DC: Passions is owned by James E. Reilly. I don't own any characters
related to their themes, except for Alex, Xander and Livia Landower, and
Lyn, Mattie and Shawn Black.
SURPRISE! You wanted it, you got it.
Lyn's POV
DREAM FLASHBACK: TWO YEARS AGO
"Come back soon, Shawn," I told him, before he kissed me and I ran my fingers through his soft dark hair.
"Three weeks, tops. And I'll be home in time for the baby," he said, his matching dark eyes sparkling.
"Mattie's gonna miss you too," I said. He turned away from me and took the sleeping one-week old little girl from the basinnette.
"I love you, Matheson Adrienne," he cooed, kissing her on the forehead and setting her back down.
"And I love your mommy, too," he said, turning back to me. He touched my cheek with his fingertips. We kissed one last time before he grabbed his camouflage bag and slung it over his back. He turned and walked down the walk to the group of men who were his comrades.
Time somehow passed quickly, and the end of the three weeks was upon us. I was setting Mattie in her basinnette after she had finished her bottle as there was a knock at the door. Figuring it was my mother who was coming to see the baby, I answered it.
"Missus Black?" a man asked, his dark trenchcoat billowing in the abnormal wind that was blowing. He held out a single hand, covered in a black leather glove. It held a white envelope in it, with my name pressed into it with black ink. I took it and he walked back to his car.
My eyes followed him until he drove down the block. I closed the door and sat down on the couch. Mattie cooed in her sleep.
"Dear Mrs. Shawn Black,
"On behalf of the United States Air Force, we regret to inform you that one, Shawn Adrian Black, died in a plane crash which he was piloting. Sources say that an explosion in the cargo hold was responsible for the blast. Our greatest sympathies extend to you and your families."
It was signed by the head of Shawn's department and the head of the Air Force. Tears pricked at my eyes. Subconciously my hands reached to my cheek, where he had touched me last. I sobbed for hours on end.
There was another knock at the door, which I ignored. Someone looked through the brush in front of the window. My mom was standing there, with a distressed look on her face. She saw me crying and opened the door without invitation.
"What's wrong, Lyn?" she asked. She noticed the letter in my hand and took it. She read it in silence.
"This really has been a bad day for our family, dear," she said, mysteriously.
"What else happened?" I asked through tears.
"Lisabeth was shot this morning. She was... turning the corner at Rodeo, where she was caught in the line of fire of a drug deal that had gone wrong. If that passerby hadn't grabbed Xander... he would've been shot, too."
"Lisabeth died too?"
"Yes she did. Alex is bringing Xander home with me tonight. Come home... with us. You can't stay here alone, and with a baby..."
"Not for long, okay?"
END DREAM FLASHBACK
I woke up with a start. Mattie was crying in the next room. I jumped up and put on my robe, which was hanging in the corner. Mattie wouldn't stop crying.
"Mama!" she cried. I emerged in her room and saw her face. Her eyes were bloodshot, yet she was heaving, yet her face was still dry of tears. Instinctively I reached for my cheek. A single tear was forming at my eye.
"Daddy?" she asked.
"How could she remember him? It's been two years?" I wondered in my head.
"Uncle 'Lex?" she asked. I checked her clock on her bedside. It read five- thirty.
"What's wrong, baby?" I asked.
"Want Daddy and Uncle 'Lex. Please show me Daddy and Uncle 'Lex?" she asked. I know what she wanted. First I took her to the bathroom. She tried to puke, but just gave two or three dry heaves.
I wet a washcloth and rubbed it on her warmed face.
"Show me Daddy and Uncle 'Lex?"
I smiled and carried her to my room. On my bedside table was a picture of Shawn and Alex at the hospital when Mattie was born. They let Xander in for a picture, and Shawn was holding Mattie, while Alex held Xander.
"Daddy and Uncle 'Lex!" she called. She seemed tired, so I let her lie down next to me on the bed, where she fell asleep, the wooden picture frame in her hand.
