song credits:
"That's When I'll Stop Loving You" - 'N Sync
"I Do (Cherish You)" – 98°
Where You Are: Chapter 3
~next morning~
Sheridan woke up again, to the
sun. Thank God… I'm still alive… The two Frenchmen were nowhere to be
found. Then she remembered last night, how the French police miraculously found
them and arrested them for the murder of Jean-Luc. "So he was dead all this
time… and they wanted to kill me too…" A tear trickled down her face. Now her
only problem was… how was she going to get out of there?
Luis had gotten not so much of a good night's sleep when he realized he had to save Sheridan. So he started scouting around. After showing people her picture, he didn't get a response, so he decided to check out Jean-Luc's apartment. He didn't know why, but he did. The door was unlocked, so he walked in and closed the door behind him, and called out.
"Sheridan? Are you in here?"
She felt her heart race. Was that Luis? "Luis? Is that you?"
"Sheridan? Where are you?"
"In here. The second room on the left." Luis raced to the door, found it open, and laid his eyes on Sheridan, who was tied up. He quickly untied her and held her in a tight embrace.
"I'm so happy you're okay, Sheridan," Luis said.
"Luis, how did you find me?" Not that she minded anymore. It felt so… right… to be in his embrace.
"I had to, Sher… oh, thank God you're okay." He kissed her on the forehead.
"I don't get it, Luis."
"Okay. Sit down." Luis and Sheridan sat down on the bed, and then he pulled out the mask. "This explains everything."
Sheridan examined the mask. "It looks like you," she observed.
"It's supposed to be me. Your father and brother hired someone to wear this and impersonate me. That's who you overheard at the wharf," Luis explained. "And that's why I had absolutely no clue of what you were talking about when you slapped me."
"Oh, Luis… I knew something wasn't right… I knew you could never use me," Sheridan beamed. "But… how did you know? I'm not surprised that Julian and my father pulled something like this. What I'm surprised at is that we actually fell for it." Sheridan made a face.
"Ethan told me," Luis said.
"Ethan? You actually talked to him without beating the hell out of him?" a surprised Sheridan asked.
"When it comes to you, yeah," Luis said sheepishly.
Sheridan blushed. "So… where were we before that "incident" at the wharf?" she asked.
"Well, I believe we… uh… kissed?" Luis said.
"Yeah, that's right," Sheridan remembered fondly. Then she looked outside. "Look, it's a beautiful day. Why don't we go for a walk, and then we can go back to Harmony?" she suggested.
"That's a great idea, Ms. Crane," Luis said. "I'll be waiting."
*later*
"It's beautiful," Luis said. He
wandered around the garden, looking at the pretty flowers and the plunging
waterfall in the middle.
"This is my special place here in Paris," Sheridan said. "I'm glad you like it."
Luis smiled at her. "It's special, huh? I bet I can make it more special."
You already do… "Really? How?" Sheridan asked.
"This." He took Sheridan's hand and put it to his shoulder. "Dance with me."
Sheridan happily accepted.
When winter comes in
summer,
when there's no more forever…
..that's when I'll stop loving you
I'm sure you've
heard these words before,
and I know it's hard for you to trust them once more
You're afraid it all might end,
and a broken heart is scared of breaking again
But you've gotta believe me; I'll never leave you
You'll never cry unless I am there
And I will always be there
You will never be without love
When winter comes in
summer,
when there's no more forever,
when lies become the truth,
oh you know that, baby,
that's when I'll stop loving you
That's when I'll stop loving you…
As long as sunlight
lights the sky,
the light of love will be found in these eyes of mine
I will shine that light for you
You're the only one I'll ever give this heart to
What I'm trying to say is nothing will change this
There'll be no time you won't find me there
'cause I will always be there
You will always have all my love
When this world
doesn't turn anymore,
when the stars all decide to stop shining
'Til then, I'm gonna be by
your side
I'm gonna be loving you forever
and every day of my life, baby
The two of them were dancing so close, they could feel each other's heart beating. "Sheridan…" Luis whispered.
