One True Love

Chapter 1:
Sheridan opened her eyes slowly as she woke up. She felt strange. Her head hurt and her eyes didn't want to cooperate. She pried her eyelids open and was startled to see an unfamiliar green wall in front of her eyes. She turned over and groaned when she realized she was not at home in her cottage. Suddenly the events of the night before came crashing back to her. She had been arguing with Julian and her father again. The same old thing. They wanted her to have nothing else to do with Luis and she had refused yet again. Julian was livid as well as her father. This time though Alistairs voice had changed. It took on an ominous note. "Then you leave me no choice my Dear." he said "Julian you know what to do. She has left us no choice." "But Father." Julian said with a note of fear creeping into his own voice."Are you sure you want to go ahead with this?" "Do it!" Alistair ordered. Suddenly Julian had produced a syringe and plunged it into her arm. It made her feel suddenly strange. It made her afraid. Suddenly the room was full of shadows and bugs crawling on the walls. She went hysterical. She screamed and tried to fight as the men who had come to take her away tried to calm her. Julian was video taping all the events. They had taken her to the hospital.They gave her drugs to calm her and had tied her to the bed. She had cried. Now as she came fully awake she felt even more fear. How long would they keep her here. "Luis" she said to herself. "Help me" Tears fell down her cheeks. "Help me"At the Lopez-Fitzgerald house. Luis came into the kitchen just as his mother hung up the phone. "Morning Mama" he said going to kiss her. He pulled up short when he saw her face. She was pale and visible shaken."Mama" he said "what is it?'' Pilar shook her head and answered."Luis, I warned you that if you did not stop seeing Sheridan that there would be consequences." Luis was suddenly alert."Mama, whats wrong with Sheridan? Is she ok?" " No Luis, she isn't" answered Pilar." Julian had her committed to a mental hospital last night." "What?" yelled Luis"thats ridiculous How could he do that. Sheridan is the most sane of all the Cranes." Luis looked around grabbed his coat and headed for the door."Where are you going?" asked Pilar. "I have to help Sheridan." answered Luis and he ran out the door.
Chapter 2:
Luis drove as fast as he could. He was fuming. How in the hell could Julian have Sheridan committed? She was not crazy. There was no way Julian could have convinced anyone that Sheridan was crazy. Maybe he paid them to do it. As they say money could buy almost anything. He arrived at the hospital,parked in the lot marked for emergency vehicles since he was in his police cruiser and ran in to the hospital. He checked the floor map and headed up to the 5th floor where the mental ward was. He stepped from the elevator and immediately saw Ethan arguing with several people at a desk to the right. "I insist that you let me see her" Luis heard as he walked up. "Ethan" said Luis "What the hell is going on?" Ethan turned and looked at Luis. "Luis,thats what I'm trying to find out but these jerks here wont even tell me how she is, much yet let me see her." Luis reached in to his pocket and pulled out his police ID. "I"m Officer Lopez-Fitzgerald. I insist you tell me on what grounds you have committed this woman." "Well Officer" said one man "I am Dr. Sawyer. I have committed this woman on the grounds of insanity." Luis looked at the man in disbelief."Sheridan is not crazy" Luis hissed "I don't know how you could commit someone just like that." Dr Sawyer took a step back at the anger in Luis's voice. "I am Sheridan Cranes lawyer" interjected Ethan"I demand that you explain yourself. How can you tell me this woman I spoke to not an hour before you committed her is crazy?" Dr. Sawyer motioned them in to a room off to the right and asked them to have a seat. He slipped a tape in to a VCR and turned on a TV in the front of the room. Suddenly an image of Sheridan hysterically screaming appeared on the TV. Ethan was so upset by what he saw he turned away. Luis stared in disbelief at the TV. They showed Sheridan fighting Julian away as he tried to help her. Finally two men in white coats come in and take a fighting Sheridan away. Dr. Sawyer turned off the TV. "Now do you two understand"he asked quietly. Ethan looked to stunned to answer. "I want to see her" said Luis "I need to talk to her." His voice was shaking and he looked as if he might cry. Dr. Sawyer shook his head. "I'm sorry Officer,but right now she is a danger to you and herself. I"m afraid I can not allow her to interact with anyone. She is heavily sedated." With that he left Luis and Ethan standing with looks of fear in their eyes. "I have to see her Ethan" Luis announced "None of this makes any sense. Shes not crazy. She must have been drugged or something to act that way. I have to talk to her." Ethan just shook his head and answered"I'll start working on getting a court order to allow us to talk to her." Luis shook his head "No I can't wait that long Ethan. Every second she is in here is a second too long." "What are you going to do" asked Ethan. "I have an idea"Luis said "but I'm not sure you are going to like it." A little while later......... Ethan suddenly starts yelling"I demand you let me see my aunt" He is irate."Now" Nurses and Doctors come running. Ethan is still yelling at the top of his lungs. A strange man dressed in green hospital scrubs with a mask over his face slips unnoticed down the hall.Sheridan's room..... She was aware of where she was but she just couldn't move. She felt like her arms and legs were full of lead. Only her mind was completely alert. It was like when you are dreaming and you just cant seem to move even though you want to. Her eyes were open and she could see everything. How could her father have done this to her. He said he loved her but if you love someone you couldn't possibly do this to them. Tears coursed down her cheeks. She wanted to wipe them away,but her arm refused to move. "Luis" she cried silently "Please help me. I know you wont believe this is true. Hurry up and find me." Suddenly a strange figure popped in to her room. He looked at her and moved to her side. She was afraid. He was huge. If he wanted to hurt her she was not able to even lift a finger to wipe away tears. How could she fight him off. He came closer and she saw his eyes. "Luis" she whispered when she saw the eyes. He pulled the mask off and sat on the bed next to her. "Sheridan" Luis said with a catch in his voice"are you ok? What the hell happened?" Sheridan felt him take her hand in his. "Julian drugged me" she managed to get out. "They gave me something here and I can't move." Luis looked at her face and took a finger and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks. "It's ok Sheridan. I'm here." Luis whispered. "I'm going to get you out of here." Relief shot through Sheridan. "I knew you would come." she whispered " I knew you would." Luis slipped his arms around her back and under her legs and lifted her in to his arms. She felt so right there Luis thought as he walked to the door. He would take care of her. Nothing and no one were ever going to hurt her as long as there was breath left in his body. He pulled her close so her face was nestled against his neck and he could feel her breathing. Sheridan felt Luis's arms tighten and she was nestled against his neck. She could smell him with every breath she took. He smelled like the outdoors. It made her feel safe. Now all that worried her was how Luis was going to get her out of here without getting caught. If he got caught he might lose his job. She would never forgive herself if he got hurt by her family. She looked up and saw the fierce possessive look in Luis's eyes and relaxed. She was going to be fine.

Chapter 3:
Sheridan's room.............. Luis opened the door and peeked out. He could still here Ethan yelling and ranting down the hall and smiled. Maybe his Mama was right, not all Cranes were bad. Ethan was coming through in a pinch. He wouldn't forget that. In the hall he laid Sheridan on a stretcher he had left outside her door and pulled the mask back up over his face. He then pulled a blanket up to Sheridan's chin. He took off down the hall praying that Ethan could keep everyone's attention long enough for him to get out with Sheridan. He wizen past their backs and pushed the button for the elevator."Damn" he thought, "why does it always take the elevator so long when you are in a hurry." Just then the elevator doors opened. Luis took one last look back at Ethan and hurried in to the elevator. He breathed in a sigh of relief and smiled down at Sheridan. Her eyes were wide with fear. He brushed his knuckle softly against her cheek. He leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Half way there" As the elevator opened he caught a glimpse of Julian to the right waiting for an elevator. "Damn damn damn" Luis swore under his breath. He casually walked from the elevator pushing the stretcher and walked right past Julian. Julian was fidgeting and mumbling under his breath to himself. Luis didn't stop to listen. He kept right on going until he reached the door. He went out and glanced back just as Julian stepped onto the elevator and the doors shut. He pushed the automatic door opener and strolled through. "Man" Luis thought to himself "it sure was easy to get a supposed mental patient out of the hospital. He would have to make a mental note of that for his police records." When they reached his SUV he whipped the blanket off and put Sheridan in to the passenger side, pushed the gurney away and ran around to get in. The sooner they got away the better. But where would he take her? He hadn't thought that far ahead. All he knew was that Sheridan was not crazy and that he had to get her out of here. He stepped on the gas and speed away. Meanwhile on the 5th floor.............. Ethan was now talking calmly to the nurses and doctors. They assured him that his aunt was receiving the best care possible. Ethan was not listening. He was busy wondering if Luis had gotten Sheridan out of here yet. He had seen Luis slip past with Sheridan a few minutes ago. He only hoped that he made it out without being confronted. The elevator dinged and the doors opened and out walked Julian. "Ethan" Julian said "what are you doing here?" "Father" Ethan said "What do you think I am doing here. I'm trying to get in to see Sheridan. What the hell is the meaning of all this? You expect me to believe all this is true?" "Ethan" Julian said feigning shock "they must have shown you the tape. How can you doubt that Sheridan has gone around the bend again. Lest you forget this is not her first time in a place like this." Ethan looked at the man who was his father with a disgust that made him want to throw up. He realized not for the first time that his father was not the man he had always thought he was. A man who could be so nonchalant about his sister was no man Ethan wanted to be related to. "Father" Ethan said bearly concealing his disgust."I know you and grandfather had Sheridan committed when she was a child and she wasn't crazy that time either." Julian gave an evil smile and said with a sneer " Sheridan never did know when to keep her mouth shut and listen." Julian called the doctor over. After talking to him for a few seconds he came over and told Ethan that they could go see Sheridan now. Ethan was in shock. He had been arguing for over a half an hour and Julian snaps his finger and suddenly they are let in. They entered the room and shock and anger filled Julians face. "What the hell is going on here" Julian sputtered "where the hell is my sister?" Fury filled Julians eyes. "I bet that Officer Louise has something to do with this. He will pay for this." "Father" Ethan began but Julian silenced him with an angry glance. "Oh shut up Ethan. You have no idea what is at stake here." "No father your right I don't" said Ethan. For the first time Ethan began to doubt Julians innocence in Martin Fitzgeralds disappearance. He had believed his father and grandfather when they said they had nothing to do with the disappearance, but now he wondered. If they were willing to hurt Sheridan to protect this secret, maybe they were lying.
To be continued...

Chapter 4:
Luis driving:
Luis was driving and thinking. What the hell was he going to do? He knew he couldn't take Sheridan home to his home. That would put the rest of his family in jeopardy. He didn't know what to do. Suddenly an image crept in to his mind. That cabin across the water on the island his father used to say he was going to build a house on.He swung his vehicle towards the water front. He glanced over at Sheridan. She was laid back in the seat asleep. She actually looked relaxed. She sighed in her sleep and Luis reached out a hand to hers. When he touched it she turned her hand and grabbed his. He meant to pull away after he touched her but it felt good to hold on to her. He continued down to the dock. There he parked under the dock so no one could see his vehicle and jumped out. He hesitated for a second. He didn't want to leave her alone here, but he couldn't take her along without making a spectacle of it since he had to carry her. He left her locked in and ran up to the dock. There he rented a small row boat and brought it back to where he parked by rowing there in the water. He grabbed the dock. Secured the boat and went to get Sheridan. He was relieved to see she was still asleep. He had been afraid she would wake up and find him gone and be afraid. He gathered her up in his arms and gently lowered her in to the boat. She woke up as he set her in. Her eyes were wide with terror until she saw him. She then smiled and said"where are we?" Luis answered "at the dock. We are going over to an island on the other side of the harbor. There is an old cabin there I used to go to when I was younger with my father. I dot think anyone will look for us there. That will give me time to think about what I am going to do." Luis rowed across to the island and when he reached the shore, jumped out and pulled the whole boat up on to the land. Sheridan was still unable to move but she knew Luis was there so she just laid back and waited. He pulled the boat up in to the trees and gently took her out and laid her on the ground. He then covered the boat up and picked her back up. Quickly he ran up the small hill to the cabin.
Across the way at Lighthouse Park:
Miguel and Charity were together. Miguel was looking through the viewfinder. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. His brother was over there with someone and he was carrying them up to the cabin. Miguel motioned for Charity to look. "It's Luis and Sheridan" Charity said." What are they doing over there?" Miguel answered "that's just what I was wondering." "It's ok " Charity said with a smile "they are safe over there." "Safe?" Miguel asked "Why wouldn't they be?" "I don't know said Charity." I feel an aura of evil surrounding them. Someone wants to hurt them."
At the Crane mansion:
Alistair Cranes voice boomed over the speaker phone. "Damn it Julian. Can't you do anything right. I'm sure that Officer Lopez-Fitzgerald has something to do with this. Find out where he has her. If we don't she will tell Luis all about that night now." "But Father" Julian cajoled "Sheridan is still a Crane. Why would she give us up to Luis?" "Don't you understand Julian?" Alistair screamed "We locked her up again. She is angry at us and Luis saved her again. She will betray us to him for sure now because she will feel she owes Luis again. You know how she feels about the truth setting you free. I"m afraid this time she will spill the beans." "Then what asked Julian pouring a brandy "It was only a nightmare. Luis can assume all he wants from that but it is not even close to what really happened.Sheridan was a child. Her memory is sketchy. She doesn't remember what really happened. She thinks she killed him. So what if she tells Luis that. It might actually be good. Then he will hate her. Maybe he will even bring her back. *evil laugh* Some hero." "Julian put that damn drink down. You need a sober mind to think here. Where the hell would Luis take Sheridan? You have to find her." Alistar shouted "You wont be worth a damn bit of good drunk. Not that your worth anything sober." Julian looked hurt. "Father, I'm doing my best here. I don't know where they might have gone but I know someone who might." Aliatair boomed "Then talk to them and get back to me!" With that he hung up leaving Julian standing there looking pensive drinking a big gulp of brandy.
To be continued..

Chapter 5:
The cabin.................... Luis walked in the cabin and looked around. There was only one small twin bed in the corner. He walked over and gently laid Sheridan on the bed. She smiled up at him as he straightened up. "Luis, I don't know how to thank you for doing this. You are risking so much for me." Sheridan said. Luis smiled back at her and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Sheridan, I would do anything for you. I mean uhhh I would do this for anyone." Luis stammered. Sheridan's smile faded just a bit and Luis noticed it. "I mean I don't mind helping you. You didn't deserve what was happening to you." Luis said knowing it wasn't enough. Sheridan's smile stayed but it looked more strained. "Damn it" Luis swore to himself. He knew he should just come clean and tell her the real reason he was helping her. He was tired of lying to himself. There was no denying after today that he was falling hopelessly and helplessly in love with Sheridan Crane. He didn't know when it had started. Maybe it was in Santa Fe, or at Christmas when he watched her eyes dance with happiness when she talked of Spain. Actually as he thought about it, It might have been as early as that first tango at his mothers birthday party. Now as he sat on a dirty bed next to a very sad and scared Sheridan. Her eyes were a mirror to her soul. He saw the hurt he had just inflected on her. Unintentionally as it may have been, Sheridan looked as if she might cry. "Uhhhhhhh" Luis growled and Sheridan started at the sudden noise. "I meant what I first said" groaned Luis "I would do anything for you." Luis watched as that little light jumped back in to Sheridan's eyes and it encouraged him to continue. "I don't know when it happened but suddenly you mean a lot to me. I couldn't stand if anything happened to you. I would lay down my life for you." Luis said emotion heavy in his voice. Sheridan smiled a huge smile that took Luis's breath away. "Luis, I know you would do that. That's why I trust you so much. I know you would never let anyone hurt me." Sheridan said. "Could you please do me a favor though?" Luis nodded and replied "Anything Sheridan Just ask and I will do it." Sheridan sighed and stifled a yawn."I am so tired from these drugs,but Luis will you hold me. I only feel safe in your arms. I know I am always safe in your arms." Luis's heart melted and he slid in to the bed next to Sheridan and gathered he in his arms. He snuggled close and pulled her back into him. He buried his face in her hair and felt her relax. She was asleep already. He laid there not tired but not daring to move for fear that he would wake her. She was so precious to him. "Oh my God" Luis thought to himself, "I'm in love with her." This is the one true love he had always dreamed of. If only she felt the same way. She seem to enjoy his company and trusted him which said a lot. If only she loved him to. He had to know before he admitted it to her. But for now he would savor this feeling of holding her.
Crane mansion... Pilar went into Julians office with a weary look on her face. She hadn't heard from Luis since he had charged out of the house after finding out that Julian had committed Sheridan to the mental ward. She was afraid that Luis had done something rash. Then again she almost half hoped that Luis had managed to help Sheridan. She didn't deserve what had happened to her. All for the fact that she was interested in Luis. Pilar walked up to Julian who was at his desk with what she assumed was not his first brandy. "Mr. Crane,you asked for me?" Pilar asked. "AHHH Pilar there you are" Julian said slurring his words slightly."I need to ask you if you have seen your son Luis lately." "Well, I saw him this morning." Pilar hedged knowing where this was headed and not wanting to lie. "No, Pilar" Julian snapped"I mean have you seen him since he broke my sister out of the hospital." Pilar gasped as Julians words sunk in. "I take it by that gasp that you didn't know." Julian sneered "So if you haven't seen him, do you have any idea where he might take Sheridan to hide her." Pilar shook her head "No Julian I have no idea where Luis might have taken Sheridan." she said meaning it. " I can not believe that Luis would have done this though if he didn't think he was doing the right thing.I can not believe it myself that you did this to Sheridan. She is your sister and I know even if you and Alistair wont admit it that you did this to keep her away from my son." With that Pilar left a stunned Julian staring after her with his mouth hanging open.

