- Aloha, Mr. Steele 1/8
Date: Friday, May 16, 2008
- From: "SusanRS" <myrtlelauragroggins@yahoo.com>
-
-
-
- Here's my new story,
"Aloha, Mr. Steele." Because it is
quite long, I have divided it into eight chapters and I will
be posting
one chapter a day to give everyone a chance to read each one.
For
anyone who doesn't like to read until it's all posted, I hope
you will reconsider and read along the way. If not, see you next
week
when the last chapter is posted. :-)
-
- I finished this a few
weeks ago, but since "Sensitive Steele" is
the SOTW for IMDb and SW, I have waited to post this story until
now,
because it is a follow-up to this episode. There's a little mystery
with this one, but not the kind you think. ;-) There's also a
lot
of sappy romance, so consider yourself warned! (But if you don't
like sappy romance, can you truly call yourself a fan?) ;-) The
entire
story is rated PG.
-
- It took me five long
months to write this. It was a labor of love.
Please, PLEASE, PLEASE let me know what you think. And you don't
even have to wait until the end. Feel free to comment along the
way.
One of the reasons I'm posting it over several days (besides
the
length) is to hopefully start some discussion of the story. I
also want
to know if it leaves you "wanting more." I would LOVE
to know if
you're enjoying the ride!
-
- Thank you to my incredible
beta-readers/cheerleaders (you know who you
are)! I REALLY appreciate all of the encouragement!
-
- Standard disclaimers
apply. I don't own `em, but I love
`em. Permission to archive under the name SusanRS.
-
- Susan
-
- Synopsis: A surprise case takes
Remington and Laura to a tropical
paradise.
-
- Aloha, Mr. Steele
- Chapter one
-
- As Mr. Steele parked the Auburn
at his home on Rossmore, he reflected on the confusing events
of the past week. He and Laura had returned from the Freidlich
Sensitivity Spa just six days before. The case had been completed
successfully and they had established a new hope for their relationship,
or so he thought.
-
- Before they left the spa, Remington
and Laura had walked along the beach and he had given Laura the
letter revealing her best qualities. She had seemed pleased with
the things he had written about her. But, when Laura had returned
to the office on Monday morning, something had changed. She seemed
distant . . . Not angry, but she had avoided talking to him.
She had spent a lot of time in her office with the door closed.
-
- Mr. Steele had tried to break the
ice, but to no avail. What could have possibly changed? Perhaps
Laura had decided to reinstate her *not mixing business with
pleasure* policy and she thought that the silent treatment was
the best way to tell him. He had even tried to ask her to dinner
this weekend but Laura had said she had *plans*. Confused and
disappointed, Remington had gone home early on Friday.
-
- As Mr. Steele exited the elevator,
he could hear the phone ringing in his apartment. He fumbled
for his keys and unlocked the door as quickly as possible. He
answered the phone after it had already rung at least ten times.
-
- "Steele, here . . . Yes . .
. Okay . . . All right . . . See you then . . . Bye."
-
- It was Laura. She said a client
had just come into the office and hired them. They needed to
be on a plane to Hawaii first thing in the morning. She would
give him all of the details tomorrow. Fred would be there at
5:00 a.m. to pick him up.
-
- *Hawaii*!! He thought. Even if it
was for business, it sounded a lot better than sitting around
the office *not* talking to Laura. Perhaps he could figure out
the problem while they were there.
-
- Mr. Steele quickly packed his bags.
He opened his top dresser drawer and removed a small velvet box
from underneath his T-shirts and placed it in the pocket of the
jacket he would be wearing on the plane. He turned on the television
to watch a movie before he crawled into bed and went to sleep.
-
- ******
-
- Fred arrived at 5:00 a.m. sharp.
Laura was already in the limo.
-
- "Good morning, Miss Holt!"
he said cheerfully, as he climbed into the back seat.
-
- "Good morning, Mr. Steele,"
she said with little emotion.
