Mildred stumbled over the sand dunes. The heat of the sun baked her skin and perspiration trickled down her face from her temples. She was hot, she was tired and she had never felt so utterly alone. The boss had deserted her! Left her for dead! Left her with those crazy sadistic camel-lovin jockeys! All to go after some jewel. The leopard hadn't changed its spots after all. Mildred wished that Miss Holt would see through his ruse- and rescue her.

She was forced to walk, having lost the donkey a ways back when it bucked her from its saddle. She had tried to reason with it, but fearful that it would sit on her again, she simply decided to walk. And walk she did. She only hoped she was headed toward the airport

Her knees buckled and she fell onto the sand, rolling down a dune to rest at its base.

Then, the Sufis rose up from the sand like nightmarish goblins. Shaking themselves off, Abdullah grabbed Mildred by the collar. Several of his comrades had come round her, cursing and shouting. One drew his sword, and dragging Mildred into a kneeling position by her hair, he held it at her throat.

She screamed at the top of her lungs.

Abdullah pointed a long finger at her. "You stole our Jewel!" he accused.

"No, no, it wasn't me! I swear to God on my eyes, I've never seen that Jewel!" she wailed.

Abdullah scoffed at her and the man with the sword pressed its blade nearer to her neck. Of course she had seen the Jewel! Was she blind? Or did she take them for fools!

"Wait, wait, wait!" she cried. "You need me! I can help! Boys, please!"

"You are traitor!" Abdullah said sternly.

"No! No! Stop saying that! Friends don't stab each other in the back! We can team up- we can find them, get em real good. They won't know what hit em. He."

She knew that they could take her to the boss and he would fix everything. If only they didn't kill her first. How she wished she never left the IRS!

And she continued to plead with them for her life, ignorant of what they fought for.

***

The plane had run into a large dune, saving them the difficulty of figuring out how to stop its movement. They had climbed out of the cockpit once the sand cleared and had positioned themselves on the rocky hill immediately above the plane.

Remington had found a compass in the jet and was using it and a map to figure out where the hell they were. He had finally gotten a good look at Laura's ensemble, so to speak, and it aroused him and scared him at the same time. On the one hand, every curve was highlighted. On the other, it had been highlighted for somebody else. Grinding his teeth, he scanned the map.

Laura glanced at the map over his shoulder. "Do you know where we are?"

"Well," he squinted at the horizon past the plane, "as best as I can determine, due East will take us to the border."

"Is that the way to Kadir?" Laura asked.

The Jewel, who had been rearranging his turban, opened his umbrella and gestured in the opposite direction. "No, Kadir is in the West. Over this mountain."

Remington began to fold up the map and tucked it and the flare gun he had taken from the cockpit, into his pants. "Well, best of luck to you, mate. Laura, let's make haste, shall we?" Placing an arm on her shoulder, he tried to lead her in the direction of the plane.

She stepped back. "We have to take him to Kadir," she said firmly.

Remington stared at her for a moment. He couldn't believe his ears. "What are you talking about? We got him out, just like you said. He'll be fine, " he said, waving and smiling at the man with the umbrella, "Now, let's get a move on."

He tugged at her arm once more, and again she disentangled herself from his grasp.

The Jewel came and stood beside her. "We swore an oath. Just Laura and I. We go to Kadir," he affirmed, exchanging a nod with Laura.

Remington gaped at her. Just Laura and him. He had traveled half way around the world to save her from a military dictator and instead of thanks, instead of returning home, she wanted to go gallivanting off with another random guy.

And if anything, her taste in men was sadly declining. Omar's robes were at least of the finest linens. White belts to rags in a few short years

He had risked his life for her, as he had done many times before, and the least she could do was acknowledge him. Not making pacts with strangers and continually running away from him. He couldn't stand it anymore.

He exploded: "What is it with you? Everything's always gotta be your way, hmm, Laura? It's just like the bloody boat!"

"What d'ya mean, my way? It wasn't my idea to play hooky and shirk all responsibilities"

"There were no responsibilities to shirk!"

"Precisely because you can't pull your weight on any of our cases!"