Chapter 6:
Crane mansion....
Julian was up already even though it was really early and he never rose before 9 am. He knew that his father was going to be livid when he found out that Julian had found nothing about the whereabouts of that idiot cop and his brainless sister. Julian walked over and poured a sherry. Maybe this would help him think clearer. Just as he topped his glass off the phone rang. He pushed the speaker phone and Alistairs voice came over the line making Julians already aching head hurt worse. "Julian, why didn't you call me last night. I told you that I wanted to hear from you. Tell me you have located your sister." Alistair roared. Julian cringed at his fathers anger and answered,"Father how nice to hear from. I was just about to get in touch with a business associate of mine who is a private detective. I came up with only dead ends yesterday which is why I did not bother you last night." "Damnit Julian" Alistair growled," I give you this one small thing to do and you fail me yet again. I cant believe I leave my company in the hands of such an incompetent. I am having my doubts about your continued dealings with my company. If you don't come through for me Julian, I swear you will live to regret this. We all will. Your sister will bring our entire lives crashing down on us." With that Alistair hung up leaving Julian boiling with anger.
At the Lopez-Fitzgerald house...
Theresa came in to the kitchen to find her mother staring out the window looking very frightened. Theresa ran to her mother and put her arms around her from behind as Miguel came in to the kitchen as well. "Mama, what is it?"Miguel asked joining his sister next to their mother. "Luis has taken Sheridan from the hospital where Julian had her committed to a mental ward." "What" Theresa and Miguel shouted at the same time. "Mama how could Julian commit her?" Theresa asked tears in her eyes, "Sheridan is not crazy. Oh poor Ethan he must be so upset. I should go to him." Miguel looked serious and said"Mama I know where Luis is. I saw him yesterday across the harbor on the island where that old cabin is. He had Sheridan with him. I was with Charity and she felt they were in some sort of danger." "They are both in danger because they crossed Alistair. I warned them both that our families can not mix. Now they are in trouble. I cannot help them. I have to go to work now and I don't know how I will ever lie to Julian. He is sure to ask me if I know where they are. They have put me in a very bad position. Luis knows I never lie." Pilar moaned. "Mama you cant tell Julian where they are" said Miguel " I wish I hadn't told you I saw them. It is my fault too." Pilar hugged Miguel and shook her head. "I am so afraid that Luis has fallen in love with Sheridan." Miguel looked at his mother and said "I believe he has Mama. I have seen how he looks at her. He treats her so gently lately. But I don't understand why you cant be happy for Luis. Sheridan is a nice lady. I think she loves Luis very much too." Pilar answered," I love Sheridan as my daughter. I think she would be great to Luis. I just know that Alistair will not allow it." "I don't understand mama" said Theresa,"what can Alistair Crane do to Sheridan? If they are in love then it will overcome anything." Pilar shook her head. "Theresa honey that is in a dream world. In this world, the rich people like the Cranes control things that they should not be able to." Pilar left for work leaving Theresa and Miguel alone.
The cabin...
Sheridan woke up slowly. She felt secure and warm. Luis was curled against her back with his arms holding her securely against him. She could fell his breath on her hair with each breath he took. Sheridan reveled in the feel of being in his arms. It felt so right. She loved the way it felt when his arms held her like when they were in Santa Fe. He was a strong man yet he held her as if she were made of crystal. He was never rough like some of the men in her life. He held her tightly enough to make her feel safe but not so tight that she felt trapped. Luis was a man who cherished the women in his life. She saw the way he treated his mother and sister. He was sometimes too strict with Theresa but he obviously loved her. She only wished she could see him as he slept. She loved to watch him when he didn't know she was doing it. She turned in his arms until she was facing him. He pulled her against his chest and she settled in. She lay there looking at this beautiful man. That was the only word she could think of to describe Luis. He was handsome but yet that was not enough to describe him. His dark hair, his perfect mouth,those eyebrows and his handsome chiseled latin features. Not to mention his eyes. A girl could get lost in those eyes. She watched him sleeping his eyelashes laying on his cheeks. Suddenly she was staring deeply into his liquid brown eyes. She blushed at being found staring and looked away. "Morning" Luis chuckled."Morning" Sheridan answered and tried to turn back over. Luis held her tightly against his chest. She glanced up in her shy way she had that made Luis's stomach flip. Actually a lot of things about Sheridan made Luis stomach do that flip thing. Those eyes that were so big and expressive. Her beautiful face, her perfect little nose, her long graceful neck. All those things he had noticed about her when he had kissed her all those months ago at his mothers birthday party. Then there was her mouth. It was so sweet. He suddenly flashed back to that day in Santa Fe when she had jumped up and kissed him. He had pulled away but not before he tasted her mouth. It was like kissing honey. So soft and sweet. It had taken everything in his power not to continue that kiss. Then he flashed to the kiss in Julians library. Sheridan had grabbed him and pulled him to her. He was shocked to say the least. All she had said was "Go with me on this" and she had planted a kiss on him that sent a shock through him all the way down to his toes. He bearly had time to register that Julian had come in. "Luis?" Sheridan said for the third time. Luis came back to reality. She was here in his arms stretched out against him, laying her sweet head on his chest, her hand curled up just next to her chin. "God she looks so beautiful" Luis groaned inwardly. "Yeah Sheridan" he answered "what ?" "I said I am feeling better. Now I am just worried about what we are going to do. Maybe Ethan can help us. He can get an injunction to stop Julian and my father from doing this to me again." Luis nodded "I didn't tell you this yesterday, but Ethan helped me get you out of there yesterday." "I thought I heard his voice yesterday when we were rushing out." Sheridan laughed. "See didn't I tell you Ethan was not so bad." "Yeah" said Luis "I"m beginning to see that maybe I was wrong about all the Cranes being bad." "What??" Sheridan asked feigning shock "Is that Luis Lopez-Fetzgerald admitting he is wrong?" Luis pretended to look injured and pouted and said"Your making fun of me." Sheridan shook her head. "Yes you are" insisted Luis "I guess I am going to have to prove it." With that Luis dipped his head and captured Sheridans lips in a kiss. Luis didn't know what had possessed him to do it but now he had there was no turning back. The second his lips touched hers a spark had jumped through him. Sheridan responded to the kiss and he deepened it. She tasted so good. Her mouth was so sweet and her sigh when he touched his tongue to hers made him realize that she wanted this too. He got lost in the moment and when he finally took a breath several minutes later, he pulled back and looked at her. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips still swollen from his kisses. "I" Luis started to say but she silenced him with a finger to his lips. "Don't " she said "don't you dare say your sorry." Luis shook his head "I was going to say I don't know what got in to me. But I know what got in to me. It was you. You get under my skin. I can't seem to get you off my mind." Sheridan looked pleased. "I understand completely" she said. Luis reluctantly moved and started to get up. "Well, I should probably go across the harbor and get into contact with my family and Ethan. I don't want to use a cell phone because they could trace that." Sheridan nodded in agreement. Suddenly they heard a noise and they realized there was someone coming
To be continued

Chapter 7:
The Cabin
Luis stiffened and reached for the gun in his holster he had taken off and put on a chair. He removed the gun from his holster and motioned for Sheridan to get behind him. The door to the cabin creaked open and Luis felt Sheridan's hand on his back. She was shaking in fear. "Stay behind me" Luis whispered and Sheridan nodded her head even though Luis could not see her. A shadow fell into the room as the door opened and the sun shone in. Luis raised his gun and and a figure advanced into the room followed by a second smaller figure. "Luis" a female voice called. "Theresa?" Luis said"what are you doing here and who is that with you?" "Yes" Theresa answered "its me and I have Ethan with me." "Ethan?" Sheridan said relief evident in her voice. Luis moved across the room and lit a lantern in the corner. Soft light illuminated the small sparse cabin. There was only one small window in the corner and the light did not light the cabin at all. Sheridan went to Ethan and hugged him. "Ethan I am so glad to see you" Sheridan said " I owe you a big thank you for helping Luis get me out of that awful hospital." Ethan shook his head " Sheridan you are my aunt and I love you. I cant believe that Father and Grandfather did that to you." "They really will do anything to get there way" sighed Sheridan. Luis had come up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. She leaned back against him unconsciously. It did not escape Ethan's notice either but instead of feeling angry it made him feel good. At last Sheridan had found someone to make her feel secure even under very difficult circumstances. Ethan smiled at Luis and said "I couldn't have done it alone though. Luis is the one who came up with the plan to get you out." "But i couldn't have done it alone either ." Luis said "I needed a diversion and you did a great job." Theresa smiled up at Ethan. Luis noticed but skipped it for the moment. Luis asked "Ethan , Theresa what are you doing here anyway. How did you know where we were?" "Miguel and Charity were at Lighthouse Park yesterday and saw you over here." Theresa said " he told Mama and I this morning." Luis looked worried at that statement. "If you and Ethan found us then that means other people might be able to also. Where did you leave the boat you came over in?" "In the water" answered Ethan,"I didn't think of anyone seeing that." As if foreshadowing Ethans statement, Julian suddenly appeared in the doorway with two men in white coats. "It's a good thing for me that you didn't think of hiding the boat" sneered Julian"I would never have found my poor dear sick sister then." Father..... Julian" ..Ethan, Sheridan and Luis said at the same time. The men and Julian advanced into the room and suddenly if seemed as if everything happened at once. Luis grabbed Sheridan around the waist and pushed his way through Julian and the two men. Luis pushed Sheridan ahead of him and when they were outside, grabbed her hand and ran pulling her along. When they reached the waters edge Luis pushed one row boat out in to the water and grabbing the rope from it jumped into a very expensive motor boat and pulled Sheridan in with him.. He started up the motor boat and sped away pulling the row boat with them. Julian and the men reached the shore when they were well away from it. They could not hear what Julian was saying but from the color of his face, he was not happy. Sheridan smiled at Luis "Julian is very mad I would say." "Yeah" Luis answered "especially since we took the other boat with us." Sheridan laughed,"It will be awhile before they find the boat you hid. That will give us enough time to get away." Luis nodded," Now all we need to do is figure out where the hell we can go."
to be continued.........

Chapter 8:
Luis and Sheridan in Luis' police vehicle
They had made it across the harbor in record time thanks to Julians expensive speed boat they had "borrowed." Luis and Sheridan now drove with no particular destination in mind. "Luis?" Sheridan said glancing over at him as he drove,"Do you know where we are going?" Luis frowned and answered,"I have no idea where to go Sheridan. I don't know who to trust. If I go to Sam I would be putting him in a bad position. He is a police officer and if I put him in the middle of this he could get in trouble as well. I know that we cant go back to my house. Mama would help but then again that would be asking her to lie if Julian asks her questions. I cant do that to Mama." Sheridan nodded her head in agreement as Luis ticked off all the people who couldn't help them. Suddenly Luis snapped his fingers and said,"Hank! I don't know why I didn't think of it before. He will help us. We have been through so many other tough times together and he always came through for me." Sheridan didn't look to convinced. "What?" Luis asked,"you don't think he will help us?" Sheridan shook her head,"I don't know Hank all that well Luis,but if you say he will help us then I believe you." Luis used a payphone and called Hank. They arranged to meet him in an hour at a cliff in the woods near Lighthouse Park. If had been a favorite hang out of theirs in their youth Luis had informed Sheridan when he saw her puzzled look when he had told her where they were meeting. Sheridan shrugged her shoulders and they drove there and hid the car back in a wooded spot. Luis told her jokingly that he knew that spot because he hid there to catch speeders. Sheridan rolled her eyes. They followed a trail of sorts. It was obviously once well used but now was over grown with weeds and trees. Luis had her hand protectively tucked in his. She stumbled and he took her elbow to steady her. "Careful" he cautioned "I wouldn't want to have to explain to Hank why I was carrying you." Sheridan shot Luis a dirty look. He saw it and frowned. Hank seemed to be a sore subject with Sheridan lately. When they reached a big tree Luis pulled her close to his side and covered her eyes. "Luis," Sheridan said surprised at his playfulness in this dangerous time. Luis just chuckled and said, "wait until you see the view. Its spectacular." He was leading her ahead of him and when he stopped he uncovered her eyes and Sheridan gasped at the sheer beauty of what she saw. The cliff overlooked all of Harmony and the harbor and ocean as well. She stared speechless at the raw nature in front of her eyes. Luis had uncovered her eyes but he hadn't stepped back. She was still leaning against his chest and she could feel his laughter at her awe. "Pretty neat huh?" Luis asked and all Sheridan could do was nod. They stayed that way for a long while. Lost in the beauty of nature and the feel of being so close as well. After a while Luis pulled back and Sheridan felt bereft without his body touching her. She turned and looked in to his eyes. "Luis, thank you for showing me this."she said tears in her eyes "it is the most beautiful sight I have ever seen." "Oh come on" Luis said"I know you must have seen some awesome sights on your travels" "Maybe its the company" Sheridan said and then blanched. Had she just said that aloud? Sheridan was stunned that she had let that slip out. Luis looked as shocked as she felt. Luis stepped forward. Her eyes never left his. When he was so close that their lips were almost touching he paused. "You think?" He asked. Sheridan just stared wide eyed at him. Luis leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the mouth. He pulled back and said " to tell you the truth I haven't even been looking at the view. I haven't been able to take my eyes off you." At Sheridan's stunned expression he added, "One truth deserves another." Then he was kissing her again. He pulled her close and deepened the kiss. He couldn't seem to get enough of her kisses. Last night had been the first real kiss and he hadn't been able to think of anything but tasting her sweet mouth again. She responded to his kiss with little soft sounds that went straight to his heart. How was he ever going to help her if he couldn't resist kissing her every second? They were so caught up in each other that they didn't see Hank come out of the woods from the trail. Hanks face was a mask of stone. He looked different then the Hank that both Luis and Sheridan knew. Hank stepped back into the woods and took out his cell phone. He glanced back at them. Luis held Sheridan in a way that showed Hank he had been lying about his intentions toward Sheridan. His hand was around her pulling her close and the other was holding her face in a sweet caress. Sheridan had one hand on Luis's neck and the other buried deep in his hair pulling him closer as if that were possible. Hank grunted in disgust and dialed the cell phone.
To be continued...