***********
Alex's POV
I took one last look at the picture of Lisabeth. It was on our wedding day, when she was wearing a yellow dress at the Justice of the Peace, four months pregnant. I was about to put it in the box, with the other pictures and things, when I had a thought.
I hung a nail in Xander's room and hung the simple photo above his bed. The rest of the items I closed up in the box and stashed in my closet. My gaze fell on the blue satiny box on my end table. I opened it and revealed the simple gold band with the small diamond in the center.
"I hope she likes it," I wondered to myself, stuffing it into my pocket. I grabbed my leather jacket and my backpack.
"Mom, I'm leaving now!" I called to her.
"Okay Alex! I'm just making a casserole!"
I left and took a cab to the airport.
"Lopez-Fitzgerald," the sign read that I had been holding. Pilar walked up to me.
"Luis has come with us. I hope that is okay?" she asked as Miguel and Luis walked up to us.
"Of course. I know that I should've invited him anyways because I needed to talk to you."
We took another cab to the hotel where they were going to stay.
"I know Theresa would've wanted you to stay with her, but I wanted to surprise her. You know, with you being here?" I asked.
"Of course." Pilar answered. Miguel announced he wanted to go for a walk and left Pilar, Luis and myself alone at a table in the dining room of the hotel.
"The reason I've asked you here... I wanted to ask you... God I didn't think it would be so hard to ask you," I started. Luis took a sip of his beer as Pilar listened intently, cradling a bottle of water.
I took a deep breath.
"I'd like to ask Theresa to marry me. It's good that you're here, Luis, because I know you practically raised her, and I wanted to ask you too, Pilar," I finally said. They looked at each other briefly.
"Of course. I know how mi Theresita feels about you."
"Theresa really likes you. I know she'll be happy with you."
I let out a big breath I'd been holding.
"Would you like to see the ring I picked out?" I asked.
"Yeah," Luis said. I stretched out and pulled the box out of my pocket, handing it to him. A small smile spread across his face as he showed it to his mother. She gasped.
"You've got her permission!" Luis joked.
**********
SURPRISE! You wanted it, you got it.
Lyn's POV
DREAM FLASHBACK: TWO YEARS AGO
"Come back soon, Shawn," I told him, before he kissed me and I ran my fingers through his soft dark hair.
"Three weeks, tops. And I'll be home in time for the baby," he said, his matching dark eyes sparkling.
"Mattie's gonna miss you too," I said. He turned away from me and took the sleeping one-week old little girl from the basinnette.
"I love you, Matheson Adrienne," he cooed, kissing her on the forehead and setting her back down.
"And I love your mommy, too," he said, turning back to me. He touched my cheek with his fingertips. We kissed one last time before he grabbed his camouflage bag and slung it over his back. He turned and walked down the walk to the group of men who were his comrades.
Time somehow passed quickly, and the end of the three weeks was upon us. I was setting Mattie in her basinnette after she had finished her bottle as there was a knock at the door. Figuring it was my mother who was coming to see the baby, I answered it.
"Missus Black?" a man asked, his dark trenchcoat billowing in the abnormal wind that was blowing. He held out a single hand, covered in a black leather glove. It held a white envelope in it, with my name pressed into it with black ink. I took it and he walked back to his car.
My eyes followed him until he drove down the block. I closed the door and sat down on the couch. Mattie cooed in her sleep.
"Dear Mrs. Shawn Black,
"On behalf of the United States Air Force, we regret to inform you that one, Shawn Adrian Black, died in a plane crash which he was piloting. Sources say that an explosion in the cargo hold was responsible for the blast. Our greatest sympathies extend to you and your families."
It was signed by the head of Shawn's department and the head of the Air Force. Tears pricked at my eyes. Subconciously my hands reached to my cheek, where he had touched me last. I sobbed for hours on end.
There was another knock at the door, which I ignored. Someone looked through the brush in front of the window. My mom was standing there, with a distressed look on her face. She saw me crying and opened the door without invitation.
