Christmas, Steele Christmas

Disclaimer:

Remington Steele and its characters are owned by MTM. No copyright infringement intended. For entertainment purposes only.

Set after Season 4. Season 5 doesn't exist in my universe. Mr. and Mrs. Steele are in front of their first Christmas as a married couple.

Chapter 1

Mr. Steele was entirely immersed in his reading when Laura opened the connecting door and walked into his office, "What are we going to do for Christmas?" She dropped the question in a very nonchalant way, shaking a not existent piece of lint off her blouse.

Mr. Steele put the paper on the desk and checked on the calendar beside the phone. "We are in October, Laura. Why are you asking a question about where are we going to spend an evening with such anticipation?"

"I like to have everything planned in advance, Mr. Steele. I suppose you're aware of that at this stage of our relationship. Everybody gets crazy at Christmas time, running from shop to shop, fighting like wrestlers for the last decent gifts still available at the stores. I feel better avoiding the difficult moment by having everything ready before the craziness of the time gets worse. Besides, the shopping result is amazingly better if done a few months earlier. And don't forget the issue about the food. It could be a challenging fact to find the piece that you want available at the last minute. Every place runs out of food as if it would be the final day at the end of December."

He looked at her, and after a brief thought, he told her, "Perhaps we should separate your concerns following two different patterns. First, you are worried about the presents. I can understand that, it's always easier to find better gifts if you go shopping in advance. Everybody knows that. You can take advantage of the Black Friday's offers, for example. That would suit you for sure, love. And I'd venture to say that if the time you need to wrap gifts is like the time you usually need to do the unwrapping, then you should go on with your plan and start shopping right away to be ready by Christmas Eve."

"Are you implying I'm a sort of an obsessed person who can't relax and have a good time getting everything ready for Christmas?"

"I don't seem to recall saying those unnecessary words, Laura; but I'm not sure if I want to be beside you while you are immersed in such a delicate and detailed task. It would put me in a certain bizarre mood after a while."

"Oh, just forget it. I supposed we were going to do the Christmas shopping together. That's what most married people enjoy to do after all. We'd have plenty of time if we start doing the shopping right away, and I'd like to take advantage of that. That was all."

"Listen, Laura; what do you think would happen if we go together to do the Christmas shopping? Do you think we will agree about what to choose for everyone like most people do? I don't see us visiting the same kinds of shops; or even trying to agree about what gift would be the perfect one for your sister or the one serious enough for your mother. We usually set our goals in different objectives."

"You don't want to do the shopping with me?" she asked trying to hide her disappointment.

"I didn't want it to sound like that. But…"

Laura looked at him with a trace of deception in her eyes, "You have a point, Mr. Steele. The whole thing will be much less stressful without you involved. Was that what you were expecting to hear? Fine, I'm going to do the shopping alone, and you go for your presents by yourself. That's not what I was expecting for our first Christmas as a married couple, but I guess I shouldn't have wished for the unexpected to happen."

"Come on, Laura! Don't make a scandal about a simply stated fact! We can't go shopping together. You know it."

She focused her eyes on the desk, looking again for non-existent lint there, "I guess so…"

"I have an idea that perhaps would work. What do you think if we split the gifts list, and you go for the female part of the family, and I go for the male one? In that way, we will not have any misunderstanding about what should or should not be the perfect gift for anyone. We will trust in each other to get the Christmas shopping solved in the best way."

"You're saying you're buying presents for Donald and Danny, and I'm getting presents for my mother, Frances, Laurie Beth, and Mindy?" She thought about it for an instant, "Well, it does sound reasonable. At least I will not have to look for a jeweler's receipt the size of Pasadena hidden inside your suit's pockets."

He made an effort and kept his mouth shut, "So, do we have a deal?"

"We have a deal, Mr. Steele. But I'd like to draw some boundaries about the spending, anyway."

"It was too good to be real…"

"If this conversation would be happening between two reasonable people, I…"

"It's fine, Laura. We are aware that one of us will never fit into ordinary in what behaviors might refer. "

She suddenly got serious, "Are you talking about me? What do you mean by ordinary behaviors?"

