"Mildred, my dear," Daniel said, taking her hand as she sat beside him on the sofa, "don't you see? The moment Harry discovers that I'm in less than perfect health- he's likely to toss everything he's built here aside to try and take care of me. I don't want that for him. He's worked too hard to change his life, to turn things around. And I shudder to think what effect his doing something like that would have on his relationship with Laura."

"Then don't go back to London," Mildred suggested.

"Surely you're not suggesting that I stay here, in Los Angeles?"

"Why not? I know you and the Boss were just kidding earlier about your taking Miss Holt's loft-"

"It's a nice enough place, I suppose, but those stairs. I can understand Harry's dislike of the place. But those stairs-I can handle them temporarily, but-"

"Then find another place," she said. "It shouldn't be too hard, especially once you get that money from Charles Harrigan for those diamonds. A half a mil can buy some pretty fancy digs," she reminded him.

"IF I get the money," Daniel pointed out.

"You will," Mildred assured him.

Daniel glanced at his watch. "It's getting late. I'm afraid that Harry wasn't able to find Laura. Or that she tossed the diamonds out thinking they were paste and they're trying to find them."

"At least we know that she didn't get to Harrigan yet," Mildred said.

"How do we know that?"

"He hasn't sent anyone looking for you, yet."

"True. But if I don't deliver those diamonds as promised, they'll be looking for me- and that means remaining in Los Angeles won't be an option at all. Of course, I doubt Laura would find any reason to agree to my remaining here. She'd just as soon see me on the other side of the world. Less chance of my corrupting her Remington Steele that way."

"Things will work out, Daniel," Mildred told him, her hand on his now.

Daniel's hand covered hers. "You still haven't given me your answer about dinner, you know."

***

Remington tossed the pouch in Laura's direction as they exited the elevator and headed down the corridor toward the office. "I think you should be the one to give them back to Daniel," he told her.

Laura caught the pouch easily, frowning. "Me? Why?"

"You're the one who took them. Might go a ways toward mending some fences."

"*I* don't have any fences to be mended," Laura began, but stopped as Remington patted his jacket pocket in which he'd placed the bottle of medicine. She sighed. "Okay. But he so much as says one word about a 'woman's place being in the home', I'll -."

"Laura, it was only an act. I tried to explain that," he began as she pushed open the doors to the agency.

"Well, it was a very convincing one," Laura countered.

"You found her," Daniel said, rising from the sofa, Mildred at his side.

"Just in the nick of time, too," Remington informed them. "She was just about to toss them into the gutter."

Daniel looked horrified by the idea. "You didn't?"

"Almost," Laura confessed, then held up the pouch. "Here are your diamonds, Daniel-"

"Thank God," he breathed, reaching for it.

But Laura kept a hand on the pouch, not releasing her hold. "Before I give them to you, I want your word that you're not planning to con Charles Harrigan."

"My word?" Daniel questioned. "You'd honestly accept MY word for something like that?"

"I want you to swear on your friendship with -Harry that you're just going to return the REAL diamonds to Harrigan and collect your finders' fee."

"You have my word," Daniel said easily. "As Harry's friend."

Laura's eyes searched his face, then, apparently satisfied with what she saw, she released the pouch to him. Daniel opened it and inspected the diamonds, showing them to Mildred.

"Oh, they're gorgeous," she sighed. "I've never seen a pink diamond. Except in the movies, of course."

"The movies?" Laura asked.

"The Pink Panther," Mildred said. "Peter Sellers, Capucine, David Niven, Robert Wagner, United Artists, 1963."

"You've really been around Mr. Steele for too long, Mildred," Laura sighed.

"They're very rare, my dear," Daniel confirmed. He slipped them back into their pouch. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an appointment to keep-" he told them, as he started toward the glass doors.

Remington stepped into Daniel's path, blocking his retreat. "Not so fast, mate. We have some unfinished business to take care of." He pulled out the bottle of pills. "Remember?"

"Harry, I'm due at Harrigan's in half an hour. Surely this can wait."

"That depends," Remington said.

"On what?"

"On whether you're planning on taking off to avoid the discussion," Remington suggested.

"I give you my word that I'll be in Los Angeles for awhile yet," Daniel promised solemnly. He smiled at Mildred. "I wouldn't dream of standing up such a charming dinner companion." He took Mildred's hand. "Eight o'clock?" he confirmed.

"Eight o'clock," Mildred repeated.

Daniel smiled at Remington and Laura's surprise, using it to duck out of the office unchallenged.

"Mildred?" Laura asked.

"You're going out to dinner with Daniel?" Remington questioned.

Mildred shrugged, then smiled. "IF he keeps his word," she said.

"He will," Laura told them.

"How can you be so sure?" Remington questioned.

