Steele Untitled Part 6
Date: Saturday, June 01, 2002

Sinead O'Byrne <SteeleaScarecrow@hotmail.com>

OK, ......here's part 6! Enjoy it! And BTW, I know nothing about horses.
Sinead

I quickly showered, changed, and a quick phone call told me where Laura was
staying. I walked down the street to where my old junker was parked, and I
couldn't wait for Harry's old Auburn to come in. I pulled up out front, and
pulled out my press badge, as usual. It enabled me to get into places I
normally couldn't with ease. I walked up to the front desk and asked what
room Laura was in. If it wasn't for my press badge, I knew I wouldn't have
been able to get her room number. I walked up the few flights of stairs in
the old, decripit hotel, and knocked on her door. I waited for her to
answer. When she did, she almost slammed the door right back in my face, but
I managed to get my purse in before she could slam the door. "What do you
want?" She asked from behind the door.

"To talk to you."

"Talk? Like we did in the alley?"

"No, talk, like gal-to-gal, friendly. I'm just as human as you are. I just
have a very short temper, and a very caring nature."

"Caring nature?"

"I care for Harry, don't I?" She rolled her eyes. "Look, I just wanted to
know how YOU feel about Harry. I'll make it that simple."

"What does it mean to you?"

"It means to me that if he knows you're here, it's going to break his heart.
If it can be broken any more. If you ask him to, he'll die for you. Now if
that's not love and devotion, I don't know what is. Now, tell me exactly
what happened a few nights ago, when he propsed."

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because I want to know what was behind you turning him down."

"You want to know what?"

"What you were thinking. I know you really care for him, otherwise you
really wouldn't be here. What made you say æno'? I minored in psychology,
I'm great at figuring things out about feelings and thoughts." I said,
exaggerating a little. I had really only taken two classes before giving up,
but she didn't know that.

"What do you mean, æWhat was I thinking?" She said. I could tell that she
didn't want to be having this conversation, but I also got the distinct
impression that she was slightly scared by me, after she'd seen what a mad,
raging maniac I could be.

"I wanted to know what was going through your head." I said, leaning casualy
against the door frame.

"Why?"

"I already told you why. Harry would probably come from thin air to this
room if he knew you were here, and then wind up having to put up with that
night again. You didn't here him the other night, I think he was replaying
it in his sleep." That was a total lie, but the more I got the guilt trip
going, the better.

"OK, you want to know what I was thinking. I wasn't. There, are you happy?
You can go now." She said, ready to shove me out the door.

"Nuh-huh. You ain't getting off that easy. If you care for him so much, why
did you just flat out say æno'? Why not an æI'll think about it'?"

"I just told you, I wasn't thinking."

"Obviously. Now, WHY weren't you thinking?"

"You try having someone ask you to marry them! I was so shocked, I couldn't
think of anything to say."

"So you just said the thing that you've constantly told him. No."

"Not constantly."

"Answer me this, as wellàà.If you wanted a big commitment so much, why did
this come as such a shock to you?"

"I wasn't expecting marriage. I'm just not ready for something THAT big."

"Well, what kind of a commitment were you expecting?"

"Something smaller than that, certainly."

"An example?" I was grilling her, using all of my skills as a reporter.

"Like, buying his condo instead of just leasing it."

"What if he got bored with the condo, and wanted somplace else in LA? Real
estate agents had a ball with him when he was younger. Apartment hunting
every 6 months. He once moved out of one condo, moved to another across
town, then moved back into the one next door." Well, it had actually been
two doors down, but, as most people know, I like to embellish tales, mostly
when it came to me and Harry.

"Seriously?" She asked, almost shocked at what she heard.

"Yes, seriously. Now, any other examples?"

"I-I don't know." She said, and I could tell that it was being truthful.
Laura was even starting to warm up to me, I thought.

"Look, I'll tell you what. I'll see how Harry is tommorow, and if all is
well and good, I'll send him after you. BUT, you have to do everything on
MY terms." I said grinning. She just raised her eyebrows, and shrugged as I
walked out. I breezed out, and felt my pager vibrate on my belt. I checked
the number. The car import company. I grinned, and zoomed along in my old
junker to the docks.