"One would expect that ordinarily, Christmas time would let people get their minds into the family, the great time they will have together sharing a wonderful Christmas Eve, the best way to put a smile on the faces of their loved ones when they open their presents… Ordinarily, people would care less about certain facts about everyday life, like the spending, putting the focus in making other's wishes come true…"

"I supposed you would arrive at that part eventually. The truth is, Mr. Steele, that you can positively make your loved ones' wishes come true without the need of spending a fortune in the attempt. Some of the real spirits about Christmas is to give as it is given. We are not a wealthy family, and I don't want to have my sister and mother thinking about how insignificant their presents looks like because we appear at their house with outsized gifts. Besides, expensive doesn't always mean the best. A smaller but more personal gift would say volumes about how much you know and care about the other one."

"We are in the same tune, Laura. I won't spend any money on jewelry for Danny, or even for Donald, although you know I really appreciate the man and his little one."

Laura finally gave away and laughed, "Mr. Steele, you are incorrigible."

He stood up, and came close against her, "I figure I am, among other qualities I'd possess…"

"I'm a fan of many of your qualities, you know…"

"Care to elaborate?"

"I'll be delighted to do that later. But first, you don't think I've missed what you said at the beginning of our conversation, don't you?"

"It figures… You don't miss a clue, Laura."

"I'm a detective."

"Of course you are. So, what do you want me to explain?"

"You said you should separate your concerns in two different lines. The first one was about the Christmas shopping, in which we've just made a deal. What's the second one about?"

"The second… Just let me put it in this way. You can leave the food out of your worries, love. I'll take care pleasantly of whatever your family would want to delight their palates with."

"I was hoping you'd say that. Are you going to call Frances? She just called me asking about the menu, and I couldn't refuse to offer my favorite chef's help."

"Just to be clear, love; would the help include agreeing to all your sister's suggestions, or should I have a word about the matter myself?"

"I'm a generous woman, Mr. Steele. You can go with absolute freedom in this one. Just make the call, and enjoy your time." She met his lips with his in a brief kiss and turned back to her office. Right before closing the connecting door, she added, "She wants you to do the cooking together in her kitchen. She doesn't want to miss a detail about your chef's skills, beginning right at the shopping. Have a safe journey, Mr. Steele. "

She finally closed the door. Once Mr. Steele was sure he was alone, he quickly grabbed the phone and dialed Mildred's intern, "Mildred, please be sure to put in a safe place the jeweler's order when it arrives. Laura is onto it. And about the receipt… make it disappear as fast as you can. We don't need a Christmas tree with some unwrapped presents waiting for a fugitive man under it.

"So, she finally dropped the Christmas issue?"

He straightened up from his previous position, "What do you mean with finally?" asked Mr. Steele lightly surprised.

"She'd been hanging surreptitiously around the subject for weeks."

"Why did you keep her secret instead of telling me, Mildred?"

"For the same reason, you wanted my mouth shut about some of your latest jewelry expenses. May I remind you what I am speaking about?"

"It's not necessary, Mildred. I can figure it out myself."

"So, are you going to do the cooking with Frances, chief?"

"I'm supposed to behave, Mildred. Besides, it's not like we are talking about a hard sacrifice like doing paperwork… I love to cook."

"Well, in that case, you can add your secretary's kitchen to your visiting list. I'd love to have you for a cooking day in my kitchen, Mr. Steele. I'll do the dishes. I promise."

"Are you asking for it as a Christmas present, or should I take it as an extortion Mildred?"

"Extortion? Don't you dare to suggest something like that coming from me, chief. Let's think about it as a special Christmas present. I'll be able to show it off in front of my sister's family, after all. You'll make our Christmas Eve a delicious one."

"I'll do my best, Mildred."

"Then, I guess we have a deal," said Mildred.

"It depends."

"It depends on what?"

"Are you still sure you'll be able to keep the secret about our agreement in front of Laura?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, chief. What agreement?"

"Spare me the shopping part if you can, Mildred. My schedule at that time will be as tight as Laura's."

"It was too good to be true…" answered the Secretary.