Borrowed Skates
Written By: Aleks Dastych
Summary: A romantic fanfic about Sheridan and Luis. Sheridan is disappointed that Luis is avoiding her, so she decides to go skating and...
Chapter 1:
She felt restless. All day long someone wanted something from her. Even now, she was forced to listen to her father rant on and on about her bad choices of the past. Her men and how they used her. The love she so desperately wanted that will never be. "why does he have to remind me? Haven't I suffered enough?" asked a heartbroken Sheridan as she sat in her cottage late at night. Tomorrow would be Valentine's day. "The most romantic day of the year, and I will be all alone" she thought. She promised to work at the youth Centre that night, but now, after speaking to her father she wasn't so sure anymore. If she went, she'd have to face all the happy couples, and she wasn't sure if she could handle that. ‘But I promised Luis I'd be there’ she reminded herself, thinking of the date they shared at the Lobster Shack only a couple of weeks ago. Ever since then he had kept his distance from her. He scheduled her to be at work while he was at the station, and came only after she left. ‘Great. I thought he'd be different, but he's avoiding me’ Sheridan thought bitterly. ‘My whole life is a disaster.’ She had to get out. Feeling claustrophobic all of a sudden in her little cottage she grabbed a pair of skates headed out the door.
Her destination was a small pond in the woods. Somehow skating always felt right. It would make her feel better, she was sure of it. She and Ethan found the pond years ago, it was their secret place. Sheridan remembered the time they sneaked out of the house and went there. They were bored at home, the grownups were in the living room drinking their precious brandy, Ethan assured her that they'll be back before anyone noticed they were gone. Search parties were sent out for them when Ivy realized they were gone.
Martin Fitzgerald found them hours later skating around the pond, dressed only in their robes and brought them back. He picked them up and carried them home, telling them how worried everyone was about them and how they should never do it again. Just like they were his own children. Ivy grounded them both and Sheridan remembered the disapproving look she got from her father.
It was a rare occasion that he was home, but then it was Ethan's 10th birthday. Alistair never missed his grandson's birthday, but somehow always managed to be away on Sheridan's special day.
Sheridan smiled as she approached the pond. The brisk walk made her feel better. It was as if she "walked off" her pain and disappointment. The pond looked beautiful. No one used it now. She knew that Ethan shared it with Gwen and sometimes the two of them would have picnics there in the summer, but in the winter it was abandoned. She liked it that way too. It made her feel that it is her own place. Even the cottage was her father's property, but the pond was quite different. Maybe because it was not part of the Crane estate? Perhaps because no one in her family besides Ethan knew about it...they made Mr. Martin promise not to tell anyone where he'd found them out of fear that Alistair would forbid them to ever play there again. She remembered the look of amusement on Mr. Martin's face as she made him pinkie swear to keep the secret.
Sheridan decided to sit down on a fallen log and put on the skates. After that she would walk up the rest of the way to the pond. While lacing up her skates she thought of Jean Luc. Is he still in Paris with Mimi? Tears sprung to her eyes as she remembered finding her man with an other woman. ‘How long had it been going on?’ she thought.
Last Valentine's day Jean Luc took her to the Louvre. They spent the entire day looking at paintings, making up stories about the painters and their loves. The dinner he took her to was grand, he made her feel like a queen. They sat on a bench by the tower (Eiffel Tower) and looked at the passing couples, so obviously in love... Sheridan frowned. It wasn't like she missed him, he hurt her. Used her. She missed being loved. Maybe Jean Luc didn't LOVE her, but he sure made her feel loved... She laced up her skates and started towards the pond.
The moon was full, in its light she saw the slippery surface of the ice. She smiled. ‘This is going to be fun’ she thought to herself, ‘cheer up Sheridan, you can't think of that man right now. You moved on with your life remember?.’ She made herself put on the "mask" she once told Luis about. Turning off her feelings she made herself smile. ‘I haven’t been skating in...’
All of a sudden she felt an uneasy feeling of fear. Someone else was here. A dark shadow was sitting on the ice, moving as if it was trying to stand up, but kept falling down instead. Sheridan came closer. ‘Who else knows about the pond?’ she wondered trying to make out who's intruding on her privacy. Suddenly she heard a low "dios mio!" and she realized who it was. She started to laugh.
