Steele Dreaming

by Tanya Reed

Disclaimer: You know the drill. Remington Steele does not belong to me.

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"Open up! I know you're in there!" Remington pounded on the door.

"Be civilized," Laura told him, holding his arm. There was fear in her eyes, but it wasn't for herself or for her husband.

"Civilized? Really, Laura. This is our niece we're talking about." He was barely controlling the rage that surged through his body.

"Who is it?" came a voice. It was a man's voice.

"Steele. Remington Steele."

They heard the man swear, and the door clicked as it was opened. In front of them stood a young man. He was very good looking with deep blue eyes and dark hair. Laura wasn't looking at him though; she was looking past him to a woman who looked very frightened.

"Mindy!" Laura pushed past the man and ran to her niece.

The younger woman, her eye blackened and her lip swelled, threw her arms around Laura. "Aunt Laura! I came to get my things, and he wouldn't let me leave."

"Did he hit you again?"

Mindy nodded slightly, casting fearful glances in her boyfriend's direction. Laura kept one arm around her niece.

"Get your things."

"She's not going anywhere," the man near Remington protested.

"Oh, yes she is. Where are your bags?"

"Listen. This is none of your business. I say she stays."

Remington barred his teeth, barely stopping himself from lunging at the younger man. Then, the dark haired boyfriend took a step towards Laura and Mindy. Remington reached out and grabbed him by the shirt. Roughly, he bashed him against the wall.

"Now, you listen here, mate." He pulled back and pushed the smaller man against the wall again for emphasis. "Where I come from, you treat a lady with a little respect."

The young man curled his lip slightly. "A lady."

Remington's hands got tighter, and he pushed his face up closer. "You little maggot, if you ever…ever…lay a hand on my niece again, if you ever so much as walk down the same street, I'll be after you so fast it will make your head spin. When I catch up to you, I'll kill you. Not a nice, quick death, but a long agonizing one, making sure that you feel each wound that you inflicted on Mindy ten times worse than she did. Do you understand?"

The young man looked in Remington's eyes and something there scared him. The blue eyes had turned cold and hard, and suddenly he believed every word that the older man was saying. The realization surprised him so much that he forgot to answer. Remington shook him violently.

"I asked if you understand."

The man he held nodded, and Remington released him. He turned to Laura and Mindy.

"Come along, ladies. The air in here smells quite foul."

Mindy went over and picked up her bag. Warily, she watched her former boyfriend as she went cautiously around him and out the door. Remington followed her out, throwing a glance at Laura. She nodded and walked toward the door. Before exiting, she stopped in front of the dark haired man.

"By the way, Robert, what my husband said, that goes double for me."

He stared at her, a slight mocking look on his face. "Do I look like the kind of man who would be intimidated by a woman?"

Suddenly, all of the anger Laura had felt and suppressed when she had first seen the bruises on Mindy's face doubled up inside of her. All at once, there was nothing more she wanted in the world than to hurt this man. The rage she felt burst over her face, flooding her body. Quickly, letting the impulse take her, Laura made a fist and lashed out. The feeling of her fist smashing into his face was, for that instant, very satisfying.