The Perfect Couple

by rankamateur Apr 2006

Scarecrow and Mrs. King belong to Warner Bros and Shoot The Moon Enterprises Ltd.

A taglet for "The Triumvirate", an episode which was written by Robert Bielack

Some peripheral references to "To Catch A Mongoose" by Mark Lisson, Bill Froelich and Stephen Hattman

We didn't see what happened at Amanda's Reunion, but this is one possibility.

All errors are mine.

K – K+

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" . . . . . come on. We'll make the perfect couple."

He was leaning forward a bit, at her eye level, looking so sincere……..how could she refuse? "Okay, thanks."

Accepting the overdue paycheck from Lee, Amanda noted that it was the proverbial ' . . . day late and dollar short . . . '.

"Don't worry", Lee reassured her, "we'll get them to add the dollar in on your next check. No use takin' any chances with this one again."

"Good thinking", Amanda smiled up at him. "So, ahh, you know where the Arlington High School gym is?"

"Yeah, just a mile or so from here."

"Right. There's an all night coffee shop on the main street about two blocks this side of the school. Why don't I meet you there, in the parking lot, in about . . . say, twenty minutes?"

"I'll be there." Smiling that killer smile of his again, Lee turned and left the yard.

'Wow!' Suddenly this evening seemed to be looking up – considerably. Amanda went back into the house. "Mother, I think I will go to the Reunion after all."

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As she was parking the station wagon behind the coffee shop, Lee appeared at the driver's door and opened it for her. The butterflies in her stomach took off in formation.

"Thanks." She took his hand and let him help her out of the car.

"You look great." He opened the passenger door and helped her into his car.

"Well, thank you. I'm glad you like my ancient threads. Ahh, I guess we're committed, huh?" she asked nervously.

"Hey, relax. We're going to have a great time." He walked around to the driver's side, got in and started the car.

"But Lee, you won't know a soul there and I . . . ."

"It won't matter. I know you and you're the only person I need to know here. Okay?

"Okay," she replied so softly that her voice was almost lost in the sound of the engine, as Lee accelerated.

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Pulling into the school's crowded parking lot, Lee searched for and finally found, an empty space. They were quite a way from the gym, but it was a mild evening, with a gentle breeze and a few stars shining beyond the glare of the lights that illuminated the area. Neither one minded the distance.

After locking the car, he reached for her hand and they walked at a leisurely pace, toward the door of the festively decorated building. Music could be heard as they drew nearer. It sounded like a live band.

"Amanda King!" A female voice rang out, loud and clear over the general hubbub. "How are you? And how is Joe?" Although the questions were addressed to Amanda, the speaker never took her eyes off Lee.

"Myra, hello. I'm fine. And Joe is, well, um, he's back in the States, but he's been very busy with his work, as usual. This is my boss Lee . . . "

"Stetson," Lee put in quickly. No cover names tonight, he decided.

"Happy to meet you," Myra grasped the hand Lee had extended and didn't seem inclined to let go.

"Same here," he responded, extricating his hand as gently as he could. Well, if you'll excuse us . . . Amanda, what do you say we hit the dance floor?"

"Wait a minute." Their hostess reached back on the table behind her, to some plastic holders neatly stacked on the table. "First you need to fill in these name tags. Everybody gets a name tag tonight."

"Okay." Amanda quickly wrote on both the tags and handed one to Lee. "Here you go."

She took his arm. "Lead on boss. See ya later Myra," she tossed over her shoulder

Myra watched as the couple joined the crowd on the dance floor. 'Well, well, well. Looks like Mrs. King has snagged herself a live one.' With a sigh, Myra took her seat at the reception desk.

The large gymnasium was crowded with couples, many wearing their best starched and pressed radical chic. Every available surface of the room seemed to be decorated with crepe paper and balloons in the school's colors.

There was a temporary stage where a small band was playing, something slow and sentimental, at that moment.

Lee took Amanda into his arms and they joined the others.

"So you and Myra were friends back in the good old days?"