Chapter 9:
The Cliff in the woods...
Luis was kissing Sheridan. He could not believe it was happening. A few short months ago it would have been inconceivable to him that he would kiss a Crane, much less enjoy it. In those few months his whole world was turned on its axis. He had gotten to know the real Sheridan. Was still learning new things about her every day. All he knew was that somehow everything he thought he "knew" about Sheridan had been wrong. She wasn't spoiled and didn't flaunt her money like the rest of the family. She cared deeply about others and went out of her way to help others in need. Sure she had been ordered to serve 100 hours of community service, but not to enjoy them. Truly it seemed to Luis that she had enjoyed them. She had genuinely liked the kids. It had been evident in the way she spoke to them and treated them with respect. The kids had flipped for her too. Especially the girls. At first they had been in awe of her, but the more time they spent with her the more they started to open up to her. In fact the girls seemed more at ease with Sheridan now then they ever were with him. Not that the boys didn't take notice of her as well. He saw the speculative looks they gave her and heard them call her gorgeous. He had agreed with them even though at the time he would not have admitted it. He pulled his mouth away from hers and took a deep breath. "I think we better stop this. Hank will be here any second." Luis sighed. It was the last thing he wanted to do. He just knew that it would hurt his best friend to see him kiss the woman he thought he would be with. Sheridan nodded but didn't speak. As if on cue Hank stepped out of the woods. "Hi" He said cheerfully." So old man Alistair and Julian locked you in the loony bin" Hank asked Sheridan with a laugh. Sheridan took a step closer to Luis. Something in Hanks voice made a shiver run up her spine. Sheridan said,"Yes and Luis rescued me again." Hank laughed and said with a sneer in his voice,"That seems to be becoming a habit." Sheridan felt another shiver and actually put her hand on Luis's arm. She looked up at him to see if he noticed the change in Hank. His face was relaxed so it was obvious that he didn't. Sheridan gave herself a mental shake. She was being silly. Luis knew Hank better then anyone and if he didn't notice anything then she must be imagining it. Then again when Hank didn't notice her watching him as he and Luis spoke, he made an ugly face when he looked at her hand resting on Luis's arm. She shook off the feeling and concentrated on the conversation that Luis and Hank were having. Hank was making the suggestion that they turn themselves in. "No" both Sheridan and Luis said in unison. Hank looked mad. Well, I don't know how else to help you. Sheridan saw a blur to her right in the woods. Before she could warn Luis though,Hank jumped forward and grabbed Luis's gun from the holster. Luis looked at him in shock as Julian and the two men from the hospital emerged from the woods. "Hank" Luis said his voice betraying his hurt "what the hell are you doing." "I am saving you buddy," Hank said "Sheridan is a nut case and she needs help." Luis shook his head in disbelief. Julian stepped in front of him and Sheridan realized that he had a gun as well. Julian stepped closer to Sheridan and Luis pulled her behind him. "Julian, you cant get away with this. Ethan is working on..." Julian interrupted Luis. "Look officer. You lose. I am stronger then you and I am a Crane and I will always come out on top. There is nothing you can do." With that he raised the gun. "You have been too much trouble. Now you are going to die." Julian snarled. Even Hank had the decency to look shocked. Sheridan was enraged. "Julian your intimidation wont work on me." Luis said. Julian laughed in that evil way he had when he thought he had the upper hand. Julian cocked the gun and leveled it at Luis. Julian went on in the snooty tone, "I can see the headlines. Jilted lover catches twosome in throes of passion and shoots man and jumps to his death when he realizes he just killed his best friend. Woman is institutionalized indefinitely." Everything happened at once. Julian pulled the trigger and Luis's hand came up just as Hank pushed Julian. The gun went off......... BANG>>>......... The bullet missed Luis and Luis knocked it out of Julians hand. Julian fell to the ground. Luis picked it up and yelled at Julian to stand up. That is when he saw Hanks shocked face. Hank was staring behind him at Sheridan. Luis turned around. Sheridan was standing there holding her hand over a large red stain rapidly spreading over her shirt. "Luis" she managed to get out and fell forward. She was pale and shaking uncontrollably. He caught her, shock written all over his face.
To Be Continued...

Chapter 10:
The cliff in the woods...........
Luis caught Sheridan as she fell forward. He gathered her close and laid her back. He saw the red stain spreading across the entire front of her shirt now. He ripped back her shirt and gasped at the wound on her side. Luis laid her gently down and whipped his shirt off and pressed it to Sheridan's side to staunch the flow of blood. "Hank" Luis shouted "Get on that damn phone of yours and get an ambulance out here." Hank just stared at the blood and didn't move. "Damnit Hank Move " Luis screamed and Hank jumped and got his phone out and dialed. Julian stood watching Luis in shock. When Luis looked at him he whispered " I didn't mean to hurt her." Meaning it. "I would never shoot her. Never!" Luis said to him,"snap out of it Julian. Give me your shirt to tie around her to hold this over the wound. We have to carry her out of here. The ambulance cant get back here and the sooner we get out of here the sooner they can get her to the hospital." Julian nodded and took off his shirt and handed it to Luis. Luis wrapped it around Sheridan and swung her up into his arms. He practically ran through the woods. Hank and Julian followed in a daze. When they got out of the trail the ambulance was just pulling up. Luis laid Sheridan on the stretcher they had and jumped in after they slid her in. He forgot all about Hank and Julian. All he could think of was that he was losing Sheridan. She was so pale. He lips had a bluish hue and the looks on the attendants faces said she was critical condition. Luis felt so helpless. All he could do was grip her hand and pray she was ok. They reached the hospital and they whisked her away from him. When he tried to follow they held him back. He stood outside the door and ran his hand through his hair in frustration and fear. He started towards the waiting room just as Hank and Julian arrived. Julian was pale and obviously shaken. Hank looked mildly upset but he was the one to speak. "So how is she?" Hank inquired. Luis's fist connected with Hanks jaw sending him flying back into the wall. Hank shook his head and wiped the blood from his mouth. "Luis, buddy, what was that for. I just asked how she was." Luis looked as if he might kill Hank. His hands bunched up into fists. "Hank,"Luis said his voice calm and low, "don't you ever call me buddy again. Any shred of friendship I still felt for you died when you turned against Sheridan." Hank shook his head,"Luis don't say that. We have been friends for years" Hank said a whine in his voice," How can you throw it away on some girl." Luis's face turned to stone and he said in a steely voice, "Hank that girl as you call her happens to be the woman I love." With that Luis struck Hank again knocking him unconscious. Julian cowered back in the corner convinced that Luis was going to do to him what he did to Hank. Just then Sam Bennett came around the corner. Luis just gave Julian a hard look and turned to address Sam. "Luis what the hell happened here. I just got a call the Sheridan Crane was shot." Sam said when he reached them. Luis nodded and said,"Eve Russell is with her now. I haven't heard a thing yet." Sam looked shocked, "But how? Who would have shot her?" Luis nodded at Julian and said,"He did it. He was planning on shooting me and pretending Hank did it and push Hank over the cliff and have Sheridan committed." Sam looked at Julian with a satisfied smile, "I have been waiting years to say this." Sam said "Julian Crane, you are under arrest." Julian didn't even fight it. he held out his hands to Sam and Sam took him away. Just before they walked out Julian turned around and said to Luis "Please officer could you let me know if she is all right." Luis nodded and they left. Just as they walked out, Theresa ,Ethan, Miguel,Charity and Pilar all came rushing in. They all looked at Hank laying on the floor and then at Luis. "How is she?" asked Pilar fear in her voice. Luis shrugged his shoulders in defeat, "I dont know. Eve is with her. I haven't heard a thing yet." Pilar came to him and put her arms around him. Just then Eve came out.
To Be Continued....

Chapter 11:
The hospital emergency room waiting area.........
Luis stepped forward as Eve walked up. "How is she?" Luis demanded. Eve stopped in front of them and smiled. Relief raced through Luis to see her smile. "Well, she lost a lot of blood out there,but it was a flesh wound only." Eve said. Luis actually grabbed Eve and hugged her. Eve laughed and said, "She is conscious now and demanding to see you Luis." Luis was down the hall before Eve even had the words out of her mouth. He stopped when he reached the end of the hall. Eve had to run to catch up to him. "Luis my goodness she's not going anywhere. I have admitted her for observation overnight.Come with me and I will take you to her room." Eve said out of breath from trying to keep up to Luis. Luis grabbed Eve's arm and hustled her into the elevator.
Sheridan's hospital room...........
Sheridan's side hurt and she felt groggy.All she knew was that she wanted Luis. She kept asking for him and they kept telling her they had to examine her first and then she could see him. They had moved her into this room and Eve Russell had promised her she would go get Luis. Where was he? The door opened and the man in question walked in. More like ran in. He had a wild look of fear in his eyes. As soon as he saw her sitting up in bed still a bit pale but looking very beautiful and alive, he came to her bad and sat gently down on the edge. "I want to hug you"he said," But I don't want to hurt you." Sheridan held out her arms to him and said "I need a hug Luis. You wont hurt me." Luis didn't need a second invitation. He took her into his arms and hugged her head to his shoulder. He was careful not to press against her side. She cuddled up to him and reveled in the feel of being in his arms again. " Sheridan," Luis said with a crack in his voice. Sheridan pulled back from his embrace and saw that tears were coursing down his face. She put her hand on his cheek and wiped his tears. She leaned forward and kissed his forehead. When she pulled back she saw that the tears were only coming faster now. "Luis don't" she whispered "don't cry. I'm ok." She kissed him softly on the lips and then kissed his tears away from his cheeks. She was reigning kisses all over his face. Luis grabbed her face and placed a fierce kiss on her lips. He had always been gentle the other times he kissed her. This time he was anything but gentle. He was kissing her with a desperation she had never felt before from any man. He pulled back and looked Sheridan directly in her eyes. "I could have lost you." he said with a tremor in his voice,"I could have lost you and you never would have known." He broke down again and gathered her back into his arms. "Known what Luis" Sheridan asked confused. Luis leaned back again but never let go of her. "I love you Sheridan!" Luis said emphatically, "I love you so much and I almost lost you. You might have never known that." Sheridan looked at Luis love shining in her eyes. "Luis" she said "I have been in love with you for weeks now. I was just afraid to tell you. i didn't think you felt the same way as I did." They kissed passionately finally knowing the love they shared. Luis lay on the bed and gathered her close. She slept and he watched her. His Sheridan he thought. The woman he loved. he could finally say it out loud and it made him feel free. He drifted off as well. Eve came in to check Sheridan,but left Luis with her. She left instructions that no one was to wake them when they checked Sheridan. She had a feeling Sheridan needed Luis more then she needed medical care. With Luis on her side she was one lucky woman. From the possessive way Luis held her, Eve knew that he had given in to the feelings everyone else had seen him having. She told the others that Sheridan was not up to visitors and they all left. All except Hank. He had a broken jaw and needed stitches in his head where he had hit the floor. He was in some serious pain when he left later.
Next morning..................
Luis awoke first and laid still watching Sheridan sleep. He was so lucky to have her in his life. No more games he thought. He was serious about Sheridan. This was going to work. No matter what Alistair or Julian wanted. Sheridan loved him too. He had waited his whole life for this kind of love. The one true love of his life. It was such a cliche. The one true love thing. Luis had never believed in it before. That was before Sheridan. She was just what he had always dreamed of. He never thought he would find it. Now he had he would fight for it. No one would ever hurt her again. Eve came in then and Sheridan stirred in his arms. Eve's face wore a grim look. Luis was immediately alert. "Whats wrong Eve" demanded Luis. "I hate to tell you this" Eve said, "It seems Alistair has been busy during the night. He is demanding that Luis be arrested and Sheridan returned to the mental word." "No" Luis grated. "Not again.I cant believe he is going to get away with this." "He's not" Eve said "thats why I'm here. If you leave now you can be away form here before anyone gets here. Sam is on his way. He called to tell me. Weird huh Luis. Sam didn't need to do that did he?" Luis nodded understanding. Sam was giving him a way out without getting involved. Luis looked at Sheridan. "Eve is she ok to travel?" Luis asked. Eve nodded in conformation. "It would be better if she could relax for the rest of the week. I know that you are not going to be able to do that. Sheridan is not crazy. If Alistair wants to commit her there is no stopping him." "At least not quickly" Luis said. They were up and dressed and out the door before Sam even got near the hospital. Just before they left Eve handed Luis a slip of paper. On it were directions to a secluded cabin hide away that no one knew that Eve and TC owned. It was their secret get away place. Luis kissed Eve on the cheek. "Tell Ethan where we are ok? " Luis said. Eve hugged Sheridan and wished them well. "I'll tell him" she promised."I'll tell him to be very careful if he comes there too." They left in a rent a car that Eve had rented for them. Luis held Sheridan's hand as they drove.
To be continued......................

Chapter 12:
The rent a car..............
Luis drove along the mountain highway. The more distance they put between them and Harmony the better Luis was thinking. Sheridan had fallen asleep a while ago. The cabin was a ways from Harmony. It made it worse that it was snowing. Luis almost couldn't see where he was going at times, the snow was so heavy. He drove on leaning forward to better see if the turn on Eve's directions was coming up. As near as he could tell they were almost there. He glanced over at Sheridan. She was curled up against the door. Her head rested on the side of the seat which was reclined. Her face looked peaceful and she seemed very relaxed. It made him feel good knowing she felt so secure with him. He was relieved that he had finally told her how he felt about her. He was also relieved to know she returned the feelings. Now that he know for sure the feelings were reciprocated there was no reason to hide how he felt. He had been in denial for so long. Now he had no reason to hide his feelings, he intended to show Sheridan in every way how much he cared for her. He was getting anxious because the snow was coming down even harder now. He was inching along praying he hadn't missed the turn when suddenly there it was. He braked and turned too quickly. It was a mistake. The car started to slide and they headed right for the ditch. Luis jerked the wheel in the direction of the slide and managed to correct it. The jerking motion woke Sheridan who stirred and sat up. "Hey Sheridan" Luis said sharply "Please put on your seat belt. Damn I didn't know this was so bad." Sheridan looked at him from under her eyelashes and Luis stomach did that flip thing."Sorry" he mumbled feeling very sheepish for having yelled at her. She gave him a huge smile. "Thats ok Luis," Sheridan said,"Its looks like horrible driving conditions" Luis nodded, "Its been getting steadily worse. That was the turn though and we should be there shortly." He said."I just want to make sure your safe." Sheridan reached over and put her hand on his arm. "Luis I know that" Sheridan consoled him "I know you better then that!" Luis smiled at her. Just then the wheel jerked out of Luis grip and they spun out of control into the ditch. Luis heard Sheridan's scream and it echoed his own. They landed upside down in the ditch. Luis unsnapped his seat belt when he became aware that they had stopped moving. He glanced over to meet Sheridan's very frightened eyes. He fell down on to the top of the car and reached up to unfasten her. Luis could only thank God that he had just seconds before ordered Sheridan to put on her seat belt. If she had still been asleep he would not have thought to tell her to put on her seat belt. She fell forward onto him as he unfastened her belt. She gave a small gasp when he caught her. Damn he couldn't help it that he touched her side. She held him tightly around the neck. "Hey" Luis said pulling back a bit to look in her eyes"Its going to be all right. Sweetie. I'm sure we are almost to the cabin. I will carry you. Now we just have to get the heck out of the car. Luis kicked open the door of the car and helped Sheridan out of the car. The cold and wind hit them with full force. It was freezing out. He couldn't see 1 foot in front of him because of blowing snow. It was going to be very hard to find the cabin in this. They could walk right past it and never know! Luis swung Sheridan gently up in to his arms and kissed her softly on the mouth. Sheridan smiled and said "Luis I can walk if I need to you know." Luis only smiled back and said "I know." He started to trudge through the snow. He didn't have boots on and the snow filled his shoes quickly. He went not two feet when he laughed out loud. Sheridan stared at him. "Luis???" she asked "Why are you laughing?"
To be continued.............................

Chapter 13:
Out in the snow.............

