- Steele Holting Out for You 9/9
Date: Thursday, January 11, 2001
Breezy <giglnbreez@aol.com>
"I'll meet you at the office in an hour," Laura confirmed
as she moved away from baggage claim. She waited for Steele to
walk away then she started looking for Murphy.
She saw him sitting on a bench looking at his watch. He looked
up to check the newest crowd, "Laura! I thought you had
decided to stay in Massachusetts," Murphy walked over and
took Laura's bags and nodded, "I have my car out this way."
Laura followed him trying to figure out where the best place
to tell Murphy how she felt would be. She did not want to put
any of this off, it wasn't going to be easy for anyone, especially
her.
***
Remington found the limo and loaded his bags in, "Fred,
my place." He sat back and tried to figure out where he
was going to go now. He couldn't go to Daniel, Laura would find
him there if she felt she needed to chase him down and he did
not want to deal with any women, so Felicia was out. Maybe he
could go back to Boston, it was anonymous enough. The only people
he knew were the folks he met with Laura and they weren't going
to be everywhere he went. They didn't really even know him. Just
helpful folks. Boston would be perfect for now.
***
Mildred and Abigail arrived at the office around eight. "Would
you like some coffee, Abigail?"
"I would love some Mildred. Do you always show up this early
or is this a special occasion?" Abigail followed Mildred
around while she tidied and collected the morning mail while
the coffee brewed.
"I'm usually in by now so that when the kids get in their
coffee is ready, the newspaper is on the Chief's desk, and the
files for the day's clients are all out and ready to be perused.
Since we haven't been here for a few days I have to get all the
messages from the answering service and see if we can salvage
the business."
"You certainly have a busy day."
"Yeah, it's great," Mildred grinned.
***
"Here we are, your loft," Murphy was feeling hopeful.
Laura hadn't cut it right off when she met him and in the car
she told him about Mildred's disappearance and how she had only
been trying to push her and Mr. Steele together. The only part
that worried him was that she hadn't said if Mildred's scheme
had worked or not.
Laura opened the lock and slid the door open. Murphy set the
bags down next to the door and took Laura into his arms.
***
Remington arrived at his apartment and sent Fred on his way.
He would drive the Auburn back to the office. Packing all of
his life in an hour wasn't going to happen, so he decided to
take the time to make an omelet and savor the time he had left
in his apartment. It was a nice place. He even had a chance to
really make it his own. This hadn't been possible in a long time.
***
"Laura, I'm so happy you took a chance on this," Murphy
smiled and kissed her forehead.
Laura smiled gently and looked down at her watch, "Murph,
I have to go into the office. We'll talk later," she walked
out of the loft leaving Murphy to wait.
***
Remington sat in his car for a moment before he started the engine.
He looked over at the radio and shut it off. He was not in the
mood for music. He drove to the office in total silence, trying
to convince himself that this was the right thing to do. He'd
have to say goodbye to Mildred too. He hoped that she was in
the office when he got there.
***
Laura walked into the office at quarter of nine. This was happening
very fast. It was worth it though. This wasn't the wild Laura
that she remembered. She was more of a hybrid. A Laura who could
be spontaneous and crazy, she could also behave like a businessperson.
Something that the wild Laura hated to do.
"Good morning Miss. Holt, how was your flight?"
"It was as exciting as three hours in the air gets, Mildred.
What do we have for appointments today?"
"Well, nothing. I had the answering service tell all callers
you and Mr. Steele were on vacation for a week. I'm sorry, Miss
Holt. I thought it was important for you two to do this."
"Mildred, don't worry about it, is he here yet?"
"Not yet. I'll send him in when he gets here, oh and your
mother is in your office making a few arrangements for her to
stay in LA for a while."
"My mother? Why did you let her come ba--."
"Laura! I just finished making reservations for a rental
car, I'll be staying at Mildred's if you need to get in touch
with me. I need to buy some new clothes and wash what I have
with me. I'll talk to you later," Abigail buzzed out of
the office after her speedy entrance.
