mumbled. She followed him into the kitchen where Dotty was feeding Katie breakfast. He sat at the table and Amanda brought over a plate with scrambled eggs and bacon on it.

Phillip came up behind her and took the plate, so Amanda got another plate for Jamie. "Morning, Mom," Phillip greeted with a half-smile.

"So, fellas, I talked with Peggy Lightner a few minutes ago," she began, smiling at the boys. They looked up at her with interest. They'd been friends with Max and David since they were little and always enjoyed spending time with them. "They're going up to their uncle's farm in Maryland for the day and thought you might want to tag along. From what I understand, there are some pretty big hills to go sledding down. So...wanna go?"

She looked from Phillip to Jamie, trying to gauge what they were thinking. In recent years, they'd spent the night before Christmas Eve with their father. She was hoping that this trip might take their minds off of their recent loss.

"Sure, Mom, that sounds like fun...are we spending the night?" Phillip answered, with less enthusiasm than he would normally show.

"That's totally up to you," Amanda answered. "Peggy said she'd love to have you stay and would bring you back in the morning."

"But, if we change our minds about sleeping over..." Jamie began.

"...then your mother and I will pick you up," Lee answered as he walked in with a newly awake Sarah.

Jamie looked at Phillip and nodded. "OK, Mom, we'll go...unless you want us to stay home."

"I want you boys to have fun," Amanda reassured them. "Don't worry about us. Your grandmother is going to her party tonight, and we thought we'd go over to Francine's with the girls."

The boys nodded, then started talking about which hill at the farm would be the fastest. Amanda looked at Lee and smiled. It was going to be a difficult few days, but they could get through them as long as they were together.

SMK SMK

Francine sat on her couch, reading the Saturday paper. It had been a long week- the Agency had been involved with some of the details involving the invasion of Panama earlier in the week, and the Q Bureau had dealt with some diplomatic issues that arose from the mission. She sighed contentedly. She'd felt happier and more satisfied at work in the last couple of months than she had in years. She felt challenged by the new responsibilities and enjoyed the camaraderie with her close friends, Amanda and Lee, as well as her new partnership with Ephraim Beaman. Of course, that partnership now extended into her personal life as well, she thought with a smile. It had been an amazing month and, for once in her life, Francine was excited about the possibilities her future held.

She took a sip of coffee and turned to the society page. With all the holiday festivities, there would be plenty of DC gossip to be savored. As she scanned the gossip columns, she came across an item that nearly caused her to spit her coffee out. According to the paper, Jonathan Stone had pulled his latest stunt- leaving Eloise Clare, daughter of Ambassador Steven Clare, at the altar.

"I can't believe he did it again!" she gasped, then mentally corrected herself. Jonathan Stone was capable of just about anything, as she knew very well. It had been well over a year since she'd finally rid herself of the toad and she still questioned herself on why it had taken her so long to throw him out of her life.

It hadn't been a good break-up by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, she still heard whispers around the Agency about how she'd acted afterwards. Truth be told, she hadn't handled any of the situation very well, and it still embarrassed her to remember some of the tantrums she'd thrown.

The ringing of her phone brought her out of her reflection. She picked it up on the second ring, answering, "Hello?"

"I was just wondering if you wanted me to bring lunch or if you wanted to go somewhere while we went shopping," Ephraim greeted.

"Well...I told Amanda dinner would be at 7, so we really need to get groceries, and if you bring lunch, I don't know when we'll get back out..."

"So, lunch out it is. I'll be there in ten minutes," Ephraim laughed. Francine hung up the phone and gave another contented sigh. Tonight was going to be a special night. She'd never cooked an entire meal for anyone before, but she was bound and determined to do this for Amanda. Ephraim had offered to help her when she'd first suggested it, and she'd happily agreed. Tonight was going to be wonderful, she just knew it.

SMK SMK

Amanda and Lee maneuvered through the grocery store, trying to get some last minute items for the Christmas dinner they would be serving Christmas Day. Dotty had sent them off, telling them that she would watch the girls in her apartment while she started getting ready for Delilah Hemmings's annual Christmas party.

"Amanda, tell me again why this couldn't have been taken care of earlier this week?" Lee groused.

