Setting: New York City
Beth Wallace sat in her corner office of the New York branch of Crane Industries. She had been with the company for a long time, which actually surprised her. Growing up in the small town of Harmony, Maine she was always taught to hate the Cranes, and it got worse after Luis's father disappeared. If you so much as mentioned the word Crane he would go off. Maybe it was better that he had broken up with her after high school, because she was sure she wouldn't be where she was today if she would have stayed with him. She was broken from her thoughts when her secretary came across her intercom
"Mrs. Wallace, there is a Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald on line one. He says he knows you, and he has something to tell you about your mother. . ."
"Ok Rachel, I've got it" she replies, kinda shocked, 'it must be something big, Luis and I haven't talked since we broke up and I moved to New York for college.' she says to herself.
Setting: Harmony, Maine
Luis looks at his mother with tears in his eyes. "Are you sure Mama?" he asks not beleiving what she has just told him
"Yes, Mijo. I just got done talking to Mrs. Wallace, she has cancer and doesn't have much more time left. She wants you to call Beth for her. . .she can't bare to do it herself,and since you and Beth were so close, she figured it would be best if you told her, rather than some doctor."
"Okay Mama, I will" He still couldn't beleive that Mary Wallace had cancer. She was like a second mother to him growing up, and she was there for his family whenever his father disappeared. He picked up the phone and dialed the number his mother gave him. He was rather surprised to hear the greeting on the line. . .
"Crane Industries, Rachel speaking, how may I help you?"
"Yes I would like to speak with Beth Wallace please, tell her it is important."
"Hold on one second, may I ask who is calling?"
"Yes this is Luis, Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald."
"Okay, hold on I will get her."
A few seconds later Beth was on the phone. "Luis what is wrong?" she asks worry evident in her voice
"Beth, I don't want to tell you this over the phone, but you should come home immediately. . ."
"Why Luis, what has happened? Are you okay?"
"Yes Beth I am fine, it is your mother, Beth.. . ." he takes a deep breathe and fights back the tears ". . .Beth she has cancer and they don't know how long she will live, please Beth, Come Home!" He hears her break down into tears and wishes he could be there to comfort her
"Okay Luis, I will be there on the next flight" with that she hung up and he began to cry. . .for the pain in his heart was as great as if it were his own mother dying. . . .
**Authors Note: She is a Partner of Crane industries
Setting: New York
Since Beth was such a high ranking employee she was able to contact Alistar Crane directly. "Rachel, will you please get Mr. Alistar Crane on the phone for me?" Beth asks with tears streaming down her cheaks, trying to keep her voice even.
"Yes Mrs. Wallace, hold on one moment" Rachel dials Alistar Crane's number. "Hello, may I speak with Mr. Crane please, this is Beth Wallace's secretary."
"Hold on one moment." Alistar's secretary replies. A few moments later Alistar Crane himself was on the phone.
"Yes Rachel, this better be important." he replies, annoyed at the fact that he was being disturbed
"Mr. Crane, Beth Wallace would like to speak with you. . . .if that is ok."
A smile comes to his face, he has a soft spot for Beth considering she is from Harmony. . .(In this story Alistar isn't as much as a monster as he is on the show_ "Yes dear, put her right through."
"Okay, hold one second please Mr. Crane" Rachel tells Beth that she can pick up the phone. . .
"Hello, Mr. Crane, I was wondering if you could do me a very large favor." as she is talking her voice begins to crack.
"What is it darling, is there something wrong?" he asks, he can hear the worry in his voice and his heart goes out to this spectacular young woman
"Yes, there is actually Mr. Crane, I just got a call from Harmony, and. . . well my mother has cancer, and they don't think that she is going to make it much longer. I was wondering if I could work at the Harmony branch of Crane Industries for the time that I am there.
"Don't be silly darling, of course. Infact, why don't you take the Crane Jet, I will have it fueled and waiting at the JFK airport." Alistar tells her, he feels extremely bad for this young woman, and he knows how she feels, b/c his own mother had lost her life after battling cancer.
"Thank you so much Mr. Crane, you don't know how much this means to me."
"Don't mention it darling, infact I will have an office ready for you whenever you arrive, and take as much time off as you feel you need to, you should be with your mother as much as possible."
"Thank you again Mr. Crane, I should be going now, I still have to pack."