"Mildred, you and mother? Interesting. Why don't you take
the rest of the day off when Mr. Steele gets in," Laura
smiled and went into her office to get ready for the long talk
she and Mr. Steele were going to have.
***
Steele walked in the office with less fanfare than normal. "Hello,
Mildred. Where's Miss Holt?"
"In her office, Boss. Are you ok?"
"Um, sure," he tugged his ear and signaled towards
Laura's office, "I'll be in Laura's office for a bit. Will
you be up for lunch with me after?" He didn't want to upset
Mildred too much; she was, in essence, his mother and his biggest
fan. He'd have to visit her from time to time.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Steele, but I'm having lunch with Miss Holt's
mother. Can we make it dinner?"
He smirked a bit, this was not working, "Sure, dinner it
is." He walked into Laura's office glumly.
"Mr. Steele, come in and get comfortable. We're going to
be here for a while."
"Wonderful. Do you mind if I get some tea before we start?
I'm feeling a bit parched all of a sudden."
"Of course," Laura was slowly loosing her nerve. She
needed to finish this soon. The tension in her shoulders could
have supported the weight of an elephant.
Remington stepped out of Laura's office. Mildred felt it was
too soon.
"Is everything copasetic Chief?"
"Yes, I was just going for a cup of tea," he avoided
all contact with Mildred hoping she wouldn't ask too many questions.
He would be forced to explain why he was hurting so much.
***
Laura had called Murphy when she got in and told him not to wait
for her. Now she was starting to feel constricted in her office.
She paced around hoping to achieve a little freedom. Remington
stepped back in with his tea. Laura looked up and gestured for
him to take a seat. He followed the command. He started to open
his mouth to say something.
"Laura, I--," Laura looked at him with something that
he still couldn't place. He backed down for the time being.
"Mr. Steele, please just sit and listen for a minute. First
I want to apologize for everything I have put you through. It
wasn't fair of me to string you along for such a long time,"
she turned to gauge his reaction. The pain on his face almost
killed her. It's time to get to the point, Holt, "Murphy
started calling me a few weeks back and," Laura was ready
to explain the entire situation now.
"Miss Holt I don't want to know about yours and Murphy's
relations, I came here to tell y--," Laura cut him right
off.
"Will you please keep quiet Mr. Steele. I am going to explain
everything to you. You will get your chance for a reaction in
a minute. Just give me some time here," Laura started pacing
again.
"Murphy called me and told me he was coming to visit. He
asked me if I wanted to go out with him when he got here. It
was a long shot and I was very confused. Sure, he's a good friend,
could he be more? Then there was you. I have to admit that I
didn't know where we were heading. For a long time I was sure
we would be together without a hitch from here on out, but I
kept second-guessing. I second-guessed us right out on a date
with Murphy. I thought I might be in love with him. This is where
that rational side of me comes into problems. Don't let your
heart and your head change jobs, Mr. Steele. Logic can't make
sense of love and love doesn't always make sense," at this
point she stopped to catch her breath.
"What I want to tell you Mr. Steele, is that I read the
letter you gave me. It said exactly what I needed to hear. It
pushed my heart out of my head and back where it belongs,"
she looked at him hoping he would catch on.
"And where is that Miss Holt?" He wasn't sure if he
understood what she was saying. The blasted woman never made
any sense.
She looked at him for a minute trying to keep her bluster at
the fore, "With you." She said it. She finally told
him. Now it was up to him to tell her he still felt the same
way.
He just sat there. His face turned a shade of grey. "I was
going to leave you. I was going to abandon everything that we
had built. I thought you were going to run off with Murphy."
He looked at his hands. He wasn't sure if she was angry. He couldn't
lift his head. He knew she would be mad, hurt, "I know you're
probably upset, but I have never been one to deal with failure.
I knew I had failed if you went off with him. You deserve better.
Better than me, I just thought that you... Laura please say something."
She sat and had taken everything in. She had made her choice,
"Are you going to leave now?"
