(Most characters are part of the SMK universe)

SCARECROW AND MRS. KING

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I'LL HAVE SPIES WITH THAT

Chapter 1

The morning sunshine filtered through the window of Amanda King's kitchen. Like the rest of the house, the kitchen had a colonial decor feel to it, with its whitewash walls, rustic cabinets and wooden chairs. The aroma of muffins baking in the oven added to the warmth and coziness of the room.

Usually Amanda would appreciate such a lovely morning like today, but it had been a hectic morning for her. She had just finished making breakfast, getting Jamie and Philip off to school, doing the first load of laundry, and baking muffins, all within the morning hours.

Now she faced a sink full of morning dirty dishes. With a determined sigh, Amanda tossed the dishtowel over her right shoulder, turned on the faucet, and watched as the sprayed water created soap bubbles in the kitchen basin. Glancing mindlessly out the window for a second, her thoughts were on anything but soiled plates.

Her life had always been one full of schedules and predictability, she mused; that is, until Agent Lee Stetson entered her life.

Lee Stetson.

Ever since he had randomly singled her out and handed her a mysterious package to give to the man in the red hat, her life has been turned topsy-turvy. But despite his top level, superspy ways, he really didn't understand non-Agency people at ALL!

A perfect example was when they had to pose as husband and wife in the suburbs. When Amanda tried to explain to Lee that she could not possibly spend the entire night out, he gave her a look as if to say they had more pressing problems than worrying that her mother might think Amanda was shacking up. As if there wasanythingworse than that!

She pretended to be frustrated at him, but if truth be known, thoughts of Lee seemed to always fill the empty voids of her day.

Shaking her head, Amanda tried to return to the dishes. As she continually scrubbed an encrusted pan, she told herself that she certainly had a life before he came along. He was business, not personal! At the thought that it could ever be personal, Amanda felt her cheeks getting warm, but she attributed it to the baking muffins. No, he was nothing personal to her!

Looking down, she realized that her furious scouring of the saucepan resulted in permanent scratch marks in its interior. Slightly irritated at herself, Amanda threw the dish scrubber in the sudsy water. Now back to staring out the kitchen window, she thought how Lee was like the weather outside; unpredictable and impossible to change.

In fact, Lee Stetson was the most infuriating man she had ever met!

Then her face softened a bit...but, there were times, just a few, when he could actually be charming, especially when his green eyes would turn gentle and he would talk in that low, soft voi-

"Hi!"

From the backyard bushes, a grinning Lee Stetson unexpectedly popped up in front of her kitchen window, startling her.

"Ahhhh!" Amanda brought her soapy hand up to her throat.

Lee's reaction was to grin bigger while bringing his hand up in a friendly wave. She returned his look by rolling her eyes. Of course it wouldn't bother him that he scared her half to death! Once she recovered, she reached out and opened the window above the sink.

"Lee!" she annoyingly whispered out the kitchen window, "Why do you always do that?"

"What, you mean wave?" he smirked, "I thought it was the American gesture of 'hello'."

From behind Amanda, in another room of the house, they heard Dotty yelling, "A-man-da? Is that you? Did you say something?" Then they heard approaching footsteps.

Lee brought his index finger to his lips for secrecy and quickly ducked, at precisely the same time Dotty swung opened the inside kitchen door and sauntered into the room.

Amanda whipped around quickly to face Dotty, trying to hide the blush that rose to her cheeks, while at the same time trying to block the kitchen window, "Mother."

Dotty furrowed her eyebrows, "Amanda, dear, were you just talking to yourself?"

Amanda gave her mother wide, innocent eyes, "Why, no, Mother, I was just...singing to myself."

Dotty looked incredulous, "Singing?"

"Yes, singing," Amanda stated defiantly, " I like to sing, remember?

Then clearing her throat and purposely singing out of tune, Amanda began: Why do birds suddenly appear? Every time, you are near? Just like me; they long to be... Close to yo-ou..."

Dotty covered her ears, "Okay, o-kay, Amanda.. now I remembered why I never signed you up for the church choir!" she then had another thought, "and you know what? I never did understand the lyrics to that song," Dotty put both hands on her hips as she recited, "'Why do birds suddenly appear, every time you are near?' Sounds like a scene from that Hitchcock movie, "The Birds"... you know, the one where the birds attack regular people in a small town?"

"Mo-ther!" Amanda chided her.

Dotty threw up her arms, "I'm just saying...well, I'm going back upstairs to finish folding the laundry," she then turned to leave," and don't forget, Amanda, I have an appointment with the beauty salon at one."

"Yes, I remembered, Mother," Amanda said to Dotty's backside as she walked away.

Amanda craned her neck, waiting until the kitchen door swung closed. Then wiping her hands on a towel, she quickly tiptoed over and opened the back door and snuck out, making sure to silently shut it behind her.

"Lee?" she looked around the backyard, her heart beating faster in anticipation. She had turned left and then when she had turned right, from out of nowhere, Lee was suddenly in front of her.

