DISCLAIMER: Scarecrow and Mrs. King are the
property of Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon productions. The Author as for
pure entertainment purposes copyrights this story.
AUTHOR: angelsslave
DATE: August 2002
TIMELINE: After the series has
ended and everyone has lived happily ever after – well almost. Five years of
marriage and an addition to the family – Samantha Stetson.
ARCHIVE: Fan Fiction. Net, The Kruchev
List, Smkfanfic…anywhere else please ask permission.
RATING:
PG followed by an
aww…. get ready girls; I'm about to rip your hearts out!
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
totally different
direction I am going here as I have created a very sentimental story, based loosely
from a storyline of a movie that still tears me up every time I watch it. The
movie in question `Jack Frost' I've concentrated more on the relationship
between the father and daughter than of the `family' as a whole.
SUMMARY: A freak automobile accident
leaves the Stetson household in mourning twelve days before Christmas. One Year
later to the day with a strange occurrence and a simple wish, Amanda has
returned…or has she?
FLASHBACK: Indicated with a ***
Amanda's dialogue after the accident: indicated with italic
writing.
FEEDBACK: Hey feel free!
TAKE THIS HEART (OF MINE)
12th December 1993
Oh gosh she was running late and she hadn't even begun getting
Lee's present in yet. Well she had, she just hadn't got around to collecting it
that's all.
Amanda liked being organized especially in the running of a
good festive holiday, even though her handsome husband had always preferred
handing out woolen scarves to all his nearest and dearest – she had always
shown a bit of tack. So without him knowing she would always add in something
extra while parceling them up for him as there just was never enough time left
in a day for him to do it.
That's why at seven thirty in the evening she was still at the
Q- Bureau, putting files away, answering the telephone and trying to organize
both her's and Lee's diaries for the next two weeks. Deep in the vault trying
to once again file away the previous four cases they had just finished, she
didn't hear her extension ringing until the last minute…rushing she caught it
just in time before it rung off.
"H-Hello Amanda Stetson?"
Lee's deep throaty chuckle sounded in her ear, as she stood
there breathless, "I'm glad I can still have my wife breathing into an earpiece
even after five years?"
She smiled, letting his joke wash over her – he was simply too
incorrigible to answer back with a reply, and she was already half an hour late
getting home.
"Oh haha Lee, I was putting all your paper work away –
you know if this keeps up I'm going to have to charge extra for staying behind
after class?"
His laugh this time deep and warm as he shared in with the
joke, "Ah but you beat the dusters so well…it's worth every penny!"
Merriment spilled over as it always did, even when they
weren't sitting opposite each other, or out on a case…or just sitting at home
relaxing after a long day at the office. Phillip and Jamie usually at a friends
house…and Samantha?
"Did you collect Samantha on time?"
"She's sitting here with me, hence the reason for the
call. She's wanting to know what time mommy is coming home as she won't set the
table until you do!"
She rolled her eyes at what their mischievous daughter was
getting up to. Ever since the little bundle if joy entered their lives three
years ago, Samantha Jennie Stetson had from the very first time `she cried her
displeasure of being taking out of the warm dark place she had lived in for
nine months,' wrapped her father round her little finger.
Amanda had never thought she had found completeness until she
placed her in Lee's arms, and saw the look of awe and bewilderment etch across
his beautiful features. As tears had rolled down his face, no longer unshed and
afraid of emotions…she knew that this is where she belonged, in his arms his
life and now his final part of the family.
He had loved Phillip and Jamie like his own, but when Samantha arrived
it was as if finally the `circle of life' was complete.
Chuckling to herself she asked if he could put her little
daughter on the telephone, and as Lee switched positions with the handset to
gather her into his arms, the tiny voice of Samantha came over loud and clear.
"Hello mommy?"
"Hello sweetheart, what's the problem?"
With an exaggerated breath the little three year old rhymed off
a list of what she had done that day, including painting a pretty picture with
`lues and `reens and the teacher had `ctaped' it to the door…and tried in vain
to say the word refrigerator, but only got herself more frustrated with every
repeat. In the end she heard Lee whisper in their daughters ear…as she bellowed
out `cool box' causing Amanda to laugh.
"Oh sweetheart that's wonderful, and mommy will be home
as soon as she can get locked up and jump into her car…okay?"
The little girl pondered the answer for a few seconds before
Amanda could see her head nodding as she spoke, "S'kay…love you
mommy?"
Amanda smiled into the earpiece her heart swelling as she
replied, "And I love you…now put your daddy on for me will ya?"
Again a juggle with the handset and Lee's deep baritone voice
came over, "Hi!"
"Hi, listen I will be half an hour at most getting home
so, why don't you let her go on and get the place settings – she should be okay
now!"