"Yes?" Sheridan whispered back.
"Can I tell you something?"
"Yes…"
"Do you know how beautiful you are?"
"Um… yeah," she said sheepishly. They both laughed.
"But seriously, Sheridan… can I tell you something?"
"Go ahead."
"I…" Luis looked into her eyes. Those beautiful, crystal blue eyes, with something in them that he just couldn't get enough of… "I love you, Sheridan." There. He said it.
Sheridan was silent for a minute. Luis was kind of nervous. What if she doesn't feel the same way…?
But he didn't have to worry for long because her face broke out into a smile. "You know what, Luis?"
"What?" he asked nervously.
"I love you, too."
Luis smiled. Almost instantly, their lips met, and they shared a real kiss, a kiss between two people who knew how the other felt, finally.
~A year later~
"It's time for the first dance,"
Chad, Harmony's resident
DJ, announced.
Luis led his bride to the dance floor. He smiled and held her close before the music started. "I love you, Sheridan C. Lopez-Fitzgerald," Luis said.
"And I love you, too," Sheridan said to her new husband.
When the visions
around you bring tears to your eyes
And all that surround you are secrets and lies
I'll be your strength; I'll give you hope,
keeping your faith when it's gone
The one you should call was standing here all alone
And I will take you
in my arms
and hold you right where you belong
'Til the day my life is through,
this I promise you, this I promise you
I've loved you
forever in lifetimes before
And I promise you, never, will you hurt anymore
I give you my word, I give you my heart
This is a battle we've won
And with this vow, forever has now begun
Just close your
eyes, each loving day
and know this feeling won't go away
'Til the day my life is through,
this I promise you, this I promise you
Over and over I fall
when I hear you call
Without you in my life, baby,
I just wouldn't be living at all…
Every word I say is
true,
this I promise you, oh, I promise you…
"Sher?" Luis said to his new wife.
"Yeah, Luis?"
"You know what? That night, the night before I found you tied up in Paris, I had a dream, and we danced to this exact same song." He smiled.
"I guess we're living proof that dreams do come true," Sheridan said. They smiled and shared a kiss.
Theresa and Ethan looked on, happily. (See, Gwen died in a plane crash [on the way to New York, and for some strange reason, Beth was on that plane too, so she's dead… hee hee], and Ethan turned to Theresa for support and they wound up together. See? It's FATE! [LOL!] As for the wedding, they used the plans for Luis and Sheridan's wedding. :)
"Ethan, I want to sing something for them," Theresa said.
"Well, go on ahead," Ethan encouraged her. She got up on stage and announced, "Hi, everyone. I just wanted to sing a song for my brother and new sister." Luis and Sheridan smiled. Theresa smiled back. "So here it is… hope you all enjoy." With that, Chad turned on the music and she started to sing.
All I am, all I'll
be,
everything in this world, all that I'll ever need
is in your eyes, shining at me
When you smile, I can feel all my passion unfolding
Your hand brushes mine, and a thousand sensations
seduce me 'cause I…
I do cherish you for
the rest of my life,
you don't have to think twice
I will love you still from the depths of my soul,
it's beyond my control
I've waited so long to say this to you:
If you're asking, "Do I love you this much?",
I do.
In my world, before
you,
lived outside my emotions, didn't know where I was going
'til that day I found you
How you opened my life to a new paradise
In a world torn by change,
still with all my heart, to my dying day
I cherish you, my
baby, this much I know is true
for the rest of my life, you don't have to think twice
I will always love you, baby, this much I promise you
from the depths of my soul, it's beyond my control
I've waited so long to say this to you:
If you're asking, "Do I love you this much?"…
Yes, I do (I really
love you),
I do (I really love you)
If you're asking, "Do I love you this much?",
Baby, I do cherish
you,
from the depths of my soul, it's beyond my control,
I've waited so long to say this to you:
If you're asking, "Do I love you this much?"…
baby, I do.