Steele Dreaming
by Tanya Reed
This is it, folk. The home stretch.
Disclaimer: I still don't own Remington Steele
-------------------
"Did you forget your key again?" Laura asked, laughing.
Remington patted all of his pockets, looking embarrassed. "It would seem so."
"Again?" Lettie said, rolling her eyes. "Dad!"
"When you've never needed a key, it's hard to remember to carry one."
"Never fear," Laura announced, still grinning and taking a key out of her purse. She dangled it under her husband's nose.
"Ahh, Laura. My savior as always." Remington grinned as well.
"So, Lettie," Laura commented casually, unlocking the door, "What is this you were saying over dinner about there being a new man in your life?"
"All I said was that Sam's fiancé's brother is cute, that's all."
Laura winked at her, turning the knob. The three of them walked into the house that had been a home to them for so long. As they did, lights came on suddenly and there seemed to be a million bodies all yelling, "Surprise!"
Laura jumped back, startled, and bumped into Remington. Lettie announced, "Happy Anniversary."
"But," Laura protested, "It's not our Anniversary."
"Now, Laura," a voice said as a man came through the crowd, "I happen to know for a fact that it was on this date way back in 1982 that a certain young lady met a man by the name of Benjamin Pearson."
The old man stopped in front of Laura, smiling like crazy. Laura looked at him in disbelief for several seconds before laughing lightheartedly and throwing her arms around him to embrace him.
"Murphy!"
"In the flesh."
"I can't believe you're here."
"You think I'd miss your Anniversary party? How's this old dog been treating you since the last time I saw you?"
"There's no need for name calling, Murphy," Remington said with a grin.
"You'd think he was the only person who traveled a couple of miles to see you," a woman in her sixties commented.
"Berniece?" Laura cried. "You, too?"
Laura hugged her old friend as Remington mused, "It seems like almost everyone is here."
"Not almost everyone," Lettie argued, taking his hand and leading him into the living room. "Everyone."
She pointed to the wooden coffee table, full of munchies (now being ravaged by Laurie's daughter Beverly and Grace's son Daniel), and with a picture frame in the middle on display.
"You thought of everything, didn't you?" Remington whispered, wistfully remembering the woman in the picture.
"Well, I knew it wouldn't be much of a party without Aunt Mildred."
Remington felt a hand on his shoulder. Laura had left Berniece and Murphy to join her husband in the living room. He told her to look on the coffee table.
"Of course she's here. You didn't think she wouldn't be, did you?"
"Grammy!" Daniel said, running over. "Look, it's a party. I helped."
Laura knelt so that she could look the little guy in the eye. "You did?"
"I helped Mom put up the decorations."
"You did a very good job."
"See that picture?" He pointed to a roughly drawn picture taped over the TV screen. Laura got up and went over to get a better look. The shapes were vaguely people-like, and there were several of them. Daniel continued, "I drew it."
"I like it!" Laura enthused.
"Do you know what it is? It's us. See, there, that's you and Grampy, and Aunt Frances and Uncle Donald, and Mom and Daddy, and Aunt Lettie and Aunt Sam, and Remi and Gail. I was going to draw everybody, but I ran out of room. That thing there is them all together."
"Oh, Daniel," Laura bent down to wrap her arms around his tiny body, "it's beautiful!"
At that moment she turned and saw her friends and family filing into the room. The number of people that she loved seemed to have grown considerably over the years, and here most of them were in person. Her heart filled with the love she had for them. Suddenly, she felt very, very blessed.
