Scarecrow and Mrs. King are owned by Warner Brothers and Shoot The Moon. All SMK characters remain their property. The story premise and characters created for this story are the property of the author. The author has not profited from this story.
Another early attempt at fan fiction that I brought out for a read. This is the second fanfic I wrote, which continues the theme Istarted in Lazy Afternoon.
Thanks to my beta supreme (sounds like a Taco Bell menu item!) Kelley. I'm glad I was able to amuse you. As always, you're the best.
Scarecrow Exposed (Or Just Another Day in The Suburbs)
The listing scarecrow fell off the bail of hay; bits and pieces of straw scattering in the gentle, autumn breeze.
Amanda Stetson sighed. She adjusted the white sheet hanging from the eves, twisting here, tucking there to transform it into a large ghost. Wanting to see her handiwork, she carefully backed down the rungs of the ladder. Large hands braced her decent. Hands she knew, hands that brought a shiver of delight and a smile to her lips as she turned to gaze into the hazel eyes of her husband. Amanda bit her lower lip when she saw the less than happy look on Lee's face. She decided a good offense would be her only defense this afternoon.
"A-man-da! What are…?" Amanda reached up to give Lee a quick kiss and smile again at him. He had grabbed her arms to steady her as she kissed him. Not about to be side tracked, he quickly gave her a kiss in return and started again.
"Amanda. You know what the..." Amanda again kissed her husband. She saw the color of his eyes change and she silently congratulated herself on her tactics. Lee hauled her up against his chest and captured her lips, kissing her with passion. He drew his head away and Amanda rested her head on her husband's chest and smiled. His hand stroked her hair and he held her tightly.
"Now that I have you where you can't interrupt me..." he felt his wife's silent laughter shake her slender frame. He shook his head at her. "Your plots and ploys aren't going to stop me. You know the doctor said you are to rest and not exert yourself, Amanda. You just had a baby, for Pete's sakes!" He stopped mid tirade as the sheet gave him a crisp slap on the cheek. Pushing it aside with an exasperated sigh, he gave her a quizzical look. "What were you doing up on that ladder?"
Amanda pushed herself away from the safe confines of Lee's arms. He stood there, concern etched into his handsome features. She didn't want to hurt his feelings, but he had been suffocating her with his never ending list of worries. Trying to ease his fears, she had at first gone along with his coddling, but had taken to subterfuge to accomplish her daily chores.
"Lee, Jenny is five weeks old! I'm feeling fine! And..." she stressed with a finger against his lips as she saw Lee start to interrupt, "the doctor did not tell me not to exert myself; she said to take it easy for a few weeks. I have! I feel fine!" The set of his jaw told Amanda that Lee wasn't going to give in easily, but she held her ground. She could be just as stubborn as he, if needed.
"You shouldn't be climbing ladders, Amanda. That's why I'm here." At the narrowing of her eyes, he stopped and tried to pull her back into his arms. "Ah, I guess that was the wrong thing to say."
Amanda's brown eyes turned nearly black as her patience waned. "Lee Stetson! I did not marry you for your ability to help me with household chores! I am capable of climbing ladders to hang Halloween decorations."
"Amanda, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way. I just want you to rest."
"I don't need to rest. I'm tired of resting. If you had your way, I'd be wrapped up and locked away from everything and I can't be wrapped up and locked away from everything; I have a family to take care of. And that means climbing ladders to hang ghosts from the eaves!" Her finger continued to poke him in the chest as her eyes burned into his.
"Are you done?" At her petulant nod, Lee pulled his wife into his arms. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to smother you. I just want to protect you… ah-ah, don't interrupt...even from climbing a ladder to hang Halloween decorations. But, Amanda, I'm new at this. And you know me, I… I kinda throw myself into the situation. Forgive me, will ya, for wanting to do everything for you, for my miserable attempts at household stuff. I just want to show you how much I love you and how much I love my life with you and our family. Okay?"
His wife wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him. He sighed into her hair, blowing away the stray pieces of straw he found sticking out there.
"You sure know how to turn a girls head, Mr. Stetson." Amanda's smile was bright as he looked down at her. Her eyes sparkled and she had no idea of the picture she made with straw sticking out of her hair.
"Well," his voice husky, "I'm only interested in turning your head, Mrs. Stetson."
"Good thing!"
"Amanda? Why do we have a scarecrow on our front porch?" Lee nodded to the mound of hay and clothes at their feet.
"It's Halloween! We have to have one!"
"Why?"
"It's traditional, besides, I find the irony amusing." Amanda lifted the scarecrow from it's less than dignified heap on the porch, stuffing bits and pieces of straw back into his shirt and head. Lee adjusted the legs to help balance the scarecrow on the hay bail and stepped back to admire their efforts.
Amanda finished re-stuffing the head of the scarecrow and noticed the odd look on Lee's face. "What's the matter, sweetheart?"
"It's like having a neon sign telling any passing spy that Scarecrow lives here!"
Amanda laughed at him, pointing to houses across the street and the scarecrows hanging from trees and on posts up and down the block.
"Yeah, I know. I see them! But this is the only one wearing my pants!"
Amanda continued to laugh as she went in the house. Lee put his hands on his hips and studied the scarecrow in front of him. It was listing like a drunken sailor, hay shifting with each gust of the fall wind that blew.
With a determined set to his jaw, he set about fixing the stuffing and setting the scarecrow to rights. Finally satisfied with his work, he dusted off his hands and took the steps down to stand in the yard and survey the results of his efforts.
Crossing his arms over his chest, Lee smiled and nodded at his handiwork. The scarecrow was a little thinner after losing the pot belly it had been resting on, while one hand was suavely thrust in a pocket.
Lee raised an eyebrow as Amanda re-emerged from the front door. She took one look at Lee's handiwork and burst into laughter. "What's so funny?" he asked, embarrassed at having been caught.
"Oh Lee, I can't believe it! You fixed his hair!"
Frowning, Lee climbed the front steps, turned his wife towards the door before the entire neighborhood heard her, and pushed her in the house.
Before closing the door on the scarecrow discussion, Lee leaned back out and pulled a wild piece of straw from under the scarecrows hat.
You could never be too careful about your hair...