Steele, Inc.-Atlanta Division
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"Nightmares of Steele"
Part 3
by
Thekla Kurth & Debra Talley
 
This story is set in the Brendan Universe.
 
Laura awoke with a jerk, flinging an arm across her eyes in an effort to shut out the horrible imaginings. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, still trying to erase the fragments of her dream. In the process she jostled Remington and he awoke with a start.
 
"Laura! What's is it? What's wrong?" Remington asked as he struggled to sit up in bed.
 
"It's nothing, Mr. Steele," she explained as she turned and pushed him back down onto his pillows. "I, ah, dozed off and it just startled me waking up here."
 
"Maybe we should do something to change your unfamiliarity about waking up here then, eh?" Remington asked as he looked at her seductively .
 
Laura merely smiled and patted his arm. Noticing the movie was over, she dug the remote control out from beneath the bed covers and clicked off both the television and VCR.
 
"Now go back to sleep," she instructed. "You need your rest."
 
"I'm not really sleepy now."
 
Laura glanced at the bedside clock. "It's time for your next pill anyway," she explained as she started to get up.
 
Remington touched her arm and then pulled her close to him. "Laura, I don't want a pill. And I don't want to go back to sleep."
 
The remnants of Laura's dream were still flitting about in her head, though. With visions of her mother and Mildred walking through the door, she just patted his arm and replied, "Mr. Steele, need I remind you that you have a broken leg?"
 
"We could work around it," he brightly answered. "Where there's a will, there's a way, eh?"
 
"No," Laura stated firmly as she rose to get the bottle of pills from the nightstand and shook one out into her hand.
 
Remington sighed loudly.
 
Laura faced him in surprise, hands on her hips. "That's it? You're giving up so quickly?"
 
"While normally there's nothing I enjoy more than arguing with you, Laura, I'm afraid I just don't have the energy tonight."
 
Laura just shook her head and smiled as she poured him a glass of water from the nearby carafe. She helped him sit up and held the glass to his lips so he could wash down the pill. Laura then helped him remove his robe and settled him under the covers before fluffing his pillows and tucking the covers around him.
 
As she turned, Remington asked, "Aren't you going to join me?"
 
"I thought we settled that."
 
"Just to sleep, Laura. Just to sleep," he assured her.
 
"Okay," she sighed, slipping off her robe and spreading it across the foot of the bed before gently settling herself next to Remington.
 
"Laura," Remington mumbled, putting his arms around her, wanting to cuddle. "About our conversation earlier ... "
 
"What about it?" she asked, having no idea what he was talking about.
 
"Laura, would you really plan to work if...after...you have children? Or would you consider staying home, maybe working at home or part time--at least during the formative years?"
 
"Why are we discussing this?"
 
"Well, better now than later, eh?"
 
"Like I told you before, I really don't know. I've never really given it much thought," she admitted
 
"Well, don't you think you should? *We* should?" Remington asked. "Give it some thought, I mean?"
 
"Perhaps," Laura admitted."But what's the rush? Nothing's going to happen."
 
Remington raised his eyebrow. "Can you really be sure of that?"
 
Laura smiled at him and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Nothing's going to happen *right now* because we are both going to *sleep* now," Laura finished. "Now be quiet and give me some more cover."
 
"You always were a demanding woman, Laura Holt," Remington complained as he shoved some of his cover over to her side of the bed. "But I guess that's part of your charm."
 
"And don't you forget it," Laura said. "Now, good night, Mr. Steele."
 
"Indeed, Miss Holt. Good night."
*****
 
The phone was ringing. Remington cursed loudly as he rushed to answer it, tripping over several offending objects in his path before finally grabbing it.
 
"Steele here... Oh, hello, Darling... Yes, everything's fine here... Tonight, Laura? That might be a bit of a problem. Are you sure we have to do the stake out tonight? ...Yes, yes, I know Mrs. Randall is counting on us to get proof of her husband's infidelity...Yes, I despise divorce cases, too, Laura. But obviously not everyone is as happy as we are... Arrangements for tonight? What about Mildred?"
 
Laura was in her office, sitting behind her desk."Tonight's Mildred's bowling night. How about Monroe?"
 
"Remember what happened last time?" Remington reminded her. "Monroe vowed he wouldn't come back into this house until it was exorcised."
 
A loud, sudden crash from the direction of the kitchen made Remington jump.
 
"Excuse me, Darling," Remington apologized as he dropped the phone and raced toward the kitchen.
 
There he found his two oldest sons (Brendan, 7, and Rory, 6) looking sheepish as they stood surrounded by broken glass and spilled Dom Perignon.
 
"He did it," each said, pointing to the other.
 
"All right. Clean it up," Remington ordered.
 
They took the broom and dustpan that Remington handed them, but instead of using the utensils to clean up their mess, they started chasing each other around the kitchen and then into the dining room.
 
Remington followed them, stepping in to rescue a priceless Waterford vase before it was knocked off the table.
 
"Now look here, mates!" Remington declared impatiently. "You know Mummy and I..."
 
Suddenly remembering Laura was still on the phone, Remington raced back to finish their conversation.
 