"Well officer, I must say that you're much more graceful dancing the tango than you are skating. Need any help?"
Chapter 2:
Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald sharply turned around. He had just managed to successfully stand up, but now when he realized that he wasn't alone his butt hit the ice for what it seemed like the millionth time.
"Sheridan! What are you doing here?" he gasped. The last person he expected to see was Sheridan Crane, and yet she was standing there, right in front of him, obviously amusing herself on his account. He thought he could get away from the world tonight. Try to solve the problems that robbed him of his sleep recently. And yet she was here. Looking amazing. Luis let his eyes wander over her, hoping that it was too dark for her to notice what he was doing. She looked so much like a 'normal person' and not the rich heiress she was. Her hair wasn't styled like it usually was at work. It was combed back with a purple head band over her ears. The blue sweater looked good on her. It seemed old and even a bit too big for her. Her blue jeans were tight but flared out on the bottom with little squiggly designs on them. She wore a worn out pair of skates. That surprised him. They looked old...
“You're staring officer. Didn't your mother teach you that it's rude? She certainly taught me." Sheridan said as she stepped onto the ice and slowly glided over to where he was sitting. But she couldn't stop staring at him either. He looked different in a regular pair of jeans and an old brown leather jacket. His skates were new, Sheridan realized they looked pretty expensive.
"Wow, nice equipment." she looked impressed, Luis gave her one of those 'why thank you I deserve the best’ proud looks. "Ethan has a pair like these. Are they any good?"
"Yeah, they're the best ones in the store. Christmas present from Teresa and me for Miguel. Seems like we've been saving an eternity for these, but you should have seen the look on Miguel's face on Christmas morning" Luis smiled at the memory.
"Wow, that is really generous of you guys, these skates are beautiful. Nice of him to let you use them. Wish my brother would be as kind..."she thought of dinner and how Julian humiliated her in front of the guests by mentioning her “talent for disastrous relationships". "So are you going to sit here all night or are we going to skate?" she asked playfully, skating circles around him.
Luis looked pretty uncomfortable. "I...I think I'm done for today. I skated enough. I'll get out of your way." Yet he didn't seem to move off the ice. "By the way, what are you doing here? It's the middle of the night" he tried to get up, but with no luck. He hit the ice again.
Sheridan giggled and helped him up. She took his arms and pulled him up. Just as he was losing balance again, she put her arms around his waist and held him close.
"I live here - well close to here anyways. This is my personal pond, and you are trespassing on my property," she smiled.
"Your Pond? I don't think so! It is NOT your pond!" Luis was totally caught off guard. He looked down at her. ‘God is she beautiful!’ he thought. He realized a short time ago that his feelings for Sheridan extended far beyond friendship. After their date at the Lobster Shack he kept thinking about her all night. The way she looked when she found out about the bribe-she was heartbroken, and still she tried so hard to be supportive, to make him feel good about the decision she assumed he made. The look of relief, pride and admiration on her face when he hold her that he turned it down was so heart warming. He kept thinking about that look all night long. It made him realize then that Sheridan meant more to him than anyone else. He felt like there is nothing he wouldn't do for her, just to see that look in her eyes again. That scared him. Hank was his best friend, he'd be risking a life long friendship if he got involved with Sheridan. He'd hurt Beth who, he knew still had feelings for him. But most important, he'd hurt Sheridan because he knew how her family felt about him.
"You think wrong officer. This is my pond. My nephew Ethan gave it to me. You're committing a very serious offense. I'm afraid I'll have to make a citizen's arrest -you have your handcuffs here?" she whispered playfully as she pretended to look for them around Luis' waist.
"So", trying to change the subject, "I'm guessing that you don't know how to skate?"
Luis didn't answer but blushed instead. "OK, I admit I tango much better than I skate," he whispered trying to forget how close they're standing right now, "How did you know?". He looked at her lips. So close, so soft...She wasn't wearing a lot of make-up tonight. Her lips were the color of the roses Miguel bought for Charity the other day. Standing so near to her almost drove him mad, all he wanted to do was kiss those lips... Sheridan smiled.
"Your mother's 'dios mio'. I've known Pilar all my life, and I know something's wrong when I hear it. So how many times have you tried to crack the ice tonight?" she sounded like she was having a great time bugging him.