Amanda gave him a look and answered patiently, "You know that Mother didn't want to bring Sarah out while she had that cough, and we were a little busy with the invasion, remember?"

"I know, I know," Lee sighed. "You know how much I hate grocery shopping."

"Yes, I know, and I promise, that if you are a good boy, I'll give you a reward later," Amanda teased, giving him a grin.

Lee raised his eyebrows and quipped, "A reward, huh? Sounds intriguing, Mrs. Stetson."

"Yes, I was thinking along the lines of a...Chewy Chubby Bar," she said, giving him a teasing look.

"A Chewy Chubby Bar?" he sputtered, then suddenly remembered the incident she was referring to. "I seem to recall that, at the time, I told you I wanted a woman."

"Well, I..." Amanda began to answer when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Amanda King?" Lee and Amanda turned to look at a man who stood in front of their cart. Lee gave him a once over- he was an average man with very little to distinguish him other than the delighted smile that warmed his face.

"Dean? Oh my gosh, Dean! How are you?" Amanda said in surprise. Lee looked in amazement at the man who had unwittingly brought them together so many years ago. This was the infamous Dean to whom he was indebted to for unwittingly changing his and Amanda's lives forever?

"I'm fine, Amanda. You're looking very well, I must say," Dean answered. "It's been...what, five years?"

"I think so," she laughed. "Oh, Dean, I want you to meet my husband, Lee Stetson. Lee, this is Dean McGuire."

Dean proffered his hand and Lee shook it, saying, "It's nice to meet you, Dean." He turned to Amanda and said, "I'm going to let you two catch up while I finish getting what we need. You know how Dotty can get if she thinks she's going to be late." He flashed her a smile, then headed down the aisle.

"Dotty...how is your mother?" Dean asked, shaking his head.

"She's doing great. She actually lives above our garage now- we converted it into an apartment when I was pregnant," Amanda shared.

"Well that's wonderful- so how does Jamie like finally being a big brother?"

"He loves it- we actually have two daughters, Katie and Sarah," Amanda responded.

"Twins?" Dean asked.

"No," Amanda shook her head, then answered, "Actually, we just adopted Sarah. She was Joe's daughter with his second wife, Carrie."

"I heard about Joe, Amanda. I'm so sorry for your loss. How are the boys handling it?"

"About as well as you can expect, but we're making it through. They're really close to Lee, so that helps. How about you, Dean? Did you ever..."

"Get married? Not yet, but I've been seeing a really great lady, Ellen, for about a year," he confided. "Actually, I was planning on giving her a ring for Christmas."

"That's wonderful, Dean. I hope you are as happy with her as I am with Lee," she congratulated. "Speaking of Lee, I've seen him pass this aisle four times, so I better go help him. Mother is going to a party tonight, so I need to get home."

"It was great seeing you again, Amanda," Dean said as he turned to go. "Merry Christmas!"

Amanda smiled and responded, "Merry Christmas, Dean!" Then she turned to see Lee passing the aisle again, trying to look nonchalant.

"So that was the legendary Dean," Lee said as he watched the other man walk away.

"Wow, Lee, I'm impressed- you actually got his name right for once," Amanda laughed. "Now, since I'm sure you've memorized these two end caps, why don't we get the rest of our stuff so we can go home?"

Lee gave her a look, then laughed and said, "Do I still get my reward?"

Amanda laughed, then wrapped her arms around his arm as they walked down the next aisle, "You will never change, Scarecrow."

He smiled at her, shook his head, and whispered, "I'll take that as a yes."

SMK SMK

Francine finished "baby proofing" her living room while Ephraim finished setting the table. "Ephraim," she called over, "Do you see anything that the girls could get into or break?"

"Looks like you got everything. I'm pretty sure Amanda is bringing their playpen, though," Ephraim said as he wrapped his arms around her, setting chin on her shoulder.

"I hope they like dinner. I know I'm not much of a cook..." Francine worried. She'd spent the afternoon in the kitchen preparing roast chicken breast, wild rice pilaf, and some homemade rolls. Ephraim had helped by preparing a Caesar salad and she'd made a cheesecake, something she knew she did well.

Ephraim turned her around and gently placed his hands on her face. "They are going to love dinner. You've done a great job on the meal and Amanda and Lee are going to have a great time. You worry too much."

