Disclaimer: Most of the characters in this story are from the tv show Scarecrow and Mrs. King and do not belong to me. I have not received any money for writing this. Reviews are my only reward. Be generous and donate some! At least, wish me Happy Halloween or Happy Birthday!

Explanation: One day, I was watching the first episode of the series, and I noticed that there were a couple of cow-shaped signs propped up against the bookshelves in Amanda's family room, one that said "Beware of the Cow" and another that said "Please don't pick the flowers." It was so totally random that I had to come up with an explanation for it. I also thought that it was funny that, even though the show clearly takes place around Halloween because of all the Halloween decorations, nobody ever actually says that it's Halloween. If you listened to the show without looking at the screen, you wouldn't know what time of year it was.

My birthday is close to Halloween, so the holiday has a special appeal for me. :) I'm starting the celebration a little early, though, because this Oct. 3rd is the 30th anniversary of SMK. This story is meant to take place directly after the first episode and before the second (which is fudging things a bit, if you go by the air dates of the episodes, but since there aren't any Halloween decorations in the second episode, I decided that Halloween must be over). Enjoy!

Beware of the Cow

By Jestress

Prologue: The Lady in the Grocery Store

The man looked behind him. He couldn't see his pursuers, but he knew they were still there, somewhere in the darkness. If he hadn't turned his ankle back there, he would have had more of a chance of getting away. Although, for some reason, they were taking their time. They should have caught up with him by now.

If they were hanging back, it was probably because they were hoping to catch him with his contact. Well, they were going to be disappointed. There was no way that he'd lead them to one of his fellow agents. Somehow, he would have to get a warning to him. Failing that, he could at least lead his pursuers in the opposite direction.

His best hope of getting help was somewhere with other people. There weren't many stores open at this time of night, not in this part of town. The only place he saw nearby was a grocery store. There weren't many cars in the parking lot, but even if there were only a few people there, it might be enough.

The light inside seemed incredibly bright after he'd been running around in the dark for so long. The first person he saw was a woman looking at a large display of Halloween candy. She seemed thoughtful as she picked up a couple of packages and put them in her cart.

"Excuse me, Miss," the man said, walking up to her. "Could you help me?"

She jumped slightly, like he'd scared her.

"Oh, I don't work here," she said, laughing and shrugging.

"I don't mean that," the man said. "I mean, uh, do you have any change? I could use some change for the phone. Can you break a dollar?" The man reached into his pocket.

"Oh, well, I think so," she said. "Let me check."

The man glanced nervously at the door. Had someone just come in? He'd thought so, but he couldn't see anyone there. That was probably a bad sign.

"Let's see . . . I've got two quarters, and here are a couple of dimes," the lady said, still digging for change.

The man wanted to tell her to hurry, but then he glanced at her cart and had another idea.

When the lady looked up from her purse and smiled at him, he handed her the dollar and took the change she offered.

"Thank you," he said, giving her one last long look. "I think a storm may be coming. You take care getting home."

"You, too," the lady said. "Have a good night."

As the man walked away, she stared after him for a moment. Then, she shook her head and took another look at the candy display. After placing one more bag in her cart, she headed to the check-out.

Meanwhile, the man started searching for a pay phone. One of the clerks directed him to one at the back of the store, near the restrooms. He looked around carefully before putting his newly-acquired change in the slot. Even so, he wasn't really that surprised when someone came up behind him and whispered, "Don't move!"

The gun at his back really seemed almost inevitable.