Sheridan looked at Luis as if he had lost his mind. Luis just continued to laugh. Sheridan got worried. Had he hit his head when their car crashed? "Luis are you all right" she asked,concern written all over her face. Luis nodded to something in front of them and she turned in his arms to see what he was looking at. Not a foot from where they were standing was the cabin. If they had not crashed into the ditch just to the right of the cabin they would have driven right past it. Sheridan laughed then too as Luis put her down on the deck attached to the cabin and fished around in his pocket for the key. He pulled it out and opened the door. The cabin was adorable! It had a cozy, romantic interior. Just the place for two people in love to get away from the rest of the world. Sheridan fell in love with it at first sight. There was a big living room into which they entered. It was furnished with two comfortable looking overstuffed sofas in southwest colors on either side of the room. A coffee table was in the center of them in the shape of a wagon wheel. The whole room was done is southwestern design. The walls had tapestries hung on them in rich orange and brown. The rug was thick and comfortable. On the far wall stood a huge fire place and in front of it was a huge bearskin rug.There were all sorts of southwestern knick knacks all around. It gave it the feel of the South. She immediately thought of Santa Fe. To the right of the door was the kitchen. It was small but quaint. It was done in dark brown wood. There were pots and pans hanging over a small island in the center of the room and the kitchen was set up around it. To the left was a door Sheridan supposed was the bathroom. To the far right was a spiral stair case that led up to a loft. Sheridan could make out the foot of a bed just over the top. She stood in the middle of the floor and turned in circles to take it all in. Luis was in awe as well but not of the cabin, but of Sheridan. She was excited. He could see she loved the cabin. Her eyes danced with pleasure as she took it all in. He didn't know how she could be so happy after all she had been through. "Luis" she finally said after a few minutes, "It's so beautiful. Its just like Santa Fe" Luis nodded and said, " I was just thinking the same thing" " Well at least we didn't almost drowned here." Sheridan said with a laugh. "Yeah but your still cold and wet" Luis said suggestively waggling his eyebrows. Sheridan blushed a deep red at the reminder of the time in Santa Fe when Luis had stripped her clothes off and kept her warm with his body heat. "Want me to help you out of your clothes," Luis asked " I would be happy to oblige" Sheridan slapped Luis's arm playfully. "Behave yourself," she scolded. Luis smiled and said, " I am. What kind of cop would I be to let you stand here freezing cold in wet clothes?" Sheridan rolled her eyes at him. "Really though," Luis said, " all kidding aside. You do need to get out of those wet clothes. Eve also said we need to change your bandage too. I have the supplies along to do that. Why don't you go up in the loft and see what is here for clothes. Eve said it was fully supplied. She called ahead to make sure." Sheridan nodded and headed up while Luis got the bandages out. When she got up to the loft it took her breath away. There was a slanted ceiling and a huge skylight was just above the huge four poster bed. You could lay in bed and look at the stars, or watch the clouds during the day. Right now all she saw was snow though. She looked around the room. There was a dresser and a closet on the far wall and a dressing table. At the foot of the bed was an old hope chest. She looked in the drawers and found a pair of sweat pants and a comfortable looking sweater. She stripped off her clothes and then realized a problem. She opened the next drawer and discovered under garments. She took out underwear and tossed them on to the pile of clothes on the bed. The problem was the bra. It was way too small. Eve was much smaller in the chest then Sheridan. There was no way she could squeeze into it. She looked down at her soaking wet bra she wore. Luis had to change the bandage and she was embarrassed to go without a bra on. Giving a sigh of defeat she put the sweater on over her wet bra. She went down to Luis. He was building a fire. He was leaning into the huge fireplace and blowing the embers to start a fire. His butt was in the air and it caused Sheridan to catch her breath. He was a fine looking man. Even his butt was cute. Suddenly he turned and caught her staring. She blushed as he motioned her over to sit on the sofa where he had the supplies laid out. She sat down next to him and not looking in his eyes, lifted her sweater up. He was very professional in the way he worked so as not to embarrass her. He took off the old bandage and cleaned the wound. She drew in a hiss of breath when he did it and he leaned forward and kissed her cheek."Sorry" he said, "I know it hurts. I will hurry." When he was done he reached up to pull her sweater back down and his hand brushed against her wet bra. "Sheridan" he asked "why are you still wearing wet things?" Sheridan was mortified. "I umm well, you see, ummm," she stuttered, "Eve and I aren't exactly the same size." She looked down at her feet. Luis looked at the sweater. "No" she said, "I mean chest wise." It was Luis's turn to blush. "I didn't think of that" Luis said, "you can't keep this wet one on though. It will make you cold." Sheridan shook her head. "Luis, what can I do?" she asked. Luis studied her for a second and then in one quick motion reached around, unsnapped her bra and pulled her arms out of the sleeves of her sweater and had her bra off. The sweater covered her front, but she was shocked. Luis slipped her arms back through the sweater and it was back on. She stared at him in shock. "How did you do that?" she asked. Luis was turning a deep red now. "Not practice if thats what your thinking." Luis said, "I just tried to preserve your modesty." It was an awkward moment for a second and then it started to smolder. Luis was looking at Sheridan in that way she loved. The "I can't take my eyes off you" stare. She saw raw hunger in his eyes. She didn't know who moved first, but suddenly they were in a passionate embrace. His mouth was gentle and persuasive. She opened her mouth and met his tongue. He was the best kisser she had ever known. He was gentle and sweet. Other men slobbered all over the place and rammed their tongues as quickly as they could. Luis was slow and deliberate. He savored her. His kiss was slow and easy. It made her want to stay that way forever. He gathered her into his arms, careful of her wound. Drawing her onto his lap he left her mouth and continued his kiss down her neck. She felt as if she were in a dream. Then it hit her. This is how it felt in her dream with that dark handsome stranger. Could it be that it had been Luis all along in her dream. He lifted her and carried her over to the bear skin rug in front of the fire. He gently laid her down and came down on top of her, careful not to hurt her. They made love then. He was a gentle lover. Caring and giving. She had never known such love. He cherished her and made her feel like the most special woman onearth.

Crane mansion..........
Julian had just gotten out of jail. He was just in the door and headed for the brandy bottle when the phone rang. He knew it was his father. He went over and pressed speaker phone. "Julian I told you to call me as soon as you got home," Alistair thundered."You have been home 10 minutes." "Father" Julian stuttered. "I was just about to call you when you called me." "Never mind that,"Alistair demanded, "We have a more pressing matter at hand. You have really messed up this time. Officer Lopez-Fitzgerald has taken your sister again and we have no idea where. Why couldn't you have done your job. If you had killed Luis and Hank like we planned, it would all be well now. At the very least if you were going to shoot Sheridan, you could have killed her." Julian stood in shocked silence. "Julian are you listening to me," Alistair demanded. "Yes Father," Julian answered, "How can you say that about your own daughter. I didn't mean to hurt Sheridan. She's my sister!" "You are a sentimental old fool Julian," Alistair chided, "You will get no where in life unless you put yourself as number one. With Sheridan out of the way we would have been free." "Father," Julian said, "I will not kill Sheridan if that is what you have planned now. I will not kill my own flesh and blood. That is where I draw the line." Alistair laughed his evil laugh. "Thats ok Julian. I have someone else in mind for that." Alistair sneared,"Someone who won't mess up if he knows whats good for him."Lopez-Fitzgerald house..... Charity and Miguel were helping Pilar with the dishes. Suddenly Charity gasped and dropped a plate. Miguel was instantly at her side. "What is it?" Miguel asked fearfully. "I just had the most awful feeling," Charity answered. "About what?" Pilar asked coming over to see if Charity was ok. "OH," Charity gasped, " I feel that Sheridan and Luis are in big trouble. Someone is going to try and hurt them. They want to kill them. There is something else too. They are in danger from some other force as well. It is strong. It will be a struggle to survive." With that Charity fainted.
To Be Continued........

Chapter 14:
The cabin.........
Luis and Sheridan were curled up under a blanket on the bear rug by the fire. They had made love! Sheridan was laying on his chest. Luis was hugging her close. His face buried in her hair. "Luis," Sheridan sighed, "That was incredible!" Luis sat up on his elbow and looked into her eyes. "I Love you Sheridan Crane! You are the most incredible woman I have ever met. I can't believe it took me so long to realize my feelings for you. You complete my life. I didn't know till I met you that there was something missing. Now I can't imagine my life without you in it."Luis said and then kissed her deeply. When they came up for air Sheridan said, "Luis I love you so much too. I don't know what I ever did without you. You have saved my life so many times now. I have found my one true love in the last place I would have ever expected. I stopped believing in one true love for a while there. Does that sound dumb? I knew you before I even met you. I dreamed of you before I ever even met you. You were my dream man all along. It just took me a while to recognize you." Luis kissed her again and they made love again.Later.... They were sated now but could not bear to let go of one another. They continued to kiss and cuddle. Sheridan was in heaven. Only one thing was bothering her. She needed to tell Luis the truth about "that night" No matter how hard it was,she had to do it before they went any further. With determination she sat up and said,"Luis I need to tell you something." Luis looked surprised at the sound of her voice and said, "Wow this sounds serious." Sheridan nodded, "It is and I have to get it out so Luis please promise me you wont say a word until I am all done telling you." "Ok ," Luis promised. "Let me start at the beginning. One night when I was a young child, I heard noises. I dont remember what it was exactly but I was scared. Really scared. The kind you feel when something is really wrong. I sneaked down to the living room. I feel that someone is going to hurt me. I'm not sure why I feel that way. I can't remember why, but I just know that if they see me they will hurt me. I grab a letter opener and hide in the corner. The next thing I remember is seeing someone laying at my feet with the letter opener in their back. I remember being led away and I didn't listen and I went back down. There was a body under a white sheet and there was blood. I look down and realize there is blood all over my hands. Then a voice tells me I am evil. I tell them I didn't mean to do it. It wasn't my fault. They tell me I did mean to do it and that if I ever tell anyone no one will ever love me. Then Father sent me to a mental hospital in Paris and they tried to convince me that it was all a dream. I wouldn't believe them. I was still having those nightmares up until we went to Santa Fe." Luis's face was angry. "How could they have done that to you?" He hissed, "You were only a child! " Luis I think I might have done something to someone that night." Sheridan said crying now. Luis reached up and gently brushed the tears from her cheeks. "Sheridan, there is much more to this then appears. your memory is that of a child. There is no way a child killed a grown man with a little letter opener. You couldn't have killed them, but I think you must have seen who did. Thats why you can't remember. Its too traumatic and you have blocked it out." Sheridan started to shake and said, "Luis I haven't told you the worst part yet. That night was the same night your father disappeared." Luis's face regestered shock. He was speechless. "Luis," Sheridan pleaded, "Please say something." Luis stood up and turned his back to her and started to get dressed.Sheridan got up as well and dressed too. When Luis was done he started for the door. "Luis?" Sheridan questioned going up to put a hand on his arm. He shook her off and put on his coat. "Luis please we need to talk. Please say something." she said tears running down her face. A sob broke her voice. Luis turned and Sheridan was taken aback by his anger. "You bitch," Luis spat at her, "You knew this information all the time and you kept it from me. I was stupid to ever think you were a normal human being. You are a Crane." He said her name Crane as if it were a disease. With that he turned and stomped out the door. Sheridan looked as if he had struck her. She almost wished he had , it would have hurt a lot less. He had taken her heart and ripped it into pieces. Sheridan grabbed a coat and some boots and headed out. She saw Luis's footprints in the snow heading one way so she headed the other. She couldn't bear the thought of running into him and listening to more of his hatred. She was sobbing now. Her feet led her and she walked on and on. It was clear and she wasn't worried about where she was going. She could follow her footprints back.
To Be Continued....

Chapter 15:
Out side the cabin.............
Luis was ashamed of himself. How could he have hurt the woman he loved like he had? The more he had walked the more he realized what an idiot he had been to hurt Sheridan like he had. She had trusted him enough to tell him something that obviously still haunted her and he had reacted like a jerk. When he had calmed down and his head had cleared he knew that Sheridan was telling him the truth now. Yeah maybe she should have done it before now, but she never totally trusted him. Not that he blamed her. He had arrested her the first time they met and had treated her badly until he came to realize she was nothing like the rest of her family. Then they had started a tenuous friendship. Now it had blossomed into true love. No matter what Luis still loved her. He knew that for sure now because all that he could think about right now was getting back to the cabin and telling her he was sorry and then showing her how sorry he was. He had some major making up to do. When he reached the cabin he went in and it was empty. He called her name and even went to see if she was upstairs and not answering him because she was mad. Sheridan was not in the cabin. Luis went back out the door and saw a second set of foot prints going off in the opposite direction that he had gone. So she had gone for a walk too. It was funny. No matter how many things that made them different, things like needing walks to think made them more alike then they realized. Luis set off to find his one true love. Boy was she going to be steamed at him too. Like the time when they had gone on that date when he said he wanted her to help him find out what her family knew about his fathers disappearance. Wow was she mad. She had throw things and even tried to shut the door in his face. WOH was he in for a fight when he found her. Luis smiled. That was actually one of the things that attracted him to her. Her spunk.
Crane mansion........
Julian was so happy!! He had located Sheridan and Luis. They had taken the personal jet to Santa Fe. He was booked on the next flight down to find them. What a dumb place to run off to. Like Father wouldn't look for her there. Then Sheridan was never the smart one. Julian put on speaker phone and called Alistair to tell him the good news. "Crane here" Alistairs voice came over the speaker. "Father," Julian said a smile evident in his voice, " I have located where our dear Sheridan and Luis have asconed to." " Where?" Alistair boomed. "They flew with the private jet to Santa Fe" "Well go get them Julian" Alistair yelled. "call me when you get to Santa Fe. I am assuming you have booked a flight already." "Yes Father," Julian said. "I will be in Santa Fe by tonight. I will call you as soon as I land." "Fine" Alistair said and hung up. Julian took one last swig of his liquor and turned to leave a stupid smirk on his face.
Outside the cabin..............
Sheridan was still crying now but the deep sobs that had racked her body had subsided. She had walked quite a ways now. She was just at the foot of a small mountain that was just next to the cabin. She had come to the conclusion that Luis was right. How could she have kept that important information from him? He had the right to know. He had agonized over what had happened to his father for years. Now here she was with possible vital information and she had not said a word. She had deserved his anger. His words were said in anger though. She hoped he might have calmed down and maybe they could talk about it. She owed him a major apology. Just as she was turning back a distant rumble made her look up. The rumble got louder and closer. She looked up as a wall of snow came down the mountain and swallowed her.Luis had just spotted her when he heard the rumble. He watched helplessly as the wall of snow flowed over Sheridan and then he was knocked off his feet and tumbled.
To Be Continued...

Chapter 16:
Outside the cabin...........
Luis watched in horror as a wave of snow hit Sheridan. He had no time to react though as the wave hit him as well and sent him tumbling head over heels with the snow and branches and rocks. It pushed him for a few feet and then stopped. Luis was buried up to his neck. He struggled out and jumped to his feet. His first and only thought was of Sheridan. He searched the area behind him frantically. All he saw as far as he could see was snow with bits of branches and rocks in it. Luis had a big gash in his forehead and he felt as if a ten ton truck had just run him down. All he could think was that he had to find her. He had to. She couldn't die not knowing he still loved her. He would never be able to forgive himself if she never knew he was sorry for what he had said. Check that he thought, he would never be able to live with out her. For several seconds that ticked on like an eternity, Luis could spot nothing. Suddenly he saw a little bit of red in the snow. Could it be? He ran to the spot and started to dig. Sheridan had borrowed the things she had on from Eve. He had seen a red women's coat hanging by the door when they had arrived. Sheridan would have put that on to come outdoors. As Luis dug he started to pray. He asked God to spare his Sheridan. He promised all sorts of things if only God would allow Sheridan to survive. He had uncovered an arm by now,but the going was slow. The snow was packed tightly around the person. Luis couldn't even be sure if it was Sheridan he was digging to save. I could be some other unfortunate soul who happened to get in the way of Mother Natures fury. Soon Luis got to a shoulder. He tried to dig faster now. This person no matter who it was had been without air for far too long now. Time was moving in slow motion. Luis had lost all track of time. Had it been an hour or 5 minutes? Luis wasn't sure. All he was sure of was that he had to find Sheridan. Soon he got to the head. What he saw had him digging faster! Blonde hair matted with mud and snow! He uncovered her face and sighed in relief. It was Sheridan! His elation was short lived for he saw her lips were blue and she did not appear to be alive. "No," he screamed. He leaned over and started to blow air into her lungs and he continued to dig. Once he uncovered her face the digging seemed to go faster. Soon he had her completely free. He lifted her limp lifeless body out of the hole and started CPR in earnest. "Breath," Luis growled, "Sheridan, please don't leave me!" Suddenly Sheridan took a deep breath and sputtered and coughed. Luis gathered her near and ran for the cabin. Once inside Luis laid her on the sofa and watched to make sure she was breathing. She was and her eyes opened. "Luis" she gasped "I ....the snow....I fell....I couldn't ....." "Shhh" Luis soothed,"Your ok sweetheart. I'm here now." Sheridan tried to sit up and said, "Luis, I have to tell you...." Luis put a finger to her lips to quiet her. "Right now all I know is we have to get you out of these wet clothes and warm." With that he picked her up again and went into the bathroom. There was a big spa style bath tub in the corner. He set her on her feet and began to undress her. She stared at him with those big eyes. Luis smiled at her and said, "Just like Santa Fe huh?" As he helped her out of her clothes, he leaned down and turned on the taps. He adjusted them just right and then finished undressing her. When the tub was full he helped her climb into the nice warm bath. He as a last minute thought threw in some bubble bath. She seemed to relax. When he made a move to leave and go and find some warm clothes for her to put on when she got out,she sat up and cried, "Luis, don't leave me!" Luis sat next to the tub. t wasn't enough for her. She tried to get out. She needed him to hold her. She wasn't thinking clearly. Luis gently pushed her back down. "Luis I need to be in your arms" Sheridan cried. Luis hesitated for only a second before he undressed and slid in the tub behind her. She leaned back into his arms and he felt her relax. "Sheridan, I want to tell you I'm sorry for what I said to you earlier. I was hurt and angry when I said it,but the more I thought about it the more I couldn't blame you for not telling me. I am very glad you trust me enough now to tell me this. " Luis said as he cradled her in his arms. "Luis, I want to tell you I'm sorry too. I knew this for a while now and I should have told you long before now." Sheridan said seriously. Luis kissed the back of her head and hugged her tightly. "Sheridan I realized something today when I couldn't find you there for a few minutes."Luis stated. Sheridan turned in his arms too look in his eyes. "What?" she asked. "Sheridan, I love you," Luis stated matter of factly, " I love you more then life itself. I realized that when I thought I had lost you. I don't ever want to live without you. I could never not forgive you anything. I understand you not telling me. I also have a few questions for you later. I am not buying you killed someone. I think someone wants you to believe you did,but a child in not able to kill a grown man with only a little letter opener." "Oh Luis," Sheridan said tears in her eyes, "I love you too! So much. I almost died when I thought you would never forgive me. I couldn't lose you. I could never live without you. I wouldn't ever want to try either." They started to kiss and made love again. This time was sweet. They knew that something was changing. Their bond was becoming unbreakable. They were soul mates finding each other!
To Be Continued....

