DISCLAIMER: Scarecrow and Mrs. King are the property of Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Productions. My use of these characters is intended purely for entertainment, a few laughs, and maybe a sigh or two.
Author: Merel Inglis
Time Frame: Takes place after the show ended, the marriage is common knowledge
Summary: We know he can shoot with deadly accuracy, drop-kick a KGB agent in to the next day without mussing his hair, and bootleg his 'vett into any parking space in DC. But how will the charming and dashing Lee Stetson face the adventures of becoming a father?
Rating: PG
Archive: Will be available at Blue Boxers and Beyond (www.geocities.com/blueboxersandbeyond); all others, ask first
Feedback: Definitely! Absolutely! Positively!
At the slight movement of the bed beneath him, Lee Stetson looked over at his wife. She was stretched out beside him, the covers tucked securely about her, the book she was reading propped against the mound of her stomach. Lee smiled at the vision before him. Her hair was down, tumbling about her shoulders in a tousled, but oh-so-appealing manner. The sleeves of her white cotton nightgown were pushed up to her elbows, the gathered neckline allowing him more than a tiny peek of cleavage. He raised an eyebrow and grinned in appreciation of the plump mounds of creamy flesh the gown exposed. It was certainly interesting to see Amanda in this more voluptuous phase of her pregnancy.
She was so intent on her reading, her mouth forming a slight "o" and a raised eyebrow showing her keen interest in the material, that she didn't notice his appreciative glance. He placed the magazine he was reading beside him and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek.
"What?" she started, turning her face to his.
Lee captured her lips with his, deepening the kiss. Pulling away a bit, he smiled against her lips. "Sorry, I couldn't resist."
She smiled back. "Oh, I don't want you to ever resist the urge to kiss me."
"So," he leaned back into his pillow, which was propped against the bookcase headboard of their king-size bed, "what are you reading that has you so engrossed?" He reached over to tip up the front cover the book that she had laid across her knees. "Great Expectations? I take it this isn't Dickens?" he finished, picking up the book to thumb through it.
"No," she laughed, the sound tinkling in his ears and in his heart. "Mrs. Marsten recommended it to me. Supposedly it's the hottest new book on pregnancy and childbirth. It really is fascinating, Lee, you ought to read it."
Lee looked at her from the corner of his eye, still perusing the book. "Amanda, what do YOU need with a book like this? You've already been through this twice… I'd say you were the expert, not this… guy?… a man wrote this?" his tone was cynical as he placed the book back on her lap.
"Well, thanks for the compliment, big guy," she grinned at him. "But remember, it's been a long time since I was pregnant. Things have changed."
"Amanda," Lee sighed. "How much can something like pregnancy and childbirth change?"
She raised an eyebrow at her skeptical husband. "You'd be surprised. When I had Phillip and Jamie, Joe wasn't even encouraged to be in the delivery room with me. And there's just tons of new information on prenatal exercise, nutrition, vitamins, childbirth options. Say, do you know that they now believe that the baby can actually hear things that are going outside the womb and that some experts encourage you to play music or talk to the fetus to help its development?"
"Would that be Led Zeppelin or The Grateful Dead?" Lee smirked.
"Very funny," Amanda huffed, picking her book back up. She glanced over at her husband, who had also picked up his magazine. "You know, you really should start reading some of the material that Penny has given us. We're going to be starting Lamaze in a few weeks."
"Hey." He looked over at her. "When have you ever seen me unprepared? I've got this whole 'coach' thing totally under control, Amanda, trust me. I've got my background information, done some independent research, and I've talked to some of the guys at work that have been through this… seems like a piece of cake." He shrugged, putting his nose back into his reading material.
"Piece of cake, huh, Scarecrow?" She smiled, raising an eyebrow. "You know, giving birth isn't like a stake-out or passing along some secret micro-dot."
"Amanda, please, I've been an undercover intelligence operative for close to 15 years. I think, given the breadth of my experience, I can handle something as normal and natural as the birth of a baby," he snorted, focusing again on the article about vintage Porsche's.
Amanda resisted the urge to laugh outright. Poor Scarecrow, should she warn him? Nahhhh…