Disclaimer: Scarecrow and Mrs King is copyrighted by Warner Bros and Shoot the Moon Production Company.
Author's Note: I wrote this story in memory of "My Joe", for obvious reasons I had to give Amanda's cat a different name. The story is set during First season, after 'Dead Ringer'.
Lee Stetson crept through the neighbor's yard, and silently let himself through the gate in Amanda King's backyard. As he was heading for the kitchen window, he heard a noise. He looked around and spotted Amanda sitting over by the fence, near a bush. She seemed to be talking to someone, but then looked up and saw him approaching.
"Hi," Amanda smiled shyly, self consciously smoothing the blanket she was sitting on.
Even in the faint light from the moon, Lee could see that her eyes were red. He took the silent invitation, and sat on the blanket next to her. "Amanda, it's February. You shouldn't be sitting out here with that cold you caught from your Mother."
"I know, but it's George's birthday." She shivered, and he instinctively put an arm around her shoulders, pondering the apparent non-sequitur.
"Who's George?" Lee questioned, gently prompting her for a further explanation.
"My cat."
"I didn't know you had a cat." Lee was surprised, both that he had missed that piece of information, and that she was giving such short answers. He'd known Amanda several months now, and was used to her verbosity. Usually he had trouble shutting her up.
"George died the week before I met you. He'd been sick for a couple of months. Wednesday morning I found him in the laundry room. I knew when I went to bed Tuesday that it was time, I thought I was prepared. But I wasn't." Amanda wiped at the tears that were again forming in her eyes.
"I'm sorry," Lee gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. He'd never had a pet himself, growing up on military bases was not conducive to such activity.
"I called Dean, I made him come and bury George right away." She nodded towards the bare earth under the nearby bush. "After he went to work, and the boys left for school, I went back to bed for the rest of the day. He hadn't been himself for a couple of months, but it was still hard knowing he was really gone."
"Was he sick?" it seemed to Lee that talking was helping Amanda. She was always such a good listener, it was about time he returned the favor.
"George had liver disease, and the vet didn't know whether it could be cured, or whether it was worth even trying because he was 14. She said he'd already led a long life, and at that point quality of life was more important than quantity. Towards the end, he barely even left the laundry room, I would go in and 'visit' him at least twice a day. That Tuesday night, he couldn't even stand up. I laid down on the floor next to him, and stayed for almost an hour. I was going to make the appointment Wednesday."
"How did you get George?" Lee thought it was time for some more pleasant memories.
"I didn't mean to, I had a dog growing up, I thought I was a 'dog person'. But in college my roommate, Alyson, came home with a little, tiny kitten. She'd been abandoned in a field, and had little sores by her eyes from where she'd been crying. It was an adorable little thing, I got a little attached by the end of the school year. When my roommate moved out, I told her I'd take one of the kittens if Kitty was ever a mother.
"I forgot all about it, but then in February of 1969, she called me. Kitty had just had her 2nd litter, and Alyson was taking me up on my offer. When the kittens were six weeks old, I brought him home, he was no bigger than my shoe."
"Why'd you name him George?"
"After George Harrison, he was my favorite Beatle. That was only his real name, though. I also called him 'Fuzzy' and 'Woogums' and 'Fuzzy Woogums'," Amanda laughed, embarrassed, she couldn't believe she was telling Lee all this stuff. "I'm such a sap. I called him all those annoying little pet names that make people sick. He was my first pet who was completely mine."
Lee smiled. "What did he look like?"
"At first he was just a ball of orange fur. As he got older, he sort of resembled a small tiger. Sort of like Morris on the commercials, but not as fat. He drove me nuts at first, he constantly needed attention. I couldn't hold still for a minute, he'd be climbing on me. I had him declawed in front because he would try to climb my legs while I was washing dishes, it was painful!
"He was such a climber! He would climb my bicycle. I would find him on top my bathroom door even. As he got older, he got more independent. And anti-social, he didn't like anybody except me and Mother. It took him months to get used to Joe. And once he attacked a maintenance man who came to my apartment while I wasn't home. After that, everybody called him my watch cat." Amanda declared proudly. "Whenever I got home, he'd be by the door waiting for me, I could hear him meowing as soon as I put the key in the lock."
"But he got along with the boys, it's like he thought they were kittens, too. They would tumble together on the floor. He would lay on his back, acting like he wanted his belly rubbed, but then attack your hand if you tried. And he never quite got used to Dean, Dean would try to pet him, and George would growl or even hiss." Lee grinned, George sounded like a smart cat to him. Noticing his smirk, Amanda elbowed him and gave him a little glare, but then she smiled.
"Oh my gosh!" Amanda exclaimed, coming out of her reverie. "Look at how late it is. I'm sorry, I can't believe you sat here all this time letting me go on. You have a cold, too! Aren't you freezing? Do you want some hot chocolate?" She scrambled to her feet.
"Yeah, I'm frozen stiff," Lee teased, "Leave me, save yourself." She was back to her normal babbling self, but he actually liked listening to her voice. It had sort of a sexy, husky quality. Besides, a non-perky Amanda was just not normal!
"Leave me, he says!" Amanda laughed, grabbing his hand and pulling him to his feet.
"What are you doing here, anyway?" she suddenly wondered.
"I brought you some work, of course," Lee handed her some cassettes to be transcribed. "Why else would I be here?"
"I don't know, maybe you wanted some hot chocolate?" Amanda asked again, taking the tapes.
"Thanks, I'll take a rain check. I don't want your mother catching me out here."
"Yeah, she's probably beginning to think she's given me enough 'private time' and should be shouting any minute."
They were by the gate. Amanda smiled shyly. "Lee..." she lightly touched his sleeve, "Thank you."