"Well, not exactly. She was either President or Vice President of almost everything and I was content just being a cheer leader. One of many."

"Yeah, watchin' those idiots bump into each other on the football field," he laughed.

"Hey, it seems to me I heard a rumor that you played football." She emphasized the "you" with a playful jab to his chest.

"You're right, I did. And if we'd gone to the same school, I would've been one of those idiots you liked watching." He winked and pulled her a little closer.

'Oh my gosh!' She pulled back just a bit. "I'm glad they're playin' mostly slow stuff. I don't think I remember the steps for the fast songs." She laughed, "and if I did remember, I bet I'd sprain something doin' them."

'Oh, I think you could manage," he chuckled along with her. "And I also think you're in very good shape, Mrs. King."

She blushed becomingly and then relaxed in his arms, wishing this night could go on and on . . .

Except for a few breaks for some un-spiked punch, they danced nearly every dance. Even some of the up-tempo pieces, which caused her genuine 60's-R-Us dress to flare out, just the way it was supposed to. And she hadn't forgotten the steps at all.

Then Lee felt their rhythm change. Amanda was guiding – more like pushing him towards the side door. When they were within a few feet of the exit, she slipped from his arms and bolted outside.

Pausing a moment to look around, a bit self consciously, Lee went after her. At first he couldn't find her. Then he spotted her, standing in the middle of some bushes and a small group of very old, very tall trees.

He walked up behind her and tentatively reached out and put his hands on her shoulders. He was alarmed to find her shaking violently.

"What's wrong?" When there was no response, he gently turned her around and took her into his arms. "Amanda, what is it?" He asked again, a bit more urgently.

"Oh, Lee . . . . " Her voice was shaking too. It was hard to understand what she was trying to tell him.

"They were going to kill me. They were going to give me a shot to knock me out and then they were going to cremate me! If you and Mr. Melrose hadn't come when you did – they would have incinerated me. They said that fire was eighteen hundred degrees! Nobody would have ever found my ashes. Mother and the boys would never have known what happened to me. Oh Lee . . . " Her voice trailed off with a shuddering sob.

In a few moments, she was able to continue. "I'm . . . . I feel so stupid . . . . . I'm sorry for falling apart like – for being so scared now – after it's all over."

"Hey, you're entitled to fall apart after an experience like this! A delayed reaction is normal." He held her even closer. "Amanda, you are one of the bravest people I know. You get into the most dangerous, scary situations and you do whatever has to be done. If you fall apart later – so what! I think that's what courage is – getting the job done and going to pieces later, when it doesn't matter."

"Thanks. That's really nice of you to say that." She wondered vaguely why she didn't cry. Somehow, there were no tears. Just that terrible cold feeling inside.

The trembling began to subside, but he kept holding her close and trying to soothe her.

'She's my friend and my partner and she needs this now. She needs to be held and comforted,' he rationalized. 'Yeah, she needs this and I . . . . '

He needed not to go there. This wasn't the time to start examining his feelings for Amanda, or to think about how much he wanted to kiss her.

But he couldn't seem to help himself. He pulled back and lifted her chin so she had to look at him. Their eyes met and held. Slowly, he started to lower his face to hers . . . their lips were just inches apart when . . . .

The side door of the gym swung wide open and three people emerged, laughing and moving quickly around the side of the building.

"Hey, do you have matches?" A female voice asked.

"Yes, of course I do," a man's voice snapped.

"Man, I haven't done anything illegal since college. Are you sure we won't get caught?"

Lee pulled back abruptly. "We'd better go in, before I'm forced to arrest one of your classmates."

Amanda just nodded and started walking back to the gym.

In a few minutes, they were back in each others arms, her cheek resting against his chest, moving slowly around the dance floor.

Lee knew that even an experienced agent would have a hard time dealing with the kind of thing that had happened to Amanda. He wished he had the words that would . . . just make it all go away, but he didn't. He couldn't think of anything more to say. So he just held her and hoped that somehow she would understand -- how much she meant to him. How much he worried every time she got into a dangerous situation. Especially when he wasn't with her. Maybe one day he'd be able to tell her. But . . . . not tonight.