She leaned in and placed her lips on his, kissing him tenderly. As they began to move their lips, their passion began to build. Ephraim moved his hands down her face and laced them around her back. Francine slowly brought her arms up to encircle his neck, drawing him closer.

Ephraim drew back and whispered, "Francine, I..." Before he could continue, the doorbell rang.

Francine sighed and gave him a quick kiss, then went to answer the door. She opened it to reveal Amanda, Lee, Sarah, and Katie. Ephraim helped greet them, then went back down to the car with Lee to get all of the paraphernalia that went with the girls.

"Francine, whatever you are cooking smells wonderful! I can't tell you how much I've looked forward to tonight," Amanda gushed as she followed Francine to the living room.

"Oh, thanks, Amanda. I have to admit...I'm a little nervous about what you'll think of my cooking," Francine said sheepishly.

Amanda grinned and said, "I'm sure it will be delicious." She looked around and continued, "I see you prepared for our onslaught."

Ephraim and Lee came back in with a large diaper bag and the playpen. While Lee set it up, Ephraim went over to Francine and whispered, "I'm going to get the wine. Do you want me to get anything else?"

"No, I'll get the canapés," she answered and they went to the kitchen.

Amanda set Sarah in the playpen, but Katie refused to go, gripping her mother's shirt fiercely.

Lee said, "Do you want me to try?"

"No, she's in a different place. She'll be fine in a few minutes," Amanda answered and sat on the couch with Katie, angling her so she could see her sister playing with their toys. Soon, Katie was clamoring to get in the playpen.

"That was brilliant," Francine commended as she came in with the canapés. "It never ceases to amaze me how good you are with kids."

"Oh, Francine, it just comes with a lot of mistakes and a lot of practice. I can guarantee I wasn't like this when Jamie and Phillip were little," Amanda explained.

"Well, I know I'll make tons of mistakes whenever I have kids," Francine continued as she sat down next to Amanda.

Amanda turned to Lee and arched her eyebrows. Lee shrugged and smiled. Sometimes it amazed him how much Francine had changed in the past few years. He would never have pegged Francine as someone who would ever have wanted children but, then again, he had never dreamed he would be a father. Amanda smiled at him as if reading his mind.

SMK SMK

Dinner went well and everyone praised Francine's well-prepared meal. Soon, Katie and Sarah began to get fussy, so they moved to the living room. Amanda got comfortable in an easy chair with Katie and her bottle, while Francine when to pick up Sarah.

Sarah shook her head, sleepily rubbing her eyes. She spotted Lee and raised her hands, saying, "Dada."

Lee looked at Amanda, then back at his daughter. "You want Daddy, Sarah?"

"Dada!" she said more insistently, bouncing on her legs and trying to grab Lee's arms.

Lee bent down and picked up the sleepy girl and grinned, saying, "Did you hear that? She called me ‘Dada', Amanda."

"Yes, she did, Lee, that's wonderful," Amanda said with a small smile.

"It's got to be hard on all of you," Ephraim commented. "I mean, you're glad Sarah is a part of your family, but you are still dealing with the grief over how it happened. I don't know how you manage it."

"It's been tough," Lee agreed. "I love Sarah, and I'm so proud that she sees me as her daddy, but I don't want anyone to think I'm trying to replace Joe."

"The boys and I know that, Lee. I think you are doing a great job, especially with the kids. It's good that Sarah has bonded with us. We're honoring Joe and Carrie by making her a complete member of our family," Amanda said.

Francine looked at the babies, then glanced at Ephraim. He was watching Lee gently rock Sarah, then noticed Francine looking at him. She saw a look of longing in his eyes that took her breath away. He leaned over and kissed her forehead.

Suddenly, the phone rang, bringing all of them out of their reverie. "I hope that's not the boys," Amanda whispered as Francine went to answer it. "I really want them to have a good time with the Lightners."

"Hello?" Francine answered. "I thought I made it clear that I didn't want to ever hear from you again...yes, he's still with me...no, you can't come over...yes, I saw what you did...Goodbye, Jonathan." Francine hung up the phone and gave a loud sigh. She turned around and saw three pairs of eyes trained on her. "So, did you hear that Jonathan left Eloise Clare at the altar?"

