Disclaimer: I know they're not my characters the belong to NBC...
Chapter 1:
After Luis and Sheridan had been playing scrabble for what seemed like
forever to pass time Sheridan looked down at the board and was looking at the
words she had to work with for her next move. Pigheaded, macho, stubborn,
annoying, and immature were the words she had to work with. She laughed to
her self "I think they we're having a nonverbal fight." She said out loud.
"Hmm" and Luis looked up at her and then down at the board and started to
laugh too. "I think it is safer if we just watch TV" Sheridan stated.
"Sure whatever". Luis put the game back in the box as Sheridan got up and
turned on the TV. The y sat on the floor opposite sides of the couch and
watched Fraiser until they fell asleep.
****dream****
"Sheridan you could fall off" a little Luis told a little Sheridan. "Don't
tell me what I can and can not do!" the little Sheridan yelled back. With
that Sheridan went over to the big slide climbed the big latter and went down
the slide and landed on her feet at the bottom. "See I told you I could do
it!" With that she went up again this time Luis could tell she was going to
fall when she hit the ground and went over to catch her. "See I told you,
you could fall" "argh!" Pilar started to laugh and they looked over at her.
"What?" They asked in unison. "You two act like an old married couple"
Pilar stated still laughing. "that's because we are going to get married
when we get old" Sheridan stated at the bat of an eye, and they walked off
hand in hand towards the cottage.
They ran into the cottage giggling and enjoying each other's company, Luis
started to tickle Sheridan and she screamed and jumped away from him then
lunged at him tackling him to the ground they were tickling each other
mercilessly until tears were streaming down their faces.
"Sheridan you better get back to the house before your father gets home you
know he doesn't want you out here" Pilar yelled from the kitchen. "I know!"
Sheridan yelled back and got up off the floor, kissed Luis on the cheek and
went to the door and turned around and looked at Luis, "see you tomorrow
Luis" "Bye Sher, I love you" "love you too Luis" and she walked out the
door. Luis went to the kitchen and sat at the table with his mother. "Luis
what do you think you and Sheridan fight so much?" Pilar asked Luis. "Every
couple has there problems mother" Luis replied. Pilar laughed a little
"Luis that's what married people say. "Well Sheridan and I are engaged"
"Luis you are eight years old, Sheridan is seven you are too young to be
engaged" "it will be a long engagement" "yeah a really long one, Luis.
Sheridan's parents will never allow it, you know that." "Sheridan I will run
off together just as soon as we're old enough" Pilar just smiled at her son,
sometimes it seemed that he and Sheridan knew more about love than she did.
Sheridan came running into the cottage crying. "What is it Sheridan?" Luis
moved closer to her and put his arms around her and walked her to the couch.
They sat on the floor and leaned against it. Sheridan sniffed and looked up
at him. "My father is sending me away" " I wont let him." Luis replied.
"How Luis we both know there is nothing you can do" "we will figure out
something, nothing can keep us apart forever if we really love each other."
With that they both laid on their sides facing each other foreheads pressed
together and hands entwined. "I love you Sheridan, I'll always love you"
****end dream****
Luis woke up he saw Sheridan close to him their foreheads were pressed
together and their hands entwined just like in his dream. He didn't move, it
felt right to be like this, very familiar. Just then Sheridan opened her
eyes looking straight into Luis', neither moved away they just stayed like
that for a while. Finally Luis spoke, "I had the weirdest dream" "so did I,
but it seemed more like a memory" "mine too" "what was yours about?"
Sheridan asked "you and me but we were young" "mine too, do you think we
knew each other when we were kids?" "maybe, I think I'll ask my mother if
she remembers what I thought I did"
To Be Continued...
Chapter 2:
Luis got up to pit away the game, he opened the closet door and memories
came flooding to his mind.
Sheridan went to her room to change she opened her jewelry box and the
secret compartment that she had forgotten about opened and a ring fell out.
It was a cheep imitation ring, she could tell by the greenness that
surrounded it.
****flashback****
Luis was waiting for Sheridan; this was going to be good bye. He could feel
the tears well up in his eyes. Sheridan knocked on the door and entered.
"Luis?" He got up and went towards her; her cheeks were stained with tears.
"Luis, I don't want to go." "I don't want you to either." They heard
Alistar coming and Luis grabbed Sheridan's arm and pulled her into the
closet. "I'm not finished saying good yet." Luis explained. Tears were
coming in abundance and they didn't try to stop them. "I got this for you."