With great difficulty Luis looked away from her lips and stared into her eyes. Although she was smiling and joking around, he sensed that there was something wrong tonight. She seemed happy, but he wondered why he could see pain in her eyes. He remembered how she once told him about the "mask" she puts on as part of her "Crane appearance" to cover up her true feelings.
"Sheridan, what's wrong? Are you all right?" he asked her looking intensely into her eyes.
"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine, what do you mean?" she tried to look surprised.
"Sheridan you can't fool me. I'm getting a feeling that you're upset, unhappy somehow. Remember how you told me once about that "public image" stuff and how you cry? Well you're crying right now. You wanna talk about it?"
"Luis..." she was shocked, he seemed to read her like a book. "No, I'm fine, see?" she did her best to fake a smile but she trembled at what she saw in his eyes. Concern, respect, understanding, maybe even love?
"Hey, you're shivering... here" he slipped off his jacket and placed it around her shoulders "your lips are beginning to match your sweater" he laughed softly.
"Great" she tried to sound upbeat, “My favorite color."
"No its not, your favorite color is red."
"How did you know?" she was really surprised now.
"Well, red matches your personality, the color of the car you crashed into mine was red, it seems to be your favorite color of lipstick (Sheridan blushed slightly), and it was the color of that amazing dress you wore to our date..."(he flashbacks to the moment he saw her at the door in it).
"OK, you're right, I love red. You know that was pretty impressive how you noticed all these things."
"Ms Crane, I AM going to be a detective, remember? Now tell me what's troubling you" he asked.
"Not now, 'k? Let's skate for a while."
They spent the next 2 hours skating around the pond, holding hands most of the time. Luis used the excuse that he'll fall if Sheridan lets him go.
"OK Luis, I promise I won't let go, but you really should try this on your own" she laughed. When it began to snow Luis suggested they leave.
"C'mon Sheridan, I'll walk you home. It's late."
"I'm not going home Luis, not tonight"
"Nonsense Sher, let's go," he tried to pull her off the pond.
"Leave me Luis, NO!" she tried to jerk her hand away but Luis wouldn't let go. Her sudden movement made him lose his balance, pulling her down with him.
"Sheridan!" he called pulling her into his arms as they hit the ice together, Sheridan on top of him. She started to laugh
"So now you're trying to kill me? Gosh Luis, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to fall..." she tried to get up, but Luis wouldn't let her do that just yet. Instead, he held her close.
"OK, I tell you what," he whispered. "If you don't want to go home that's fine, you don't have to. Why don't you spend the night with me tonight?"
Chapter 3:
"So, first you're trying to kill me, and now you're propositioning me?" Sheridan blushed, "Real smooth officer" she whispered into his ear. They were both getting up.
"Well, can you blame me?" Luis smiled mischievously, "Seriously Sheridan, think about it- Where will you go? Some hotel? All by yourself? Teresa's spending the night at Whitney's, Mama and Miguel are visiting friends in Castletown and won't be back until tomorrow afternoon. The house is empty. We could talk, you could tell me what's bothering you and I could try and help. Remember New Year's? You were there for me when we thought that it was my father that died. I want to return the favor."
Sheridan was touched at his words. He truly seemed concerned about her. "OK I'll come, but only because you seem to be scared of going back by yourself."
He laughed. "OK, I'll feel a lot safer, knowing you'll protect me, both on and off the ice!"
They sat down to remove their skates. Noticing the laces on Sheridan's skates Luis couldn't help but comment on their appearance.
"Hey they look like they've got quite a history. Have you had them long?"
"Actually, just like you I don't have a pair. These are your sister's."
"Teresa's??" Luis didn't see that one coming.
"Yes. I asked Teresa if she had a pair of extra skates because I didn't take mine with me when I left Paris, and your sister was kind enough to let me use hers, as long as I return them by Valentine's day." She stared into space. Thinking about the time she met Jean Luc-at a friend’s skating party. Luis’ warm hand on her cheek brought her back to reality.
"You OK Sher?" he asked, stroking her cheek gently.
"I'm fine" she wanted to change the subject "Hey, can you keep a secret?" she looked around as if to make sure no one was listening “I think that Ethan will propose to Gwen tomorrow at the pond. My best friend will soon be my niece. Funny isn't it?" 'Sher, he called me Sher' she thought. ‘God I love the sound of that!!'
