Screen Captures Courtesy of Swoopes

For personal use and select distribution only © March 2002 by Amber Stockton

The Long Christmas Eve - tagalogue

Written by Peter Lefcourt (excerpts from the episode belong to him)

Amanda heard what sounded like a bottle being uncorked followed by fizzing. "What was that?" she asked into the mouthpiece of the phone.

She heard some sort of liquid being poured. "Oh, just the medicine that they insist I take."

Thinking he was enduring medicine that tasted awful, she intoned, "Oh. Poor Lee."

"Mmm. Nah, the stuff doesn't taste too bad."

The boys came back and announced that their grandma would be down in a minute. Amanda watched them begin to sort through the presents underneath the tree. "Look, I guess I'm -- I really ought to go now." She didn't really want to hang up the phone. She wanted to continue to talk to him, to hear his voice, but that realization was something she wasn't sure she wanted to face right now.

"Merry Christmas, Amanda."

Lee's voice interrupted her thoughts, and she sighed. "Merry Christmas ... Lee." She slowly removed the phone from her ear and placed it back in the cradle, her hand resting on the receiver for several moments until the sounds of her family's voices brought her back to reality.

Dotty stepped into the den behind the boys, who made a beeline for the presents under the tree. "Who was that on the phone, dear?"

Amanda placed the phone back on the end table and sighed, then looked up at her mother. "Oh, it was one of my pet-sitting clients. He's in the hospital, and I called to wish him a merry Christmas. He lives alone and doesn't have anyone to come visit him."

"Oh, that's sad, especially on Christmas."

She tapped her finger on her lips. "Yeah, I think I might go visit him, maybe take him some poppyseed cake to cheer him up."

"Is he young? Handsome?"

"Mo-ther!"

Dotty threw up her hands with a flourish. "Well, you can't blame a mother for trying! Anyway, Dean's coming over for Christmas dinner, so you probably shouldn't have your mind on another man."

Amanda shook her head, then focused on the boys. "All right, fellas, don't lose anything in the mess of paper and boxes."

Dotty stepped closer and perched on the arm of the couch. "It's nice to see them still so enthusiastic about all of this."

"Mother, they're only eight and ten."

"Yes, I know, but it won't be long until they're teenagers, and Christmas won't mean the same things to them." Her mother sighed. "I still remember watching you sort through the presents, trying to decide which one to open first. You had such an order about everything, but you were having fun, so your daddy and I never questioned your methods."

She looked up at her mother. "Well, I didn't have to fight with any brothers or sisters over who was going to open which present first, so I could open them exactly how I wanted."

Dotty glanced down, then nodded at the chaos Philip and Jamie were causing. "I think I like this way much better."

Amanda smiled and turned to watch her boys, their excitement and sibling squabbles blending with the Christmas music playing in the background. "I think you're right, Mother!"

Watching the smiles and laughter of Philip and Jamie, Amanda couldn't help but think of Lee and his childhood. She knew he had only been able to enjoy Christmases like this for the first four years of his life, and that wasn't enough to really form a memory. After that, it was Christmas wherever he and Colonel happened to be stationed ... if there even was one. No wonder he doesn't like Christmas. He could definitely use some company today ... after the gifts are opened.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Inhaling a deep breath to calm the sudden increase in her heartbeat, Amanda clutched the plate in one hand and raised her other to push on the door as she walked into Lee's hospital room. "Merry Christmas, L ... oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!"

She immediately turned her back and closed her eyes, then waited for Lee to fasten his robe around him. The brief glimpse of him standing there with his robe open vividly played in front of her eyes, and she squeezed them tighter to try to dislodge the sight. It was no use.

Finally, he spoke. "Amanda! What are you doing here?"

"I ... uh ... well, I thought you might like a little company, and I also brought you some fresh baked Christmas cookies." She paused as she thought about her untimely entrance. "I'm really sorry I didn't knock first. The nurse told me I could go right in."

She could hear the smile in his voice when he replied. "Amanda, you can turn around now."

"Are you sure it's safe?"

He chuckled. "Yeah, it's safe."

Slowly, as if she might still catch a glimpse of him not fully covered, she turned to face him and opened her eyes, only to find him smiling at her from where he reclined on the bed. She released the breath she wasn't aware she'd been holding and gave him a nervous smile.

"So, are you just going to stand there, or am I going to get a chance to taste some of those fresh-baked cookies?"

"Oh, Lee! I'm sorry!" She took a few steps forward and approached the left side of the bed. As she uncovered the plate of cookies, she added, "I was going to make a poppyseed cake, but with it being Christmas, I thought it'd be a bit more festive to bake some sugar cookies."

Lee took a cookie from the plate and bit into it. "Mmm, you're right. The cookies are definitely better!"

Amanda pulled a chair up to the bedside and lowered herself into it. "So, how's your shoulder feel?"

"Oh, it's not bad. They've got it all bandaged and padded, and I've got strict instructions to move it only when absolutely necessary, but other than that, I feel fine." He pointed his pinkie in her direction, the cookie still in his hand. "That's thanks to your fine skills with the first aid kit!"

She glanced down at the plate in her hands. "Oh, well, I really didn't do anything. Mr. Rudolph did most of the work with the wound. All I did was dress it when he was done."