Luis said as he handed her a cheep imitation diamond ring. Sheridan's whole
body was shaking and she wasn't sure she could stand much longer.
"I promise
that when I'm old enough I will get away and come back to you and we will get
married and live the like we've always wanted." "Do you mean that Sher?"
"Of course I do Luis, we will be together in the end' just don't forget about
me. I love you" "I love you too Sher" they heard Alistar coming towards the
door, Sheridan put her hands in her pockets and Luis peeked out the closet
door and made sure it was safe and they exited. Sheridan made sure that her
hand stayed in her pocked she would not risk her father taking the ring away.
Alistar went over to her and grabbed her arm and took Sheridan to the car,
that was the last time he had seen her.
****end flashback****
Luis walked out of the closet with the felling of being punched in the
chest. Sheridan exited her room with her eyes filled with tears refusing to
fall. They both noticed each other's presence and their eyes locked.
To Be Continued...
Chapter 3:
Luis ripped his eyes away from Sheridan's and his eyes fell on the tiny
ring she was holding. He walked towards her his eyes still focused on the
ring. "I remember that ring." "I just remembered, in fact I had forgotten
all about it but it just came out of its secret hiding place like it had been
planning it out all along." "You never did keep your word, and you never
wrote me back." "Wrote you back? I never got any letters. I wasn't allowed
to get mail, my father made sure of that."
"My father told me that you
didn't even remember me anymore and I guess I made up my mind to do the
same." "I had to forget you Sheridan; the pain was too great. I remember
now like it was yesterday. You never wrote back and I thought you stopped
caring, I told myself that I had to find a way to get over it." "I wonder
what happened to all those letters, do you think that Alister took them? He
never gets rid of anything, Julian to." "What would it matter Sheridan?" "I
don't know but it will be fun breaking into my brother's office to look
around." She said smiling.
"Sheridan are you sure this is safe, he has alarms remember" "Oh come on
Luis, where is your sense of adventure?" "I'm not scared, I'm just worried."
"I never said you were scared but now I think you are." She said laughing
and opening the door to Julian's office. No sound. She proceeded with
caution, and made her way towards his desk. She took a deep breath and
opened the top drawer. She gasped and steeped back and the color drained
from her face. "What?" Luis half asked half demanded.
To Be Continued...
Chapter 4:
She picked up Luis's face with two fingers trying not to touch it all that
much. Luis was confused at first not knowing what it was, once it registered
in his head what it was he was even more confused.
"I makes sense now." Sheridan stated.
"What makes sense?"
"You, it wasn't you. They were trying to trick me, they didn't want me to
trust you, all along, it adds up"
"What adds up? Sheridan please tell me what adds up?"
"I thought he was right and I was wrong but I wasn't really wrong he made me
think I was wrong so he would tell me he was right. He planned the whole
thing because he knew what I would think I was seeing because he made me see
it, but it was a lie!"
"Sheridan you are not making any sense please, just tell me what you are
talking about!"
"Huh?" Sheridan asked "Oh yeah right I never told you, but not here, let me
finish looking to see what else they have been keeping from me. Then we will
have a nice talk until you understand what is going on." With that she kept
digging. She opened the middle drawer, her hands checking every crevice; her
hand hit something that gave her a splinter. "Ouch!" She pulled her hand
back and stuck her finger in her mouth. She hit it with her good hand,
"stupid drawer!"
The block that gave her the splinter fell back and revealed a space behind.
She reached in and started pulling things out. Bundles of old envelopes and
papers and other odds and ends.
"That's them" he said pointing to the one where he recognized his old
handwriting made out to Sheridan. They heard someone coming so Sheridan
stuffed the envelopes in her waistband and covered them with her shirt and
shoved everything else where it belonged. Ethan walked in. "Sheridan have
you seen father?"
"No Ethan I haven't seen him."
"What are you two doing in here anyway? You know how he gets about his
office."
"I was looking for a pen and Luis had to go where ever I go, oh here's one"
she picked up a pen and they fled the office. "Wow that scared me." Sheridan
stated. "What am I supposed to do with the information I now know, I have to
think things through" her mind was spinning and her brain was working at
exceedingly high speeds. Luis was just waiting for her to speak. If only
she knew how to explain it so it made sense.
"Remember that night on the wharf when you kissed me?"
"How could I forget?"
"Well after we got off the phone I decided that I needed to see you. So I
went down to the wharf and you, or who I thought was you, were talking on you
cell phone about how you hated the Cranes and how you were using me and
something about me being a spoiled princess, and that's why I slapped you."