Unfortunately, he was waylaid in the hallway by the sight of four year old twins Remy and Laurie emerging from the master bedroom suite dragging Bogart, the family's English sheepdog. Bogart was dressed in Remington's tuxedo.
 
"Look, Daddy!" Remy exclaimed.
 
"We dressed up Bogart!" Laurie interjected.
 
"*Un*dress him," Remington ordered.
 
"But, Daddy..."
 
Just then Bogart wrenched free, galloped through the house and out the open back door. All three raced after him, but not fast enough. They reached the patio just in time to see Bogart scampering through the middle of the muddy flower garden where Abby, age 2, sat making mud pies.
 
"Daddy!" she screeched, sounding very much like her mother and grandmother Abigail. "Bogart ruined all my pies, but I saved the tea."
 
She extended an antique sterling silver Georgian teapot and poured muddy tea into an equally antique Wedgewood china cup. Walking over to Remington with the "tea," she tripped, falling and breaking the cup.
 
Before Remington could do anything, a wail from inside the house distracted him. He raced up the stairs to the nursery, lifting the baby from her crib. Draping her over one shoulder, he patted her back.
 
"What's the matter, Love? There, there; it's all right," Remington said reassuringly as he paced the nursery floor.
 
"Oh, no," he suddenly exclaimed. "Laura!"
 
He again raced back to the phone.
 
"Sorry, Love," Remington apologized. "A brief domestic crisis."
 
"What happened?" Laura asked.
 
"Oh, nothing much out of the ordinary," he assured her as he patted the baby's bottom. Then holding her at arm's length, he ruefully looked down at the large wet spot on his silk shirt.
 
"About tonight," Laura reminded him. "Who can we get to sit with the kids?"
 
"Jackie," Remington suggested.
 
"No!" Laura stated firmly. "Not unless we nail everything down first. I don't trust that pickpocket in my house."
 
"Now, Laura," Remington reminded her. "Jackie hasn't lifted anything in ages."
 
"What about Toni and Teri?" she suggested, ignoring his defense of Jackie.
"Good Lord, no! They might teach the kids to sing and dance! Uh, how about Clarissa or one of her friends?"
 
"Absolutely not,"Laura flatly refused. "I will not have a hooker taking care of my children! Besides, you know we can't afford her hourly rate. What about Mildred's nephew, Bernard?"
 
"Afraid not," Remington replied. "Bernard feels the same way as Monroe."
 
"Oh," Laura said dejectedly.
 
"What I wouldn't give to have Mary Poppins show up about now," sighed Remington. Then brightening, he said, "Mrs. DuBois, down at the end of the street!"
 
"But she's deaf," Laura reminded him.
 
"The perfect qualification, eh?" Remington said loudly as he was suddenly surrounded by his large and loving brood all clamoring for attention.
 
Brendan and Rory were still fighting, each of them with a broom now, barely missing their mother's prized Corriea lamp. The twins had managed to catch Bogart, but were now as muddy as he was. Abby was shoving a Cabbage Patch Kid at Remington and saying something about wanting a drink. And the baby had started crying again.
 
"I've got to go, Love," Remington explained. "I'll pick you up at the Agency at six."
 
"Okay, and after we get the evidence we can stop somewhere for a late supper to celebrate."
 
"Celebrate what?" Remington asked.
 
"Oh, didn't I tell you? The doctor called this morning and I'm pregnant--about six weeks along."
 
"Oh, no," Remington groaned, dropping the phone.
 
Laura could hear the children calling "Daddy!" and "I'm telling!" in the background, but she could get no response from her husband.
 
Puzzled, Laura repeatedly called, "Mr. Steele? Mr. Steele?"
 
********
 
"Mr. Steele. Mr. Steele!" Laura called as she shook Remington, who was tossing and turning in his sleep and mumbling something inaudible.

Groggily he came to and found himself staring into Laura's concerned face.

"Ah, Laura," he mumbled as his eyes crossed and then quickly closed. "Couldn't find a sitter. Had to bring the kids ... the stake out..."

Remington turned onto his side and threw his arm around Laura's shoulder as he rested his head against her.

Laura could tell he was once again lost in dreamland. The kids? A sitter? He certainly seemed preoccupied with the thought of children all of a sudden. Until now, she'd never allowed herself to think of a family with Remington. Who would have ever thought the great Remington Steele would be contemplating fatherhood? Wouldn't Felicia be surprised? Laura gleefully felt sure Remington had never discussed children with her.

 
Laura was intrigued by the mysterious crooked half-smile which crept onto Remington's face as he slept. Just exactly what sort of dream was her Man of Steele having that could cause such a look of contentment and devilment at the same time? Laura wondered as she drifted off to sleep ...
 
********
 
"He brought the limo for a stake out?" Laura muttered to herself in disbelief as she watched Remington pull the limo to a stop at the curb in front of the twin towers.
 
Then she opened the passenger's door and paused in surprise at what she saw inside the limo.
 
"You brought the kids?" she exclaimed in disbelief.
 
To be continued...

Steele, Inc.-Atlanta Div.

"Life in the Steele Lane" Index

dtalley@mindspring.com
 
Disclaimer: The characters of Remington Steele are used without permission.
This story copyrighted 1985 by Debra Talley. It is purely for entertainment purposes.