The cab dropped Lee off on Maplewood Drive at around two in the morning. After paying his fare, he stood for a moment on the sidewalk, bags at his feet, rolling his neck and shoulders with exhaustion after far too many hours spent travelling. If anyone had been there to ask him what he wanted more than anything else at that moment, he would have said a hot shower, a bed and his wife, not necessarily in that order. And yet he stood for a moment longer, breathing in the scent of late blooming azalea and listening to the quiet sounds of a sleepy Virginia neighborhood, unaware of the smile of contentment that had come across his face.

He'd been on assignment in Central America for almost a month. It hadn't been a zero contact mission, but telephones were far and few between and he hadn't been able to call home as often as he'd wanted. As he loitered there, gazing up at the house, he was overwhelmed at how emotional he felt at being back here, even after such a short time away. He'd come back to apartments many times in his career, but this was the first time he'd returned somewhere that he'd missed, to people that he'd missed – and that he knew had missed him. His smile broadened as he noticed the floral wreath on the door, laced with yellow ribbons. Most people would assume it was simply a decorative nod to spring, but he knew why she'd chosen those ribbons along with the lit porchlight – Amanda had promised it would stay on all night, every night until he returned.

He hefted his backpack onto one shoulder and grabbed the duffel with a spare hand, before moving up the driveway, surveying the house for signs of any changes that had happened since he'd left.

Rounding the corner at the back of the house, he wasn't surprised to find the light on there as well – Amanda had obviously prepared for any possible return. Pulling out his keys, he let himself in quietly, and shut and locked the door behind him. He placed his bags down gently and squatted to unzip the duffle, flipping it open to reveal both his dirty laundry and the item he'd gone to great pains to smuggle home.

"Now, where should I put you so she doesn't find you right away?" he asked it rhetorically.

Behind him, the front foyer suddenly lit up as the lights came on. Lee whirled and straightened up.

"Amanda?" he called out, loud enough not to startle her, but quietly enough not to rouse anyone sleeping upstairs.

"Lee!" she semi-squealed, stepping into view around the corner as he moved towards the stairs

She launched herself off the steps into his arms, the two of them meeting in a series of searing kisses, until breathlessly moving apart enough to study each other's faces.

"Nice tan, Scarecrow," she smiled, running her hand along his jaw. "I guess I shouldn't have told the neighbors you were in Helsinki?"

Lee gave a tired chuckle. "Boy, what I would have given to be anywhere as civilized as that."

"Well, you're here now, that's what matters," she replied, leaning in to kiss him again. She pulled him for another hug, and they stood swaying, eyes closed, perfectly content to just breathe in each other's presence.

"You look exhausted, you should come to bed," Amanda said, pulling away.

"Sounds like heaven," agreed Lee. "But first, I just have to-"

He didn't have a chance to finish before Amanda heard a noise, a noise she shouldn't have heard, an odd scratching sound that had her on high alert. "What was that?"

"What was what?" asked Lee, slower to react.

"That sound… it's sounded like something…. Aaahhhhh!" she screeched suddenly, leaping backward. "There's something over there! By your bag!" She reached for the baseball bat – she'd kept it by the kitchen door for years now – but Lee grabbed her arm.

"Amanda! Calm down!"

"Did you leave the backdoor open? Did something follow you in? It was small! Like a really big rat! It's gone behind the couch!"

"No, I didn't leave the door open! And it's not a rat" he tried to calm her.

"How do you know?" she demanded. "You didn't even see it!"

"I know, because…" Lee turned and walked toward the couch, crouching down on the far side while Amanda watched him apprehensively. "Because it's not a rat, it's Toto." He lifted a small furry bundle and showed it to her.

"Toto?" she said blankly.

"Ok, I can explain, he said, guilt written all over his face. "There was this cat at the place I was hiding out and she had kittens and Toto here took a shine to me. Then when I packed up to head into the jungle, it turned out she'd stowed away in my bag. Almost gave me a heart attack when I opened it."

"I know the feeling," murmured Amanda.

The kitten in his hands strained to bump against his chin and he tucked her against his chest. "And she kept yowling and making noise and the only way I could get her to be quiet was to stick her inside my shirt and let her sleep there. And after that, well, we kind of bonded and she never left my side."

He met Amanda's dumbstruck look with an apologetic shrug. "I know, we were going to wait until the boys were out of school for the summer and then maybe talk about getting a dog, but I couldn't leave her there. Amanda! It was the middle of nowhere and it wasn't like I could take her back to her mother. The owner would have just dumped her."

"You brought home a kitten," said Amanda, still in disbelief. "How even…"

"Oh you wouldn't believe the trouble I had to go to. She wouldn't have been allowed on any of the military transports so I had to hide her in my bag and claim there was classified stuff that couldn't be x-rayed," Lee shook his head. "But she was so good and quiet and nobody ever figured out she was in there."

"You brought home a kitten," Amanda repeated. "From central America."

"Okay, now I know what you're thinking,' he rushed to say. "But I had a layover in Miami and I took her to a vet and she's been bathed and vaccinated and given a flea treatment and I swear they said she's healthy and…" his voice drifted off. "I couldn't leave here there, Amanda – she didn't have anyone."

Amanda walked forward and ran her hand over the kitten's silky head. "Of course you couldn't" she sighed. "It's just that this is going to make life very complicated."

"She's just a cat," Lee argued. "They're not complicated. They eat, they sleep…"

Amanda held up a finger. "Wait there," she ordered.

She turned and jogged up the stairs. He could hear her moving down the hallway to the boys' room, then coming back downstairs more slowly. When she finally reappeared, Lee's mouth dropped open.

"This is Alf," she said, holding up her own tiny bundle of fur with a smile. "He was supposed to be your birthday present."

"You got me a dog?" Lee lifted his eyes from the puppy to meet her amused look. His face was a mix of wonder and pure joy.

"Well, he was supposed to be your dog, but he's kind of Phillip and Jamie's now," she couldn't hold in a low laugh. "He's also supposed to sleep in the laundry room, but somehow he keeps finding his way upstairs every night."

The dog in her arms struggled to see what Lee was holding, wagging his entire rear end with excitement. Lee held the kitten closer to this chest protectively.

"I see what you mean about complicated. Do you think they'll get along?" Lee asked.

"Only one way to find out," she replied, putting Alf on the floor and sitting down beside him.

Lee squatted and tentatively held the kitten in front of the puppy, ready to pull her back for safety if this didn't go well. They both reached out to sniff, Toto lifting a paw and gently batting Alf on the nose. After a momentary recoil, Alf leaned in again and licked her, making her sneeze. Bemused by that reaction, Alf lay down and stared at her.

Heartened by the lack of fear on either side, Lee let the kitten go. Toto stared at the larger puppy for a moment before finally walking forward and curling up on his outstretched front paws. Alf looked at Amanda worriedly for a moment then lowered his head and licked the kitten again.

"Is he going to eat her?" asked Lee, reached out again.

"I don't think so," said Amanda. "Just give him another minute."

As if in response to the question, Alf sighed and lowered his lead to rest on top of the kitten, who was now purring loudly.

"Looks like he knows who's in charge," said Amanda, dryly.

Lee looked at Amanda, grin splitting his face, before scooting to sit beside her. He wrapped an arm around her and she rested her head on his shoulder, both of them watching the new family members.

"Well, the old saying about fighting like cats and dogs might not be true, but you know what is?" he murmured.

"What?" she asked, a hint of laugher in her voice

"There really is no place like home," he answered.