"Yeah, very funny" he frowned at the fact that she changed subjects so rapidly. They reached the main road, but the car wasn't there.
"I walked" said Luis to a very surprised Sheridan. His house was pretty far from here she knew. She just looked at him.
“Why?"
"I needed time to think, and since I've seen the consequences of driving while deep in thoughts..." he shot her a sideways glance and caught her rolling her eyes.
"How responsible of you" she laughed with a note of sarcasm in her voice. Both thought of the day Sheridan crashed into Luis' police car coming home from the airport.
"Yes, I think so too" he smiled smugly, getting a playful shove, "Careful!!" he cautioned slipping his arm around her waist to protect her from falling.
"So how do you know about my pond?" Sheridan asked, trying to block out how safe she felt with his arm around her waist. It felt so natural, so right.
"My father would take Mama there. It was their secret. Sometimes I would wake up in the middle of the night and see them sneak off. We all knew that they would go there. To their special place/" he smiled at the memory. S
heridan didn't know what to say. She put her arm around his waist and pulled him closer. She could smell his cologne.
"You miss him a lot, don't you?" she asked gently putting her head on his shoulder.
"NO" Luis answered, his face momentarily turning to stone, "he abandoned us." This sudden change in him surprised Sheridan. She lifted her head.
"Luis, remember the agreement on our date? You asked me to be honest with you. I will be, I'll tell you what's bothering me. I need you to do the same here, alright? I don't have to pretend with you, but you don't have to pretend with me either OK?" He nodded, resting his cheek against her head, and 10 minutes later they reached the house.
Chapter 4:
"Your radio's on" Sheridan remarked as they entered the Lopez-Fitzgerald kitchen.
"Yeah I know, its supposed to be on" seeing the puzzled look on her face, Luis explained "When Teresa was a little girl she used to sleepwalk. She'd usually wake up here and would cry because she was scared. My brother Antonio came up with the idea of leaving the radio on at night, so when she woke up and heard the music she wouldn't be scared." He hung up their skates on a hook behind the door. "What do you want to drink?" he asked her trying not to notice the faint smell of her perfume as he helped her out of his jacket. He threw it almost carelessly onto a chair, fighting the temptation to put it close to his face to smell it. "I could make us some tea or maybe you want coffee instead?"
"Tea would be great. You need any help?"
"Don't trust me in the kitchen, do you?" he laughed, "Sure I'd love some help. Why don't you get the mugs out of there, we keep the spoons there, and the sugar is..." he didn't finish. He thought of the day Sheridan walked in on him in the locker room. She was looking for sugar too. Sheridan blushed, remembering the moment. "Yeah," Luis cleared his throat "right... sugar is over here" he moved suddenly and bumped into her. They started to laugh.
After the tea was made Luis poured some rum into the cups and brought them into the living room, where Sheridan lit the fire in the fireplace. They sat down together on the couch.
"That was fun tonight." Sheridan broke the silence.
"Yeah, we should do it more often. Did you go to the pond a lot as a child?"
"Yes, Ethan and I would often sneak out of the house to go there- in fact one night Ivy realized that we were gone and sent search parties after us. Your father found us there, skating in our robes."
"Oh", Luis tried to imagine her as a little girl, "he never told us. Why did you sneak out?"
"We were bored so we decided to go skating. When your father found us, I made him pinkie swear not to tell anyone where we were...How about you? You go there often?"
"No, I don't have much time. I used to, when I was younger. I taught Miguel how to swim there." "Miguel's lucky to have a brother like you. I'm sure you would never hurt him or Teresa on purpose" she said bitterly.
"Is that what happened tonight?" Luis asked her gently, taking her hand in his, "Did Julian hurt you?" Sheridan nodded.
"Yeah, I came to the pond to get away from them."
"Julian and...?"
"Father."
"Oh... tell me about it?" he sat down closer to her.
"Julian had a dinner party and made me attend. We were talking and the topic of Valentine's day came up. Of course Julian didn't miss the opportunity to once again humiliate me in front of everyone by talking about my...how did he say it?.. my "very successful relationship failures." Luis nodded.
"I’m sorry he upset you." He squeezed her hand gently.
"I went home, took a shower and wanted to disappear under my covers when my father called..." she kept staring into the fire "He asked me about the dinner, my activities in the last week, our date..." Luis saw tears well up in her eyes, "He mentioned how I can't find anyone, how naive and pathetic I am...But you know what hurt most? Its all true. I am a failure. Nothing I do is right." she closed her eyes causing the tears to spill onto her cheeks.
