A Visit With Harry by IlanaR

Disclaimer: "Scarecrow and Mrs. King" is copyrighted to Warner Bros. and Shoot the Moon productions. This story is for entertainment only. No infringement is intended.

Timing: Season 4 during "The Khrushchev List"

Lee was driving to Harry's cabin to check on his mentor and good friend. He kept replaying the phone call with Amanda, wondering how he was going to appease her after writing that darn list. He cursed Billy for giving him the idea in the first place, even though Lee knew that it was his fault for going overboard on how long the list was. He wasn't thinking clearly when he wrote it and before he knew it, it was six pages long. Lee internally kicked himself for leaving the list out where Amanda could find it. Hopefully, his visit with Harry would take his mind off of his problems.

Arriving at the cabin, Lee took a deep breath as he parked the car, opened the door and stretched out his long legs. As he closed the car door, he noticed the picturesque setting surrounding the cabin, finding it to be calming. He walked up the wooden steps to the cabin, knocked on the door and waited for it to open.

The door was opened by Christina, who greeted Lee warmly. Hearing Lee, Harry greeted from the couch, "Lee, my boy, what brings you to our humble abode?"

Lee looked around the cabin as he walked through the door. It certainly looked humble, but the occupants were far from humble. Harry and Christina looked happy and content. Sitting down on the couch next to Harry, Lee said, "I was on my way home and I thought I would stop by and see how you are feeling."

Harry thanked Lee for coming, noticing how troubled he looked. Figuring Lee wouldn't outright admit to what was bothering him, Harry decided to investigate to try to find out what was troubling the young man.

"I'm feeling much better, Lee. Just need a little TLC," Harry said, looking at Christina. Putting his hand over Lee's, Harry showed his concern by saying in a fatherly tone, "But you look like you could use a friend, Lee. Mind telling me what's bothering you, son?"

"I don't know what you are talking about," Lee replied, trying not to show how troubled he was.

At the same time, Christina walked from the kitchen with a tray of cups filled with tea and a plate of scones. She handed the cups to Lee and Harry and put the plate of scones on the coffee table. Lee politely thanked Christina, taking a scone and biting into it. "Mmm, these are delicious," Lee commented.

Harry took a sip of his tea and placed his cup down on the table. Looking back at Lee, he said compassionately, "Lee, I have known you for more than a decade and I know when something is troubling you."

"It's nothing," Lee denied trying to cover up his confusion and hurt.

"Uh-huh," Harry replied in disbelief. "Nice try, Scarecrow," but you know you can never get anything past me. Did you and Amanda have a marital spat?" Harry asked bluntly, eying Lee carefully.

"What?" Lee said his eyes widening in surprise. "I don't know what you are talking about, Harry."

Harry stood up and walked to his desk. Rifling through some files, he retrieved the file he was looking for and walked back to the couch, handing the file to Lee. Lee opened the file and immediately his face paled as he saw the familiar mariage license. "I assume its legit," Harry surmised as he sat down on the couch.

Lee had a deer caught in headlights look and tried to quickly think of a way out of this. Realizing he was caught, he shook his head and admitted, "It's legit alright." Looking at Harry in disbelief, he stammered "I don't believe it. How did you…? Where did you…?"

Harry chuckled. "Lee, I may be retired, but I still keep tabs on my best agents. Billy shared with me his suspicions about your relationship with Amanda and was concerned about your partnership, so I decided to do some digging. Going all the way to Marion to elope was sneaky, Lee, but why didn't say anything?" Harry was happy for Lee, but was hurt that he didn't confide in him. "My God, Lee, you know how I feel about Amanda. How we all feel about her. She's very special and good for you. I'm happy that you finally realized it and settled down. It's about time!"

"Thank you, Harry. She is very special and I love her very much!" Lee admitted unequivocally.

"I can see that Lee. I think I realized it when you first talked to me about how beautiful she was and how you would follow her through a blizzard at midnight. I noticed how you changed from a loner to someone who cared very much about his partner. You couldn't do any better than Amanda. So what's the problem," Harry asked curiously.

Lee hesitated, raking his fingers through his hair. Then he made a decision. He admitted to Harry all of his fears starting with what happened to his parents, Khai and his family and his fears about putting Amanda's boys and mother in danger. Once Lee started confiding to Harry, he couldn't stop. He confessed to Harry how much he loved Amanda, how she changed him and couldn't live without her. Ultimately, he admitted his fears about Dr. Smyth separating them, as the thought of not being able to work with Amanda was unfathomable.

Harry laughed at Lee's rambling, amazed at how much Amanda had rubbed off on him. "Calm down, Scarecrow."

Lee sighed. "But there are rules, Harry." Lee pointed out. "You reminded me over and over about getting involved with somebody I worked with".

"I know the rules, Lee. I wrote them, but rules are meant to be broken. Relax," Harry reminded Lee seeing that he was agitated. "Nobody is going to split you and Amanda up. I may be retired from the agency, but I still have clearance above Dr. Smyth. You and Amanda are our best team and I will do everything I can to keep your partnership intact. Let me deal with Dr. Smyth." Lee still didn't look convinced so Harry added, "I approve of your marriage to Amanda, Lee. In fact, I'm ecstatic."

Lee was relieved. "Thanks Harry. That means a lot to me."

"Just don't blow it, Scarecrow," Harry warned. "You deserve to be happy and have a real family. Hopefully, one day you and Amanda will expand that family," Harry hinted with a gleam in his eye.

"I want that so badly," Lee admitted, "But I don't know what to do. I messed up, Harry." Lee confessed sadly.

Harry put a comforting hand on Lee's shoulder and asked. "So, again, did you and Amanda have a fight?"

Lee sighed. "Yeah. Amanda and I are having some adjustment problems. So Billy recommended making lists of everything that bothered us."

Harry laughed. "And how did that work out for you, Lee?" Lee looked down and shrugged.

Harry patted Lee's leg as he stood up and walked to his desk. He picked up a legal pad and pen and walked back to the couch. As Harry sat back down, he handed the items to Lee. Lee looked up at Harry in confusion. Harry explained, "Billy meant well, Lee, but he's been married a lot longer than you." Lee nodded in agreement. "You can make this right. And don't think that flowers will work, because I know from experience that it won't," Harry chided, winking at Christina. "Making a list is a good idea, but instead of making a list of things that bother you about Amanda, make a list of everything you love about her," Harry suggested. "And make sure it's a long list," Harry advised.

Lee smiled, feeling more confident than when he arrived. Harry asked Christina for more tea while Lee started making out his list. When he finished, he stood up and thanked Harry before walking to the door. Lee hugged Harry and Christina and said, "Thanks a lot. Let's get together soon," as he walked out the door.

As he walked to his car, Lee was thankful that he stopped to visit Harry, feeling secure in the knowledge that Harry approved of his marriage to Amanda and his promise to keep their partnership intact. Lee smiled as he got into his car and drove away, thinking of his wife and the things that he loved about her.

THE END