Chapter Four:

Cause I want it all
Or nothing at all
There's nowhere left to fall
When you reach the bottom it's now or never
Is it all?
Or are we just friends?
Is this how it ends?
With a simple telephone call you leave me here
With nothing at all

Sheridan held the vibrant scarlet dress against her body. "What do you think, Emma?"

Emma Morgan diverted her gaze from Sheridan's beautiful daughter. "I don't know, Sher. That shade isn't quite right."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right, Emma. What about this?" Sheridan asked as she held up a baby blue dress.

"Sheridan, it's perfect! It really brings out the color of your eyes!" Emma gushed. "You have to try it on."

Sheridan grinned. "Ok, Emma."

Suddenly, her cell phone rang. "Sheridan Crane," she answered.

"Sheridan! This is Ethan."

"Ethan!" Sheridan squealed. "It is so great to hear from you! What's new with you?"

"Funny you should ask, Sheridan. Actually, I'm getting married on Saturday. I was hoping that you could come. It's a last minute thing, and I know how long transatlantic mail can take to arrive. And since I wanted to hear your voice anyhow, I thought I'd give you a call. What do you think? Can you come to Harmony for at least the day?" Ethan begged.

Sheridan considered it. She did miss Ethan, but if she went she would risk seeing Luis. She wasn't sure if she could handle seeing him and remembering what they had had together. She couldn't go. But now she had to give Ethan the bad news.

"Ethan, I don't think that I'll be able to make it. This really is last minute, and I don't think that we'll be able to get out of some things for that weekend. And then we'll still have to charter a plane. Ethan, it's too complicated," Sheridan tried to explain.

"Plus, you might run into Luis," Ethan added.

"Yeah, Ethan. I don't know if I could face him after all that I said to him." Sheridan needed to get off the phone before she admitted that she was still in love with Luis. No one in Harmony knew how she truly felt, and she intended to keep it that way. "Look, Ethan, I hate to cut this conversation short, but Bella needs me. I'll talk to you soon, ok? And congratulations on your wedding."

"Ok, Sheridan. We'll miss you. Bye."

Sheridan disconnected and turned back to Emma who was looking at her curiously. "What was that all about, Sher?"

"Ethan wanted me to come home for his wedding, but I couldn't. I'm still in love with Luis, and I know that he hates me. I couldn't deal with knowing that the one man that I love above all things despises me and everything about me—even his own daughter."

"Sher, if you just show up for the wedding and leave right afterwards, what are the chances of you seeing Luis? I thought you told me that he and Ethan hated each other!"

"Yeah, they do. When I left, they couldn't stand each other! You know that Luis has always hated the Cranes, and after how I treated him…."

"So then he wouldn't be at Ethan's wedding, would he?"

"Probably not. He doesn't even know Gwen. Pilar may be there, but the last thing that Luis would want to do is set foot in a Crane wedding. Especially after what I did to him." Sheridan took a deep breath and ran through her plans for the weekend. There wasn't really anything that she couldn't get out of. "Emma, you're right. I love Ethan, and I should be there for his big day. I'm going."

Sheridan picked up her cell again and dialed Jack. She wanted them to go as a family. She couldn't have Luis doubting her love for her husband.

She couldn't wait to surprise Ethan. She knew that he would be thrilled to see her—Gwen too. Oh, this was going to be the surprise of a lifetime.

~*~*~*~

"Hey, Luis," Ethan said as he entered the Lopez-Fitzgerald house. "Is my fiancée around?"

Luis laughed. "Yeah, she and Whitney are upstairs trying on her wedding dress."

"Again?" Ethan asked in disbelief.

"What can I say?" Luis said with a laugh. "She can't wait to marry you."

"Oh, Luis, I called Sheridan today," Ethan informed him.

Luis glanced over at his friend. "Really?" he asked with a voice void of emotion.

Ethan had told him that he was planning on inviting Sheridan. Luis just wasn't sure if he wanted her to come. Sure, it would be great to see her again after so long. Maybe, if he was lucky, she'd even realize that she did love him—and then she'd dump that husband of hers for him.

But on the other hand, Luis knew that she'd probably show up with her family, and at the very least her daughter would be with her. He knew that her family would only remind him of all that he had lost out on.

"Yeah, Luis, I did. She says that she can't come. Apparently they have too many things planned for this weekend. I'm sorry."

"That's ok, Ethan," Luis replied. Oddly, he felt disappointed. He knew that he had wanted to see Sheridan, but he almost felt that it would hurt more to see her with her family. Deep down, he knew that his love for Sheridan was all that mattered. He just wanted to be a part of her life—whatever part that she was willing to give him.