Chapter 17:
In Santa Fe.............

Julian approached a room he believed that Sheridan and Luis were staying in. He had them cornered now! He had conned the man at the front desk out of the room key. The idiot man had kept winking at him the whole time. Julian quietly opened the door and when he saw no one was inside, crept in and hid in the closet. Julian laughed quietly to himself. Wouldn't Sheridan be surprised when he jumped from the closet and caught her!
The cabin............
Luis and Sheridan were in the big bed in the loft. Sheridan slept, but Luis was awake and watching her. She was so incredibly beautiful. Luis felt his heart swell at the thought of her being his. She was now. He knew that for sure. He had been so unsure of her feelings towards him up until this fiasco with the mental ward had happened. Hank had made him doubt that they could ever have a future. Luis had agreed with Hank that he could never be Mr. Sheridan Crane. Now, even that didn't sound so bad as long as he had Sheridan. He had a lot of pride. He wouldn't ever touch her money. If she wanted to keep it that was up to her. All he knew was that he wanted her. No matter what the obstacle, they could over come it. This kind of love they had found came once in a lifetime. He would fight to the death for it now he had it. At one time the cynic in him had denied that that kind of love even existed. Now he had found it, it was better then anyone could describe with words. Sheridan was in his blood and in his heart. She was his every thought and every dream fulfilled. She stirred now and he gathered her against him. She woke up looking straight into his eyes. They didn't even speak. They made love again.Later........ Sheridan wore an old sweat shirt and jeans that were just a little to big. She had and apron on and was in the kitchen sitting on a stool and had her head bent over a cookbook. She wanted breakfast to be perfect. She just wasn't a very good cook. She never had the opportunity to cook. At the Crane mansion, it was considered a deadly sin to pick up a spatula!! She was trying to make pancakes from scratch. She had all the ingredients out and was a mess. They seemed to look a bit funny. Way to fluffy and they were getting a bit too well done. Luis came in from outside and stopped to sniff the air. Oh boy he thought to himself. Yuck, it smelled funny in here. Luis smiled when Sheridan looked up at him. "Smells great in here." He lied. Sheridan brought a plate over to him as he sat at the table. "MMMMM" Luis said when he saw the brown lumps on the plate. He sure hoped his gag reflex was off today. He picked up a fork and knife and dug in. Taking a forkful, he brought it up to his lips. One bite and his eyes were watering and he wanted to spit the awful stuff straight out onto the plate. He looked at Sheridan's hopeful face and continued to chew with much effort. It tasted like pure salt!! She must have used salt instead of sugar in the pancakes. When Sheridan wasn't looking he slipped the rest of the lumps in his pockets. She kept bringing more until they were gone. Luis never took another bite, just kept acting as if he was. When he was done,his pockets bulging, he excused himself and said he had to chop more wood. When he got outside he emptied his pockets out under the wood pile. He chopped a bit more wood ignoring his growling stomach.When he went back in she had the kitchen all cleaned up. He was just about to say that they needed to talk when they heard a car pull up. He wanted to talk about "that night" with her. He was sure there was much more to it then what met the eye. Luis was on alert then. He took out his gun and crept to the door, When he looked out, Theresa was jumping out of the car and Ethan was just turning off the motor. Luis relaxed and put his gun away. "Its Ethan and Theresa" He yelled to Sheridan across the room. Relief filled her features. He let them in and as soon as Theresa was in the door she said,"Wow something smells..." when Luis shot her a look she finished, "good in here." Luis smiled and Ethan looked at Theresa as if she had lost her mind. "Sheridan cooked me breakfast," Luis said and Ethan understood. Ethan smiled, "Wow too bad we missed that" he said. "I can go make up a new batch." Sheridan said. "No" came a chorus of voices. Sheridan looked surprised at the abrupt no. "I mean, we have eaten already." said Theresa. Ethan and I are full. "Yeah full" said Ethan hoping his stomach didn't growl. "Why are you here? " Luis asked. "We have good news," Ethan said, "You can come back to Harmony. I have a restraint order out against Father or Grandfather trying this again. I got an injunction to stop them from committing you again." Luis and Sheridan shared a disappointed look over Ethans head. "Great" Sheridan said. " I guess we can pack up what little we brought and come on home then." "Yup" Luis said " We will just do that then." Ethan and Theresa left first and Sheridan and Luis followed in their car.
In the car almost to harmony..........

Sheridan and Luis had spoken very little on the way back. Sheridan had scooted across the sat and was resting her head on Luis' shoulder as they drove. Sheridan broke the silence and said, "Luis, when we get back, I want you to drive me to my cottage and help me pack some stuff up. I can't stay there anymore." Luis smiled. That was exactly what he wanted to hear. "Sure" he said in reply,"Where are you going to stay? " Sheridan shrugged and answered, " A hotel I guess." "No way!" Luis stated, " You can stay at my house." "Oh no Luis. I couldn't" Sheridan said, " you have too many people to watch out over now. I won't burden you even more. " "You will never be a burden to me anymore then then my family would. I want to do this for you. " "Luis, you realize Alistair is going to disown me. I wont have a penny to my name until I am 28. Then I get a special trust fund from my Mother. Its not a whole lot of money, but its sizable." Sheridan said, " I don't know what I will do until then." "You can get a job, " Luis suggested. "Doing what " Sheridan asked. "Luis thought for a moment and said, "Didn't you tell me you had a license to teach flying?" Sheridan looked at Luis in shock. "Yes I do. But I know they will give me the job only because my name is Crane." Luis thought for a minute, "well then you will have to tell them a different name. Maybe Lopez-Fitgerald." When he saw her shocked expression he amended, "For pretend. I didn't mean we should get married or anything." "Officer, are you telling me to lie? " asked Sheridan. "It would only be a little white lie." Luis said. They agreed then that Sheridan would apply for a teaching job at an airport in the next town. It was the perfect plan.

To Be Continued...

Chapter 18:
Lopez-Fitgerald house.........

Sheridan woke up early on this morning. It had been five weeks since Luis had brought Sheridan back to his home after their escapade with running from Alistair and Julian. She had applied for the job at the airport as a flight instructor and had gotten the job using the name Sheridan Lopez-Fitzgerald. No one there questioned it and no one knew she was really Sheridan Crane. She liked it that way. The others there treated her the same as everyone else. She had made friends easily. Before as a Crane, she never knew if people had liked her for herself or liked her for who she was and what they could get from her. Theresa had willingly agreed to share her room with Sheridan. It had been great being a part of the Lopez-Fitzgerald household for these past weeks. There was so much love in this house. Sheridan felt it from everyone there. Theresa was in awe of her at first, but as the weeks passed, had started to open up to her and confide in her as a friend or a sister. Miguel was as caring and attentive to his family as Luis was. Miguel had taken her under his wing when Luis was not there. He made sure she had anything she needed and was opening up to her as well about his feelings for his girlfriend Charity. Pilar had been very worried at first about what Alistair would do when he found out Sheridan had left. Alistair had disowned her of course and Sheridan had been left with no money at hand. She gave her check to the family for household expenses and kept some for her own, saving to get her own place. It was wonderful having Pilar there for her everyday. She loved Sheridan and she made her feel a part of the family too. Then of course there was Luis. He was the most loving attentive man she had ever known. Some days he just surprised her by his thoughtfulness. He made her breakfast in bed or just the way he put his hand on the small of her back when they walked or how he held her hand when they were sitting watching TV or a sunset. They had not been able to be together since they had been at the cabin though. Not that just being near him was not enough, but still she missed the closeness of waking in his arms and being able to kiss him whenever the feeling hit. Not that they didn't kiss. They kissed when he had caught her in the hallway just last night when he had just come in from work and she was coming out of her room after she had changed her work clothes. He had raised his eyebrows at her and pulled her into a passionate kiss. They had almost gotten carried away, but then Theresa had come in the door and called out that she was home. They had pulled apart breathless and shared a secret look and then they had gone out to greet her. Now Sheridan slipped out of the extra bed in Theresa's room and pulled on a pair of sweat pants and a sweat shirt and slipped out of the room. She went into the kitchen and made a pot of coffee for herself and for anyone else who might want some when they got up. She took her mug and went out to sit at the picnic table in the back yard. She sat on the table with her feet on the bench. She never heard Luis walk out until he was sliding behind her. She gave a squeak of surprise, but settled back against him after the initial shock. He was warm and solid and she felt so secure in his arms." I miss you" he said "I never see you alone anymore. At least not for any length of time." Sheridan nodded and answered, "I miss you too Luis. I am loving staying here, but there are a lot of people in this house." Luis' chest vibrated with his laughter. They stayed out there just chatting about little things and then both had to leave for work.

At the Porterville airport............

Sheridan was with another pilot doing a check on a plane that Sheridan had flown today. They were laughing and chatting, when suddenly the other woman Lisa had stopped talking and just stared. "Wow would you look at that package." Lisa said. Sheridan knew she was talking about a man. Lisa always gawked at men when they came in. Sheridan didn't even turn around to look. She had the best looking man that there was and she was very happy. She just rolled her eyes at Lisa and continued her check. "Mmmmm mmmmm" Lisa said, "He has got to be the most gorgeous man I have ever seen. With that dark spiky hair and those eyes. He could bestill my heart.Oh my God he's coming over here." Sheridan did turn around then to see who had captured Lisa's attentions and a huge smile spread over her face. Luis was walking over to where Lisa and she were working. Lisa was just staring and didn't even glance Sheridan's way. Luis stopped when he reached the airplanes wing. "Hi?" Lisa said hopefully," Are you looking for a flight instructor?" "Yes" Luis answered "I'm looking for a specific instructor." He looked straight at Sheridan and gave her a killer smile. Sheridan smiled back and accepted his hand when he offered it to help her down. Lisa jaw dropped open. Sheridan never looked twice at men here. "Sheridan?" Lisa asked "Do you know this man?" Luis answered for her, "I'm her husband" Lisa just stared and Sheridan looked at Luis in shock. He kissed her then and Lisa's' jaw fell open at the raw intensity of it. God why didn't men ever kiss her that way. "Luis" Sheridan gasped when she could breath again, "What are you doing here?" Luis smiled at her and answered, "I'm here to kidnap you. We never seem to have anytime alone anymore so I have a surprise for you for tonight. Are you done here?" Sheridan started to shake her head, but Lisa said, "Go Sheridan. I will finish here. No way you should say no to that offer." Sheridan looked at Luis and then nodded, "Ok thanks Lisa, I owe you one ok?" Lisa just nodded. Luis waited while Sheridan changed into clothes he had brought for her and when she came out, grabbed her hand and pulled her into the car. Sheridan laughed and asked"Where are we going?" "You'll see" answered Luis with a big smile.

To Be Continued...

Chapter 19:
On the open road..............

Luis drove on as Sheridan grew more and more curious. The scenes seemed familiar but she couldn't remember why. Soon they turned up a dirt road and before Sheridan could speak, Luis had parked the car next to the same cabin they had hidden from Julian at. Luis got out of the car and opened the door for Sheridan. She took his hand and smiled at him. "Luis" she said."Why are we here?" Luis only smiled and led her to the cabin. When they reached the door Luis surprised Sheridan by sweeping her up into his arms. He carried her into the cabin and set her on the floor when they entered. Sheridan gasped at what she saw. The cabin looked the same except that there were literally hundreds of candles lit all over the cabin. Sheridan looked at Luis in awe. "How???"she started to say, but Luis silenced her with a finger on her lips. Her pulled a chair out from the table and seated her then took his place across the table. There was a beautiful table set and salad waited on their plates. The wine was Pinot Greggio of course and the salad was followed by a wonderful lobster meal Luis had arranged to have delivered just before they had arrived. It was perfect! They ate and finished off the meal with coffee and cheese cake. Luis smiled at her throughout the whole meal. They talked about everything. Her day,his day, the family. When they finished up Luis once again took her hand and led her to the sofa. He popped in a movie into the VCR and Casablanca came on. "Luis, I love this movie," Sheridan exclaimed. "I know!" Luis said."You told me a while ago." Sheridan snuggled against him as they watched. When it was over they made love right there the tears still fresh in their eyes from the movie. It was so sweet and perfect. They stayed the night, but both had to go to work the next day.

A few weeks later..............

Sheridan smiled to herself as she placed her suitcase in the trunk next to a suitcase she had Pilar pack for Luis. She had a big surprise for Luis in store. She drove to the station to pick him up. Luis was sitting talking to several of his buddies when she came into the station. "Hey Luis," a fellow cop said "Look what just walked in!" Luis looked up and saw her then. "See you guys later" Luis said and they all waved as he walked over to her. Sheridan waved back and Luis pulled her into a possessive kiss. Sheridan had always hated the idea of being owned, but with Luis it was more a brand of love. He wanted those other guys he worked with to know she was his and he did it with the kisses he gave her in front of them. They all knew that they would never have a chance with her. The way they looked at each other made it clear to all who could see that they were the only one for each other. It was the kind of love all people dreamed of finding and most never did. "So" Luis asked as she led him to the car,"What is this surprise stuff you are talking about?" Sheridan laughed and shook her head. "No way officer," she teased, "No hints. Its a surprise." They drove to the Harmony airport and when they got there drove onto the tarmac right up to the Crane jet. Luis looked at Sheridan in shock. "What is this?" Luis asked. Sheridan only shook her head and got out. Luis followed her to the back of the car and obediently took out the suitcases from the trunk when she asked him to. She led him to the jet and climbed aboard. Ethan was waiting in the passenger section. He smiled when they come on. "Luis" Ethan said in way of greeting. "Ethan" Luis said nodding his hello. Sheridan hugged her nephew and whispered,"Everything ready?" Ethan answered "Yes, all set." The ground crew came as Ethan got off the plane and shut up the plane. Sheridan took her seat in the pilots seat. She motioned for Luis to take the co pilots seat. "Sheridan," Luis asked "How can you be doing this? I thought Alistair took all your money and privileges away." "He did" Sheridan answered. This is all from Ethan. He gave me the plane and some other things as way of payment for all the good I have done for him in his life." Luis looked suspiciously at Sheridan. "Where exactly are we going" he asked. Sheridan only laughed softly. "Sit back and relax Luis" She said. "It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you that." Luis didn't look to happy not to know what was going on but he had worked a long day. He didn't want Sheridan to know why he had been working so much over time, but the reason was nestled in his pocket. He had finished paying for it today and had picked it up before he got Sheridan's call about a surprise. Luis laughed to himself as he drifted off to sleep. Sheridan was in for a surprise herself. Sheridan looked over at Luis as he drifted off to sleep. She loved that man beyond any measure know to man. He was her life, the very breath of her body. They were in each others hearts and souls. He was in for the surprise of his life. She knew at first he might be a little mad about her taking Crane money to do this, but really it had been from Ethan and she knew Luis liked and respected Ethan after he had helped Luis at the hospital and after. She smiled and kept flying to their secret destination........

To Be Continued...

Chapter 20:
In the Crane jet.....................