"Okay darling Goodbye"
"Goodbye Mr. Crane"
With that she hangs up the phone, gathers her stuff and walks out the door, she tells her secretary to forward all calls to the Harmony branch of Crane Ind. and she leaves, with no further explanation. She walks out to her brand new 2002 Porche and drives to her penthouse. Once she gets there she gathers enough clothes to last her a couple weeks, she can always shop when she arrives, and the neccesities. Then out the door she goes. Once she arrives at JFK airport the Crane Jet, as Alistar said, was waiting for her. She boards and in no time they are in the air, on her way back to harmony after 12 years of being away, and is a little aprehensive.
Meanwhile back in Alistars office, he is thinking to himself. Maybe this will be the perfect way to get Sheridan and Luis apart, his old love coming back to Harmony, and after 12 years no doubt. . ."Yes this could definately be working to my advantage."
Beth stepped off her flight in the Harmony airport and walked into the terminal. she immediately saw Luis and he cam rushing over to her.
"Beth, it is SO great to see you! I have missed you so much. To bad the reason for you coming home is the one it is. . ." tears start to form in his eyes, he tries to hold them back, but to no avail. . .
Beth can see him fighting to hold back the tears and pulls him into a hug. Her own tears to begin to flow "Please Luis, I need you to be strong for me, please promise me that you will be there. . .please"
"Of course I will Beth. . .I love you." As soon as that last part slips out, he immediately asks himself where that came from
Beth looks at him shocked. "What did you just say?" she wants to beleive that he just said he loved her but she knew he was with sheridan, she may have been in NY but their story was all over the newspapers.
"I said I love you. Just because you moved away and I am with Sheridan, doesn't mean that my love for you has disappeared. I loved you for so long, it is never going away."
"Yes, but you love me as only a friend right?"
"Yes Beth, as a Friend. . ." he says outloud, but his heart is telling him another thing entirely. . .
"Oh, okay." she says, a bit dissapointed.
Meanwhile behind them there is a man taking pictures and recording their conversation. . .
"Oh Alistar is going to love this!". . . . .
The man edits the tape, where the last couple statements were not recorded, then rewinds the film in his camera and walks off. . . .
Beth and Luis walk to Luis's jeep hand in hand. "I have really missed you Beth, why didn't you keep in touch?"
"Honestly, it was easier to just cut all ties with this town. Less heartbreak."
"I am so sorry if I am the reason you left. . . "
"No Luis, don't be sorry. If it weren't for you breaking up with me after high school, I never would have accomplished partnership in Crane Industries. I am content with my life as it is. . ..although some days I do wish that I were married with children and the white pickett fence that we always dreamed of, and spent our teenage years planning out. . ." she gets a faroff look in her eyes as she drifts off into the memories. . . .
**Flashback**
A 17-year old Luis and Beth are sitting in Beth's living room munching on doritos and pepsi and studying for their advanced bio. test that was coming up. They begin to drift into a conversation about the future they see with each other. . .
"Where do you want to live?" Beth asks Luis
"Well there is a lot on 5th street. . .we could buy it after we graduate, I have been making a lot of money at the docks and we can eventually build the house we have always wanted."
"Complete with the pickett fence?" she asks
"I wouldn't dream of anything else."
"I love you Luis, promise me we will always be together, no matter what."
"Of course we will, I love you Beth. NOTHING will ever change that. I will love you until the end of time." With that he leans down and kisses her. . .
"Luis, my mom isn't home. . ."
"Wanna go to your room?"
"You read my mind" Luis sweeps Beth off her feet and carries her up to her room, where he lays her down and they make sweet passionate love. . .
**End Flashback**
"Beth? Hello, BETH?!" Luis is yelling her name. she finally snaps out of her memories
"Huh, what Luis?" she asks embarassed that she had drifted off into her memories while he was talking to her.
"Where did ya go just now?" he asks "I called your name a few times and you didnt awnser."
"Happier times Luis, happier times." With that she breaks down and cries. She cries for the girl she was, the woman she has become and the mother she is about to lose. . .
**Authors Note: the Andrew that is refered to in here is Andrew Clinton. (Yes he is related to ex-president Clinton in this story, he is his nephew. . .) And Sheridan doesn't know about Beth's mom either, nor does she care, she is a snob in this story, well not at first, but she shows her Crande Blood. Beth's mother has Acute Lukemia, so she ges quickly, sorry
Sheridan Crane could not beleive her ears. . .she rewinds the tape and watches it again. . .
Beth can see him fighting to hold back the tears and pulls him into a hug. Her own tears to begin to flow "Please Luis, I need you to be strong for me, please promise me that you will be there. . .please"
"Of course I will Beth. . .I love you."
Beth looks at him shocked. "What did you just say?"