"Tabby!" The man there said as he saw me.

"He John. Just got a page, I belive there's a car for me?" I said, an eager
look in my eyes.

"Yeah, and you look like a kid on Christmas. Down there." He said gesturing
with his head, as he was holding a large box. I hurried down to where there
was a large boat. I was amazed at how quickly they got it here. Just about
three days. As I watched them drive it up the ramp, a large grin broke
across my face. I contemplated driving back to Laura's hotel to give her a
lift to the airport, just so she could see the car, again. But, I knew I'd
have to keep it away from Harry. But I couldn't resist one thing. I thought
for a moment though, as I got to the car.

"How'd you start the car?" I asked the guy who was stepping out of it.

"Hot-wired it. Have to most of the time, people forget to give us the keys."

"Leave it running, it's my brother's car, and I never got the key from him."

"Whatever." The guy said, and I hopped over the door. I quickly toured it
around London and the surrounding contryside, grinning, feeling my hair
being blown back by the wind. I came up on the street behind my house, and
pulled it as far as I could into the alley, clipping the two wires to the
sides to stop someone from hotwiring it, before locking the steering wheel.
A car like that was valuable. I made my way up the rest of the alley before
walking into Daniel's house.

"Where's Harry?" I asked Daniel as I walked in.

"Out riding."

"Well, he can use some competition. Where at, up at the country villa?" He
nodded. "What's ammater? You look troubled about something." I said,
noticing his face seemed pale and gaunt.

"Nothing, really." He said. I gave him a look. "Look, it doesn't concern
you." He said, trying to brush me off.

"Daniel, if it bothers you, it concerns me. Spit it out."

"No, I told you, it's nothing, really."

"Tell me. NOW!" I said, showing a small spark of anger and frustration.

"OK, fine, it's nothing, just a little case of something, should clear up
soon enough."

"Daniel, you know as well as I do, you're never sick, what's really the
matter?"

"That boy's aging me, that's what."

"Elaborate."

"It's nothing that can't be fixed with a little medicine."

"YOU? Take medicine? My heart can't take it."

"Mine can't take all the problems that Harry's going through." I sobered up
into seriousness very quickly.

"Heart problems? Goddammit Daniel! Take it easy man. What's ammater?"

"That's why I didn't want to tell you. I don't need looking after, just a
little angina, that's all."

"I'm not looking after you. I have no maternal instincs, period. That's why
I'm happy having a million and two boyfriends and not settiling down. I
don't look after people. I care for them. Not bring soup to them on trays
and force them into bed." He smiled at me.

"Thanks. Now, go on, beat Harry at a horse race. He can always pick a winner
when he's betting, but when he's riding, he's always in last."

"That's cause he can't ride!" I said laughing, as I ran upstairs into
Harry's room, despite a look from Daniel, and raided the pockets of his
suits, until I found the keys for the Auburn. I ran down stairs, tossing the
keychain into the air and catching it.

"What are those?" Daniel asked me, as I was leaving.

"The keys to the Auburn." I said opening the door.

"Why do you have those?"

"Because it's parked in the alley between our houses." He gave me a look of
disbelif for a moment, then realising that it was me he was talking to, he
just shrugged, and let me go with no further comment. I made sure to park
the car a good distance from anywhere Harry would see it, and walked up to
the stables. I quickly found my usual mount, a beautiful black horse,
appropriatly named blaze, for the white star on his forhead. Harry always
kept a safe distance from Blaze, since most people would swear he was
half-wild. But it didn't matter much, all you had to do was keep away from
his hooves while you tacked him up. I quickly mounted him, and rode off,
looking for Harry. I found him galloping across a field, trying to get the
horse to go over a log. "You're bringing her in too fast." I said, riding
up.

"Tabitha? What are you doing here?"

"I was bored, so I came to see if you wanted company." He gave me a little
lopsided grin.

