DISCLAIMER: The characters of Scarecrow and Mrs King belong to Warner Brothers and Shoot The Moon productions. I don't own them. I just like to write about them.

SUMMARY: Takes place during the episode, "Sudden Death" in which Lee poses as Sandy Newcomb, football player and Amanda posed as a reporter. What did Lee and Amanda each think of that impromptu kiss, anyway?

AUTHOR'S NOTE: The beginning dialogue portion of this fic is borrowed from the episode, "Sudden Death." The story in that episode was by Del Reisman. After the words, "I have a deadline to meet", spoken by Amanda, the story belongs to me! :)

If you have the ep on tape, watch it again, I simply love this scene, which is why I'm expanding on it!

THE IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW

Lee entered his room and crossed to the window. Opening it, he looked out into the darkness. "Are you out here?" He asked in a whisper.

Amanda popped up from below his window sill, startling him in spite of himself. A flash of annoyance shot across his features.

"Of course I'm here," she replied, indicating that the possibility of her not being there was out of the question. "Have you got anything for me?"

"Yeah," Lee responded. "Get this film to the Agency."

"What's on it?" She questioned, ever curious.

"A football play."

"A football play?" She repeated incredulously.

"Tell Billy to run it through cryptology and see if he can find something," he instructed.

Amanda was perplexed and voiced her feelings. "What for, if it's just a football play?"

Lee's customary irritation came through, but he explained his reasoning anyway. "There's something...I don't know, it just bothers me, so just do it, okay?"

"Okay," Amanda placated. "I mean after all, what do I know? I'm just an assistant agent."

Lee raised his eyebrows at her self-professed occupation and was quick to correct her. "Apprentice agent," he stressed.

"Purist," Amanda replied, rankling at his offhanded remark. It was automatic for him to remind her of her lowly position at every opportunity. "Is there anything else I can do?"

The sound of an approaching Coach Leopold jolted Lee into action. How would he explain Amanda's presence to the coach?

"Newcomb?!" Newcomb, I'm looking for you!" The coach shouted in his southern drawl.

"Yeah...this," he leaned out the window and placed a hand on the back of Amanda's head and drew her close. Lee pressed his lips to Amanda's despite her surprised protests and kissed her fervently. He put his all into the kiss 'for the coach's benefit', he reasoned.

"Mmmmmph! Mmmph! Mmmm!" He heard Amanda's amusing response as he maintained a firm hold on the back of her head. He found the kiss most enjoyable, truth be told.

"Ex-cuse me, Mr. Newcomb!" The coach had entered the room and demanded the attention of his wayward football player.

Lee pulled away. He stared at Amanda for a fraction of an instant. He hadn't expected to kiss her quite so enthusiastically. He'd even "Mmmph'd" a little himself! But this was not the time to contemplate kissing this 'apprentice agent'!

Amanda was staring at him in the same manner, but shook it off just as quickly as he did, her eyes wide with surprise.

Lee put on a cocky expression. "I hope you, uh...got all you came for, Mrs. King, interview wise, that is." He winked jauntily at her. His hand covered hers on the window sill. She quickly pulled her hand away from his.

"Enjoy your work, do you?" Coach Leopold asked sarcastically.

"Yes, very much," Amanda replied, hoping her cheeks weren't too red with embarrassment. Then, addressing her comments to Lee, she added, "Thank you so much. I have a deadline to meet."

After Amanda made her escape, Lee explained to the coach that he'd promised her an "in-depth interview". His tone and manner implied otherwise to the annoyed coach. It wasn't at all a far stretch for Lee Stetson to play a ladies man.

Amanda sat in her car for a moment, attempting to catch her breath. 'Wow,' she thought to herself when she was able to string together a comprehensive thought. 'I was not expecting that! But what a kiss...'

She replayed in her mind how Lee had grabbed her and kissed her. She had tried to pull away at first, but he held her so firmly, she couldn't move an inch. Blushing, she recalled how he'd even slipped his tongue inside her mouth. That had nearly driven her crazy, and it had been hard not to respond inkind. Her fingers went up to her lips; she could still feel his mouth overtaking hers. He certainly could knock the wind out of a girl! But a couple of things puzzled her. He had made slight, quiet groaning sounds while he was kissing her. Had he enjoyed the kiss too? She wasn't going to deny that she had, not to herself, that was. Certainly he didn't think the coach would hear him, and why would he want him to?

Also, the look he gave her when he pulled away. It was a look of stunned surprise, a momentary 'deer in the headlights' demeanor. Actually, that made her feel quite indignant. As if he hadn't expected that she'd be enjoyable to kiss! Not a little housewife from the suburbs, not a mother of two children. Not a tag-along sidekick. Yes, that ticked her off, all right!

Later that night Amanda still couldn't forget the kiss. She replayed it again and again, until she was terribly annoyed with herself. 'Oh, get over it, Amanda!' She chastised herself. She'd never before been kissed quite like that, though. Joe was always very...well, Joe. And Dean. "Ugh," Amanda intoned aloud. 'Liver-lipped Dean,' she had nicknamed him to herself. 'Kissing was never his strong point.' Laying there, she tried with all her might to think of what Dean's strong point was, exactly. Finally, with such a boring issue to ponder, she drifted pleasantly off to sleep.

After getting rid of Coach Leopold, Lee stripped and stepped into the bathroom for a shower. Grinning, he recalled the events of a few minutes earlier. 'I wonder what Amanda thought of that kiss?' He asked himself happily.

Then, he frowned. 'Why do I care what she thought of it? Better yet, what did I think of it?' He wondered. He certainly had had fun with it! Her muffled sounds of shock and protest had egged him on. He'd even eased his tongue into her mouth for good measure! But...'I enjoyed that far too much!' He remembered groaning slightly, almost inaudibly. Where had that come from? Had she heard him? He hoped not! 'That would definitely not be good,' he told himself. At least she hadn't inserted her tongue into his mouth! Not that he would have protested, he admitted with a smile.

He smiled again remembering the look on her face when he'd let her go. Her beautiful brown eyes had been wide with shock. 'Beautiful brown eyes, Stetson?' He mocked himself. 'Well, I never said she wasn't pretty, in her own way...' He justified his thoughts, mollifying his inner self.

'Still,' he went on thinking to himself, 'it's good to know that she's pleasant to kiss...in a cover situation, that is!'

"In-depth interview," he said out loud and laughed at his own ingenuity. 'Ah, that was too much fun.'

The End