Luis couldn't stand it anymore, he pulled her close into his arms. It killed him to see her cry. He wiped her tears away, but she turned her head.
"I'm sorry, I don't know what's gotten into me. I usually try my best not to cry in front of people..." she didn't finish because Luis just held her closer to his heart, stroking her hair.
"No, Sher listen to me. None of this is true. It's not your fault, OK? So you made some bad choices in the past, doesn't mean you'll do them again. How are you supposed to learn if you don't make mistakes? You are NOT a failure, not in any way. Julian and Alistair are just jerks, they don't deserve someone as wonderful as you in their lives! " he whispered soothingly. She only smiled faintly.
"You know Luis, sometimes I think that maybe it would be easier if I left Harmony. Start out new somewhere far away form here..." She felt his body tense up.
"No Sheridan. This is your home, and you can't let them chase you away from here, like they did when you were little. Besides, if you'll leave, who am I going to fight with at the Youth Center?" he chuckled, but thinking 'how will I live without seeing you?'
"Luis, I haven't seen you at the Center since that day we demonstrated that tango for Kay." She thought about that day and how he lifted her up spinning her around in rhythm to the sultry dance. 'There was such passion in his eyes then' she thought. "And Luis, you know what? I don't blame you for wanting to stay away from me. After that stunt my father and brother pulled-trying to bribe you, I don't blame you at all."
Luis' stomach turned inside out. He was avoiding her all week, that was true, not realizing how much he was hurting her in the process. He did it only to protect her, he knew how her family felt about him. Sheridan told him that her father had instructed her not to go out with him, and by staying away from her, Luis hoped that he could get Sheridan's family off her back. 'God' he thought, 'how could I do this to her?'
"Sheridan," Luis gently pulled away and placed his hands on her shoulders. He turned her around to face him. "I had a lot on my mind lately and needed time to sort it out. I'm sorry if I avoided you. It kills me to see you cry and to know that I'm responsible for it. He knew about it, didn't he? Alistair knew I avoided you, am I right?" she nodded her head sadly and he felt as if a knife had been stabbed into his heart. "I never meant to hurt you Sher, I'm not like the other guys you've dated in Europe. Look, I'll tell you about it some other time, OK? Right now all I can do is say that I'm sorry for causing you pain and hope that you'll forgive me." She nodded again.
Luis pulled her into his arms and rocked with her back and forth. He wanted to tell her now. How he felt. How much she meant to him. How he couldn't stand the thought of being away from her. But he couldn't. She was so vulnerable right now. It would seem like he was taking advantage of her. "So you promise not to leave?" he asked her.
"Yes", she whispered, "I'll stay with you."
Chapter 5:
Luis tried not to move. Sheridan had just fallen asleep in his arms, and he didn't want her to wake up. They were stretched out on the couch, Sheridan's head on his chest and her arms wrapped around his neck. The talking about her family and life in Paris tired her out. Luis tried his best to comfort her, but she still cried a bit. He thought of what Sheridan told him about Jean-Luc. 'How could he betray her like that? God, if she were mine... STOP it Luis she only thinks of you as a friend' he told himself sternly. He was lucky she felt like that. He was lucky to have her friendship, but recently he felt that it didn't satisfy him. He wanted more. The radio played softly in the background. 'Teresa must have changed the station,' he thought because he didn't recognize the song. In fact, this was the first time he heard it.
You're the bravest of hearts,
You're the strongest of souls,
You're the light in the dark, you're the place I call home
You can say its all right, but I know that you're breaking up inside,
I see it in your eyes
Even you face the night afraid and alone
That's why I'll be there
When the storm rises up, when the shadows descend
Ev'ry beat of my heart, ev'ry day without end
Ev'ry second I live, that's the promise I make
Baby that's what I'll give if that's what it takes
You can sleep in my arms, you don't have to explain
When your heart's crying out, baby whisper my name
'Cause I've reached out for you when the thunder is crashing up above
You've given me your love when you smile like the sun that shines through the pain
That's why I'll be there.