"Is that what you want?" His stomach suddenly felt
like it wanted to evacuate all of its passengers. His life was
not in his control. He felt like a little boy again, being shuffled
to where he was most useful.
"I told you what I want. If you still feel you need to leave
I suppose I understand," Laura wanted to jump into his arms
and beg him not to leave. This was not the time for it though.
"Then I guess I'll be staying," he felt a relief that
couldn't be equaled, "I should stand up and make violent
love to you right here," he looked at her and smiled, "but
I don't think I trust my legs."
Laura chuckled and sat down on the desk, "Can you deal with
a friendly hug? We have a lot of work to do before we can take
the time for much else."
"Laura, did you consider the question in my letter at all?"
"To be honest, I didn't finish the whole letter. I read
the first few lines and--," Laura halted, "What question?"
"I suggest you read the rest of the letter and meet Mildred,
your mother and I for dinner tonight. I'm going to make the reservations
now," he stood up and walked over to his door before he
paused. He winked at Laura and smiled unabashedly as he whistled
his way to his desk.
***
Laura couldn't wait to find out what the rest of the letter read.
She raced through the mail at the office and sped home. Her actions
went unnoticed since Remington left to take care of, what was
it that he said? Oh well, it couldn't be too important if she
wasn't able to recall and Mildred went out home when Mr. Steele
came in.
The cat like reflexes Laura usually possessed weren't to be found
anywhere. She fumbled with her keys and the lock on the door.
Once she was in, she clamored through her bags searching for
the piece of paper that seemed more important than anyone or
anything else at this particular moment. When she found it she
raised it in the air in victory.
She knew this could be very important, so she sat down on the
floor and read the letter aloud, "Dearest Miss Holt, I know
I've never said how much I cared about you, so I would like to
explain now. My intentions, contrary to popular belief, are of
only the purest of origins. Well, they are now, even if earlier
they might have been less than noble."
Laura chortled a bit and continued on, "I don't know how
to explain how I feel. I'll do my best to describe it though.
When you're in the room I can't think of anything else. My heart
feels like it's leaping out of my chest when you look at me and
smile. When you are angry with me I feel like I let you down,
but at the same time I want to ravish your body. I want to be
with you when you wake up and I want to protect you from any
danger you may encounter. I wish I could see you when you wake
up in the morning. I don't think that this is love, Laura. It's
more than that. There are times that I hate you and your damned
rules. Times when I want to just sit and talk to you for hours.
Times when I could share everything that I have lived through.
I care about you in ways I didn't know existed."
"I suppose I sound a little odd. I just don't know how to
explain it any other way. When I started writing this it was
to get rid of frustration. I was going to read you the riot act
and now I couldn't harm a hair on your lovely hide. Before I
turn in there is one thing that is bothering me terribly though.
Two things actually, would you mind calling me Remington after
this? Mr. Steele is all well and fine in the office, but I believe
I just professed my love for you and it just seems a little strange
to call the man in your life by his surname. The second thing
is a bit inane, I know, but would you, as they say in all of
those sixties beach movies, be my girl? I know it's a small step,
but it's still a step forward. It's the biggest commitment I
have ever made. Even if the answer is not something I want to
hear I would like one all the same."
"Now that I have made a fool of myself, I am heading off
to bed. Love, Your Remington Steele. P.S. I hope I'm not being
too presumptuous."
Laura smiled. This was not what she was expecting. This was,
however, exactly what she wanted. To take things slow, she needed
to work her way slowly into a real relationship. Although they
dated casually, nothing had ever been written in stone. Now they
would have to work their way through their differences without
running to their corners. They couldn't use other people as weapons
any more their bond was just between Laura Holt and her Remington
Steele. There weren't any openings for more eligible applicants.
She beamed knowing exactly how she was going to answer him tonight.
He would never expect this. Now what should she wear?
***
At seven sharp Laura's door received a sharp knock. "Come
in, I'll be right there," Laura singsong-ed from her bedroom.
