A Spooky Little Girl Like You, Part I
By Christine
A Halloween Tale
DISCLAIMER: Scarecrow and Mrs. King is the property of Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Productions. My use of these characters is intended purely for fun.
It was 2:30 Monday afternoon, and Amanda King was in the bullpen working diligently at her desk. "Hi, King! Got a date for Billy's Halloween party yet?" Mrs. DeAngelo asked innocently. As official Agency matchmaker, she had kept her eye on the pretty brunette for quite a while, waiting for her to trap the elusive Scarecrow. But as of late, things didn't seem to be turning out in Amanda's favor. Mrs. DeAngelo had it on very good authority that the Scarecrow had been seen as recently as last evening in a full lip lock with that pretty UN translator, Leslie O'Connor. "Well, Stetson doesn't know what he's got right here in front of him, that's obvious," thought Mrs. DeAngelo. Still, there were plenty of other good-looking agents waiting anxiously for a chance with Mrs. King. Mrs. DeAngelo knew that Lee Stetson was the only reason three-fourths of the agency hadn't been beating a path to Amanda's door. They all remembered what had happened to Robert Caldwell. Lee had taken an instant dislike to him, and had pulled a lot of strings to make sure Robert got as many of the crumb jobs as possible. And it wasn't too much later that Robert was permanently transferred overseas, to Iceland, if she remembered correctly. Rumor had it that Lee had to call in every favor he was ever owed to get that one accomplished. And rumor also had it that poor Robert's only crime was to have gotten way too friendly with Scarecrow's protégé, Amanda King. Robert had realized what must have happened, and had quickly broken off all ties with Amanda, but it was too late. Lee Stetson already had it in for him, and he was never able to regain lost ground. Now, not being one to gossip, Mrs. DeAngelo couldn't say for sure if these things were true or not. But from that moment on, no man at the agency dared do more than smile and look longingly after Amanda King.
"No, Mrs. DeAngelo, I don't have a date. I'm just going to stay at home this weekend." There was a sad, wistful look to Amanda that Mrs. DeAngelo didn't fail to notice. "Anyway, Lee is probably taking Leslie," Amanda's heart whispered dejectedly.
"Well, too bad, King. Melrose's parties are legendary. He hasn't had a Halloween blowout for the last five years now, and everyone's looking forward to it. From the rumors I've heard, I think this is gonna be the biggest bash ever! If you change your mind, let me know. I can always fix YOU up with just about anyone, even on a moment's notice. You're quite the hot little commodity, if you hadn't noticed already."
"What on earth is she talking about?" Amanda thought to herself, truly puzzled. "I'm just an everyday housewife struggling to fit in around here. What could anybody possibly want with me? Mrs. DeAngelo is just feeling sorry for me. Oh, no! She's probably gonna try to fix me up with that weird nephew of hers again." So Amanda replied, "Thanks, Mrs. DeAngelo, really. But I've got a ton of housecleaning to do. And laundry! Oh, boy, do I have laundry! And a meeting of the Bomber Moms on Saturday. So, I'm really gonna be very, very busy this weekend. But thanks anyway."
From behind a newspaper at his desk, Lee heard the whole exchange. He listened intently, scowling the whole time. He didn't like Amanda talking to Mrs. DeAngelo. "That woman probably makes a commission off of every date she arranges!" Lee thought sourly. Mrs. DeAngelo had seen Lee as her biggest challenge, and Amanda as her crowning jewel. Lee knew Mrs. DeAngelo had tried every trick in the book to set him up with Amanda, and when that didn't work, she'd set Amanda up with other agents. He knew Mrs. DeAngelo was behind Amanda dating that Mama's boy, Robert Caldwell. He just knew it. Lee didn't like Caldwell from the start, and liked him even less when he found out that he had taken Amanda on a few dates. "DateS," Lee emphasized the plural to himself. She had been on three dates with that useless excuse for an agent before Lee found out about it. Amanda could be so damned trusting at times. She would really fall for all those corny come-ons. Sometimes it was almost like watching after a child. But she was in this business because of him, and he felt responsible for her. So, like it or not, Lee considered it his duty to guard Amanda like a daddy guards his adolescent daughter.
The sight of Mrs. DeAngelo walking back towards her own department brought Lee back to reality. Well, at least now he knew Amanda wouldn't be at Billy's party. He wasn't planning to go, either. He thought he would just spend a quiet evening alone with Leslie. Then a light bulb exploded in his brain. Why not go? Billy's parties were "far out" and he'd have a chance at some exciting role play afterward with Leslie in their costumes. He began to fantasize about the possibilities: Gladiator and slave? Greek god and goddess? Prostitute and pimp?? "Oh, Scarecrow, that's going too far," he smiled lecherously to himself. This could prove to be fun, now that he knew Amanda wouldn't be there. And he pushed away the real reason of why he didn't want Amanda to know he still dated Leslie, and why he never wanted them in the same room. Lately it was all he could manage not to call Amanda's name in bed. To prevent such a slip, he unconsciously referred to Leslie only as "Darling," never by name. Leslie seemed pleased by the pet name, especially when he murmured it in her ear during their intimate moments. But she would recoil in utter horror if she knew who Lee really called out to during lovemaking and whose face Lee really saw beneath him as he climaxed.