-
- "Will Mildred be joining us?"
he asked.
-
- "No," Laura answered.
"I need her to stay here to take care of the office while
we are gone."
-
- Mr. Steele smiled and thought to
himself, *Hawaii, Laura, and no Mildred. Things are getting better
already*!
-
- ******
-
- Remington followed Laura as they
boarded the plane. He smiled.
-
- "First-class seats, Miss Holt?"
-
- "Yes, Mr. Steele," she
replied.
-
- Laura settled into her seat by the
window while Remington put their carry-on bags in the overhead
compartment. He sat down next to her and buckled his seatbelt.
-
- "Now, Miss Holt," he said
turning towards her. "What is this case we're working on?"
-
- "I'll tell you all about it
once we're in the air," she replied and turned to look out
the window.
-
- ******
-
- The plane took off and soon they
were at cruising altitude.
-
- "This case is similar to one
we had last year," Laura began casually. "Do you remember
the Fred Melneck case?"
-
- Was she serious? He had *invented*
the Melneck case as a ruse to get her to San Francisco for an
amorous interlude. But, like all of their other attempts to be
alone, this one had failed as well.
-
- "Yes, Miss Holt, I remember
it *all* too well."
-
- "If you recall, Mr. Steele,
you invented the Melneck case so we could be alone in the most
romantic city in the country."
-
- "Yes, I did," he answered.
-
- "But there was a problem with
your plan," she said. "Mr. Melneck, who was actually
Seymour Glass, was going to San Francisco to complete some unfinished
business for a former client. You didn't know that the unfinished
business would lead us into a real case, distract us from each
other and keep us from enjoying all of the romantic locations
in the city."
-
- "Laura, I don't see how reminding
me of this painful experience is explaining our current case."
-
- "Well," she said, "I
took the information we learned from the Melneck case to perfect
our strategy in this case."
-
- "Sorry," Remington replied.
"There is a nuance that escapes me . . . Who is our client?"
-
- Laura looked right into his ocean
blue eyes. "There isn't one," she simply stated. "No
case to investigate, no leads to follow, no suspects to suspect."
Laura smiled. "Just you and me on a plane to Hawaii."
-
- Remington was speechless. Did she
really just say that? SHE invented a phony client to get HIM
alone? They were going to Hawaii . . . on vacation?! How could
she go from not talking to him all week, to this?
-
- "Laura, I don't know what to
say."
-
- "Say yes, and let me make up
the question."
-
- *Did she just say that*? He thought.
-
- "Did I just say that?"
-
- "Yes, you did," Remington
replied.
-
- Laura smiled. "I don't know
what's come over me." She knew *exactly* what had come over
her.
-
- He smiled back. "I don't either,
but I hope you don't find out. What happened to the Laura who
barely said three words to me this week?"
-
- "Oh, that," she replied.
-
- *Oh, that*?! He thought. *Like it
wasn't a big deal. We went from having a nice walk on the beach
and having her read the letter, to no talking. She'd better have
a good explanation.*
-
- "I have a good explanation
for that," Laura said. "After we returned from the
Freidlich Spa last weekend, I spent all of Sunday thinking about
the things that transpired there . . . All the words that were
exchanged . . . The hurt feelings. I told you that I had read
the book You Can Be Better Than Okay. But, I realized I didn't
want to improve my attitude towards our relationship, I just
wanted you to make all the changes and improve your attitude.
I meant it when I told you that our relationship has been on
hold for too long. I realized that if we're going to have any
chance at making this work, any chance of us moving forward,
we needed to get away from all the distractions and concentrate
on us."
-
- Mr. Steele wasn't sure if he should
say anything. He couldn't believe all the honesty that was coming
out of her mouth. But she still hadn't explained why she had
been giving him the cold shoulder all week.