When the shadows descend
Ev'ry beat of my heart, ev'ry day without end,
I will stand like a rock,
I will bend 'till I break till there's no more to give if that's what it takes
I will risk everything
I will fight
I will bleed
I will lay down my life if that's what you need
Ev'ry second I live, that's the promise I make
Baby that's what I'll give if that's what it takes
Through the wind and the rain through the smoke and the fire
When the fear rises up, when the wave's ever higher
I will lay down my heart, my body, my soul,
I will hold on all night and never let go
Ev'ry second I live that's the promise I make
Baby that's what I'll give if that's what it takes
‘Man was this song fitting he thought.’ Every word was true. That’s what he wanted to do- to be there for her-always through everything. When did he realize that Sheridan was different than any of the Cranes? Was it on Halloween when she hit him in the face with that cream pie and stood up for him in front of the mayor AND Julian? Or was it in New Mexico when she flew that plane all by herself? No, it could have been New Year's Eve when his "father" kidnapped her. Luis remembered his feelings that evening-his first reaction was to get her out of danger. She was so scared on that roof top, although she tried to be brave, he could see the terror in her eyes...Luis knew that he would have shot "Martin" right there and then if he hadn't tripped and fallen to his death by himself. He would have allowed "Martin" to shoot him - anything to save Sheridan...Was it then that he realized how amazing she is? True, when they first met she did try to use her last name to avoid getting arrested, but he knew that if the situation were reversed, he would have tried to the same thing... Besides, she didn't look very comfortable flaunting her name... She did pay that basketball player...but only to teach her, it was her that won the game, fair and square. He admired her courage. Here she was, a hurt and cheated woman coming back home. Back to a brother and father who kept reminding her of all the mistakes she made, instead of supporting her and helping her forget. She, who never worked a day in her life was practically now running the youth center. She kept track of all the purchases, donations- Since she started to work, they were able to replace most of the basketball and football equipment, and repaint the gym-not to mention fix up the playground. The rich country club snobs kept donating money, it was all Sher's doing, he knew. She wasn't afraid of any job he assigned her and she never complained. She even counseled the kids! She was so strong and brave when it came to others, and yet she couldn't make her problems go away... He...cared for her... wanted to make all the pain disappear, he would have done anything to spare her that. The idea of going to the Crane mansion now and making Julian pay was very appealing, but he knew that he couldn't leave her now. He never felt like this about Beth, even though they were dating most of high school. She never stole his breath away when she walked into a room-the way Sheridan did. He was never willing to give up everything for Beth... He remembered the night Sheridan almost died in NEW MEXICO. He was so afraid that he'd lose her to hypothermia. The hardest part for him was to undress her. He did cover her up while he was peeling the wet clothes off her, he didn't look, but he could feel her soft skin beneath his fingers. It was so cold, so smooth... He was so worried that she won't make it through the night- body heat or no body heat...
Luis ran his fingers over her hand. It slipped from around his neck and was now resting on his chest, covering his heart. She had such delicate long fingers he thought. Looking up at the clock he was surprised that it was 2:45am.
Very gently he scooped her up in his arms and stood up. Her
arm went around his neck again, as if to hold on to him. He turned off the lights and carried her upstairs.
On the way there he was debating where to let her sleep. Putting her up in Mama's or Teresa's room would be invading their privacy, so that left his or Miguel's room. Miguel's room would be fine, except that Luis had the larger bed in his room. No doubt would Sheridan be more comfortable there...He carried her into his room and gently placed her in his bed. He sat down beside it looking at her. 'She looks so peaceful’ he thought, caressing her cheek and gently outlining the contour of her mouth with his fingertips. No one deserved such pain he thought. It was not right that she'd have to suffer so, because of the choices she made. He was glad that she promised him not to leave Harmony. At least he'd be able to look after her... She had the most perfectly shaped lips, Luis thought feeling intoxicated just by looking at them. He tried to get up and leave, but found it to be impossible. 'What harm could one innocent kiss do?’ he thought. Very slowly he lowered his head and gently slanted his lips over hers...They were so soft...so warm...so very sweet... Startled he pulled away from her as he felt her lips move beneath his. She was asleep, her lips pulled gently into a soft smile.
Chapter 6:
Sheridan awoke to the radio playing softly on a small table beside the bed.
Every endless night has a dawning day,
Every darkest sky has a shining ray and it shines on you
Baby can't you see you're the only one who can shine for me.