Sheridan stifled a yawn and checked the gages one more time. They were almost there! They were five minutes out from their destination. Luis was asleep and had been for the entire flight. All 6 hours of the flight. Sheridan glanced over at the man she loved. He was laid back in his seat and was snoring softly. Sheridan laughed and remembered a fight they had had one night at the cabin. Sheridan made the mistake of telling Luis he snored. Luis had been appalled at the suggestion. Sheridan shook her head at the memory. That man was as pigheaded as they came, but some how it didn't' matter anymore. It was a part of the whole man. It made him who he was and Sheridan loved all of him. She noticed that they were at the airport and talked to the tower. She angled the plane downward just as Luis stirred. He sat up then and looked around. "Where are we" Luis asked through a yawn. Sheridan smiled. Just let me land and you will see as soon as we get off the plane. Luis rolled his eyes at her but didn't want to argue. He knew a fight he couldn't win when he saw one. His Sheridan was one stubborn woman thought Luis. But that stubborn and bull headed streak made her strong and that was what he loved about Sheridan the most. On the outside she was a strong, smart,beautiful woman.On the inside she was vulnerable and loving and that made her even sexier then if she went around acting like the wounded woman he knew she was. She had been through so much in her life and yet she still was able to function as a normal person. A lesser woman would have given up and curled up in a ball and refused to go on with life. Not Sheridan. She held her head up high and went on. Luis reached over and squeezed her shoulder. Sheridan looked over him in surprise. "What is that for" Sheridan asked. Luis smiled and said,"Do you know how much I love you? Do really have any idea?" Sheridan looked surprised again and answered. "Luis I do know and I love you too. I have never felt this way ever." Luis leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips. He stood up then and offered her his hand. "Come on my Princess" Luis joked. Sheridan rolled her eyes at him but put her hand in his. It felt so right as they walked hand and hand off the plane on to the runway at the airport. Luis looked around in interest as soon as they were off the plane. He had no idea where they were. His cop mind took in everything around him, but nothing gave a clue as to where they were. A Limo pulled up and a driver got out and opened the door for them to enter. "Madam, Sir. Please to get in the car" the driver said with a distinct Spanish accent. Luis ears perked up at that. But of course that could mean they were anywhere too. People spoke Spanish in many places in America. They drove out of the airport and and headed for the hotel. Luis looked at his watch and frowned. His watch said 1am, but he could clearly see the sunrise in the West. Suddenly he started to notice that nothing was in english, but in Spanish. He turned to Sheridan who was smiling a huge smile at him and asked in awe "Oh my gosh Sheridan, are we in Spain?" Sheridan nodded and was grabbed into the biggest bear hug she had ever gotten in her entire life. Luis was so surprised. "Are you mad at me?" Sheridan asked. Luis looked at her in shock. "Mad? For bringing me some place I have dreamed of coming my whole life? Ummmm let me think about that. No!!! " He grabbed her and kissed her again this time it was hard and intense. They headed for the hotel and Luis realized he had no idea where in Spain they were. "Sheridan?" Luis questioned, "Where in Spain are we?" Sheridan looked at Luis seeing the excitement shining in his eyes and said, "Madrid" "Madrid" Luis repeated,"Wow its so beautiful." All the buildings were old with beautiful architecture. Huge gargoyles on the corners and curls and spirals. It was almost like stepping back in time. They rounded the corner and ahead was the Plaza Del Toro's. It was huge and so impressive. Luis hoped to catch a bull fight there. He glanced at Sheridan and then rethought that idea. Sheridan was so sensitive. He couldn't imagine her enjoying watching a Matador kill a poor defenseless bull. Maybe he could go alone one afternoon while she went shopping. They then passed the Palacia Royal. The royal palace!! It was impressive also with its huge garden and fountains and trees cut into shapes. They were in for a wonderful time here. They pulled up to the hotel which was impressive also. Sheridan got out first and Luis hopped out after her. He grabbed her up and twirled her around and then kissed her passionately on the lips!! "Ms Crane, I love you!" Luis exclaimed.

Crane mansion.................

"But Father" Julian whined into the speaker phone. "I have no idea where Officer Lopez-Fitzgerald and my flaky sister have gone" "Well find out!" Alistair ordered. "I am not giving up on breaking them up.We are in big trouble if they find out anymore information. Good thing there's no way they can possible find the real Martin Fitzgerald. He's safely out of the country!" "Fine Father. I'll get my men on the case" Julian said and Alistair hung up then without a good bye or a chiao!!

To Be Continued...

Chapter 21:

Spain..........

Luis and Sheridan went up to the room. Luis insisted on carrying the luggage up himself even though in the hotel they had people to do that. Luis couldn't see making someone else carry the luggage when he was perfectly able to do so himself. Sheridan tried to explain that they paid the bell hops to do that, but Luis would have none of it. Sheridan threw up her hands in defeat. She knew that when Luis made up his mind there was no way to change it. When they reached the room she looked at Luis whose face showed pure awe. It was a very nice room. It was filled with antique furniture. The bed was prominent in the center of the room. It was huge like twice the size of a king size bed. It had fore posters and was covered in an old spread. The rest of the furniture consisted of an old desk and chair and several old wing chairs and an intricately carved table. Luis set the luggage in the center of the room on the floor and grabbed Sheridan up into a big hug. She could bearly breath with how tight he held her. "Sheridan, I love you so much," Luis said into her ear. Sheridan answered with a kiss. She put her hands into his hair and pulled him even closer into the kiss. It was like they were one person. They kissed passionately and Luis walked them back to the bed. When Sheridan's knees made contact with the bed Luis laid her back and came down on top of her. He kissed her and held her. He pulled back to look into the eyes of the woman who was his life. They made love then and didn't even leave the room for that whole day or night.

Harmony..............

"Damn it Julian," Alistair screamed over the speaker phone,"How could you not know that Sheridan was taking Luis to Spain? You better get our contact over there to make sure they don't run across anything they are not supposed to. Of all the places they could go, that has got to be the worse possible place!" "Father, I assure I am taking care of it." Julian consoled, " I have sent someone already from here to help out contact in Spain. They will not find out what we don't want them to know. They will never find Martin." Alistair was quiet for a moment and suddenly the phone went dead. Julian shrugged his shoulders and closed the connection. He took a big gulp of his drink and got up to refill it. Ivy walked in the room then and she had a smug look on her face. "Hello Husband dear," Ivy said." Did I hear correctly? Sheridan and Luis went to Spain? My you and Alistair seemed very upset to find that out. Care to tell me why?" Julian glared at his wife. "Don't you have some charity function or a hair appointment you need to get to My Dear? " Julian asked. Ivy snorted in disgust. "Julian you are worried about something. I want to know what it is." Julian just glared at Ivy again and then the phone rang again. Julian looked at Ivy and picked up the phone. "Hello?" Julian snapped. "You better change that tone." Alistair growled, "I have made arrangements myself. This is way to important to leave it up to your bumbling ways." Julian said," Father I told you I had it under control." Julian glanced up and told Alistair to wait one second. Julian took Ivy roughly by the arm and pushed her out the door. Ivy was shocked at Julians rough behavior. She rubbed her arm where he had held her and was about to push the door back open when she heard the lock close. Julian had locked her out. She leaned in to hear what the heck Julian was up to. Julian put Alistair back on speaker then. "Father what did you do?" Julian almost whined, "I told you I could handle it." Alistair exploded, "I have had enough of your insipid sniveling! I have made arrangement to finish off this situation once and for all!" Julian looked shocked, "Father you wouldn't kill them would you?" All that was heard then was Alistairs evil laugh filling the air. Ivy gasped in shock outside the door.

Spain...........

Sheridan had snuck out while Luis slept. She planned to surprise him with a picnic in their room. She had collected everything she needed and was strolling back to the hotel. In the shadows of an alley a figure watched. He was dressed in rags with a hood covering head and face. A ray of sunshine hit his face and it showed his face was scarred and awful looking. He pulled back further in the shadows as Sheridan passed humming to herself. She heard a shuffling noise and glanced the figures way. The figure crouched back further into the shadows. Sheridan paused for a second and continued on her way. She passed the next alley and turned up the street to head up a hill to the hotel. At the next alley, a hand reached out and grabbed her. She was pushed back into the alley and suddenly she was hit over the head and that was the last she remembered besides the smell of smoke.

To Be Continued...

Chapter 22: Spain...........

Luis opened his eyes and rolled over expecting to see the love of his life curled up beside him. It was weird for him to wake up without feeling her near him. He figured it was because the bed was so big. He was surprised to see a sheet of paper in the place of Sheridan on her pillow. He picked up the note and read......Luis, I have gone to arrange a surprise for you. See you soon. I love you. Sher. Luis smiled. His Sheridan. As if bringing him here wasn't enough, she was still doing things for him. He frowned as he looked at the clock. It was close to 10am. He was not sure how long Sheridan would be. He got up and walked over to his suitcase. He felt inside a pocket and found the little black jewelers box. He tossed it up and caught it. He had a surprise for his little sweetheart himself. Now it was just a matter of when he asked her. He thought it would be nice to take her out for the evening tonight and ask her over a romantic candlelight dinner. It was a cliche of course, but Luis knew his Sheridan was a die hard romantic. An hour later Luis started to worry. It was silly he thought but he had a weird feeling that something wasn't right. He got up and dressed quickly. He ran out of the hotel and walked down the hill to where there were some shops. He assumed that is where Sheridan had headed.

Harmony.................

Julian was just finishing his drink for the evening. He was just going to turn in when the phone rang. Of course it was Alistair. "Its done" was all that Alistair said. "Father?" Julian questioned, "What have you done?" There was only silence on the other end and then a click. A shiver ran down Julians spine. What had his father done? He wouldn't really kill his own daughter would he?

Spain...........

Luis wandered around the small plaza looking for Sheridan. He wandered in and out of shops asking if anyone had seen a pretty blonde American woman. So far everyone had answered no they had not. When he went into a small deli and when he asked again if anyone there had seen Sheridan he learned that yes she had been in there earlier this morning. It had been almost 3 hours since she had left though. A shiver of fear ran through Luis. He started to hurry through the plaza again. Hoping against all hope that Sheridan had gotten distracted by a quaint shop or something like that. After a few more minutes Luis found a phone and called the hotel to ask if Sheridan had returned. She had not and Luis suddenly felt a dark feeling pass over him. He started to run. A strange figure bound out in front of him. A man, or at least Luis assumed it was a man, ran out in front of him. The figure was dressed in rags and his head was covered with a hood that covered his face. The figure ran ahead and then looked back as if beckoning Luis to follow. For some strange reason Luis did follow him. The man was headed back to the hotel as far as Luis could tell and then as they turned up the hill to head back, the hooded man ducked back into and alley. Luis followed and an acrid smell hit him. He actually had tears in his eyes at the stench. He looked all around and all he could see was boxes and junk in the darkened alley. Only a small bit of sun crept back into the alley. Suddenly a brown bag and a black purse caught his eye. Luis bent down to pick it up. It was Sheridan's. He recognized it. When he opened it he found her wallet and the compact he had given her. Suddenly his eyes fell on what looked like a pile of burned garbage. Luis walked closer and then fell to his knees in shock. In the center of the pile was a burned body. Luis leaned over and wretched. "No" he screamed, "It can't be. There's no way!!" Luis was taken by grief and tears fell down his cheeks. His sobs filled the alley. His shoulders were wracked by sobs. A hand touched his back and Luis turned to see several police there behind him. An anonymous caller had told them to come to the alley. Luis couldn't even speak. He was in deep shock..

To Be Continued...

Chapter 23:

Spain.................

Luis was sitting in the police station in a state of shock. He was still in disbelief over what had happened. The burned body of a woman had been carted away from the scene and had tentatively been identified as one Sheridan Crane from the purse they had found at the scene. Luis was in deep denial. No way was that Sheridan. He refused to believe it. He stood up and paced back and forth as he waited for the call from Harmony. He had called Sam and asked him to return his call and then he had called Ethan. Poor Ethan had cried on the phone and agreed to send over a copy of Sheridan's dental records. Ethan was also on the next flight out of Harmony. Luis could not stand the suspense. Although his gut instinct was that there was no way that was Sheridan, his policeman's mind was going over all the facts that proved that the burned corpse was his beloved Sheridan. Luis was shaken again by a fit of uncontrollable sobbing. His mind refused to accept that his beautiful and happy Sheridan was gone. No way would she leave him. Not this way not in such and ugly way. Who would do this to her and why? Luis' mind was a blur and then the phone rang.............

Spain............
In a dark room in an old castle lay a very cold and very frightened Sheridan. She shivered as she tried to get up. She was chained to the floor and was in a room that looked like a dungeon. It was like something straight out of an old torture chamber movie. She was so exhausted from crying she didn't have any more tears. How would her beloved Luis ever find her here? He had nothing to go on to find her. No one knew she had been brought here as far as she knew. They had kept her in an old abandoned building that over looked the alley where they had captured her! She had been able to watch Luis' reaction to the body of a woman the men who had her had killed and then burned. Sheridan body shook again at the memory of what they had done. Poor Luis had thought that the body was her. She had wanted to go to him and wrap her arms around him as she watched the shudders run through his body. But they had her bound and gagged and she was helpless to comfort him. They had left after the police had left and taken her here to this awful place. She was in despair. She only knew she wanted Luis, but knew that there was almost no way that he would ever find her! She lay down on the cold concrete floor and sobbed herself into a light sleep of exhaustion.

Spain police station........

Luis almost jumped on the phone when it rang and then remembered he was not an officer of the law here and he had no right to answer the phone. He turned and picked up the phone and thrust it at the first Spanish officer he saw. The call was for him and the autopsy had been completed. The body that had been burned beyond recognition in the alley was not Sheridan. Luis dropped the phone and almost fainted in relief. Then it hit him. If that body was not Sheridan, then where was she? Someone had gone to great lengths to make everyone believe that the corpse was Sheridan. It must have been a ploy to help them get away with her. "Damn" Luis swore and slammed his fist down on the desk. He knew then that the only person who was bad enough to have done this was Alistair. He left the police station feeling much relieved and at the same time, just as worried. Now he knew that Sheridan was most likely alive he was frustrated. Where could he begin to look for her? For one thing he didn't know his way around Spain at all. For another, he had no idea where to even begin. He walked back to the hotel when the strange man in the hood jumped out and grabbed him. Luis got a good look at his face in the street light and saw that the man was badly scarred and that somehow, some time ago his mouth had been sown shut!! Luis gasped in horror! The man motioned Luis into the alley and Luis followed..................

To Be Continued...

Chapter 24:

Spain...............

Luis stared in shock at the man in front of him. His face was so scarred that even his own mother would have recognized him. His mouth was what really shocked and revolted Luis. Someone had taken his mouth and sown it shut. Not only that but somehow it was healed and only a very little bit of his lips were not sealed closed. Luis supposed that it had been done to keep the man from being able to speak, but still allowing him to eat through that small opening. Luis was horrified by what he saw. Not by the man himself, but that someone could actually do that to another human being. The man motioned for Luis to come closer and then thrust an old dirty clip board with a paper on it at Luis. In a scrawling hand was written.....I know where they took your lady. Luis' eyes flew to the mans. The man nodded at Luis and Luis almost grabbed him and kissed him. "Well, what are we waiting for?" Luis yelled, "Lets go! " The man led Luis further back into the alley where he had hidden a small motorcycle. He jumped on and waited for Luis to climb on back. Luis never hesitated for a second. He jumped on and they speed out of the alley surprising a lady walking up the street who screamed and dropped her bags. Luis yelled an apology back to her, but he had a feeling she hadn't heard him. She was too busy swearing them out in Spanish.

The dungeon............
Sheridan awoke to the sound of a heavy door opening. A dark figure entered the room and slid a tray towards her and then turned and left. Sheridan had no idea where she was for a second and then it hit her like a ton of bricks. There was only one small window if you could call it that in the corner. It was more like a small slit in the wall. She looked down at the tray in front of her. She could make out a cup and a plate with a piece of bread on it. She was hungry, but she couldn't bring herself to try the bread. Even in the dark it looked bad. A sudden feeling of dread passed over her. These people who had her didn't intend to kill her. They intended to keep her here indefinitely. The thought made the tears rush back in to her eyes. Her mind went flying to Luis the one solace in her life. She thought of all their times together. The first time he had kissed her. How soft his lips felt on hers. How his hand always came around her and cupped her back as if he was pulling her closer to him. How she could hear his heart beat when she lay on his chest and slept. How when she woke up most mornings she opened her eyes to find him watching her. How he would always gather her close then and kiss her and how they made love. His arms always holding her making her feel safe and cherished. She came back to reality and grabbed the awful looking piece of bread. She began to choke it down. She was sure that no matter what Luis would find her so she had to survive till he got there!