"I said I love you. Just because you moved away and I am with Sheridan, doesn't mean that my love for you has disappeared. I loved you for so long, it is never going away."
**end tape**
"Why, why does this always happen to me?! I thought Luis was different. I guess I was wrong! Thank you Andrew for finally getting me to see that I should have never gone out of my social class, it would never have worked anyways. . ." She is holding back the tears but to no avail. "Please Andrew, will you hold me? Just hold me. . ."
"No problem Sheridan. I will be here for you whenever you need me. I promise"
*~*~*~*~*~ Harmony Hospital *~*~*~*~*~*
Beth and Luis walk into Beth's mothers hospital room together, Luis has his arm around her waist.
"Hi Mom" Beth says, the tears welling up already. Luis tightens the grip around her waist feeling her weaken
"Beth, sweety is that really you? Oh, my baby came home!" Mary Wallace says weakly , tears of joy running down her face "come here and give me a hug!"
Beth walks over to her mother's hospital bed and gives her a long hug and then kisses her head. "I have missed you so much mom, so so much I love you!"
"I love you to Beth, I love you too. Always remember that. . .I have to go now Beth, but I will always be with you, always. . ." her mother tells her quietly, then falls to the bed. The alarms start to sound and doctors and nurses rush in, but it is to late, she is gone
"MOM?!?! NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" Beth then collapses, but before she can hit the ground two arms go around her waist and take her out of the room, where they shed tears for the woman they both loved with all their hearts. . .


~2 days later
Practically the whole town of Harmony was gathered at the cemetary, all wearing black. Beth was standing with Luis, his arms wrapped around her waist, supporting her. Both their faces were stained with tears, but he remained strong for her. Before either of them knew it, the casket was being lowered, so Beth, the only surviving relative of her mother walked over and threw the handful of dirt on the coffin, along with a single long stem rose and then fell to her knees. . .
"good-bye mother, I Love you!" she said quietly, with tears running down her face. Luis was immediately by her side, helping her back up. .. .
REMEMBER: Sheridan, at this point, does know about Beth's mom. . .
Sheridan Crane marched up to Luis Lopez-Fitzgeralds aparment. It had been three days since she had seen the tape, but Andrew had kept telling her that she should just forget about it. At first she accepted this but when Luis never called she began to wonder. She bangs on the door, and none other than Beth Wallace awnsers
"What the hell are YOU doing here, and where is MY boyfriend at?!" Sheridan yelled at the woman, not even noticing the red rimmed eyes or dark circles under them.
"He is in the bedroom right now changing. . . " Beth replied, she couldn't beleive the nerve of this woman. "AND I am here because he asked me to be here, and I need him. We were a part of each others lives for a very LONG time Sheridan Crane, don't think that you can keep him away from me, especially now!" she could feel the tears forming in her eyes, but how dare Sheridan Crane talk to her like that, especially the same day as my mothers funeral! The tears started to spill over again, thinking of the ceremony she had just got done attending.
Luis could hear the yelling in his bedroom and so he comes out to investigate. It is then that he sees the last thing he would have expected. Sheridan was yelling at beth and telling her to explain her presence at his apartment! How DARE HER!!! "What the HELL do you think you are doing Sheridan?!"
Sheridan then looks up and sees a very angry Luis standing in front of her. "I am just asking this little B*^%$ what the H#$% she is doing at your apartment when I am your girlfriend, NOT HER!"
Luis could not beleive the way sheridan was acting "She is here b/c I am comforting her, you of all people Sheridan should know what it is like to lose a mother. HOW DARE YOU come over here the same day as her MOTHERS FUNERAL and ask her what she is doing here!! She has been through a lot today. So I would like it very much if you would leave, and don't bother coming back, we are over. . . I don't know how I could have ever thought I loved a spoiled little B*&%^ like you!"
Sheridan just looks at him "That is ok, I was too good for you anyways!"
"GET THE HELL OUT!!" He screams
Sheridan then turns on her heels and leaves. . . .
~*2 weeks later*~
"Luis, you don't have to do this." Beth said "your family is here, why do you want to leave it all?"
Luis looked at the woman before him and grinned. "Because, I let you go once, I am NOT going to let you go again." And he ment it too, the last two weeks were more filled with love than the last 5 years he had been with Sheridan. He now knew why he could never fully commit to Sheridan, because Beth still held his heart, and she always would. "I love you too much Beth. . ."
She didn't think she would ever get tired of hearing him tell her that, she got a huge smile on her face upon hearing the words "I love you too Luis, I never stopped. . .I never forgot"
THE END