Disclaimer - "Scarecrow and Mrs. King" are copyrighted to Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Productions. This story is for entertainment only. I will not make any money off it but do hope that at least some people will enjoy it. The Characters are not mine, I only took them out to play with them for awhile so they could help me tell the story. All the credit goes to Bruce and Kate and their wonderful supporting staff for portraying these wonderful characters so well that so many of us still love them so much today. The additional characters and this story are mine.
Chapter 1 - Recapping with Thoughts and Feelings
Lee and Amanda walked away while the police rounded up Bobby Bouchard and his gang. As they walked, Lee thought about all that had just happened. He couldn't believe how well it had all turned out. When he realized that Amanda had been captured by Bobby, he was scared. He had told her at the beginning of this case that she didn't need any formal training because nothing bad ever happens in the Suburbs. That was before he realized that they had gotten right in the middle of a nest of smugglers of terrorists guns and he had sent Amanda right into the bull's-eye by suggesting she become a Connie Beth Girl. She was definitely not trained for this sort of thing at all and he was really worried that when they realized that she was of no real value to them, that they would simply kill her and get her out of their way. He purposely got himself captured by Bobby's goons so they would take him to Amanda. It worked perfectly and as they dragged him upstairs, he realized that everything hinged on getting Amanda to play along with him. They hadn't worked together in this way so he wasn't sure if she would catch on or not but he had to try. At first she looked at him with shock when he announced to Bobby that it was all her fault. It was almost like she thought he was throwing her under the bus just so he could get free. Then he gave her a look and a head gesture and the light came on in her eyes. He knew she got it and then she played the part just as well as Francine would have. He was even more impressed when she walked over to the table and picked up a can of hair spray and sprayed it into Bobby's eyes, giving Lee the distraction he needed so he could kick Bobby's man and allow them to make their getaway. He immediately grabbed Amanda's hand so that he could make sure he didn't get too far ahead of her and they began running up the stairs. In thinking about it afterward, he was impressed with how well she had kept her wits about her and did everything he asked. Most women would have curled up, screaming for him to save them but Amanda never once showed fear and did what needed to be done. He could feel her shaking as he held her as the crane lowered them to the ground but otherwise, she appeared to be so brave.
They stopped walking after they were far enough away from the whole scene. Amanda had asked Lee what was in the hair dryers and he gave the short answer of guns. His adrenaline, as always after a case like this, was running high. He wanted to relive the experience with the person who had been there the whole time. Not believing he was doing it, he asked Amanda if she wanted to go have a drink and he would tell her all about his discovery and the other facts he knew about the case plus they could laugh about their first cover of husband and wife. He was sad when she told him that she couldn't go but she did suggest that there would be another time. He didn't know how he felt about that because Amanda shouldn't be in this crazy business. She had 2 small boys at home and today's ending result could have been an unhappy one. He was thankful it wasn't and he was glad she was going home safely to those 2 boys. He walked her back to her car and told her that he would take a rain check on the drink. After seeing her off, he walked back to his own car.
As Amanda drove away, she couldn't help but wonder if she had made a mistake by not going for that drink with Lee. After all, she had been trying to get him to be more accepting of her being involved with the agency and when he finally acknowledged that he wanted her around, she said she couldn't but at least she did say "not this time." After all, there was Dean to consider. She still didn't know what her true feelings for Dean were. Her Mother wanted her to marry him in the worse way but Amanda had only been divorced for a year and just wasn't ready for another marriage plus the bottom line was that she didn't feel like she loved him enough to be married to him. Oh, he was a very good man and would make some woman very happy but she just didn't think she would be that woman. He was extremely dependable, financially stable and she knew he would take care of her. Amanda wasn't sure she wanted to be taken care of though. After being married to Joe all those years, she wanted some independence, a chance to prove something to herself and she needed to be able to take care of herself. Plus, she found Dean to be a little too normal. She wasn't that old yet and life should be a little more exciting than just working, eating, watching a movie, and sleeping. That's probably why this whole spy business was intriguing her. It definitely gave her a level of excitement that she never expected and she was having fun with it. She enjoyed the time during this past case when Lee and her squabbled about the curtains and rug that she had purchased for their "fake" house and he told her if she was so smart that she should solve the case. Amanda had always loved a challenge, she had a very logical mind and she loved mysteries. She had been thinking things over since the night before when they had broken into the Bodine's House and so she threw out what had been running around in her head, expecting Lee to tell her she was crazy. She was shocked and extremely happy when instead; Lee told her it was good. When he got ready to leave, she really wanted to hug him since she was one of those huggy type people but she could sense that it would be awkward if she did. In the end, they both were uncomfortable and finally settled on shaking each others hands.
The whole experience had been amazing to Amanda. It had taken her out of her comfort zone and given her a glimpse into a world that she didn't think truly existed. She blushed again thinking about how uncomfortable it was when Lee expected her to sleep in the same bed as he did. Even if Dean wasn't in the picture, she had strong beliefs and though Lee was a gorgeous man and the sight of his bare chest sent shivers down her spine, she knew that she was not one night stand type material. Dean, what was she going to do about Dean? Amanda pondered that as she pulled into her driveway.