"Why wouldn't you confront me?"
"Because I didn't want to give you the satisfaction that you hurt me,
remember you were trying to get back at the Cranes and my pride got the
better of me. I just need to figure out what I'm going to do." Luis stroked
her back.
"Everything will work out for the best in the end." She smiled at him and
their eyes locked she leaned in closer to him and his lips met hers half way.
What started out as a gentle kiss rapidly grew into a passionate one. In
fact they were so into each other that they did not notice someone enter the
room.
"Ah hem" Julian cleared his throat to make his presence known. They stopped
and looked at him. "Sister dear can I speak to you a moment?" Sheridan and
Luis just looked at each other and he wished her luck with his eyes.
To Be Continued...
Chapter 5:
"So Julian, what did you want to speak to me about?" Sheridan tried her
hardest not to sound a nervous as she felt.
"You know darn well what I want to speak to you about."
"Not really Julian."
"Have you forgotten that that man used you?"
"Yep, I think this morning when I walked in on him without his shirt."
"Sheridan you have more sense than that, I thought that you didn't want to be
used, you want to find true love."
"Well maybe not but Luis is sex on a stick." *note to self: thank Tina for
that one* "besides a roll in the hay with your many women never hurt you.
I'll look for love but in the mean time, why not have a little fun?" With
that she turned and left *that should buy me some time* she thought to her
self.
Sheridan was laughing to herself as she went back to Luis. "What's so
funny?" Luis asked.
"I didn't want to Julian that I know just yet, I think there is more to find,
so I told him that I was just interested in sex. The look on his face was
classic, he's probably still sitting there with his mouth hanging open."
"And he bought it? Even coming from you?"
"It wasn't that hard to convince him that I have the hots for you."
The next night Julian and Ivy were having a party for some business
friends and Sheridan was supposed to attend, so naturally Luis was to be
there. Sheridan was getting ready in her room. She had on a light blue
dress that matched her eyes and hugged her curves. She had the radio on and
was listening to the oldies station. An old song came on that gave her this
weird feeling in her stomach that she liked
Luis was getting dressed up in his only tux and was humming to the song
on the radio that Sheridan had turned on. It was an old song that he had
loved when he was little.
****flashback****
Sheridan was going to a party that her family was having. She was
wearing a light blue lacey dress. Luis had promised to help her sneak out,
she didn't like any of the boys her family had introduced her to. She went
over to get punch and cookies. She felt someone grab her ankle. Her heart
jumped. She looked down and recognized the hand that stuck out from
underneath the table and ducked under the table with Luis and he gave her the
game plan as to how they would get out. They crawled to the end of the table
that was near the door to the kitchen where all the waiters came in and out.
On the count of there they made a mad dash for the door nearly knocking over
a waiter on there way threw the kitchen and out the employee entrance to the
mansion.
Once outside they giggled and looked for a safe place to hide. They went
n the other side of the bushed. They could still hear the music coming from
the mansion. Luis cleared his throat and then very stiffly asked "Miss
Crane, would you care to dance?"
Sheridan giggled and then answered "I would love to, sir." They danced
and he spun her around till they both fell to the ground too dizzy to move.
Luis leaned in next to her and kissed her on the cheek. She blushed, that
was the first time he had kissed her. She smiled at him.
"Sheridan!" They heard her father call.
"Uh oh." They said in unison and with that Sheridan leaned in and kissed
Luis on the cheek. "I had the most fun ever." She whispered in his ear and
then took off towards the house.
It was late and the party was over. Her father looked at her now dirty
dress and demanded she tell him what she has been doing. All she would tell
him was that she went outside because it was too stuffy inside, which was not
completely a lie because all the people at the party had been pretty stuffy.
Her mother just smiled, she knew how much Sheridan hated those parties and
she saw Sheridan run out of the party with Pilar's son. She knew that he and
Sheridan were best friends, a fact that everyone hid from Alistair.
"I'll put Sheridan to bed, come along Sher." Sheridan took her mother's
hand and went with her upstairs. Once upstairs her mother spoke. "Sher you
know your father wants you around at these parties."
"I hate them mom and once I heard father talking to someone about me
marrying a boy I don't even know."
"You could get to know him, you have plenty of time."
"I don't want to, I'm going to marry Luis."
"What makes you say that?"
"I love him and he kissed me tonight!" Sheridan's eyes lit up when she
said that.
"He did, did he?"