She was in the middle of putting the finishing touches on her
outfit. She decided to wear a floor length, strapless, black
dress with a slit that went up to the middle of her thigh on
the side. She wore her hair down because she overslept and didn't
have time to deal with making sure it all stayed put.
"Good evening, luv!" Remington greeted as he walked
in.
"I'll be done in a minute, I dozed off for a little longer
than I had planned," she explained.
"It's fine, I'm sure they won't cancel our reservations
for a while," he was trying hard not to laugh as he ushered
in the catering staff, string trio, Mildred, Abigail, and even
Frances and Donald Piper were invited. Remington wanted to remember
this night for a long time.
He was very nervous. Tonight had to be perfect. He had this plan
in his pocket for a while, but now he was wondering if it really
was as brilliant as he thought.
"I'm ready to--," Laura stopped moving when she saw
the crowd in her apartment, "I, what is this?" She
was genuinely confused, her family save for those that had disappeared
and the ones who had to be in bed by nine were there, along with
what looked like a catering company, a string... one, two, three...
string trio, and Remington. This wasn't exactly what she had
thought of when he mentioned dinner, but since when did Mr. Steele
make sense?
For his part, Remington didn't know exactly what to say other
than, "I thought that this would be better than a restaurant."
He jammed his hands in the pockets of his black dress pants.
He had dressed in his favorite tux. He had it designed after
the one Rick wore in Casablanca.
"You look stunning tonight Laura," he eyes twinkled
a bit and pulled out the folding chair that the staff had set
up. Laura walked over and gave him a kiss on the cheek and sat
down.
"Hello everyone, Frances, Donald, Mother, Mildred,"
she paused and looked pointedly in his direction, "Remington,"
she saw him grin like a little boy, "I wasn't expecting
anyone, otherwise I would have cleaned up a bit."
Dinner went very well. Abigail, Mildred and Frances kept trading
glances every time Laura and Remington snuck a glimpse of the
other or when their hands would linger when they were passing
dishes on the table.
After dinner, Remington stood up and tugged at his collar, "I
guess you are all wondering why I did this," he paused for
a dash of drama, "The main reason is to avoid too much embarrassment.
I wanted to tell Laura in front of all of the important people
in her life that, well, I..." he regained his determination,
"Laura, I love you with all of my heart. I want to thank
you for making a name and a home for me," he had a mild
smile on his face. He was getting worried when Laura just sat
unmoving.
Then she opened her mouth, choosing her words very carefully,
"I love you too. I didn't think I could say it until I read
the letter you wrote. I knew I couldn't keep it hidden from the
world after," Laura paused
"Laura, you weren't fooling anyone honey," Abigail
Holt added in. The occupants of the table had a brief laugh.
Then Laura continued, "I read the letter and I thought it
was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for me. Not even
in high school did a guy ask if I would be his girl. It was just
something that happened and now," she reached for Remington's
hand, "I'm a grown woman and I'm going to be going around
telling people about my steady."
Remington's face brightened, "Correction, you will go around
telling people that you've been pinned," he reached in his
pocket and pulled out a jewelry box, "I couldn't get Royal
Lavulite on short notice, so I hope you don't mind sapphire."
He opened the box and pulled out a small heart shaped pin with
a sapphire in the middle. "May I?" He motioned the
pin towards her chest. Laura nodded her head yes. He angled his
head trying to figure out how to pin it on her dress without
violating her. He found a spot he felt would be fairly safe and
kneeled down to pin her dress. The audience around the table
held their collective breath as he straightened the fabric around
the pin. Then Laura wrapped her arms around his neck.
He didn't think that Laura would want to engage in any tongue
wrestling in front of her family, so he gave her a light kiss
on her forehead and drew her into a hug. Laura, who was a bit
disappointed crooned in her ear, "Remington, darling, I
hope you don't plan on such a tame night after the company leaves."
She felt his immediate reaction against her.
He purred back in her ear, "Laura, I promise you will not
be disappointed."
The End
- BACK