A Spooky Little Girl Like You, Part VI
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 10:30 Thursday morning by the time Lee finally roused enough strength to make it in to the Agency. He was very late, but really wasn't concerned about Billy being angry. He could come up with a "cover story" if he needed to. But Lee was heartsick over Amanda. Looking around, he didn't see her or Daniel Paulson anywhere. Her desk beside his had been horribly empty all week, almost ghost-like in its solitude. Lee sat down sadly and began to write up some reports that Billy was demanding from him by tonight, sorely missing Amanda's help. Suddenly, Lee felt Amanda's presence behind him, looking over his shoulder. His heart soared as he thought he heard her sigh. He must have been too deep in concentration to notice her coming up behind him, but now his whole body tingled in happy anticipation. "She's come to see me!" he thought happily, "I can apologize to her and finally get this whole mess over with!"
He turned toward her with a big grin on his face. "Amanda..." he began, and then stopped short. She wasn't there. The only reply was an almost imperceptible breeze, and the memory of her perfume in the air. "I'm going nuts," Lee muttered to himself. Amanda wasn't some ghost; she was real flesh and blood and right now she was somewhere out there with Daniel Paulson no doubt falling for his phony one-liners. Lee was lost in a jealous reverie when his phone rang.
"Mr. Stetson?"
"Yes, who is this?" Lee answered sharply.
"Mr. Stetson, this is Sunny from the Alter Ego Costume Shop, and I'm calling to arrange for pick-up of the costumes you placed on hold for this Saturday."
"Oh, my gosh," thought Lee, "so much has happened that I completely forgot about those costumes I rented for Leslie and me." But now, he did remember them, especially the pretty pink satin gown with the lace-trimmed bodice that would look perfect on his Amanda. "If only she would be my Amanda again," Lee prayed fervently. And suddenly, and idea born of desperation crept into his consciousness.
"Mr. Stetson? Are you still there?" asked Sunny.
"Oh, um, yes, I'm sorry. You caught me off guard. I'm sorry. I would like to pick up the costumes tomorrow evening, if that would be all right."
"Certainly, Mr. Stetson. We'll be open until 9pm. Bring the lady along, and we'll do a quick fit just to make sure everything's perfect."
"Well," Lee replied, "actually, it's going to be a surprise for the lady, so I won't be able to bring her with me. Will that be a problem?"
"Well, if you don't want to spoil the surprise, may I suggest some satin slippers, some period jewelry, and a lace shawl to complement the lady's outfit? Do you know her sizes?"
"Um, yes, as a matter of fact, I do," smiled Lee, thinking of her personnel records for the Agency. Leatherneck kept an active list of everybody's sizes for any undercover disguises the agents might need.
"Good, bring them with you tomorrow evening when you come, and I'll get everything fixed up for you then."
"Thank you," replied Lee, "you've been most helpful. I'll see you tomorrow evening." Lee smiled as he hung up the phone. He would have a special costume just for Amanda, and he dreamily pictured himself waltzing into the party with the beautiful Amanda King on his arm. He just couldn't wait to see the look on Daniel Paulson's face.
************************************************************************
1pm Thursday afternoon found Lee strolling through the bullpen on the way from Billy's office. His "Amanda radar" was on tuned on high and he immediately spotted her with Paulson. They were sitting at his desk, heads huddled together over papers and diaries, lost in conversation. "OK, Paulson," thought Lee angrily, "enjoy it while you still can. Amanda will soon be back by my side where she belongs, and you will be the one left out in the cold." For the first time since Monday, Lee felt a lightness of spirit. He thought of his plan to apologize to Amanda, thinking it couldn't miss. He swung out the door and actually whistled his way down the hall.
Lee's sudden cheerfulness was not lost on Amanda, "What, another date tonight, Scarecrow?" thought Amanda sadly. "I'm hopelessly in love with a man who changes women like he changes his underwear. I can live with that, but now I've messed up our friendship and our working relationship, too. Maybe if I talk to him (beg him) we might make amends. But why do you do this to yourself, Amanda? Why? Why do you torture yourself when you know he could never love anyone like you?" Just then the answer came to her like a bullet into her brain: Because Lee on any terms was preferable to no Lee at all.
************************************************************************
It was Thursday evening, quitting time, and Daniel was impressed. With Amanda's help, he was already up to 1971. Man, she was a hard worker. But now he had to ask her. He'd been putting it off all day, and he couldn't let it wait until tomorrow, lest she think he was a real jerk. "What if she says no?" he thought despairingly to himself. "Then you'll just have to regroup and try another tactic later. OK Paulson, take a deep breath, count to three, and here goes..."
"Amanda?"
"Yes, Daniel?"
"Could I talk to you for just a minute before you go?"
"Well, sure, for a minute. The boys' game starts at 6:45 tonight and I still have to make supper."
"It'll only take a minute, I promise," Daniel smiled down at her. She could really be quite adorable, especially when she talked about domestic things. He wondered what she was making, and wished he could be there. "I hate to ask you this so late, but I've just now found out about it. Word gets around slowly when you're the new kid on the block. I'm not plugged into any local gossip circuits yet. Anyway, I just found out about Billy's Halloween party this Saturday night, and I was wondering if you didn't already have a date, maybe you'd like to accompany me." There! It was out! Now what?
"Oh, Daniel, well, that's very nice of you, and I don't have a date, but isn't it a bit late? I mean, there's no way I'm going to be able to find a costume in this town so close to Halloween and on a weekend."
"Amanda," Daniel began in his most gallant voice, "if you will but consent to place yourself in my hands, I will take care of everything, including your costume for this event. I have a dear old friend, Briannon Wynne, who is in charge of costumes and make-up at the local theater. She assures me she can fix you up without any trouble at all. So, my lady, if you will but place your trust in me, I will care for you this weekend and always," he finished with a flourishing bow. "Oh, my God, did I just act that stupid?" he couldn't believe the things he said and did around Amanda. "It's a wonder she doesn't think of me as a complete imbecile."
But Amanda was touched by his display. Was he begging her? She had spent so much time being the beggar with Lee, that she didn't know how to react when the tables were turned and she was the one being begged. "In that case, dear sir, I should be delighted to accompany you to the affair held by our own Mr. Melrose this Saturday eve." Amanda's eyes twinkled merrily as she played along with Daniel.
"My dear! You have made me so happy!" Daniel exclaimed dramatically, grabbing her hand in both of his and pretending to plant kisses all the way up her arm as if he were Gomez Adams from 'The Adams Family'.
"Oh, stop it!" Amanda pulled her arm away from him, laughing with embarrassment. Daniel just grinned devilishly at her. "This is going to be a wonderful Halloween after all," he thought to himself.