"And, since you seem to be the expert, how fast do you bring a horse in to
jump?"

"A fast canter, not a full gallop. You're asking to be bucked off if you
bring her in that fast." I said, bringing my horse in to demonstrate. We
wound up competing all afternoon, before finally retiring back to the
stables.

"How'd you get here?" He asked me, as we sat sitting inside the house.

"Old Betsy, but I don't think she'll make it back. That car's falling
apart." I lied.

"I'll drive you back." He offered.

"No thanks. I'll stick around for a while." I said. Then, I found myself
trying to come up with an easy way to broach the subject of Laura.
"Uhhhà.Harry?" I started.

"Hmm?" He asked.

"Uhhhhhh. I uhàà" I started.

"Just spit it out. What's bothering you."

"Well, I hate to ruin this beautiful day, but.."

"You're hedging."

"But, I spoke with uhàà.I spoke with Laura today." If he showed any emotion
at all,it was just a twinge of pain in his eyes.

"so?"

"So, she wanted me to tell you thatààà.." I said, stalling again. He looked
over the brim of his glass.

"Tell me what?"

"That she was sorry, and things didn't exactly turn out they way she
expected." He almost choked on the gulp of whatever he was drinking.

"Where is she?" He asked getting up. I looked down at my watch.

"in a hotel."

"She was HERE? In London?"

"Yeah, but she's staying put until I tell her to move."

"I suppose that's for her sake."

"your sake."

"What do you mean, my sake?" I was in deep shit now. Really deep shit.

"Because this way, you can go chasing after her when YOU want. Put her
through the hoops you've been through." He thought about this for a minute.
I did have a point, and he knew it.

"So in other words, she's stuck wondering IF I go back, and IF I do, when?"

"Not quite, since I'm nice, I said if you didn't want to go back that I'd
tell her."

"I appriciate your help Tab, but next time, at the very least, keep me in
the loop."

"Harry, you're the one that just spent three days cooped up in that damn
revival house, and the one who was bawling like a toddler!" He lost this
battle.

"Fine. Have it your way." He said, getting up.

"Yeah, why the hell not. Tell you what, if you leave, I'll go with you.
Still have to finish my globetrotting."

"The rest of the states?"

"And Canada, and South America."

"South America's not much to look at."

"Ahh, but it was were the Kilkenny Kid was discovered."

"A streetcorner in Rio. Probably isn't even there anymore. The only thing of
intrest to you is the fact that you could do a special interview with one of
those drug smugglers." I shrugged.

"The rainforest."

"You want a rainforest, go to Africa."

"And get my head bitten off by a lion? No way! I'd rather be killed by a
killer slug!" He laughed.

"OK, fine. Have it your way." He said, getting up.

"You sure you don't want a ride back?"

"I'm sure, hopefully Old Betsy'll make it back."

"You sure?"

"If not, ever heard of a taxi?"

"Last time I'm offering a ride."

"Last time I'm saying I don't need it." Oops. That did it.

"What's the HP?"

"What?"

"You got a new car, and don't want me to see it."

"Yeah. Hit the nail on the head."

"So what is it?"

"I'm not telling."

"Tabitha, come on..."

"Nope, not telling." He reached into my bag, and pulled out the familiar
hardcover blue book.

"then maybe I'll tell the world you're secrets."

"You wouldn't."

"I would." he said grinning. I grinned back. This was the Harry I knew. the
wonderfully ruthless, cunning, hilarious, hysterically funny guy that I
knew, who could knock off any accent, from any character, in any movie, and
did too.

"Fine, when we get back. Just give me a little while." I said, and true to
my word, I waited for about twenty minutes before driving off, and taking
the longest way back as possible, showed up about another half hour later.
As I walked into the house, I found Harry waiting for me. "Promise not to
kill me?" I asked, looking at him.

"Promise."

"No, seriously, you lay a finger on me, I kill you."

"Fine."

"Ok, it's outside." I said, waiting.

"TABITHA!"


End Part 6

To Part 7

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