-
- Laura continued. "There are
two reasons I distanced myself from you this week. First, I spent
a lot of the time planning this getaway. I wanted to make sure
everything would be perfect and we wouldn't have any interruptions."
-
- He liked the sound of that.
-
- "Second," she said. "I
needed time to focus on me . . . To try and figure out why I
have so much emotional baggage."
-
- ". . . And did you?" he
asked cautiously.
-
- "Some," she replied. "I
realized that I have made a lot of choices in my life out of
fear . . . fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of not being
loved . . . fear of being left . . . ." Laura's voice trailed
off and she looked away.
-
- Those last words stung his heart.
Remington reached out and took her hand. Then he gently turned
her head so she was facing him again. Her eyes were glistening.
-
- "Laura, I've told you this
before and I will tell you again. I'm not going to leave you.
I will continue to tell you until you believe it."
-
- Laura let his words sink in. She
took a deep breath and squeezed his hand.
-
- "I know," she said, nodding
her head. "It's not a good way to live. I have been pushing
you away for almost four years while screaming at you to come
closer. It doesn't make any sense." She smiled. "So
. . . I've decided that I'm going to try to make decisions based
on what I *feel* and not what I *fear.* You said at the spa that
you were interested in the half of my brain that I use for feeling."
Laura leaned over and gently kissed him on the cheek. "Well,
good news Mr. Steele, I brought it with me."
-
- ******
-
- They arrived in Honolulu in the
early morning and caught their connecting flight to Maui. When
they got off the plane, they received a traditional lei greeting.
They grabbed a cab and headed towards the hotel.
-
- "Laura?"
-
- "Yes?" she replied.
-
- "Why did you choose Hawaii?"
he asked.
-
- Laura smiled. "It was actually
your idea," she answered. "You told me in the gazebo
at the spa that the perfect place to explore our feelings would
be on a moonlit beach in Maui. There's no moon right now, but
we may have a few moonlit nights here. Besides, putting an ocean
between us and the office sounded like a fabulous idea."
-
- Remington smiled at the thought
of her paying attention to what he said and following through
with it. Instead of his words coming back to haunt him, it seemed
they were actually going to make a fantasy come true.
-
- "How long will we be staying
here, Laura?"
-
- "I'd like to say until we have
our relationship worked out," she replied. "But that
could mean we would never leave the island. Never go back to
Los Angeles."
-
- "That's not such a bad idea,"
he said with a grin.
-
- Laura smiled at the thought. "I
have us booked for a week."
-
- A week! Seven days! Six nights!
Alone with Laura! No phones! No cases! No Mildred! No distractions!
And she actually wanted to be here with him.
-
- They arrived at the beautiful beachfront
resort hotel. The usually frugal Laura had spared no expense
for this trip. They went to the front desk to check in.
-
- "Aloha!" the desk clerk
greeted enthusiastically. "Welcome to the Ka´anapali
Resort and Spa. How may I help you?"
-
- "We have a reservation,"
Laura said.
-
- "Name please."
-
- "Richard and Laura Blaine,"
she replied.
-
- "Room 100, the Presidential
Suite. One of our finest rooms," the desk clerk preened.
"I see here that you have requested early check-in. That
room is not quite ready yet, but it will be shortly. We will
have your luggage waiting for you in your room."
-
- Remington wasn't sure what surprised
him most; the fact that they checked in under an alias, that
she requested early check-in or that she only got one room.
-
- Laura took the room keys from the
desk clerk and handed one to Mr. Steele.
-
- As they walked away from the counter
he joked, "Separate rooms, Miss Holt?"
-
- "Separate keys, Mr. Steele,"
she replied with a smile. "Separate, but equal."
-
- ******
-
- Laura suggested they walk down to
the beach while they waited for their room to be ready. There
was something she needed to do. They took off their shoes to
walk barefoot in the sand. The waves gently lapped on the sandy
shore. They stopped near the water's edge and she turned to face
him.