"Hi!" Lee greeted again, making her suck in her breath a second time. She returned his welcome with an aggravated look.

"Stop sneaking up on me!" Amanda insistently whispered.

Her words did not rattle Lee at all; he actually liked seeing a rise from her, "Hey, you're the one that called out my name, remember? Should I have disappeared after you called me? Besides, I thought women likedsurprises."

"Only at Christmastime and Valentine's Day," she reminded him.

He acknowledged and also added, "...and don't forget birthdays, Amanda."

Lee would never admit it to himself, but he enjoyed his bantering with Amanda. As an adept, seasoned spy who faced countless near-death encounters, he had seen everything, done everything when it came to danger. So this light razzing was a welcome diversion for him.

He had to admit, Amanda King was like a breath of fresh air in his jaded world. No, not a breath of fresh air, he corrected himself, it was more like a blizzard. Even so, he never met anyone whose eyes danced when she smiled, who saw the good in everyone.

"Okay, " Amanda rationalized, "no sneaking up on anyone... let's just start over again, "she stated as she gave him a smile that could light up a room, "Hel-lo, Lee."

She tried not to feel excited with seeing him, but her breathing became frantic and she felt goosebumps running down her back. Was it due to the sense of another adventure coming her way or the presence of Lee? Either way, it scared her a little to feel this way, to know that every time Lee appeared, her world would be turned upside down and yet still wanting it with every fiber of her being.

She was watching him now, her eyes wide and wondering, as his gaze rested on hers.

"You're probably wondering why I'm here," Lee began, enjoying the torture of her having to wait.

"Well," said Amanda, in her usual diplomatic way, "I don't usually go about visiting people in my mother's geranium bushes, so yes, it did occur to me that you came here for a reason."

Lee took a heaving breath, letting her know he was not here willingly.

"I...that is to say...The Agency is in need of your special skills." he managed to say.

"Oh, really?" Amanda perked up even more than the usual, "and which one of my special skills would they be referring to, Lee? My ability to socialize in any group situation? Or are they referring to my talent for being able to size up a situation in no time? Or is it my feeling of responsibility in completing a job?"

Lee couldn't help but grin. Her honesty was refreshing.

"Amanda, if you must know," Lee stated, solemnly, "We need your skills...as a housewife" Lee noticed how her face fell and tried to appease her "Now, Amanda, I know that cover doesn't sound very exciting, but we really need your help on this one..."

Oh. A housewife.

As always, whenever Amanda was disappointed, she brushed it aside by trying to sound enthused, "Well, yeah... that's me!... A housewife!" Then she was watching him again with those eyes that reminded him of rainbows and sunshine and...

Lee stopped his inner musings; What is wrong with me today? he berated himself. He was getting soft, something he couldn't afford as an agent. Why did she have that effect on him?

"Amanda, you must know that The Agency appreciates everything you've done for us in the past, " Lee said, his eyes filled with sincerity.

He reached out his hand to assure her. However, when his hand touched her arm, something happened. Lee's pulse began to quicken as prickles of heat went down his spine.

The sensation was also not lost on Amanda, who had a stunned look when her heart began beating rapidly and her knees weakened at his mere touch. She looked baffled as she stared at his hand on her arm.

Lee cleared his throat as he now pretended to wipe her arm, "Seems...you had some lint there..."

She tried to respond casually, "Oh, I, uh, see that...thank you, Lee,"

Lee tried not to look embarrassed, "We were discussing the assignment..."

"Yes," Amanda nodded, "so my next assignment requires me...to be me," she shoved her hands in her pockets and swayed slightly, "Well, I've experienced worst."

They both turned when they heard a voice yelling from inside the house.

"Amanda!" Dotty was yelling, "It smells as if something is burning in the kitchen! Is it your muffins?"

Amanda turned immediately back to Lee with a horrified look , "My chocolate chip muffins!"

Lee almost snorted. He couldn't figure her out. Facing Russian death squads were nothing for Amanda, but having her baked goods burnt? It was a major catastrophe!

"Yes, you better get inside, " Lee nodded in acknowledgement, "But Amanda,you need to be at the usual meeting place at noon tomorrow so that I can give you the details."

Her eyes lit up.

"Meeting. Noon. Got it!" she nodded before she once more turned away and rushed back into the kitchen; back to dealing with a homelife...something Lee had never experienced.

He glanced back at the spot where she last stood before she disappeared in the house. Suddenly the day seemed less lively, less cheery with her gone. Lee gave a heaving sigh, why should that bother him, anyway? He was used to working alone; he preferred it that way.

But that was before he met Mrs. Amanda King.

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(A/N: I'm excited and nervous to be here! I was sooo excited when I saw SMK had a FF following. Sure the TV show was cheesy, but the two leads had this amazing, sweet chemistry and the show always left me smiling! So this is my version of season one; I hope you will like it -that's the nervous part!)

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A review would be greatly appreciated! :D