"Yep, right on the cheek and we're going to run off and get married just
as soon as we're old enough. We are going to have a little white house, have
lots of kids and a dog. Luis will be a cop and I will spend all my time with
all our kids. And every Sunday our family will go for a walk in the park."
"That's a very nice dream Sher, now go to sleep."
"Good night mom."
"Good night sweetheart, I love you"
"Love you too mom."
****end flashback****
To Be Continued...
Chapter 6:
Luis entered the ballroom with Sheridan on his arm. She obviously was
not thrilled at being there. He smiled at her and she gave him a weak smile
in return. As they were walking by some people Sheridan overheard her name
and did a little eavesdropping. "Sheridan must have run out of men to e
interested in her, look at her over here with that local, he probably doesn't
have a cent to his name."
Sheridan rolled her eyes, she knew she would hear stuff like that but
being near Luis made her happy, money never had, she would have to live with
hearing crap like that from people.
People were coming up to talk to Sheridan, ignoring Luis' presence.
Tango music started and Sheridan and Luis walked away from the guy that was
talking to her with out so mush as a nice talking to you and started to
dance. They were so wrapped up in each other that they didn't even notice
everyone watching. After the song was over Luis leaned down and whispered,
"I am going to get us some wine."
"I'll go with you." Luis noticed her eyeing the exit and smiled and
caught her eye as they carefully edged toward it and ran out threw the
kitchen. They ran out and went on the other side of the bushes and danced
some more to the music they heard floating in from the house. They were
having so much fun they didn't notice the time or that they were being
watched.
To Be Continued...
Chapter 7: Once Upon A Time, And The Lived Happily Ever After
Luis and Sheridan were now dancing a slow dance, Luis bent down and kissed
her, Sheridan deepened the kiss and soon they both wanted more than a kiss.
"ahem" someone cleared their throat. They looked up to see an older man
standing there.
"Father! When did you get back?" Sheridan exclaimed.
"Just in time to keep you from making a mistake."
"I don't think you know what you're talking about father." With that she
took Luis's hand and left towards her cottage. When she got inside the door
she turned and kissed Luis again, and were once again lost in each other.
They made their way towards her bedroom where they made love for the first
time.
The next morning as Sheridan woke up she felt two strong arms around her and
remembered the previous night. She was so glad it hadn't been a dream.
"Good morning sunshine"
"Good morning Luis. Sleep well?"
"Better than you know, I guess I was a little worn out." He gave her a
devilish smile and leaned in and kissed her. "I better get up and get back
to the job of protecting you."
"No stay."
"Sheridan I can't protect you when I'm in bed with you. The whole world
could be crashing down and I wouldn't notice."
"Fine I guess I'll get up too, care to join me for a shower?"
"As appealing as that sounds, I think that would be a little distracting."
"Suit yourself." With that she got out of bed and made her way to the
bathroom.
Later that day Sheridan was having trouble keeping occupied and with
something other than thoughts of continuing the previous night. She found
the letters and decided to read them. They were so sweet; they were about
how much he had missed her and asking her to write back. She felt so bad
that she never had the chance to respond and tell him how much she had missed
him. As she was reading along she found a letter that was addressed to both
her and Luis. She opened it at read it:
My dearest Sheridan and Luis,
You probably will think I'm crazy for doing this but it gave me hope during
my sickness. Do you remember Sher when you were about seven and you told me
that you were going to marry Luis, live in a little white house and have a
lot of kids and a dog. You told me that you were going to marry for love.
And when you said that you were inlove with Luis, I believed you even though
you were only seven. At the age of seven you two had a love stronger that I
could ever hope for, that's why I did what I did.
I had faith that even though your father separated you two that you would
some how find each other and fall in love all over again. I hid an account
in both your names, I know you said you weren't going to marry for money but
hear me out. Trying to overcome your father might be tough and I thought
this might help a little. I left this for you to find in a symbol of your
love; it was to me, in hopes that you would find it. Hold on to that love
and you will be happy, I know you will.
Love,
Mom
Tears were streaming down her face. Her mother had believed in their love.
How could she have forgotten so strong that her mother had put that kind of
faith in it? Luis walked in, he saw Sheridan crying.
"What's wrong Sheridan? Why are you crying?" He sat down next to her and
rubbed her back trying to comfort her. She handed him the letter and told
him that she had found it in the pile of letters from him. As he read he two
shed some tears. He looked at her.
"Is this for real?" She simply nodded and he leaned in for a kiss, one that
was filled with the love they might have lost. "I'll never let any thing
come between us again Sher. We will be together forever."
THE END