On the open road..............
The strange man drove very fast out of the city and into the country. He was going very fast and Luis was worried they would crash. Then again he didn't say a word because he was in an even bigger hurry then the man. If this man was for real and he knew where Sheridan was, then Luis wanted to get there as soon as possible. They drove on for an hour or maybe a bit more and suddenly turned off to the right and sped into the woods. The man stopped the bike and Luis got off and so did the man. The man pointed out of the trees and Luis looked and saw a huge foreboding looking castle just outside of the trees. The man darted out before Luis knew what was happening and Luis had to run to catch up. The man obviously knew where he was going. He led them to a wall and Luis looked at him as if to ask him why they were stopping, when the man reached out and grabbed a brick and turned it and a door opened into the wall. Luis just stared at the wall. He felt as if he had stepped into some strange old monster movie. The man walked quickly and grabbed Luis' arm once and pulled him back into the shadows when someone had walked close to them. The man seemed to know his way around in this huge place and it surprised Luis. He began to wonder if he was walking into a trap. They went into a long hall way and at the end was a long stair case leading down to who knew where. The man ran down the stairs taking Luis' arm and pulling him along with him. It took a good ten minutes even at the pace they were going to descend the steps. Once they reached the bottom the man thrust Luis back into a dark corner and put his hand up as if to say wait. Luis didn't like not being in control, but gave the man the benefit of the doubt and waited for him. It was quite a while and Luis was just getting ready to go out on his own when the man returned. He led Luis down a series of long hall ways turning this way and that and then stopped in front of a big wooden door. He produced keys from the folds of his rags and opened the door. Luis could just make out a small figure huddled on the floor in the dark. He knew immediately that it was Sheridan. He ran to her and tried to gather her into his arms, but she pulled away from him in fear. "Sheridan," Luis consoled, "its me!" Sheridan gasped at the sound of Luis' voice. She threw herself into his arms and broke down into tears. He held her as close as he could with her chained to the floor. The man came forward and began to fit keys into the lock that chained Sheridan to the floor. Luis rained kisses on Sheridan's face and lips as the man worked. He grunted in frustration when he had tried all of the keys. None of them fit!!!!!

To Be Continued...

Chapter 25:

Spain.....at the old castle in the dungeon.............

Luis held a shaking Sheridan as close in his arms as the chain that held her to the floor would allow him to. She felt so cold. Her skin was like ice to the touch and from what he could see in the dark, she was shivering. She held onto him with a vice grip as if she let go for even a second, he would disappear from her sight. The strange man paced nervously back and forth as if in deep thought. He motioned with a hand up as if to tell Luis to stay and then pointed out the door and held a hand to his ear and then pointed to a very dark corner of the room. Luis took that to mean that he should listen and if someone came, he should hide in that corner. The hooded man left the room again and Luis lay on the floor next to Sheridan and tried to keep as much of her body as he could on top of him and off the cold floor. It seemed to calm her if nothing else. She lay on his chest and in the dim light he could see her eyes shining with tears. She kept looking at him. "Sher, are you ok?" Luis asked softly. She just kept looking at him and answered in a voice so hoarse from crying that if Luis was not looking straight at her, he would not have known it was her. "Luis I am ok now that you are here. Please don't leave me. I was so scared." Luis rested his chin on the top of her head and whispered in a low voice, "I promise you Sheridan. I would never leave you. No one is going to hurt you as long as I have breath in my body. Did they hurt you?" Luis pulled back to look at her and to see what injuries she might have. "They knocked me out and I have quite a bump on my head, but other then that, I am ok physically. I was just so scared." Sheridan said with a catch in her voice that pulled on Luis heart," I never thought you would ever be able to find me. I was giving up all hope of ever seeing you again. How did you ever find me?" Luis smiled at Sheridan in that way that melted her heart. "Don't you know that there's no where on earth I wouldn't go to be with you? You are my heart and my soul. You are the reason I wake up each morning. The reason I live. Without you I would be nothing. It's like my whole life before you was just a waiting period until you came into it. Once you came into my life I realized what living truly is. I found you, thank God, by following that strange man with the scarred face." Luis kissed Sheridan and cupped her face in his hands as if relishing her very being. He deepened it and time stood still. It seems as if time had stopped and nothing and no one existed except for them. Sheridan kissed him back with as much vigor as she could manage while being chained to the floor. In truth it was very awkward to kiss as they were, but neither one seemed to notice. They were together and all they wanted was to be close. They were so involved in their reunion, that Luis didn't hear the footsteps approach until the person was at the door.

Crane mansion..............

Julian paced the floor, his usual well groomed appearance not apparent. He was disheveled and in dire need of a shave. His eyes were bloodshot and not due to overindulgence in alcohol, but from lack of sleep. He knew that his father was capable of almost anything, but the news he had received from his sources in Spain had Julian quaking his expensive Italian leather boots. His own father had arranged for the abduction and incarceration of his own daughter in the worse possible way Julian could imagine. Poor Sheridan had been hit over the head and dragged off to some castle in the country and put in a dungeon. A dungeon, Julian thought, like something out of an old movie. Julian shuddered at the thought of his sister cold and alone in a dark dungeon cell. For everything Julian was, he was not completely heartless. If was unfathomable to him that a human being could do that to anyone, much less his own flesh and blood. Father had told him without a trace of regret in his voice. He had also informed Julian that he intended to keep her there indefinatly.Julian was appalled at the thought. He had voiced his complaints to his father, but they had fallen on a deaf ear. Once Alistair Crane made up his mind, no one and nothing could change it. Julian had hung up and been hit by a cold chill that still ran through his body. Could it be, that there was still a bit of warm blood still in his heart? Ivy walked in then and when she saw Julian instead of her usual mean greeting, she walked over to him and put her hand on his arm. "Julian, are you all right." Ivy asked. Julian looked at her as if he had just then noticed that she was in the room. "No, he stated. I'm not. I do believe I have discovered what I believe people refer to as a heart." Ivy was taken aback by his answer and his eyes. Julian was completely serious. "Julian, please tell me, what is going on here?" Julian explained what Alistair had done, and when he finished speaking, Ivy's face was as pale as a ghosts. She actually put her head on Julians shoulder and put her hand in his. "We have to do something Julian." Ivy said. Julian just looked at his wife and old feelings stirred in his heart which he had only just discovered still existed. He nodded and picked up the phone to order the Crane jet fueled and ready to take off with in the hour. Destination...Spain.

The Dungeon...........

Luis was kissing the person who meant more to him then life itself, and his mind was so totally into his feelings for her he missed the sound of a person approaching until they were unlocking the door. He sprang as quickly and gently as he could and sprinted into the dark corner just as a man entered the room. He could not see the face of the man as he entered the room. but Sheridan jumped in shock and gasped in recognition................

To Be Continued...

Chapter 26:

The dungeon is Spain.....................

Luis leaned back even further into the dark corner as a man walked into the room. Luis could not see his face, but he could see Sheridan's' face and he saw it register recognition and shock at the same time. Sheridan gasped as the man entered the room. He walked forward and stopped right in front of Sheridan. "Hello Daughter" Alistair sneared,"How are we feeling today?" Luis almost gasped out loud. The man was none other then the infamous Alistair Crane. Sheridan didn't react at first only sat staring at her father. Only when he reached a foot out and kicked her to wake her out of her trance, did she speak. "How could you do this to me?" Sheridan asked in a small voice. "Alistair laughed in an evil way and answered, "You never did know when to shut up my dear child. I warned you to keep away from Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald. You chose to disobey me. You are now going to suffer the consequences of your actions. You see my dear, no one knows you are here. No one knows I own this property. There is no way anyone,most especially your officer will ever find you here." Sheridan felt like she did when she was a child again. Her Father had always punished her in excessive ways even as a small child. Once when she was only 4 or 5 she had touched an old wooden box on her Fathers desk. It had been beautiful and it smelled like her Father. How much she had wanted to be loved by him. She had only run a finger along the edge of the lid. It was a humidor, where her Father kept his pipes and cigars. She had stood there and inhaled the smell of it wondering why her father didn't love her. He had walked in and seen her. Thinking back, he must also have noticed the sad look of longing on her face as well. He walked up behind her and smacked her hand where it was running along the edge of the box. Sheridan had jumped and cried out in shock and pain. Without a further word, Alistair had opened the box and taken out a handful of cigars which he proceeded to light. He had forced Sheridan to smoke 2 cigars before her stomach given up and she threw up helplessly. After she finished retching her Father ordered her to clean up the mess and left the room with a warning to never let him catch her touching his things again. Poor little Sheridan had gotten some cleaning supplies and started to clean the mess. Pilar had found her there trying as hard as she could to not cry. Pilar had picked her up as messy as she was and rocked her as the sobs took her. After the tears subsided, Pilar had run her a hot bath and while Sheridan bathed, cleaned up the mess herself. Now as Sheridan sat on a cold dungeon floor in the middle of now where in Spain, she felt like that little girl again. Her Father towered over her in the darkened room. His voice boomed as he spoke. "Whats the matter Dear?" Alistair asked when Sheridan only shook and did not answer "Do you not know I am a man of my word? I told you if you ever disobeyed me, I would punish you. Do you not remember our many arguments when you were a child. I guess you will never learn. Well, you will have many years to remember what I tried to teach you." If Sheridan would not have known that Luis was just a few feet away she might have given up all hope of ever getting out of this place. That is what her Father wanted. He wanted to see her admit defeat and cry. She would not give him the satisfaction. She knew that even if Luis had not been there, somehow he would have found her anyway. She felt his love radiating from all the way across the room. She was warmed by it. "Father, you can lock me in here for as long as you like."Sheridan said in a firm voice, "But you see, you can never take away the love I have for Luis and the love he gives me. Father, I love him and he loves me. Not just that , but he loves me more then anyone has ever done. I am fulfilled by just having known his love. If you never let me out of here again, I will be sustained by his love." I can feel it even in here. I know that he loves me." Alistair looked as if he would burst a blood vessel in his head at the look he gave Sheridan. It was as if he truly never wanted Sheridan to have any love. Knowing that she had found it and was in love herself, made him furious. "Well, my dear, I hope that loooove can sustain you, because you will never see the light of day again." With that he turned on his heel and left. "Just as he reached the door he turned back to her and said, "I will not be here ever again to see you. Good bye my Dear." With that he left and slammed and locked the door. Luis waited for a few seconds to make sure he was gone, and then ran to Sheridan. She was shaking and tears were running down her face. "Why?' she asked him looking deep into his eyes, "Why doesn't he love me? " Luis only shook his head. From what he had just seen and heard, Luis knew that Alistair did not love his daughter. Not if he could do this to her.Luis pulled her onto his lap as best he could and held her close to his heart. "I love you enough for everybody" Luis said, knowing that it was not enough to cover the pain of wanting someone to love you so bad, but he needed to try and help her. She laid her head on his chest over his heart and cried herself to sleep.

The Crane Jet.........................

Julian paced the jet like a caged animal. He had a general idea where Father had purchased the property, but he still did not have an exact location. Ivy sat on the chair and watched Julian. This was a side to her husband she had not seen before. Then she had never heard of anyone doing something as awful as Alistair was doing to Sheridan. She shuddered to think of ever crossing Alistair. Then she realized that was exactly what she and Julian were doing. Julian took a break from his worrying and looked at Ivy. She appeared worried too. "Ivy?" Julian said speaking for the first time since they had left home, "You didn't have to come you know." Ivy looked at Julian and nodded, "I know that Julian, but I have grown very attached to Sheridan. I need to make sure she's all right for myself. You never know I just might come in handy." Julian didn't answer. He had begun pacing the floor again. The flight was almost to Spain and he was planning ahead what he needed to do. His sources had confirmed that Alistair had left Spain several hours ago and headed to the Bahamas. Poor Sheridan was stuck in some Godforsaken dungeon and their Father was off for some fun in the sun. Julian shook his head again. He was appalled at his Fathers behavior and he intended to fix what was wrong. Even if it meant going against the almighty Alistair.

To Be Continued...

Chapter 27:

In the dungeon...............

Luis didn't sleep a wink. He held Sheridan for hours as she slept. She had fallen asleep and still sobs had shaken her body for a while afterward. Luis knew he had to get her out of here, but the strange hooded man had not returned. Luis wouldn't leave Sheridan alone here, but he feared he might have o consider doing so to find a way to get her out. Suddenly there were sounds of footsteps approaching. Luis gently shook Sheridan awake and crept into his dark corner. The footfalls stopped outside of the door and the lock was turned. A man entered and was carrying a tray of food. Once again it was a moldy piece of bread and water. This time though there was a bowl of strange looking goo on there as well. He set it on the floor and looked at Sheridan. She tried to shrink back into the shadows, but being chained, she couldn't move very far. He kept looking at her in a way that made Luis temper boil. The man suddenly jumped on Sheridan and began to kiss her and rip at her clothes. Sheridan screamed in fear. The man was almost succeeded in undressing her, when Luis jumped him and knocked him flat off of Sheridan. Sheridan sighed in relief that Luis was here. The man and Luis rolled around on the floor fighting and kicking. The man hit Luis with a sucker punch to the stomach and Luis doubled over in pain. The man was about to throw a punch that would have taken Luis down, when there was a popping noise and the man fell back and Luis was able to catch his breath and recover. The man lay on the floor and was not moving. Luis turned to the door and saw the hooded stranger there holding a gun. He had killed him. Luis checked for a pulse and there was none. The hooded stranger advanced into the room and went straight to Sheridan. Luis jumped into action. He wouldn't let anyone hurt Sheridan. When he reached her side he was relieved to see that the hooded man had freed Sheridan. She stood up when she saw Luis and launched herself into his arms. He held her close. He pulled her up against him and lifted her off the floor. She buried her face against his neck and sighed in relief. Luis pulled back a fraction and captured her lips in a powerful kiss. He was not gentle. His fear had been bottled up for so long and his reaction was primal. He held her so tightly she could scarcely catch her breath. She didn't care though as long as she was in his arms. His kiss was brutal and sweet at the same time. She could feel his desperation in the kiss. He was telling her without saying a word, how scared he had been and his love was evident. Luis broke off the kiss when the hooded man touched his arm. He stopped kissing Sheridan, but kept her close in his arms. It was going to be a long time before Luis let her go and even longer before he let her out of his sight again. The hooded stranger pulled Luis arm and jerked his head towards the door, telling them to follow. He went first and they followed him.

In a car on the way to the castle...................

Julian was a nervous wreck still and his patience were wearing thin. The driver he had hired was old and drove at a snails pace it seemed to Julian. Ivy sat next to him and was staring out the window in thought. Julian was overwhelmed once again at how suddenly he was happy to have her along. Old feelings stirred in his heart once again and he remembered a time when he had thought the sun rose and set on Ivy Whinthrop. She had been the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and when his Father had told him that she was his intended, Julian had been thrilled. He had set out to woo her and had succeeded. He had won her over and he had started to fall in love with her. Father had seen it happening and had explained to Julian that Ivy didn't love him and that she was only marrying him because her Father had told her she must. Julian had listened to his father like a dutiful son and then had picked a rose from the garden and went to see Ivy. He had been appalled by what he saw when he got to her house. She had been in the arms of another man and was telling him how much she loved him. When the man had asked about Julian, Ivy had brushed him aside as if he meant no more to her then another piece of jewelry someone had given her, Julian had not seen the face of the man, nor did he wish he had. He had left them and gone home and that was the beginning of when he had begun to turn into his Father. Ivy had noticed something and after that point everything had changed. Now seeing her in the soft sunlight and how she wore her hair today brought sudden memories Julian couldn't hide to the surface. Ivy chose that exact moment to turn and look at Julian and was shocked by what she saw in his eyes before he quickly shuttered his look and it was gone. No matter how fleeting, Ivy had seen it. It confused her and she didn't like that. She turned away again. She had not come on this trip to go all ga ga here. They were here to help Sheridan.

The castle..................

