October 19, 2009
Inevitable Admission of Steele

1985. Summer. Remington Steele. Laura Holt. On Laura's couch, horizontal, kissing intensely, she on top, their bodies pressed together. Another evening lost in each other stretches out over the quiet, darkness. The soft music forgotten; the candle flames no longer burning, having succumbed to the sweet-smelling wax; moonlight from the kitchen window is the only point of light in the room.

He holds her head in his hands. Fingertips hidden in her soft, thick mane of hair caress her scalp. As he kisses her possessively, urgently, he experiences a realization so overwhelming he finds himself speaking words he had no idea were there until they came out of his mouth. Between kisses he speaks, "Laura, I need you, so much -more and more every day that passes. Please don't ever get tired of me."
She pauses to look at him. Her eyes are filled with want and a sense of belonging. "I can't imagine there ever being any danger of that, Mr. Steele."
"Ever?" he asks.
She looks at him thoughtfully. "I don't think so. I mean, I suppose some people do end up falling out of love but…"
He can't contain himself. "Are we in love?" he questions.
She hesitates, not quite sure how she managed to let that phrase slip from her lips. "What do you think?"
"I think that you love me but are too afraid to admit it for fear of what I may say in return." He states matter-of-factly. Shocking himself with his courage…or is it foolhardiness?
"Me? Afraid?"
"Yes. You. Laura Holt. Afraid." He challenges with determination in his eyes.
She's not sure where all of this is coming from but decides to roll with it. She takes a moment to stare directly into his eyes before responding. "I am in love with you Mr. Steele and have been for a long time. I don't expect I'll ever grow tired of you or fall out of love with you for any reason. I say that because it's the truth and I stand by it no matter what your response may be."
Completely caught off guard by her candor, he's at a loss for words. His Laura. While she is typically straightforward and seemingly fearless when it comes to their work, she's almost never that way when it comes to their relationship and the subject of … love. Ascertaining that he is quite literally dumbstruck, she decides to let him off the hook that seems to have lodged itself in his cheek. "Don't look so surprised. And don't feel you have to respond right away. I am more than willing to wait to hear you tell me that you are madly and irrevocably in love with me and that you can't imagine your life without me in it." He finally finds his voice and asks, "Are you?" She smiles sweetly and brushes her lips against his. "Absolutely. I'll wait for you."
"For how long?" He quirks a crooked smile at her. Oh he's teasing me now, she thinks to herself. "Hmmm, how long do you think you'll need?" She tosses the ball back in his court and squints her eyes at him playfully. Unexpectedly, he professes, "I love you. Desperately." She watches him for a long moment. It takes all of her resolve to hold back the tears burning behind her eyes. "No."
"No?" He repeats the word while simultaneously listening for the sound of his world crashing down around him. She smoothes his shirt. "No, I could never get tired of hearing that. Never get tired of you."
His world is safe. And with that, they begin again.