It's a private emotion that fills you tonight
And the silence falls between us as the shadows steal the light
And wherever you may find it, wherever it may lead, let your private emotion come to me.
When your heart is tired and your soul is weak,
Do you think of love as a one way street,
Well it runs both ways
Open up your eyes can't you see me here how can you deny?
It's a private emotion that fills you tonight
And the silence falls between us as the shadows steal the light
And wherever you may find it wherever it may lead let your private emotion come to me.
Sheridan smiled. It was such a beautiful song, so full of hope. She stretched out thinking how well she slept. No nightmares last night, but rather it was a good dream. She didn't remember much about it, except that she felt so happy and safe and warm and loved...she opened up her eyes and found herself in a strange bed in a strange room. She almost screamed, not knowing where she was, she felt around for an other person in the bed with her...there was no one, she let out a relieved sigh. She climbed out of bed and looked around curiously. The room was not very big, there was a desk a few book cases, a rather large bed with gray covers, 2 windows, a shelf with trophies...
She noticed a large collage with pictures above the desk. They were all of Luis. Knowing now who's room she was in, she looked closely at them. Most of them were of him as a teenager in high school. Luis in his baseball uniform, in his basketball jersey holding a trophy surrounded by other players, in his football equipment on the field... One of Luis in his cap and gown proudly holding his diploma standing with Pilar and Teresa, Luis and Beth at the prom... Sheridan looked away sadly. Luis and Beth looked pretty close in that one she thought. Beth was wearing a black dress and Luis was in a tux. They had their arms around each other and were smiling at the photographer.
'What's wrong with you Sheridan?' she thought. She had one date with him, and although she had fun, Luis must have felt differently. She turned her attention to the small table by the bed. A radio, CDs and books scattered around, a small silver picture frame... 'Let's see who's so important to him to have a spot by his bed' she thought picking up the frame. Stunned she realized that it was the picture of 'Costa de Marbella' she gave him as a slide! A noise from the bathroom startled her. She went inside only to find a connecting door to the next room where Luis was stretched out on a bed. The sound she heard was a book he knocked down in his sleep. It looked like he was dreaming, he was tossing and turning. Sheridan picked up the blanket that fell off him and covered him up. She went downstairs to make coffee.
************Dream*************
Luis drove like a mad man. Sheridan asked him to meet her in the forest, and said that it was urgent. He got to the spot, jumped out of the car and ran deep into the woods. She was waiting for him there, looking worried.
"Sheridan, why did you call me here?" there was a creek running between them.
"Luis" she called holding out her hands to him. Out of the blue, Julian appeared and pulled Sheridan back. Hank was there too-pulling her other arm. Sheridan had tears in her eyes.
“NO Sheridan!" Luis called out but couldn't move at all. He could only watch as Jean Luc came up to her to kiss her cheek. She kept whispering "Luis".
The creek turned into the New Mexico river, the one she almost drowned in, as Julian pushed her towards it. They entered the water, Sheridan looked up at him one last time and was swallowed up by the river.
"NO, SHERIDAN, I LOVE YOU, PLEASE DON'T GO!!!!!!!!!!" it started to rain...
******************************
Luis awoke in a cold sweat. He jumped out of Miguel's bed and ran into his room, praying to find Sheridan there. The bed was empty. He grabbed a pair of jeans, put them on in a haste and ran down the stairs.
Sheridan made herself a cup of coffee. She grabbed the jacket Luis lent her last night and headed out the door. She didn't want to miss a moment of the beautiful sunrise. 'It is going to be a beautiful day' she thought, snuggling into the jacket. She always did this, see the sunrise on Valentine's day. ‘Maybe Luis is right' she thought. 'Maybe I shouldn't let Julian and Father get to me.' Hank wanted to take her out tonight, but she knew there was only one man she wanted to spend Valentine's day with. Sadly, he was out of reach because her last name was Crane. ‘Oh well, at least there was that dance at the center tonight. Maybe he won't fight with her tonight?’ She heard the door slam and someone running up behind her.
“SHER!" Luis called and wrapped his arms around her.
"Good morning Luis...HEY watch it!" her coffee spilled all over her sweater. She turned around puzzled and slightly angry. He was standing there, barefoot, wearing only jeans, with a look of relief on his handsome face.