Sheridan and Luis followed the man through the maze of hallways and twists and turns. He seemed to know where he was going and Luis somehow trusted him. After all, the man had brought him here to Sheridan and had helped him free her and not to mention had saved his life by killing the man who had tried to kill him. Sheridan was holding onto his hand so tightly, that his circulation was almost cut off. He didn't mind though because he knew she was frightened and truthfully, Luis wanted to feel her hand every second to know she was still there and safe within his reach. Suddenly footsteps approached and Luis pulled Sheridan back into a dark corner underneath the stairs. Unfortunately, the hooded man was not as lucky and did not manage to hide as quickly. The men came around a corner and saw him there. They ran straight towards them. Luis put Sheridan in back of him and waited to see if they would be found as well.

To Be Continued...

Chapter 28:

Inside the castle.............

Luis pulled them back as far under the stairs as possible. The hooded man didn't move when they came towards him. He showed no fear. They ran right past him shoving him out of the way. One man stopped just as he got to the place where Luis and Sheridan hid. Luis got ready to jump him if need be. The man turned back and looked at the hooded man. "Hey old man!" he shouted back at the hooded man. "Did you see a couple of American's come running this way?" The hooded man shook his head no and the man continued after the rest of the men and ran up the stairs. Luis breathed a sigh of relief. He felt Sheridan's hands tremble where they rested against his back. He pulled her with him out from under the stairs.

He pulled her against his side. The hooded man motioned for them to follow and they continued on their way winding through passageways until they came to a wall at the end of a hall. Luis thought the man had taken them the wrong way but he pushed on the wall and it turned opening to the outside. The hooded man went out first and held a hand up to tell them to wait. When he looked around and saw no one around, he motioned them through as well. They ran along the outside wall and when they reached the edge, the hooded man pointed towards the woods off to the other side and nodded at Luis. He peeked around the corner and then motioned Luis ahead. Luis grabbed Sheridan's hand and ran for the cover of the trees.

When they were safely in the cover of the woods, Luis turned to see if the hooded man had followed. He had not. Luis began to worry then how he would find his way out of the woods without his guide when several men came around the corner of the wall. They saw the hooded man and once again shoved him against the wall. "Get out of here old man!" One of them spat at him and he nodded and ran to where Luis and Sheridan were. They didn't even glance back once. He got to where they were and Luis realized he had done that on purpose. If the men had heard someone crashing through the woods, they would have run to see what the noise was.

This way, they would assume it was just the old man and not bother with investigating. Luis marveled at this strange man. Who the heck was he and why was he helping them. They waited and a car drove in the driveway off to their right. It was a limo and it pulled up to the front and the chauffeur got out and let Julian Crane and his wife Ivy out of the back. Sheridan was shocked. "That's Julian!" she said. Luis nodded. "Do you think he knew what Father was doing?" she asked. Luis looked into her sad eyes. "I don't know Sheridan." He said softly. It had been hard on Sheridan coming to realize her Father truly didn't care about her. He was a callous uncaring man. Julian was just like him as far as Luis was concerned, but he didn't voice as much to Sheridan.

She was already hurting enough knowing her Father was not who she had thought he was. Maybe Julian didn't know. They turned then as the hooded man began to motion them to hurry. They walked for what seemed like hours. Luis held onto Sheridan's hand tightly. Several times she stumbled and his hold on her hand was the only thing that saved her from falling. She was exhausted. Luis could see her starting to drag. She wanted to hide it, but he knew her too well. She had been through so much and with being chained up for that length of time and with no real nourishment to speak of, her energy was disappearing fast. Luis called out to the hooded man. "Hey you." He shouted not knowing what else to call him.

"Sheridan is too tired to go on. We need to stop and let her rest." The man turned and looked back at them and the sun caught his face. It was the first time Sheridan had gotten a good look at his face and she was shocked by what she saw. She was taken aback, but something in his eyes looked so familiar to her. She couldn't put her finger on it, but looking into his eyes, she saw empathy. She was suddenly at ease with the man. She could not explain why, but she knew that just as Luis would never let anyone hurt her, neither would this man. He gave her a sorry glance and shook his head no. He did stop though and walk back to where they were. He knew she had seen his face and made no attempt to shield himself from her anymore.

He had seen the trust in her eyes. He knew she didn't fear him. He put his hand out and touched her cheek. She did not even flinch away from his touch and most people did. She smiled at him! It warmed his heart. She didn't know him from Adam, but one look in his eyes and she trusted him completely. She was a good judge of character he guessed. But then, she had chosen the man to her side. He was a good man. The hooded man could tell. He was strong and adored this women at his side. Luis watched at the hooded man reached out to touch Sheridan. He expected her to pull back from him and was surprised to see her reaction or rather her lack of reaction. She smiled at him.

He looked at Luis then and Luis too felt warmed by his gaze. He also felt as if he knew this man. How could he? He had never met him before. Had he? Something was so familiar about him. Luis was not a trusting man, but somehow he did trust this man. Normally anyone who touched Sheridan without invitation was asking for a fist down their throat. Luis just knew that he meant Sheridan no harm and Sheridan seemed to as well. He shook his head again and pointed back to where they had come from. Luis understood.

bThey could be on to them and searching for them. At the same time, Luis also knew that Sheridan couldn't go on much longer. He did the only thing he could. He went behind her and swooped her up in his arms. The man nodded in approval and started on ahead again. Sheridan had started to argue with this move, but the feeling of being in his arms changed her mind. She was exhausted. She couldn't walk another step. She relaxed in his arms and Luis smiled down at her.

The castle.......................

Julian and Ivy were met at the door by a butler. "Mr. and Mrs.Crane." he said as if they were expected. Julian put his coat on the man's out outstretched hand. "I need to see my Father." He said to the butler. "I need to see him now. I don't' want to hear he's too busy. I won't be put off!" The butler nodded and led them to a set of huge ornately carved doors. He rang a bell and then pushed to doors open. Alistair sat behind a huge desk in a chair that looked more like a throne. He had a cigar in one hand and a glass of brandy in the other. He looked not at all surprised to see them. "Julian,Ivy. How nice of you two to drop by.

To what do I owe this surprise visit?" He said in a voice that was laced with humor. Julian was not taken in by all this. "You know very well why I'm here Father." Julian said in a stony voice. "I demand you let Sheridan go at once. She is after all your daughter. How could you even think of doing this to her?" Alistair laughed out loud. He was quite interested to watch the way Ivy seemed to be looking at Julian at the moment. Was it possible his daughter in law was actually still in love with his son? He thought he had squashed that silly emotion out of her before she married his son. He was intrigued. He had made sure love would never interfere with Julian's mind when he put a stop to any love they felt before they were married. This was an interesting twist. "What are you laughing at Father?" Julian spat at him. Alistiar laughed again.

"Oh Julian! You are a riot. As if you care one iota about your sister!" he said sarcastically. "Even if by some miraculous happenstance you did care a little bit, you are too late. That idiot cop I kept telling you would be trouble and his idiot Father managed to get Sheridan away from me." Alistair let his words sink in. He watched the shock fill Ivy's eyes. "Martin Fitzgerald?" she stammered. "Martin Fitzgerald is alive and here in Spain?" Julian too appeared shocked. "Does Luis know who he is?" he asked. Alistair laughed again. "That's the great part. He has no idea he is this close to the truth he has been searching for all his life. Without poor Martin not being able to speak, I don't know how he will ever know. Martin can't say a word and even if Luis figures it out, Martin can't say a word about who did this to him or what he knows." Alistair's laugh filled the room.

Several hours later..........

The hooded man was starting to feel safe. He didn't let on to Luis though. He wanted to be sure before he let on to the other two. They were almost to the town. Then he would get these two to an airport and on their way out of Spain. Away from Spain and away from him. He looked at the man his son had become. He was proud beyond words. Laughing at his own joke since words were something he didn't have anyway. Luis was getting tired too. He was a strong man, but the past day or so had worn him down. He was now carrying the women he loved as well as walking himself.

The beautiful Crane girl slept him his son's arms in complete abandon. She had no fear when Luis was there. How the heck his son had ever gotten evolved with a Crane was beyond him. From what he understood, his son hated the Cranes. Somehow by a twist of fate, he had fallen in love with the daughter of the most evil man alive. Alistair Crane. Martin knew too that Sheridan had none of her Father's qualities. She was the spitting image of her Mother. Katharine Crane had been a gentle loving women who by a strange twist of fate as well, had fallen in love with and married the ruthless Alistair. Somehow she had a strange effect on Alistair when she was alive. He had not been the ruthless uncaring man when she was alive.

It was as if the small good part of Alistair had died along with his wife. He had been awful to poor little Sheridan as a child. Cold, uncaring, mean and hateful. More then once Martin had seen the evidence of his anger on little Sheridan's cheek. Martin had thought it might be because Sheridan was a smaller version of her Mother and he had blamed her for her Mother's death. Why any man would hate his own flesh and blood was beyond Martin. He loved his children and had given up his life as he knew it to protect them. Now here he was face to face with his own son and couldn't say or do anything.

He wanted to explain who he was and wanted to explain why he had left. His son obviously loved this women deeply and he wanted to feel his son's love as well. Alas, he could not tell him a thing. He couldn't tell anyone anything. Alistair had seen to that. He trudged on ahead leading his son to safety. Not long now. Not long at all. He saw the lights of the city ahead through the trees. Night had fallen which would give them the advantage again. They could hide and walk in the shadows. He picked up the pace. Seeing his son and being with him was weakling his resolve to stay away from his family. The sooner he got away from his son, the sooner he could stop feeling so guilty.

To Be Continued...

Chapter 29:

The woods...............

Luis carried an exhausted Sheridan. She felt her eyes grow heavier with each rhythmic step Luis took. She was never afraid of anything when she was with Luis. He was her hero. As silly as it sounded he was like a knight to her. Her knight in shining armor. A silly smile spread across her face. She would never have imagined that this man would mean so much to her the way the had started out. She couldn't stand to be anywhere near the man. Now, she didn't want to be a few feet away from him. She drifted off into a light sleep.

Luis felt her relax in his arms and knew she was asleep. His poor angel. She had such a tough life. Now, her Father wanted to make it worse. He intended to die before he let anyone hurt this sweet, innocent woman ever again. The hooded man glanced back and saw the determined look on Luis's face. He was so protective of this beauty he carried in his arms. From what he had heard, Luis hated the Cranes. How he had ever come to feel this way about a Crane was a mystery. He trudged forward. He had to make sure they were safe. It was very important. He would take them to where he knew they would be safe.

They reached the city very late. It was dark and they crept through the streets like rats. Ducking into dark alleys and creeping along from street light to street light. Sheridan slept on in Luis arms. He felt her warm breath against his neck and it gave him the strength to carry her even though he was about to drop with exhaustion. He followed the hooded man down another dark alley. Finally they reached a door. It was painted red at some time, but the paint was old and peeling and chipping off. The building was very old and in need of repair.

They walked down the hall which was painted white at one time maybe, but was now a discolored yellow color and the paint there too was peeling off. The floor was a permeant dirty color and it smelled old and musty. The man walked down the hall and stopped at the last door. He put a key in and opened the door and motioned Luis in ahead of him. Luis did as the man wanted. It was a one room apartment. A small kitchenette and one big room that held a bed and a chair and an old crooked table and a few mismatched chairs.

Though everything was old, the room appeared clean and well kept. There was a bathroom off the room. The hooded man nodded to the bed telling Luis to place Sheridan on it. Luis did as he asked. She stirred when he put her down, but slept on. He smiled down at her. His angel. The hooded man went into the kitchen and began to rustle through the cabinets. Soon there was soup on the stove cooking and he was making sandwiches. Luis went in to help him, but he waved him off. So Luis shrugged his shoulders and walked back in by Sheridan and sat down on one of the chairs.

He had no idea what to do next. He needed to keep Sheridan away from Alistair. He could run off with her and they could change there names. Then he would never be able to see his family again without putting them in danger. That wouldn't work. Alistair could and would buy off some lawyer and judge and make sure Sheridan was put away for the rest of her life. For what reason? What could be so bad that a man would be willing to do that to his own flesh and blood? Luis knew he had to find out. It must have something to do with what happened to his father. It must be pretty bad too or Alistair would not be so desperate to keep it quiet.

The hooded man brought out their dinner and Luis debated on waking Sheridan up. Finally he decided to do it. She had not had very much good food lately and she needed to eat something decent. He sat next to her sleeping figure and bent down placed a soft kiss on her lips. A smile formed on her lips. "Dinner." He said when she opened her eyes. She sat up and he took her hand and helped her up. She looked around the room. "Where are we?" She asked. "His house." Luis said indicating the hooded man who sat waiting at the table for them. Sheridan smiled at him then and went over to eat. After they ate, they would decide what to do.

The castle...........

Julian paced the room he had been given. His father knowing his marriage was a farce now, had given Ivy her own room. Julian stopped pacing and called for whoever was there to enter. Ivy walked into the room. Julian was actually happy to see her. It had been a long time since that had happened. "Julian." She said. "We need to talk." Julian nodded. He indicated the chairs in the corner and they went and sat down. He knew before she started what she wanted to talk about. He started to tell a tale. Years ago Martin Fitzgerald worked for the family at Crane industries as well as at the mansion.

Pilar cleaned house and he did work around the mansion as well as at Crane industries. In the course of his work, Martin had stumbled across something that was so potentially damaging to the family that Alistair had insisted that he needed to die. He of course sent Julian to do his dirty work. Julian went to the cottage where the Fitzgerald clan was living with his gun. In the front room he confronted Martin while his family slept in the next rooms. Martin was not willing to be bought. Julian tried in vain to persuade him to turn over the documents and forget what he had found. Martin was an honest man and he intended to go public with the secret he had found.

Julian had drawn the gun and Martin had grabbed his hand and the gun had gone off. The bullet hit somewhere near a window. Julian, fearing that he had woken up the family fled. Alistair had been livid. He called Alistair and ordered him to the mansion. Martin had come. A fight ensued. Sheridan had woken up and heard it and come down to the livingroom. The fight was going on in the library. She had hidden when a shadowy figure appeared in the livingroom. She grabbed a letter opener and when the figure came near her, a noise frightened the person. He jumped back and onto the letter opener.

Sheridan's screams brought them all running out of the study. The lights were put on and they discovered that Martin's oldest son Antonio had heard the commotion at the cottage and followed his father over here. Alistair smiled as he pulled the boy to his feet. Even Julian could not have guessed what would happen next. Alistair ordered Martin to turn over the files he had one last time or he would pay the price. Antonio was scared Martin could see it, but no matter what he had to live his life with the morals he had. He refused once again and with that before anyone could stop him, Alistair grabbed Sheridan and put the gun to her head.

Martin had been in shock. He begged him not to hurt his own daughter and then, he asked Martin one last time to give him the files. Martin had refused yet again. Alistair then took the gun and put it to the Martin's sons head and pulled the trigger at point blank range. The boy crumpled to the floor blood flowing from a fatal gunshot wound to the head. Poor little Sheridan had screamed and curled up into a ball pulling her knees up and rocking back and forth. Martin fell to his knees at his son's side. His grief was real and tangible. Even Julian was in shock. Such a brutal attack.Alistair had ordered Martin to give the files to him or watch him do to the rest of his family what he had just done to his son.

Martin produced the files from his jacket and threw them at Alistair. Then he informed Martin that even with the files if he wanted his family to be safe, he would have to disappear. Martin had been in shock and had gone willingly. Sheridan on the other hand had been a problem. She refused to believe that all she had seen had been a dream. She had even blamed herself. She believed it was all her fault. Her father was going to kill her. Then he killed the boy instead. If she hadn't stabbed him she thought he might have stopped this. Father sent her away then and she had forgotten mostly everything about that night, but some of it stayed with her.

She couldn't remember all of what happened, but enough to make people curious enough to investigate. That was why Father had put her away again. If Luis took up the investigation where his father left off, he would be in danger too. Until Alistair had told him that the hooded man was Martin, Julian had not know what had happened to him. Ivy was in shock. "Julian." She said. "What did Martin find out?" Julian gave a short laugh. "That's the funny part." He said. "I don't know. Father never told me. All I know is that it would ruin us."

Alistair's study.......

Alistair sat in his opulent office in the castle.He sat behind an enormous desk. He had two men sitting in front of him. "I want you to kill them all." He ordered. The men stared at him. "Even your daughter?" the one asked. Alistair had a letter opener in his hand and he stabbed it into the desk top. "I said kill them all. Remember what I said too. I want to see the bodies. Bring them to me when you are done." The men nodded and went off to do Alistairs bidding.

To Be Continued...