She smiled and pulled something from her purse. "The diamonds weren't the only thing I took out of his suitcase." She held up three passports.

Remington saw the passports and shook his head. "Such deviousness, Laura," he commented with a smile as he gave her a hug. "I knew I'd have a positive effect on you eventually."

***

Daniel knocked on the front door of Charles Harrigan's house, then waited on the porch for someone to let him in. He was about to give up when the door was opened by a muscular, rough looking young man wearing a conservative dark suit- which failed to hide the bulge of a gun holster.

"I'm Daniel Chalmers. I believe Mr. Harrigan is expecting me?"

The young man stepped back, and as Daniel entered the house, he found himself confronted by two other similarly attired men.

"I was instructed to bring you into the solarium," the first man informed him.

Daniel smiled. "Then you'd best do that, hadn't you?"

One of the other men stepped forward as Daniel moved, stopping him with a hand to the chest. Sighing, Daniel lifted his arms, allowing the bodyguard to check him for weapons.
"I'm unarmed," he assured them. "Your employer is quite safe in my company, gentlemen."

Satisfied, the man nodded to the others. "This way," the first one said, leading Daniel into a glass walled, plant filled room.

A wizened little man rose shakily from a table where he had been trimming a miniature tree. His grey eyes were wide in anticipation. "Chalmers. I hope you have my diamonds."

Daniel pulled the pouch out of his pocket. "Right here, Mr. Harrigan. As I promised." He poured the diamonds on to the table before the old man.

Harrigan touched the glowing pink stones with shaking hands. "At last. At long last."

"Aren't you going to make sure they're not fakes?" Daniel asked. "How do you know that I'm not trying to-"

That grey gaze lifted to him. "I don't think you're that foolish, Chalmers. If you WERE to con me, I'd find you. Eventually. And you wouldn't like the result." He lifted one of the diamonds to the bright light, examining it. "They're real." Harrigan slipped his hand into his jacket and pulled out a slip of paper. "Your fee. A cashier's check, for a half a million dollars, as we agreed."

Daniel glanced only briefly at the check, then placed it into his own pocket. "Thank you."

"You know, Chalmers," Harrigan said, still examining the stones, "If I thought that you were the one who stole these from me thirty two years ago-"

"Believe me, Mr. Harrigan, I wasn't anywhere near London the night they were stolen. I was involved in- another- venture. In Dublin. If necessary, I could get proof of that."

"I appreciate your returning these to me, Chalmers. Thank you. Phillip will see you to the door."

Daniel returned to his rented car, then left Harrigan's estate, glancing at the clock on the dash of the vehicle. Six-thirty. He had just enough time to get back to Laura's loft, change, and get his things together before picking Mildred up for dinner. As soon as dinner was over, he would head to the airport- and hopefully avoid any confrontation with Harry.

***

Daniel didn't bother to turn on the lights in the lower section of the loft. He easily crossed the shadowed room to climb the stairs, removing his jacket as he did so. Grabbing a few things from where they still lay on Laura's bed, he went to the bathroom to have a quick shower.

He knew that it was folly to stay around just to have dinner with Mildred, that the most prudent move would be to leave Los Angeles within the hour, but he'd been impressed with the woman's genuine affection for Harry- and Harry's affection for her. Anyone who cared that much about the young man she called Remington Steele was someone that Daniel wanted to get to know better.

He would take her to dinner as agreed- the maitre d at Che Rive had been quite obliging when he had mentioned Remington Steele's name, Daniel recalled with a smile- and then catch the next flight out.

The question was, where would he go? Harry would certainly look in London. And Cannes, and Paris. He'd let the passports determine his destination, Daniel decided.

Once he was dressed, Daniel went to the suitcase and rummaged through it. The pocket in the lining was empty. He frowned, then went still as the light came on downstairs, and Harry spoke.

"Looking for something, Daniel?" he asked.

Daniel turned to see Harry and Laura standing at the door, watching him. "Harry. Laura. This is a surprise."

"I'm sure it is, Daniel," Laura commented, crossing the room toward the stairs. "You didn't answer Remington's question. You wouldn't by any chance be looking for these, would you?" she asked, holding up the passports.

"I might have known," Daniel said with a defeated sigh. "When did you take them?"

"When I took the diamonds. I didn't want you skipping out if you managed to con Harrigan before I got to him."

"And how was I going to do that without the gems, hmm?" Daniel questioned. "Really, Harry. I can't believe that you allowed her to-"

"And I can't believe that you would out and out lie to me, Daniel," Remington returned. "You gave me your word, remember? That you wouldn't take off before we could talk?"

Daniel smiled. "Who says that I was doing any such thing, my boy? I simply assumed that, since Laura is back to herself again, she would be wanting her loft back, so I was going to check into a hotel after dinner."

"Then why were you looking for your passports?" Laura wanted to know.