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"This is the next to the last dance," the MC proclaimed, as the music started once again.

"Lee, why don't we leave now, before the crowd. It'll be easier gettin' out of the parking lot."

"That's a good idea. Come on, we'll dance towards the front door."

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After making sure that she was situated comfortably, Lee got into the 'vette and started the engine. Easing the car into gear, he headed for the exit.

Amanda sighed deeply. "I really appreciate your being there for me tonight. It helped a lot . . . it means a lot that you understand."

"You're my partner." He reached over and squeezed her hands, which were tightly clenched in her lap. "You'd do -- you have done the same thing for me, any number of times."

"Yeah. And I'm glad it was you there when I went to pieces and not my mother," she grimaced at the thought.

"Hmm, that might have been a little hard to explain. You know, both Billy and I were plenty scared too. Billy promised Jeppard safe passage out of the county, in return for telling us where they'd taken you."

"Really?"

He turned his head to look at her. "Yup, he did."

"I thought that sort of thing was against Agency policy?" It was more a question than a statement.

"Oh," he nodded, "it definitely is!"

"Gosh." She was deeply touched to know that Billy had gone that far out on a limb to save her. "So, did this Jeppard get out of the country?"

"No. He died late this afternoon."

"Oh my gosh." She turned and looked out the window at the rows of little shops and stores, closed now, but many brightly lit.

"I don't think he really believed he was going to get away. He must have known how badly he was injured. Telling us where they were holding you was probably the only good thing the man's ever done in his whole miserable life!"

"Well, he did tell you -- and told the truth too. What's going to happen to those three . . . . the triumvirate?" There was a catch in her voice as she said that name, one which, until this afternoon, she had associated only with Roman history.

"Apparently, everybody wants to avoid a messy trial, so they're pleading guilty, in exchange for life without parole, instead of the death penalty."

She nodded. "I guess that's the best way -- for everyone."

"I suppose. But, after what they planned to do to you -- I would pull the switch on all of them, gladly!" He gripped the steering wheel almost as tightly as he would happily grip Gerald Falcon's scrawny neck.

She reached over and patted his arm, hoping to calm his anger a bit. She understood his reaction. She was not a vindictive person, but she could almost imagine 'pulling the switch', as he put it, herself.

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In an all too short time, they arrived back at the coffee shop's parking lot, and Lee helped her out of the Corvette and into the wagon.

He leaned down by the open window on the driver's side. "Be sure and lock all the doors again. I'll follow you – just to make sure you get home all right."

"That would be nice. Thanks again – for everything."

"Don't mention it," he grinned. "Like I said, you do the same kind of things for me all the time. Well, good night."

"Night. See ya Monday." She rolled up the window, buckled the seatbelt and checked the locks.

As soon as he was ready to go, Amanda pulled out onto the side street, which was nearly deserted at that time, with Lee following close behind.

As she drove through the familiar streets of her Arlington neighborhood -- quiet, dark and safe, she reflected on the recent events. Her experience with the Triumvirate could be summed up in a word -- terrifying. But tonight had been just what she needed to begin to put it behind her. And the fact that Lee Stetson was just about to kiss her -- if they hadn't been interrupted, made the whole scary business worth it. Although, it would be nice if he would want to kiss her, without firsthaving her life threatened!

'Oh well . . . . one of these days.'

Arriving back on Maplewood Drive, Lee pulled over near the curb and watched as Amanda drove up the driveway and parked. She headed for the backdoor, turning to smile and wave in his direction, before she disappeared from sight.

Lee sat there for a moment, smiling and shaking his head.Putting aside for a moment Amanda's frightening experience at the hands of their co-workers. . . . . here he was, the great Scarecrow, man about town, with four black books to his credit – dressed in this ridiculous outfit, going to a dance in a gym, almost getting to kiss his date, before being interrupted – again.

What a way to spend an evening . . . . And he enjoyed every minute of it!

end