"Alright… well it's been snowing out and the roads are a bit
treacherous…be careful!"
She smiled as she remembered a long time ago how that had
always been her `catch phrase' "I will, I love you Lee?"
She could feel his warm smile melting through her, even though
she couldn't see it.
"Hey what's not to love…I love you Amanda – always…"
X –SMK-X
Like the soft calling on a breeze it stirred her inner
thoughts – causing her to open her eyes, all around her the air felt strange
and distant…like awakening up in a fog.
Sitting up - the fog didn't get any denser, but she was able
to make out distant shapes in the horizon…as the bell of a buoy rang in a
mournful tone.
`Okay this is strange and a bit creepy?"
She looked down at herself with shock, what was she doing in
her cream outfit she had worn when she had gotten married to Lee? And why was
she sitting below the Lincoln Memorial in the dead of night?
Then it came flooding back like a tidal wave crashing onto the
rocks and she felt a deep pain in her chest as she remembered, "Oh my
gosh…"
The accident, the car crashing headlong…and then complete
darkness…
So why then was she sitting here? She knew that she couldn't
possibly have survived it…could she?
***
Amanda had locked up and gave Mrs. Marsden her pass before
pulling her woolen coat around her to step out into the night. She had managed
to grab Beamen before he went home and called in a favor for fixing him up with
a lovely girl from accounting who had, had her eyes on him for a long time.
Luckily he was able to collect Lee's Christmas box before the shop closed, she
had gotten him an antique silver stallion mounted on a mahogany stand.
It was a rare collectors piece the fact that there had only
been three of them made – pushed the price up on it drastically. But in her
eyes it had been worth every penny she had spent, and just to see his face on
Christmas morning would make it all worthwhile.
He had always had a fondness for horses, since he was a little
boy. And his dream was to have a ranch
someday of his own, to the point that they had discussed the possibilities of
owning one after surviving secrecy for six months about their marriage.
Deciding that enough was enough they had called a family
meeting that included a bewildered Francine and an amused Billy Melrose to the
house – as Lee had often thought of his section chief as more of a father
figure than his boss. And Francine well, she was also like family. Amanda and
she had sort of buried the hatchet luckily not in each others head a long time
ago, deciding that being on the same side and not adversaries had it's
advantages.
Dotty had almost fainted at the news, the boys whooped for
joy. Billy slapped Lee on the back and kissed Amanda, Francine smiled painfully
and wished them both the very best - before downing two glasses if champagne in
quick succession.
But the farmhouse was put on hold, as Dotty didn't see the
point on them spending so much money on a house that size when they were
already living in one. She had decided it was time to move on and had bought
herself a delightful house just ten minutes drive to theirs, Lee sold his
apartment and moved into 4247 Maplewood Drive the following weekend…and had
never looked back.
Even when they had discovered on approaching their second
anniversary as man and wife, that there was going to be an addition to the
household – did they once think of packing up. It had been Amanda's home for so
long now; that Lee felt it would be like pulling a wisdom tooth to get her to
leave. And besides he had grown accustomed to the house ever since the first
time they had met – eight years ago at the train station in Arlington…that it
had always felt like a home to him.
Getting into the wagoneer she pushed the packages onto the
floor behind her seat, and started up the engine. Switching on the radio to a
soft rock station as she let the wipers do the work and get rid of the heavy
fallen snow, a Richard Marx track came on and humming to the melody - she
pulled out off the car park and headed in the direction of home.
`Oceans apart day after day,
And I slowly go insane…
I hear your voice on the
line,
But it doesn't stop the pain.
If I see you next to never…
How can we say forever?"
The traffic was busy moving along and she was making good
progress out of the city, smiling to herself about what sort of events Phillip and
Jamie would come off with while sitting at the dinner table. She always looked
forward to the conversation – it had become a ritual.
Either Lee or Amanda would collect Samantha from the crèche
just behind the school she would be attending. Today it had been Lee's turn to
leave early and he always looked forward to it, like the proud father he would
stand amongst the other parents and wait for his dark-haired, hazel-eyed
`little angel' to come running towards him.
As Amanda had prepared the dinner each morning before work,
all that remained for him to do was simply pop it into the oven. Usually either
Phillip or Jamie would have gotten home from college before him and had already
done it, which left him solely to Samantha's disposal all afternoon.
She had been smiling as she reminisced that her quick reflexes
hadn't been switched on, the car in front of her swerved out of the way, as
another car was speeding headlong towards her. Hitting the breaks she heard a
sickening thud, then all around her complete darkness…
`Wherever you go - whatever you do,
I will be right here waiting for you…
Whatever it takes - or how my heart breaks,
I will be right here waiting for you…'
X-SMK-X
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