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The endless afternoon dragged on as Amanda waded through Lee's calendar trying to match up receipts and make sense of his expense reports. With a heavy heart she noticed Lee coming out of Billy's office with a spring in his step and a little grin on his face. "I'll just bet that's the face he puts on when he goes to see HER," she thought to herself. She brightened hopefully as Lee swung by her desk, giving her a little pat on the shoulder. Then her face fell flat and he continued to whistle and swing his way out the door. "Gone for the day, hu, Stetson? Out to dinner with Leslie, no doubt. That's five straight nights in a row, not that I've been counting. Well, after all that restaurant food, I hope dear little Leslie doesn't gain a jillion pounds. That would be just awful," Amanda thought with mock concern. Then she chided herself for such an uncharitable remark. The one time Amanda met her, Leslie was very sincere and seemed to genuinely want to get to know her. Leslie seemed nice and normal, and Lee needed someone like that. He needed to stay away from all the Randi-Babys out there and find a real woman who could love the pain right out of those remarkably beautiful eyes.
And if Leslie could pull it off; if Leslie could slip through Lee's defenses and finally give him peace, well, wasn't that all she ever wanted for her friend? So why did she feel so incredibly sad whenever she thought about Lee and Leslie? Well, isn't that too cute? Lee and Leslie sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. "Oh, Amanda, stop it!" She scolded herself as the old schoolyard rhyme floated through her head. "You're being childish! You and Lee are just good friends, and no amount of wishful thinking is going to change that for him. He's made that crystal clear. And now he's dating someone who looks remarkably normal - just like me." But Amanda reminded herself that she and Leslie weren't just alike. Leslie was polished and elegant, and her job as UN translator took her all over the globe. Leslie was so sophisticated; she probably had never seen a little league game in her life, let alone coach the team. "I'll bet she whispers to him in French while they're in bed," Amanda thought sadly. "If I were in his bed, I'd whisper anything he wanted me to." And with that last thought, Amanda let out a huge sigh and returned to finish Lee's reports.
Lost in her own thoughts, Amanda never realized she was being watched. From a desk across the bullpen, Daniel Paulson had been watching Amanda for almost a month now. He was a good-looking agent in his mid-40's. He had sandy blonde hair just beginning to gray, and faded blue eyes. Unlike most agents, he wore glasses and was a little less than trim. Still, he carried the extra weight well. He was a big bear of a man and looked for all the world like a cuddly Teddy. Amanda thought he was handsome.
Daniel had been a field agent for almost twenty years, since the age of 25. He liked the excitement in the field, but lately it had gotten to be just a bit boring, if that made any sense at all. It really didn't to him, either. But he felt like he wanted to come in from the field and give old Dr. Smyth a run for his money. He had a hunch that the offices and meeting rooms could be just as dangerous and intriguing as any stakeout. He'd already made a name for himself. "Viking" was well respected and even a little feared. But he was ready to leave the dirty work to the young Turks. Daniel was at a turning point in his life, and he wanted to set down roots. Maybe even start a family. And he had watched the pretty brunette with interest.
He noticed almost immediately that Amanda wasn't like the others in the office. She always looked beautiful, but never dressed extravagantly. Her face was lit with a
sweetness, a gentle good-humor at herself and others; she didn't need layers of make-up. Daniel had watched her deeds as well. She frequently brought in flowers and home-baked goods, which made her a favorite sight in this old building. He liked to see people go out of their way to greet her whenever she walked the halls. Everyone, it seemed, had a soft spot in his or her heart for Amanda King.
Except for Lee Stetson. The way Lee treated Amanda made Daniel angry. On a good day, Lee treated Amanda as if she were a favorite pet, indulging her whims and basking in the glow of her adoration. On bad days, Amanda was chained to Lee's whipping post, and his verbal barrage could be quite brutal. Daniel was furious with Amanda as he witnessed her accepting Lee's lame apologies time and time again. In Daniel's eyes, Lee didn't deserve Amanda; didn't know how to treat her. As a person, Daniel thought of Lee as little more than a playboy, only interested in being seen in all the right places with the beauty-du-jour draped seductively on his arm. Daniel saw Lee as living from one good time to the next, going wherever his libido might lead. As an agent, Daniel thought Lee's methods were, well, Machiavellian. His reputation was legendary. It was known throughout the world that the Scarecrow would go to any lengths to meet his objectives. Many a dangerous man feared Scarecrow. Having no emotional ties, no grounding to normal concerns allowed Scarecrow to be the ruthless agent feared around the globe. But it also left him not quite as smart as he could have been. Lee had a hard time relating to his victims' weaknesses. Daniel figured that was why Lee kept Amanda around, to see things that Lee himself could not. He wondered how many cases Amanda actually solved for the great Scarecrow. How many of the interrogations had she performed herself, unwittingly, while Stetson listened to everything from the background as his victims spilled their guts? Amanda must be a pretty important tool to Lee. Even though he publicly fumed whenever they were thrown together, and even though he treated her like a tag-along little sister, Scarecrow had gone to great lengths to keep Mrs. King to himself.
Well, if Daniel Paulson had his way, things would soon change for old Scarecrow. Daniel was going to ask Amanda to Billy's party, and try to see her every day after that for as long as she would let him. He knew it wouldn't be easy. It was obvious Amanda had a crush on Lee. Daniel would have to move carefully, but he thought he knew just how to approach her. As for Lee Stetson, Daniel had heard the rumors about how possessive he was with Amanda. But Daniel had ten years on Lee in the field, and had gathered together quite an alliance of friends in both high and low places. Besides, the kid had used up almost all his favors on the poor Caldwell guy. Daniel was in no way intimidated by Lee Stetson; as a matter of fact, if Lee didn't be careful HE would be the one permanently stationed overseas. Daniel had heard that the Middle East provided a lovely tour of duty.