"But if it weren't for your negotiating ability, we never would have had the kit in the first place."

She shrugged. "It was like I said. I only reminded them that it was Christmas Eve, reminded them about our families." Lifting her head, she looked at him again. "I guess deep down, they didn't want to kill any more than you or Mr. Rudolph did."

Lee popped the rest of the cookie into his mouth. "You still did one hell of a job getting those two to agree to the truce." He shook his head. "You know, I never cease to be amazed at what you manage to pull off in the most unlikely circumstances."

She smiled. "You'd be amazed what kind of circumstances occur when you've got two boys at home!"

He laughed. "Yeah, I bet they keep you on your toes. Better you than me, though!"

"Oh, they're not that bad. Keeps life interesting ... like someone else I know." She gave him a pointed look and chuckled when he ducked his head a little, appearing to be embarrassed.

"That's life in the spy business!"

"You can say that again!" She paused, then lifted the plate to him. "Another?"

"Sure!"

She took a cookie for herself and bit into it. When she finished chewing, she asked, "So, how often do they make you take that medicine you were taking when I called this morning?"

He almost spit out the piece of cookie he'd just bitten, and Amanda drew her eyebrows together as she watched him recover. "Um ... they didn't really give me a designated interval. I usually have some when I feel a twinge or two in my shoulder."

Amanda looked around the room, but the only thing she noticed was a metal bucket with a bottle sticking out of it. She thought back to her phone conversation with Lee earlier that morning and remembered the fizzing sound she'd heard. Nodding towards the table that was partially suspended over the edge of the bed, she asked, "Is that part of the 'essentials' Mr. Melrose brought over for you?"

Lee turned his head to see where she was looking, then looked back at her with the appearance of a little boy who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Uh, yeah. That's one of the things."

Another realization dawned, and she decided to have a little fun. "Do you really think it's wise to be mixing alcohol with whatever medicine they've prescribed for you?"

"Amanda..."

She picked up another cookie and took a little bite, pretending not to hear him. "I mean, you don't know what kind of effects that could have on you, and you certainly wouldn't want to cause more problems than what you have."

"Amanda..."

"What if you went into convulsions or something, or worse..."

"Amanda!"

She forced a completely innocent expression on her face as she looked at him. "Yes, Lee?"

He sighed. "The champagne is my medicine. Billy brought it over early this morning after I told him that I would be released first thing tomorrow and didn't need any medication."

"No wonder you're not feeling any pain!"

"Would you like some?" He reached for the bucket with his right arm, then grimaced. "Ow!"

"Oh, Lee! Here, let me get that for you." She set the plate of cookies on the table next to the bed, then stood and leaned across him to pull the table towards her and situate it above the middle of the bed. Lifting the bottle from the ice, she held his glass in her other hand and poured some champagne into it. "Here you go!"

"Thank you." He took a sip. "Are you sure you don't want any? We can probably dig up one of those Styrofoam cups or paper cups or something for you."

She smiled. "No, no thank you. I appreciate the offer, but I should probably be getting back home to cook Christmas supper. Mother and the boys will be wondering what's taking me so long, and after coming home so late last night, I really don't want to worry them anymore."

"Well, I appreciate you stopping by. Not many people would."

Amanda placed her hand on his chest and smiled. "It's the least I could do for a friend."

He set his glass on the table in front of him, then covered her hand with his and gave her a warm smile in return. "Thank you, Amanda."

For several moments, she stood there, mesmerized by his hazel gaze. Drawn to him in a very unusual way, she managed to break his gaze and glance down to where his hand covered hers, then felt a warm blush steal into her cheeks. Her fingers barely brushed his bare skin, and she felt his heartbeat beneath her hand. Nervously, she pulled her hand from underneath his and took a step back, knocking the little table over the bed and almost upsetting the glass of champagne.

"I'm ... I'm sorry," she stammered. "I really should be going ... now." Backing up a couple of steps, she glanced back at Lee to see him pulling the front of his robe closed. "Umm ... the cookies are on the table, and you can help yourself to them. There's plenty more where they came from. I hope you have a very nice Christmas, and I'll ... I'll see you later." She turned when she reached the door and grabbed the handle.

"Amanda." His voice was soft and compelled her to turn and look at him again. "Merry Christmas."

She managed a smile over the lump in her throat. "Merry Christmas, Lee."

With a final glance, she pulled on the door and stepped into the hall, closing the door behind her and leaning against it as she fought to catch her breath. If I'm not careful, I can get myself into a lot of trouble. She tried to reprimand herself with the reminder that Dean was coming over for dinner tonight, but it didn't seem to really have any effect. In fact, she was having a hard time even remembering what he looked like, let alone remembering that he was the man she was seeing.

All right, Amanda. Pull yourself together. Keep your feelings separate from your work. With a deep breath, she straightened and began to walk down the hall. When she reached the end, she couldn't help but turn around and glance at the door to Lee's room. Thoughts of the time spent in the cabin last night, drinking vodka with two Russians, Mr. Rudolph and Lee, brought a smile to her face, especially when she thought about tending to and sitting with Lee. She had the feeling that there was going to be another change in her life very soon, and for some reason, that thought didn't bother her near as much as she thought it would. Until then, she had Christmas dinner to cook. She'd worry about that change later.

(THE END)

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