"What's wrong, Lyn?" she asked. She noticed the letter in my hand and took it. She read it in silence.
"This really has been a bad day for our family, dear," she said, mysteriously.
"What else happened?" I asked through tears.
"Lisabeth was shot this morning. She was... turning the corner at Rodeo, where she was caught in the line of fire of a drug deal that had gone wrong. If that passerby hadn't grabbed Xander... he would've been shot, too."
"Lisabeth died too?"
"Yes she did. Alex is bringing Xander home with me tonight. Come home... with us. You can't stay here alone, and with a baby..."
"Not for long, okay?"
END DREAM FLASHBACK
I woke up with a start. Mattie was crying in the next room. I jumped up and put on my robe, which was hanging in the corner. Mattie wouldn't stop crying.
"Mama!" she cried. I emerged in her room and saw her face. Her eyes were bloodshot, yet she was heaving, yet her face was still dry of tears. Instinctively I reached for my cheek. A single tear was forming at my eye.
"Daddy?" she asked.
"How could she remember him? It's been two years?" I wondered in my head.
"Uncle 'Lex?" she asked. I checked her clock on her bedside. It read five- thirty.
"What's wrong, baby?" I asked.
"Want Daddy and Uncle 'Lex. Please show me Daddy and Uncle 'Lex?" she asked. I know what she wanted. First I took her to the bathroom. She tried to puke, but just gave two or three dry heaves.
I wet a washcloth and rubbed it on her warmed face.
"Show me Daddy and Uncle 'Lex?"
I smiled and carried her to my room. On my bedside table was a picture of Shawn and Alex at the hospital when Mattie was born. They let Xander in for a picture, and Shawn was holding Mattie, while Alex held Xander.
"Daddy and Uncle 'Lex!" she called. She seemed tired, so I let her lie down next to me on the bed, where she fell asleep, the wooden picture frame in her hand.
***********
Alex's POV
I took one last look at the picture of Lisabeth. It was on our wedding day, when she was wearing a yellow dress at the Justice of the Peace, four months pregnant. I was about to put it in the box, with the other pictures and things, when I had a thought.
I hung a nail in Xander's room and hung the simple photo above his bed. The rest of the items I closed up in the box and stashed in my closet. My gaze fell on the blue satiny box on my end table. I opened it and revealed the simple gold band with the small diamond in the center.
"I hope she likes it," I wondered to myself, stuffing it into my pocket. I grabbed my leather jacket and my backpack.
"Mom, I'm leaving now!" I called to her.
"Okay Alex! I'm just making a casserole!"
I left and took a cab to the airport.
"Lopez-Fitzgerald," the sign read that I had been holding. Pilar walked up to me.
"Luis has come with us. I hope that is okay?" she asked as Miguel and Luis walked up to us.
"Of course. I know that I should've invited him anyways because I needed to talk to you."
We took another cab to the hotel where they were going to stay.
"I know Theresa would've wanted you to stay with her, but I wanted to surprise her. You know, with you being here?" I asked.
"Of course." Pilar answered. Miguel announced he wanted to go for a walk and left Pilar, Luis and myself alone at a table in the dining room of the hotel.
"The reason I've asked you here... I wanted to ask you... God I didn't think it would be so hard to ask you," I started. Luis took a sip of his beer as Pilar listened intently, cradling a bottle of water.
I took a deep breath.
"I'd like to ask Theresa to marry me. It's good that you're here, Luis, because I know you practically raised her, and I wanted to ask you too, Pilar," I finally said. They looked at each other briefly.
"Of course. I know how mi Theresita feels about you."
"Theresa really likes you. I know she'll be happy with you."
I let out a big breath I'd been holding.
"Would you like to see the ring I picked out?" I asked.
"Yeah," Luis said. I stretched out and pulled the box out of my pocket, handing it to him. A small smile spread across his face as he showed it to his mother. She gasped.
"You've got her permission!" Luis joked.
**********