Amanda and Lee exchanged glances and Ephraim got up and walked over to Francine. "Are you OK?" he whispered.

"I'm fine, though I have a nasty feeling that he's going to show up here sooner or later," Francine muttered.

Amanda stood up and said, "Don't let him get to you, Francine. You're welcome to come stay with us if you'd like."

"No...I'm not going to let him run me off. I think I can handle Jonathan after all this time. I appreciate it, though," Francine smiled.

"Well, I hate to break this up, but Sarah is getting really heavy and I think we need to get the girls home and in bed," Lee suggested.

Francine helped Amanda get everything together while Ephraim held a sleeping Katie. Lee walked over to him and whispered, "You need to be careful of Stone. He can turn nasty when he wants to."

Ephraim nodded and responded, "I've got it covered. Francine's never going to have to deal with that creep alone again."

The four friends walked out to the car and got the sleeping girls into their car seats. Amanda gave Francine a hug and said, "Tonight was wonderful, Francine. Now, I expect you and Ephraim for Christmas dinner on Monday. You're welcome to join us for church tomorrow night as well."

"Thanks, Amanda. We'll see you Monday," Francine smiled. She walked backwards until she leaned into Ephraim and they waved their friends off.

They turned and made their way back to Francine's apartment in silence. As Ephraim closed the door, Francine noticed her answering machine blinking. She gave a sigh and played the message.

"Francine, it's me again. I really need to see you. I know you still have feelings for me. Call me."

"Ugh!" Francine grimaced as she pounded on the machine to turn it off.

Ephraim grabbed her hands and laughed, "Don't kill the messenger, Francine. I don't think your answering machine deserves to die, do you?"

"I just don't get why he can't leave me alone! I thought I made it pretty clear to him that I had moved on. You made it clear I had moved on."

"What do you expect? He's an idiot!" Ephraim said and enclosed her in his arms. "Francine, I know you can handle yourself just fine. But, I want you to know that I'm here for you if you want help in dealing with that sleaze bucket."

"I know, Ephraim," she answered as she hugged him closer. "I can't tell you how much that means to me. You're the first person I've ever had in my life who puts me above everyone else."

Ephraim looked down at the woman in his arms and knew that he couldn't hold back any longer. He'd taken it slow with her, knowing that she had had so many bad experiences in the past. But, he needed for her to hear this more than anything. "Francine," he whispered as he turned her face up to look at him. He caressed her face with his index finger. "I...I love you. I love you so much it hurts. I can't imagine my life without you and I'm so glad we're together. You are everything to me." He looked into her eyes, searching to see what effect his words were having.

Francine closed her eyes, somewhat stunned by his admission. He loved her. She'd thought for awhile that he was in love with her, but he'd never said anything. He loved her. She knew that Ephraim was not the sort of man to throw those words around flippantly. She knew that he would only say them if he truly meant them. He loved her. She opened her eyes to see him staring at her with fear in his eyes. She thought about the feelings that had grown so strong inside her over the past month and knew she needed to respond.

"Oh, Ephraim," she breathed. "I can't tell you what that means to me. You are way too good for me. You deserve so much more than me." She looked down and gathered every ounce of courage she possessed. She looked back up and could see that his face was ashen, as if she'd given him a sucker punch. Suddenly, she realized that her words had given him the wrong impression. She lifted her hands to his face and pulled his face closer to him, kissing him gently. "Ephraim, I love you, too."

"You do?" he croaked, afraid that he'd mistaken her words.

"Oh, yes, I do. I am so in love with you I can't even think straight sometimes," she laughed. "You are the best thing that's ever come into my life and I can't believe I was lucky enough that you hung around for me to come to my senses."

Ephraim pulled her close and kissed her with every fiber of his being. "Oh, God, I do love you so much! I've wanted to tell you for so long. I just didn't know..."

"...how I would react?" Francine chuckled at his nod. "I can understand that. But, I'm glad you finally told me." She pulled away from him and nodded to her machine. "I know I can handle him on my own, but I really would rather have your help. Please say you'll stay with me?"

"For as long as you'll have me," he answered, then kissed her again. They stood there, relishing the newfound openness they'd found, each knowing that they would never have to face life's challenges alone...ever again.

TBC