Lee smiled back, "You're welcome." He gave her shoulder another gentle squeeze, and then he was gone.
The End
Author's Note: I wrote this story in memory of "My Joe", for obvious reasons I had to give Amanda's cat a different name. The story is set during First season, after 'Dead Ringer'.
Lee Stetson crept through the neighbor's yard, and silently let himself through the gate in Amanda King's backyard. As he was heading for the kitchen window, he heard a noise. He looked around and spotted Amanda sitting over by the fence, near a bush. She seemed to be talking to someone, but then looked up and saw him approaching.
"Hi," Amanda smiled shyly, self consciously smoothing the blanket she was sitting on.
Even in the faint light from the moon, Lee could see that her eyes were red. He took the silent invitation, and sat on the blanket next to her. "Amanda, it's February. You shouldn't be sitting out here with that cold you caught from your Mother."
"I know, but it's George's birthday." She shivered, and he instinctively put an arm around her shoulders, pondering the apparent non-sequitur.
"Who's George?" Lee questioned, gently prompting her for a further explanation.
"My cat."
"I didn't know you had a cat." Lee was surprised, both that he had missed that piece of information, and that she was giving such short answers. He'd known Amanda several months now, and was used to her verbosity. Usually he had trouble shutting her up.
"George died the week before I met you. He'd been sick for a couple of months. Wednesday morning I found him in the laundry room. I knew when I went to bed Tuesday that it was time, I thought I was prepared. But I wasn't." Amanda wiped at the tears that were again forming in her eyes.
"I'm sorry," Lee gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. He'd never had a pet himself, growing up on military bases was not conducive to such activity.
"I called Dean, I made him come and bury George right away." She nodded towards the bare earth under the nearby bush. "After he went to work, and the boys left for school, I went back to bed for the rest of the day. He hadn't been himself for a couple of months, but it was still hard knowing he was really gone."
"Was he sick?" it seemed to Lee that talking was helping Amanda. She was always such a good listener, it was about time he returned the favor.
"George had liver disease, and the vet didn't know whether it could be cured, or whether it was worth even trying because he was 14. She said he'd already led a long life, and at that point quality of life was more important than quantity. Towards the end, he barely even left the laundry room, I would go in and 'visit' him at least twice a day. That Tuesday night, he couldn't even stand up. I laid down on the floor next to him, and stayed for almost an hour. I was going to make the appointment Wednesday."
"How did you get George?" Lee thought it was time for some more pleasant memories.
"I didn't mean to, I had a dog growing up, I thought I was a 'dog person'. But in college my roommate, Alyson, came home with a little, tiny kitten. She'd been abandoned in a field, and had little sores by her eyes from where she'd been crying. It was an adorable little thing, I got a little attached by the end of the school year. When my roommate moved out, I told her I'd take one of the kittens if Kitty was ever a mother.
"I forgot all about it, but then in February of 1969, she called me. Kitty had just had her 2nd litter, and Alyson was taking me up on my offer. When the kittens were six weeks old, I brought him home, he was no bigger than my shoe."
"Why'd you name him George?"
"After George Harrison, he was my favorite Beatle. That was only his real name, though. I also called him 'Fuzzy' and 'Woogums' and 'Fuzzy Woogums'," Amanda laughed, embarrassed, she couldn't believe she was telling Lee all this stuff. "I'm such a sap. I called him all those annoying little pet names that make people sick. He was my first pet who was completely mine."
Lee smiled. "What did he look like?"
"At first he was just a ball of orange fur. As he got older, he sort of resembled a small tiger. Sort of like Morris on the commercials, but not as fat. He drove me nuts at first, he constantly needed attention. I couldn't hold still for a minute, he'd be climbing on me. I had him declawed in front because he would try to climb my legs while I was washing dishes, it was painful!
"He was such a climber! He would climb my bicycle. I would find him on top my bathroom door even. As he got older, he got more independent. And anti-social, he didn't like anybody except me and Mother. It took him months to get used to Joe. And once he attacked a maintenance man who came to my apartment while I wasn't home. After that, everybody called him my watch cat." Amanda declared proudly. "Whenever I got home, he'd be by the door waiting for me, I could hear him meowing as soon as I put the key in the lock."
"But he got along with the boys, it's like he thought they were kittens, too. They would tumble together on the floor. He would lay on his back, acting like he wanted his belly rubbed, but then attack your hand if you tried. And he never quite got used to Dean, Dean would try to pet him, and George would growl or even hiss." Lee grinned, George sounded like a smart cat to him. Noticing his smirk, Amanda elbowed him and gave him a little glare, but then she smiled.
"Oh my gosh!" Amanda exclaimed, coming out of her reverie. "Look at how late it is. I'm sorry, I can't believe you sat here all this time letting me go on. You have a cold, too! Aren't you freezing? Do you want some hot chocolate?" She scrambled to her feet.
"Yeah, I'm frozen stiff," Lee teased, "Leave me, save yourself." She was back to her normal babbling self, but he actually liked listening to her voice. It had sort of a sexy, husky quality. Besides, a non-perky Amanda was just not normal!
"Leave me, he says!" Amanda laughed, grabbing his hand and pulling him to his feet.
"What are you doing here, anyway?" she suddenly wondered.
"I brought you some work, of course," Lee handed her some cassettes to be transcribed. "Why else would I be here?"
"I don't know, maybe you wanted some hot chocolate?" Amanda asked again, taking the tapes.
"Thanks, I'll take a rain check. I don't want your mother catching me out here."
"Yeah, she's probably beginning to think she's given me enough 'private time' and should be shouting any minute."
They were by the gate. Amanda smiled shyly. "Lee..." she lightly touched his sleeve, "Thank you."
Lee smiled back, "You're welcome." He gave her shoulder another gentle squeeze, and then he was gone.
The End