"Simply- reassuring myself that they were there. Which, of course, they aren't." He came to the top of the stairs, his hand out. "I'll take them now, if you please."

But Remington deftly took them from Laura and placed them in his own coat pocket.

"Harry!"

"You'll get them back, Daniel. Besides, you can't leave without these, can you?" he asked, showing Daniel the bottle of pills that he had lifted earlier.

Daniel shrugged. "I've enough to last until I can refill the prescription," he informed them, holding up the small brown bottle that he had in his pants pocket. "If you've read the label, you've noticed that they were prescribed 'as needed'. I haven't needed them for some time now."

"What about the other prescription?" Laura wanted to know. "That was 'take twice daily', I believe."

Daniel's eyes narrowed as he looked at the woman, then he went back to look through the items on the bed and in the suitcase. He rested his hands on the edges of the case, then looked to find Laura, standing, there, smiling, holding up the bottle that he was looking for. "Damn."

"How long have you been taking these, Daniel?" Remington asked, taking the second bottle of tablets from Laura to study the label.

Daniel sat heavily on the edge of the bed. "Almost a year, I suppose."

Remington frowned. "Then you were taking them the last time we saw each other? And I supposed that you just -forgot to mention it?"

Daniel took a deep breath, his eyes on those of his friend. "I didn't think it was important, Harry."

"Not important, Daniel!?" Remington repeated in disbelief, climbing the stairs. Laura followed slowly, watching the older man. "Not important? Dammit, man-don't you realize how important you are to me?"

"Precisely my point," Daniel pointed out. "It's not nearly as bad as you seem to think. Even the stairs here don't create that much of a problem for me, in fact, my doctor would probably say they're good exercise. The man is always going on about how I lead too sedentary a life," he told Laura, then turned back to Remington. "Harry, if I HAD told you that I had a- VERY mild problem with my heart, what you have done about it?"

"Made sure you were taking care of yourself," Remington said.

"And how would you do that with you being here in Los Angeles and me in London?" Daniel asked, his gaze catching Laura's concerned one.

"Well," Remington began, running a hand agitatedly through his dark hair, "I would have-"

"Left Los Angeles?" Daniel suggested. "Gone to London to- take care of me?"

"Daniel, I owe you at least as much as I owe Laura or anyone else-"

"Harry, -"

"It's not just gratitude, Daniel-"

"But you belong HERE, Harry," Daniel said firmly, causing the younger man- and Laura- to look at him as if they weren't quite certain that they had heard correctly. "Harry,- Laura, Mildred, being Remington Steele- that's your future. I'm a part of your past. A past that you can't return to- that you no longer fit into." When Remington would have spoken, Daniel lifted a hand. "I'm not saying that to make you feel guilty- I'm actually rather proud of what you've managed to do, turning your life around as you have, finding a place where you belong. And I'm most grateful to you, Laura, for having invented your- fictitious employer in the first place. If it hadn't been for you…," he shook his head, then looked at Remington. "Harry, you are probably the luckiest man I know- but everyone's luck runs out sometime. I always worried that yours would run out at the wrong time. But knowing that you were- relatively safe here, in Los Angeles made me feel better about things." He glanced at the clock on the bedside table. "I'm going to be late for dinner. I'd hate for Mildred to think that I stood her up."

Remington's blue gaze locked on Daniel for a long moment. "We're not finished, Daniel. Not by a long shot."

"You've still got my passports," Daniel reminded him.

"Why don't Laura and I join you and Mildred for dinner?" Remington suggested.

"Unless we'd be intruding," Laura interjected.

"Nonsense," Remington insisted, leading them toward the doors. "I'm sure there will be other opportunities for them to have dinner together. At the moment, I'm not sure I trust Daniel out of my sight. Even without his passports." He smiled as Laura rolled her eyes. "Now, where are you and Mildred having dinner?" he asked.

Daniel looked at Laura, then gave up. "Che Rive, actually. The maitre d was most accommodating…"

"He should be," Laura commented as she led the way down the stairs. "Considering how much money Remington's spent there over the years, he should own the place." She smiled sweetly when Remington sent her a look. "We're not really dressed for Che Rive, Remington," she pointed out.

"No problem. We'll simply call Mildred from the limo and have her meet us at the restaurant, and then drop by the condo to change."

Daniel placed a placating hand on Laura's arm to quell her next attempt. "It's all right, Laura. I'm sure Mildred won't mind. But I do still need to get my case out of your loft- or do I?"

Laura glanced at Remington and then opened the front door of the building before answering. "I haven't decided yet," she told him, continuing to the limo.

Because of his concern about Daniel, Remington had managed to push other concerns from his mind. But now, he hesitated, as worry about his future with Laura returned full force…

To Be Continued…

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Original content ©2001 by Nancy Eddy