-
- "I have to tell you, Mr. Steele,"
she began, "I was very touched by your letter. I read it
over and over again all week. It must have been very hard for
you to put your feelings into words and I *do* appreciate the
effort."
-
- Laura leaned into him and gave him
a soft kiss on the cheek.
-
- When she moved back, Remington pulled
her back into him and said, "You're welcome."
-
- He gave her a deep, long, loving
kiss on the lips.
-
- When Laura caught her breath she
said, "I have something for you."
-
- Laura reached into her purse, removed
an envelope and handed it to him. Once he opened it and saw what
it was, a huge smile crossed his lips.
- Remington read it aloud.
-
- "My mate's most wonderful and
endearing qualities."
-
- Laura quickly put her hand over
his mouth. "You don't have to read it out loud," she
said.
-
- Remington removed her hand. "Oh,
but I want to," he said with a smirk.
-
- Laura smiled as he continued. It
was written in her beautiful handwriting.
-
- "My mate's most wonderful and
endearing qualities. Qualities that brought us together."
-
- Remington gave her another quick
kiss on the lips and continued reading.
-
- "When I invented Remington
Steele, I gave him the qualities I look for in a man . . . honesty,
integrity, loyalty, courage. . . But the man who stepped in and
assumed Remington Steele's identity has far exceeded any expectation
I could have ever imagined. Along with being everything I had
ever hoped for, he is also loving, caring, good humored, sexy.
. . ."
-
- Remington paused and winked at her.
She smiled and blushed. He continued reading slowly, savoring
each word.
-
- "Inventive . . . compassionate
. . . fun . . . charming . . . witty. . . sensitive
. . . handsome . . . intelligent . . . playful . . . tender .
. . sensual . . . hard-working.
. . ."
-
- Remington stopped and then repeated,
"Hard-working?"
-
- "Yes, Mr. Steele. Hard-working."
-
- He smiled and continued.
-
- "Creative . . . kind . . .
warm . . . generous . . . funny . . . thoughtful . . . trustworthy
. . . gentle . . . ingenious . . . brave . . . adaptable . .
. patient. . . ."
-
- "Patient?" he asked.
-
- "VERY patient," she answered
with a grin, showing her full dimples.
-
- Remington smiled at the thought
of his patience being rewarded. He continued reading.
-
- "He is sympathetic to the underdog.
He is an excellent gourmet cook. He is lean, but strong. He is
extremely eloquent. He is very romantic. He is a natural with
children. He is more than I could have ever dreamed or imagined."
-
- Remington read the last line.
-
- "He is more than I ever thought
I deserved."
-
- Remington leaned in and gave her
a deep, passionate kiss.
-
- "Laura, I'm touched."
-
- She smiled. "You know how I
love to make lists."
-
- "This *is* quite the list."
-
- "I've spent a lot of time thinking
about you this week," Laura said.
-
- "It's very obvious," Remington
replied. "I have spent a lot of time thinking about you
as well . . . But, I must admit, at times the thoughts were not
this nice."
-
- "I *am* sorry for that,"
she said. "But I couldn't tell you about my plans. I didn't
want anything to ruin it. Besides, I really wanted to surprise
you."
-
- "Believe me, Laura, you have."
Remington leaned in and kissed her again.
-
- "Our room is probably ready,"
she said.
-
- ". . . Are you?" he asked,
delicately.
-
- Laura knew she was ready. She had
wanted them to be lovers from the moment they had met. But she
also hadn't wanted to get hurt, to be left again by another man.
Laura had been waiting for him to tell her how he felt about
her, that he loved her. But it hadn't happened yet. And then
at the spa, Mr. Steele had given her the letter he'd written,
revealing her best qualities. He'd also told her that he read
people by what they did, not by what they said. Laura finally
understood that he wasn't withholding the words from her to keep
her on a string, or because he didn't feel them, but rather because
the words she wanted to hear from him didn't hold the same meaning.
-