Why?
The answer is because my muse seems to be a young boy around the age of seven or eight years old, with hazel eyes, sandy-brown hair, and two adorable dimples. He tells me the stories of his youth. Really! Sometimes I can hear him talking to me so clearly, it’s scary.
I find the character of Lee Stetson, codename Scarecrow, to be a very complex man, and my stories try to explain how his experiences in his youth shaped him into the man he is today (or rather 25 years ago).
Although scarred emotionally, Lee was a good man and a great agent, and he was perfect in the role of an intelligence operative. He was intelligent, resourceful, patriotic, loyal, observant, quick on his feet, and he was good at keeping his feeling separate from the job. Maybe too good. That was Scarecrow. Then peeling the layers back, Amanda discovered the man behind the mask; Lee Stetson. A man who was overly protective of her. Perhaps because he thought it was his duty to protect her, after all, he was the one who got her involved in the business. In the beginning, she was nothing more than an "emergency" and when Billy began to pair them together, Lee was reluctant to work with her. However, Billy, I believe, who saw something in Amanda from "The First Time" knew partnering her with Lee would keep him more grounded and not be such a risk taker.
Later on, Lee would pop up at her kitchen window, inviting her to come join him on some adventure, on his own suggestion, because not only did he feel comfortable working with her, he came to trust and rely on her instincts. I'm sure no one was more surprised then Lee, when he slowly realized not only was he in love with Amanda, but had approached the point where he couldn't live without her. They soon become not only partners in the field, but partners in life.
I find it ironic, that Bruce Boxleitner himself said he did not like season one Lee. He thought Lee was too one-dimensional. I disagree. I think some of that is because Lee changed in the other seasons, and I for one, am glad the writers let his character grow. We learned about him right alongside Amanda, who chipped at that Lee had built, brick by brick.
The thing I find most amusing is Bruce Boxleitner's ability to play not only Scarecrow, the agent, but Lee Stetson, the man. It's Lee who Amanda brought out to the forefront and when Amanda feel in love with Lee, we feel in love with him, too.