"LUIS???" she pulled the jacket off and wrapped it around his shoulders. “WHAT ON EARTH???" She lead him inside the house. "OK. WHAT were you doing?" she asked.
"I thought I lost you. I had this dream and...what am I saying? It was a nightmare! and when you weren't in bed I thought that something happened to you...I'm sorry about your sweater.” he looked sheepishly at her.
"No, its OK, you just startled me, that's all."
"Hang on..." he left her standing there, ran upstairs and returned with a gray sweatshirt. "I don't think I have anything in your size, but at least its dry. I'm so sorry...if you leave it here, I'll return it to you washed as soon as I can."
Sheridan took the sweatshirt reluctantly. She walked out of the kitchen into the living room and changed. The sweatshirt was big. It had a "Harmony High" logo on it.
"Does it fit?" she heard Luis in the kitchen.
"Yeah, it does," she came back in. 'What is happening to me?' she thought. ‘I’m only having breakfast with a friend - who happens to be extremely good-looking and I'm wearing his clothes and all he's got on is a pair of tight jeans...Sheridan don't be foolish, stop feeling this way about Luis...'
"Sheridan?" Luis' voice brought her back to reality. She blushed seeing that she was openly staring at him and he noticed it.
"Yeah, sunrise" she mumbled and walked out the door. Luis watched her as he poured himself some coffee. She looked so cute in his clothes... 'OK Luis, the moment of truth-either now or never' he thought of the song he heard last night. “I will lay down my heart my body my soul...Baby that's what I'll give if that's what it takes...” He couldn't go on like this. He had to tell her...now. If she didn't feel the way he did...well...but she had to know the truth.
He went to the living room and picked out a rose out of the bouquet he and Miguel bought for their mom. Opening a drawer, he found the small gift they got with the purchase. Grabbing a blanket off the couch he put on his shoes and went outside. Sheridan heard his coming towards her.
"Oh Luis, isn't it beautiful?"
"Yeah, it is" looking at her the way he did when she brought him the slides of Spain and they were looking at the Costa de Marbella together, and passing her his mug of coffee.
He put the blanket around his shoulders and enfolded Sheridan in it, pulling her against him. (BTW, for our viewing pleasure, he's still shirtless).
"Sher" Luis murmured into her ear.
"Mmmm?"
"I have something to tell you. It's kind of serious..." Sheridan turned around to face him.
“Yeah?" She feared what he had to say. What if...
" I...I just wanted to tell you...that I'm really happy you confided in me last night. I hope you see me as a friend now?"
"Friend? Yeah, I consider you a friend Luis. Thanks for listening to me, for supporting me. For letting me stay here overnight..."
"Sheridan you don't have to thank me," he blurted out. Then, taking a deep breath, "I had a reason for doing it." He looked into her eyes. "
“Oh?"
"Yeah, Sheridan the reason I've been staying away form you recently was because I...I was feeling something when I was with you, and I didn't know how to deal with it. Sheridan, when you cried last night, it broke my heart. I wanted so much to make it go away, to spare you that pain. I think I'm falling in love with you Sher Crane. I tried to stop it, I tried to fight it, but I can't..." he looked away, thinking that it may have been a mistake to tell her.
"Shh" Sheridan placed her fingers on his lips."I think that I'm falling in love with you too" she smiled shyly "and it scares me."
Luis kissed her fingers and pulled her close. He put his arm around her waist and letting the blanket go, he tipped her chin up towards him. The kiss they shared was incredibly sweet and passionate. Neither wanted the moment to end. "Sher" he whispered against her lips,"will you be my valentine?"
"Yes" she giggled, but stopped when Luis handed her the rose. and placed a small ring on her pinkie. It was a simple silver band with a little red heart in the middle.
"Here Sher, I'm giving you my heart" he smiled at her.
"Oh, Luis..." she whispered with tears in her eyes. "I love you Valentine."
"I love you too, I wish I could spend the entire day with you, not fair that you have to work..."
“Well, some of us do that for a living" he laughed as he saw the look she gave him, "come with me. I have to patrol the pond today, and seeing how none of us has a pair of skates...we could..." "Yeah," she ran her fingers over his cheek, "we could..." she kissed him.
"I'm glad we understand each other. Let me go shower quickly and we can get going" one more kiss and he was gone upstairs.
Sheridan smiled. This was going to be the best Valentine's day of her life...
~The End~
