Love Will Find a Way
Chapter 2
After Hank left, Sheridan left for the Youth Center. In a few days her 100 hours would be up, but she couldn't stand the thought of not seeing Luis every day. While she was driving, all she could think about was Luis, how wonderful he was, how kind, and loving... //And not to mention handsome, too!// Surprisingly, she didn't hit any cars, and she made it to the Youth Center. It was locked. Sheridan pounded on the door, but no one answered. She didn't have the key, and it was too early to go to the Book Café, so she just hung out on the steps of the building.
After what seemed to be forever, Luis pulled up into the parking lot. He saw Sheridan sitting on the steps... [Oh, poor Sheridan! She must be cold... I think I'm going to go over and... No, Luis, you must be crazy! You are NOT falling for Sheridan. You hear me? NO.] He was having a battle with that little voice in his head. He knew, deep inside, that he loved Sheridan, and that he didn't want to stop, but his prejudice against the Cranes was just too strong. But... that prejudice seemed to vanish when Sheridan was near. He just wanted to hold her, to kiss her forehead, and for her to love him back. He'd never felt this way about anyone else before. Not even Beth.
He walked up to Sheridan. "Sheridan?" he asked.
"Luis! You're late, boss," she said, cracking a smile.
"I know, I know... I'm sorry, it's just that I've been investigating my father's death." He pulled out his keys and fumbled with them... [God, she is so beautiful! Stop it, Luis. Concentrate.] But he couldn't. Even if he tried, his mind would always wander back to Sheridan... her blue eyes, her blonde head, and her beautiful smile that seemed to stop time...
"Luis? Did you hear me?"
"What? Sorry, Sheridan, can you say that again?"
"I said, what have you found so far?"
"Nothing, really. But I'm hoping to find something soon."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(Two weeks later)
Luis walked into the police station. "Luis," Sam said, "we've discovered a major break in the Martin Fitzgerald case."
"Really, Sam? What is it?"
"We've found the body of Martin Fitzgerald. The real Martin Fitzgerald."
"How do you know it's him?"
"We took your DNA samples again, from that other test, and we tested the remains of the body. It was a match."
"So... my father's dead?"
"Yes, Luis. I'm so sorry you had to hear it from me."
"It's okay, Sam. Now... how do I tell Mama, Miguel, and Theresa...? They're going to be devastated." A tear fell from Luis' eye.
"Luis, whatever you need, you know Grace and I will always be here for you."
"Thanks, Sam. But... where did you find the body?"
"That's the weird thing. The body was found buried on the Crane property, in a coffin and everything. A sheet was over it, and it was bloody."
Luis' sadness turned to anger. "See, I knew those damn Cranes had something to do with this!" At the word "Crane," his thoughts turned to Sheridan. [Certainly she didn't have anything to do with my father's disappearance... she's nothing like the rest of her family.] He had accepted his feelings for Sheridan, because they kept getting stronger and stronger every day. He couldn't deny it anymore.
"Luis?"
"Yeah, Sam?"
"You looked a little... zoned out, like you were thinking about the girl of your dreams or something."
"I was." He smiled.
"Oh... So tell me, Luis, who is it?"
"That's for me to know, and you to find out." He winked at Sam, and said, "I have to go now... time to find my family and tell them the truth."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
He took a walk, and ended up in Lighthouse Park. Sheridan was sitting on a bench, reading. "Hey, Sheridan."
She looked up. [She has the most amazing eyes...]
"Luis! What... what are you doing here?" she asked, not taking her eyes off of him for a second when he sat down next to her.
"Sheridan," he began, "they found my father."
"You did?" she asked, a glint of hope in her eyes. "Where? How?"
"Well, Sam stumbled upon a break in the case. The thing is," he narrowed his eyes at her, "the coffin was found on your property."
"Oh." Sheridan made a stunning realization. A tear started to fall from her eye, and soon, she was sobbing. Luis didn't understand, but his heart broke at seeing her cry. "Sheridan, what's the matter?"
"Nothing," she said, in between sniffles. "It's just... for some weird reason, you reminded me of my life back in France." A half lie...
"What does that have to do with my father's death?"
"Nothing... It was you. You're the kind of guy I've always dreamed about... someone who would care about me for myself, not use me for my money and name... someone who would take care of me, not hurt me and throw me away... I've never had a good relationship because of my name. I wish I could be some ordinary Sara Cummings (if you watched Sunset Beach, you'd get that)... No one has ever loved me in my life. It's just... sometimes, it can be overwhelming, and... painful." She started to sob again, and Luis held her. "Don't you cry anymore, Sheridan. There's someone out there who will love you for who you are, who will love you forever." He stroked her hair. [Someone like me.]
"But who?" Sheridan asked, in desperation. "Who?"
Luis couldn't stand it. He just couldn't hide his feelings any longer. "Me," he said.
"What?" //Did he just say what I think he said?//
"Me," he repeated. "I love you for who you are. I'll love you forever." Luis looked into her eyes, and slowly, he took her head in his hands and gently pressed his lips against hers. They kissed for a while when he gently pulled away. "Sheridan," he began. "I couldn't stand it any longer. I had to tell you. I want you to be mine. Forever and always."
Sheridan smiled at him. "Of course, Luis. That's what I've always wanted." She kissed him again, this time more passionately, when all of a sudden...
"Oh, my God!" she whispered.