Steele a Fantasy by Felyndiira
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Remington Steele (wish I did!) nor Fantasy Island. This blending of the two however is mine.
Dedication: This story is dedicated to the two reviewers of my first story, A Christmas Steele. Thank you to gilmoradict and sf. fangirl for their encouragement. I've been letting my imagination wander in search of another plot bunny to write for you two, and came up with this one.
Author Notes: A/U where Bonds of Steele and Season 5 never occurred
Mildred Krebs settled into her favorite chair in her living room along with the other members of the Dragon Ladies bowling team. After their regular practice, the team had returned to Mildred's apartment to help celebrate her birthday. It had become a tradition among the group. While they ate their cake and drank their coffee or tea, Mildred eyed the presents currently sitting on the coffee table. There was one large box, one small box, and an envelope. After everyone had finished their cake, the presents were opened. Esther had gotten Mildred a new bowling ball bag that coordinated with their bowling shirts and had a dragon on the side. Rose had gotten her a new blue bowling glove. Hazel handed her an envelope, with a small smile, saying, "I thought of you right away when I got this, Mildred."
Mildred opened the envelope to find a thick piece of vellum that unfolded to reveal the words, "My fantasy is to" followed by several lines that were obviously meant to be filled in. Mildred looked up at Hazel quizzically, "A fantasy?" Esther piped in, "Oh, Hazel, is that for that vacation spot you went to a couple of months ago?" Hazel nodded, "Remember I took that weekend away? Well, it's a place called "Fantasy Island" where your dreams can come true. I thought it silly when my son got it for me for my birthday, but thought what the heck? I filled in the card that I wanted to bowl a perfect game. A couple of weeks later I got an envelope in the mail with my travel plans, and I spent the weekend on a tropical island. I played in a bowling tournament there, and I bowled a perfect game in the last round to win!" Rose said, "You have improved your average several points since you went on that trip." Hazel nodded again, "I felt so good knowing what that felt like, my confidence has been through the roof ever since then! Anyway, when I was leaving, Mr. Roarke, he's the director, handed me this envelope and said if I knew of anyone who would like to experience a fantasy like I did, to give them the envelope. So I thought of you Mildred! I know you have a dream job at the Remington Steele Agency and all, but surely there is some fantasy you'd like to experience. They can do so much more than that, too!" Mildred looked back down at the envelope and said, "Like what?" Hazel came to stand next to Mildred's chair. "Well the weekend I was there, a young man wanted to know how his life would be different if he had asked his college sweetheart to marry him instead of taking a high-powered job in New York City. There was also a young woman whose husband had died suddenly, and she wanted one last weekend with him, one last chance to talk to him. When we got on the seaplane to come home, he was planning on finding her and trying to re-establish their relationship if she was available, and the young woman looked as if she was returning from a honeymoon, if you know what I mean..." The other two ladies snickered, but Mildred looked thoughtful. "Thank you, Hazel, I'll give this some serious thought. I'm sure the kids would get by without me for one weekend."
After her friends had left, Mildred stood in the kitchen finishing up the dishes, glancing over her shoulder at the piece of paper sitting on the kitchen table next to a pen. She had been all gung-ho to fill the paper out tonight when the girls left, but the more she thought about it, the harder she found it to pick something. *I used to dream of traveling, but now that I've done some of that working at the Agency, it's not that big of a deal anymore* There were things she regretted from her past, places she had dreamed of seeing when she was younger, but things had changed so much for her in the past 3 years since she started working at Remington Steele Investigations. Drying her hands on a towel, she sat the table looking at the envelope. *What if I hadn't gotten married to that loser? What if my ex had been faithful to me and we never got divorced? What if I hadn't left the IRS to come work with the kids? What if I had been able to have kids?* This last thought was one that still haunted her from time to time. She would have been a great mother, she'd like to think, maybe that was what her biggest fantasy was.
As she picked up the pen, the phone rang. Setting it down, she moved to answer the phone. It was Steele, reminding her to pick up some croissants on her way into the office as he and Ms. Holt had an early morning meeting with a client. "No worries, Boss, I know the perfect place on my way to work, I'll get a nice assortment for you." He thanked her and hung up. Moving back to the table, she thought about her Boss, Remington Steele, and his partner at the Agency, Laura Holt. Those two were so much more than employers or even friends to her. They felt like... her kids. She sighed, realizing that this was the closest to being a mother she would have in real life, but that it felt really good to have them. If only they'd... Her eyes widened and she picked up the pen and began to write before she changed her mind. Setting the pen down when she was finished, she re-read her answer.
My fantasy is to see Mr. Steele and Ms. Holt realize just how much they love each other and become a real couple.
Mildred folded up the paper and sealed it. Flipping it over, it was already stamped and had a post office box in Los Angeles as the designated address. She added the Agency's address in the upper left hand corner of the envelope. She would drop it into the mail the next day at the office. Tucking it into her purse, she went to prepare for bed.
THREE WEEKS LATER:
It was early on a Friday morning, and Mildred was sorting through the morning mail when she came across a thick envelope addressed to her from "Fantasy Island". She raised her eyebrows, having almost forgotten all about the envelope she had sent off after her birthday. She tucked the envelope into the drawer of her desk, and finished sorting the rest of the mail. At lunchtime, she tucked it into her purse and went off to read it while she ate. Opening the envelope she found a letter, and an airplane ticket for a weekend trip next weekend. Tucking the ticket back into the envelope she opened the letter.
Dear Ms. Krebs,
Congratulations! Your fantasy is about to come true. Enclosed you will find your ticket to come visit us on Fantasy Island. To prepare for your trip, please do the following:
Make an appointment for Mr. Roarke with Mr. Steele for Monday morning, 10:30 AM.
We will take it from there. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to make your fantasy come true.
Sincerely,
Mr. Roarke and the staff of Fantasy Island
Mildred stared at the letter, disbelieving what she was reading. How could her taking an island vacation make the kids realize they truly loved each other? She shook her head, and put the letter into the envelope, and finished her lunch. When she returned to the office, she carefully wrote in Mr. Roarke at 10:30 AM on Monday. When Steele and Ms. Holt left for the afternoon, they stopped by the desk to wish her a good weekend and to check on the schedule for Monday. She told them each that a Mr. Roarke had called in asking for a meeting, and it sounded urgent so she had him set up for Monday morning at 10:30. They nodded and went on their way. Mildred looked down at the appointment book, and felt a little twinge at having lied to the kids. But if it made her fantasy come true, a little white lie would be worth it. She wondered exactly what events had been set in motion for them, and would it work?
To Be Continued