Steele a Long Way to Go(Finale)
Date: Friday, May 05, 2000
sue hantak <hantaks@mtco.com>


(Part 4)

The monitor indicated his flight was due to land on time. Laura walked to the international gates. She was incredibly nervous, not allowing herself to speculate what might happen when she saw him again. She sat in the vinyl chairs way off to the side, not wanting to appear too anxious. Constantly checking her watch and wringing her hands however undermined that strategy.

Steele reclined in first class also extremely uneasy. He had made such a terrible mistake. She would forgive him, wouldn't she? Laura could never be described as predictable. Actually he was hoping for the unpredictable. Any sensible woman would tell him where he could stick his apology. And God knows sensible was Laura's middle name. The pilot announced to prepare for landing. Remington took a deep breath, returned his seat and tray table to an upright and locked position and silently said a prayer. He was one of the first passengers off the plane. A small group of people gathered near the door. He peered over the group and saw her, standing off to the side, expressionless, her arms folded in a defensive stance. He walked toward her. Two steps away he tossed his carryon bag aside. With a sincere, "I'm so sorry" he reached for her, pulled her into a tender embrace. With Laura cradled in his arms and his lips near her ear, he whispered "I'm so sorry" a second time. Laura's arms surrounded his shoulders on their own volition and pulled him closer. As if on cue, their heads leaned back, their lips sought each other and met with a starved passion. An airport announcement brought them back to reality. Remington reluctantly let go of Laura and retrieved his bag from the floor. He placed his free arm around Laura waist and whispered, "I'd much rather do that with you than with Fred or Mildred".

They walked in silence to Laura's car . Remington was confused by Laura's route home,"Laura, this isn't the way to my apartment"

"You had to move, too" Laura replied keeping her eyes on the road.

"I did?"

"Actually WE did." Laura admitted, again avoiding any eye contact.

At a stop light he turned to face her from the passenger seat. "Would you mind explaining that?"

"I will when we get home," Laura stalled.

Remington like the way she said 'we' and 'home'.

"Here we are," Laura announced as she pulled into the driveway.

He grabbed his bags from the trunk. He smiled approvingly as he followed Laura up the walk to the front door. He noticed her nervously fumbled with the keys. She still wasn't saying much.

"How about you show me where to put these first" he raised his luggage for emphasis.

"The master bedroom is this way," she led him down the hall and turned on the light for him.

He placed the suitcase on the bed and began to unzip it.

"It's late, I'll leave you alone" Laura turned from the doorway.

"Where are you going to sleep?"

"My bedroom is just down the hall"

"Why don't you sleep in here?"

"We'll talk about it tomorrow" Laura resigned. She was tired and their relationship was in such a tenuous state.

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her back into the master bedroom. "Not so fast, my dear, we are going to talk...and I mean really TALK this time." He patted the bedspread indicating that she should sit.

She grudgingly obliged. He pulled her letter out of the inside pocket of his suit.

She instantly recognized it and was mortified, "God you still have that?"

"You said that you could see more clearly since your head was out of the sand...Well...I can see much more clearly now that my head is out of my ass."

Laura laughed, grateful for his levity. "Is that where it's been?"

"I treated you ...so...I can't even think of the right word" he sat next to her bowing his head shaking it from side to side.

She placed her finger under his chin to raise his eyes to meet hers. He was encouraged by her gesture. He thought she was about to kiss him when she disappointed him with a sardonic reply, "I could think of a few".

"I'm sure you can." he leaned closer and was about to kiss her when he remembered his promise to himself to come clean with Laura. He stood up to regain his focus. "Anyway, that night,...OUR night...I had this dream...more of a nightmare really. When Daniel had the three coffins delivered...
somehow one of those was for you...and you were dead too...I woke up...I was confused..."

Laura pulled a pillow out from under the covers placed it under her chest to lay prone on the bed.

"I thought that if I pushed you away I could mourn for Daniel and you all at one time and never be hurt again...I know it's stupid...and it certainly didn't work."

He returned to the bed to lay next to her. With one arm supporting his jaw, the other brushed the hair from her forehead. He waited for some reaction. *Please say something* he thought to himself.

"You know you were right about one thing, though." Laura said in a childlike confession.

"How's that?"

"You said it wasn't all about me...I never really stopped to consider what you wanted...or what you were feeling."

"So that brings us to this," he held up to letter again.

"I shouldn't have written that...I was hurt...angry...I didn't mean any of it."

"None of it?" He was only interested in the I love you part.

"No"

"What do you mean, no...no, you didn't mean ANY of it or no, you didn't mean NONE of it?"

"Mr. Steele,...it's late...I'm in no mood to get into grammatical semantics."

"Okay let me cut to the chase, did you mean the 'I love you' part?" he blurted out with impatience.

Laura suddenly felt cornered. She rolled to her back and covered her face with the pillow. Very softly, muffled by the down feathers, she admitted, "Yes"

He lifted the pillow and flung it behind him. Gently he raised his body and positioned himself above her. In a low seductive voice he whispered, "Good, I didn't want to be the only one."

He lowered his lips to hers and sweetly kissed her lips, then nose, then eyes, then brow. He made his way back to her mouth by way of her cheek, then jaw, then ear, then throat. Incredibly heightened by his methodical path, she reached up. With her hands entwined in his hair, she maneuvered his lips to hers. Seeking to be even closer, he pressed hard on her lips and opened his mouth pulling hers open as well. Their tongues danced in the most intimate and suggestive manner. With her hands still holding his head she reluctantly pushed him away, breaking the fiery kiss.

"You're never going to say it, are you?" she accused, but seemed to be more amused than annoyed.

"By *it* are you referring to me saying that I love you?" He was teasing her mercilessly.

"Are you asking me or telling me?" Laura demanded, obviously frustrated by his torment.

"I'm telling you ," he was noticeably more serious now, "I love you, Laura...I always have...I always will".

The end.

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