RATING: PG
SUMMARY: Lee & Amanda's last night together before their marriage
DISCLAIMER: The characters of Scarecrow & Mrs. King are property of Shoot the Moon and Warner Brothers. All other characters in this story are made up. The story is a figment of my imagination and is used solely for entertainment purposes.
ARCHIVE: Yes – this sites archive. Anyone else, please ask.
NOTES: This is my contribution (FINALLY) to the SongFic challenge……the song I chose for the letter `M' is My Best Friend by Tim McGraw, written by William Luther and Aimee Mayo. Let's assume that the song was around during SMK and I'm also taking creative licensing and using my belief that they had consummated their relationship before their wedding night. I loved having the opportunity to combine my 2 obsessions - TIM & SMK. Thanks to Marissa & Lori for their time and beta skills.
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Lee Stetson sat in his Georgetown apartment flipping the shiny gold band between his two hands. He had gotten home from work late that night – tired and crabby. Tomorrow was a big day – the biggest so far in his life. He was getting married to the most wonderful woman in the world. A woman who stormed into his life and then snuck into his heart. Amanda King. Just thinking about her brought a smile to his face. `Where would I be now without her in my life?' he asked himself. Luckily his mind didn't answer, because he could only guess his old life of drinking and women would've continued.
Staring again at the small circular band, he sent a quick prayer that their current case would be wrapped up BEFORE the ceremony. As if the teasing remarks from Billy wasn't enough to put them on alert, he really didn't want work to keep them from their wedding. He had asked Amanda numerous times if it's bothering her that they're going to be pledging their love in front of a Justice of the Peace instead of a priest. She always replied that she'd give him her life in front of a garbage man if it'd be legal. He believed her because he felt the same way.
He looked at the phone, almost willing it to ring. He wanted to speak with her. No, he NEEDED to speak with her. To hear her voice tell him how much he meant to her. But more importantly, he wanted to ease her fears. His Amanda was brave and had such a good poker face. As much as she told him that she doesn't care about his past actions, he knew deep down that she's afraid he'll get bored and leave her.
`I just can't make her see that I'm in this forever.'Nobody had ever treated him like Amanda does. He'd be more lonely in his life that she could ever imagine. Even after her divorce, she always had Dotty and the boys there with her. To support her. To make her happy and to help her ease back into life. He never had that support. At least not that he could remember. Sure, Jennifer and Matthew Stetson had loved their son like any parents do. But they met the end of their lives much too soon and he could barely remember much about them. And then there was the Colonel. The fear that his soldiers had shown of him scared little Lee. Never had his uncle shown compassion, love, or an interest in what his charge was doing.
I never had no one that I could count on
I've been let down so many times
And I was tired of hurtin', so tired of searchin'
Til you walked into my life
And it was a feelin' I've never known
And for the first time I didn't feel alone
When he had signed up with the Agency he vowed that he'd be as feared as his uncle. That he'd demand respect and would never let anyone close to him. Then he'd met Dorothy.
Lee stood up and went over to the wet bar and poured himself a Scotch. He watched the amber liquid fill the glass then sat back down on the couch. He set the glass on the coffee table and closed his eyes.
Dorothy. He can look back now and realize that he never loved her like he loves Amanda. The two of them are total opposites. Dorothy was more direct, forceful. Whereas Amanda used her quiet, shy personality to get what she wants. He had been positive that he loved her and that he'd never feel the same way again when she died. It had broken him. He had gone off the deep end and would never forget the months of depression that he'd gone through.
That's when the women had started. Lots of women. He had tried to heal the hurt by booze and babes. It had worked so well that it became a way of life for Scarecrow. Now knowing the true meaning of love, he realized that Dorothy had become a life jacket for him.
One last attempt to salvage himself before drowning in a life of loneliness. She had also needed him. Needed him to help her career so she could show all the men that women could do the same job as their counterparts, if not a better job. They had depended on each other so much it had grown into a crutch. Something they couldn't live without. Then she died. A memory of watching those rose petals fall around as he cradled her lifeless body shone before his eyes.
Nonetheless, he survived her death. If Amanda ever died, he knew he'd follow her up to heaven.
You're more than a loverRemembering that this would be his last night as a single man, Lee realized there was only one way he wanted to spend it. With his Amanda. Making love to her. Sure, in a normal circumstance he'd be at a club somewhere with all his buddies and maybe even a stripper, drinking beer and listening to his friends try to convince him to stay single. However, his relationship with Amanda is anything but normal. He stood up, grabbed his jacket and keys and walked out of the apartment. With the untouched glass of Scotch still on the table.
There could never be another
To make me feel the way you do
And oh, we just get closer
I fall in love all over every time I look at you
I don't know where I'd be without you here with me
Life with you makes perfect sense
You're my best friend
What seemed like an eternity later, he turned onto Maplewood Drive and parked a few houses up from Amanda's home. One day he hoped this would be his home too. He exited the Vette and quickly made his way to the trellis outside of Amanda's bedroom window. He was glad he had taken the time to have the trellis professionally replaced, and secured, after that whole Stemwinder fiasco. He climbed up and tapped at her window.
Inside, Amanda was sitting in bed twirling her engagement ring around the gold chain she'd kept it on. Tomorrow she was getting married again. Something she was never sure she would do again. Until she met Lee. From the very beginning she knew that they could make each other happy….and she was now glad Lee realized it too. Hearing a familiar tapping at her window, she got up and made her way across the room to let in her soon to be husband.
"We have to stop meeting like this," she teased, helping him crawl through the window.
When Lee stood and looked at her he knew that she was his fate. He held out his arms and like a magnetic force she walked into his embrace.
"I'm sorry for coming so late. But I've been sitting at home and all I could think about was how lucky I am to have you. So, I decided to come and tell you."
"Oh Lee, I'd say we're both lucky. You've helped me in so many ways to become a stronger person and I've helped you deal with your past. I think we compliment each other pretty well."
You stand by me and you believe in me
Like nobody ever has
When my world goes crazy, you're right there to save me
You make me see how much I have
And I still tremble when we touch
And oh, the look in your eyes when we make love
Lee smiled and placed a quick kiss on the tip of her nose. Gently removing her from his embrace, he walked over to her nightstand and turned on her clock radio. A country song filled the silence of the room and he took off his jacket and started to unbutton his shirt.
"Lee, what are you doing?" Amanda whispered. "Mother and the boys are home and what if they come in?"
"Then we'll tell them that we're getting married tomorrow and that I just came here because I want to show my very-soon-to-be wife how much I love her." Lee walked back over to Amanda and before she could utter another excuse, he covered her lips with his. It took less than a second for Amanda to respond and return the kiss.
She moved her hands up his arms, over his shoulders, to run them through his short brown hair. They began to sway together to the beat of the song. Chest to chest. Hips to hips. As always, when they were this close their feelings and needs could not be denied. Lee scooped Amanda up into his arms and laid her gently across her bed.
You're more than a lover
There could never be another,
To make me feel the way you do
And oh, we just get closer
I fall in love all over every time I look at you
I don't know where I'd be without you here with me
Life with you makes perfect sense
You're my best friend
In the afterglow of their lovemaking, Lee remembered the words to the song that had played while he and Amanda had once again gone through ritual of expressing their love to each other.
"You're everything to me, Amanda. Lover. Partner, Best Friend. And tomorrow, you'll become my wife. And I'll spend the rest of our lives thanking you for loving me."
THE END