The Jewel watched them argue in rapt fascination. "Good, good, I enjoy," he murmured.

"Do you know what I have to put up with?" Remington said angrily to the Jewel. "Whatever I do, it's never enough. If I participate in case work, I ruin the cases. If I don't participate in case work, I have no responsibility. If I try to get close to her, she pushes me as far away as possible and if, god forbid, I ignore her, she'll do anything in a jealous rage to get my attention back! And furthermore"

"No, no, wait, " the Jewel put up his hand. "Now. I'm sorry. It's time for Just Laura."

"And what about you? Mister No Name, No Past, No Future? Everything is a great big party to you. All you can think about is your expense account, your fine dinners and your tailored suits, your dumb blonde admirers. You always come up with ways not to take anything seriously. Like our relationship. Like me!"

Remington scoffed and raised his eyes heavenward. He tried one last time to get a hold on the conversation. "Laura, you're being so naive about this whole situation. I cannot believe you would be so stupid as to follow Omar and his hairbrained scheme"

"This is exactly what I'm talking about!" she yelled at the Jewel. "I just wish sometimes you would think about my feelings"

"Oh, oh, and I suppose all you were thinking about was me when you took off with Omar, hmmm? Did I tell you he blew up our offices?"

"*My* offices?" Laura asked shocked.

"Oh, so now it's your offices?"

The Jewel stepped in between them again. "Is good. Good debate. Is equal, no winners. Come, Just Laura," he said, tugging at her non-existent sleeve. "We go."

"No, no, no, wait." She stopped the Jewel and stood in front of Remington. "Why did he blow up our office?"

Remington smiled inwardly at his small victory. He sighed and glanced at her and the Jewel. "Just tell me one thing: why are you risking your life for this guy?"

He hoped he hadn't sounded as jealous as he felt. All he knew was that Laura seemed intent on this man and his safe journey to Kadir. And a sinking feeling in his chest told him that that was something she'd never do for him.

"I made a commitment," she replied. "I can't break it."

"Word as bond, and all that, eh?" She nodded. "Okay, okay, fine. But I'm going to tell you the truth. I didn't come out here for you anyway. I'm on to something big. A jewel. The Jewel of the Nile."

The Jewel perked up. Coming forward, he said overbrightly. "Come with us! I am El d'Jahara!"

Laura had attempted to shush him, and was backing him away from Remington, who merely looked at her with an odd expression on his face. She nervously stammered, "That means Joe."

"Well, thank you, er, Joe, but no thanks." Then he added nastily to Laura, "I wouldn't want you to break your commitment."

"Mr. Steele" she began, but he turned away and began walking back toward the plane.

With a dejected sigh, Laura threw up her hands and followed "Joe" in the opposite direction.

Laura's legs trembled underneath her and it wasn't from the heat. She felt awful for the harsh words she had said and reeled at the accuracy of his. Well, they weren't accurate but they might as well be, she grimaced. She fought an urge to cry out to him again, call him back. He had meant well. He had come to find her.

And now she finally knew why the office phones didn't work. Omar would pay for that, she vowed silently.

And yet, typical of him, he just left. Probably without any regard to the property damage or the insurance or the lease They'd be pretty damn lucky if they had an office to return to. Or even the remnants of one.

And even now, all he apparently cared about was the damn Jewel. He walked away- didn't care what the hell happened to her- Joe could have been a killer and he wouldn't care- he's going to find another jewel to heist.

Well, wouldn't he be surprised when he found out exactly what kind of "Jewel" it was. Served him right.

As she plodded onward, she waffled between misery and rage as Joe hummed to himself, as sure of his journey as she was unsure of hers.

Remington stood befuddled facing the plane. He couldn't leave her but he refused to follow at her heels like a subservient puppy. He pulled the flare gun from his belt and levelled it at the jet.

He pulled the trigger and the plane exploded, creating a roaring fire.

He smiled as he watched the flames climb higher, envisioning Omar upon a funeral pyre. He would regret the day he heard of Remington Steele Investigations

"That was for the agency," he whispered to the dunes. " I still owe you for Laura."

TBC..