Note: Since this happened after the 12/31/02 episode, Beth never drugged
Luis but she did catch them making love.
Paloma had gone back to her new family home, just recently built by Theresa, with her mother. The home was cozy and just what she had imagined her family would live in. However, she hated the fact that Theresa's sudden abundance of money paid for it. While Paloma talked to Theresa earlier, she detected a new air of smugness in her mannerisms. It made Paloma resent her even more.
Anyway, Pilar had an idea that Paloma should wake Luis up on the morning of his impending wedding to Beth. Paloma couldn't wait to see the look on Luis' face. She couldn't wait to thank him for keeping in touch over the years and really caring about her.
Paloma stood at the door of Luis' bedroom and peeked in. There was a mass of sheets messed up on the bed but no signs of Luis. "Luis?" she said as she crept further into the room. Maybe he had gotten up while Mama was at the Crane Mansion with Theresa, she thought to herself and headed back to the kitchen.
"He wasn't there," she said to Pilar who was sitting at the kitchen table.
"Perhaps he already left," Pilar replied as she took a sip of coffee. "Miguel!" she called.
"Yeah, Mama?" Paloma heard a voice call from another room.
"Do you know if Luis got up?" she asked loudly.
"He should be still sleeping. I've been here the whole time and he hasn't gotten up." Miguel approached the kitchen.
At the door, he did a double take. "Paloma!" he yelled, smiling for the first time since his doomed wedding to Charity.
"Hi, Miguel," Paloma said getting up to give him a hug. "I can't believe you recognized me."
"I think I know my own twin when I see her," he replied. He was getting teary eyed. At least something good has happened this week, he thought.
"Look, I heard what happened with Kay and your girlfriend or whatever. I'm so sorry," Paloma said sympathetically.
"It's been hard but I'll learn how to deal. Just your being here will help," he replied. "I'm so glad you're home."
After a few minutes of chattering, Pilar said, "Now where on Earth can your brother be? He's supposed to get married this afternoon."
"He'll turn up eventually, Mama," Miguel replied. "He's a grown man. He can find his way home."
"I just worry about my children when they're gone," Pilar sighed.
Yeah right, Mama, Paloma thought to herself. Like you ever worried about me when I was away. You barely ever called.
"Why don't we go out and look for him?" Paloma asked her twin. "I can't wait to see Luis." Plus, she needed to get out of that house.
"All right. It'll give us a chance to catch up some more," he said walking over to get his coat.
* * *
In just a short period of time, Noah was reunited with his family. His sister, Jessica, was just as glad to see him as Kay had been. His mother and father, Grace and Sam, instantly forgot about all of the fights that they had had with their son before he left three years earlier. Noah was glad to be home except he could really feel the tension building in his family. He could almost immediately tell who was on whose side. It was split down the middle; Jessica and Grace seemed to perfectly agree while Kay stayed close to Sam almost the whole time they were conversing as a family. It almost looked as if Kay was afraid that Grace would hit her or something. Wow, he thought. I guess things have gotten really bad. The one person that he was unable to see right away was his long lost cousin, Charity, who had locked herself in her room after her ruined nuptials.
At the moment, Noah was sitting at the kitchen table waiting for his mother to finish making him her famous blueberry pancakes. The one thing besides his family that he missed while in the Outback was home cooking.
"Here you go, Noah," Grace said placing a plate of hot pancakes on the table in front of him.
"Thanks, Mom," Noah replied taking a big bite.
Grace served Jessica next, followed by Sam. "I think I'll bring a plate up to Charity. She needs to eat. She can't shut everything out of her life," Grace said heading for the stairs.
"What about me, Mother?" Kay asked.
"What about you?"
"Don't I get any pancakes?" Kay asked again. "You know, I am eating for two now."
"You don't deserve to be served after what you did to Charity, young lady."
"How can you say that? I'm carrying your first grandchild!" Kay cried.
"Well, at this moment Charity is more important. She is very upset because of your actions and needs to eat something."
"Grace, how can you say that your niece is more important than our unborn grandchild?" Sam interjected.
"Kay's pregnancy is a disgrace! I don't know how she did it but she somehow tricked Miguel into making love to her so that she could break Miguel and Charity up. She's bringing evil back into Harmony and I know it!" Grace exploded.
Wow, Noah thought. My mom has turned into a psycho!
"But he told me he loved me!" Kay shouted as she hurled the water glass in her hand across the room. It shattered into hundreds of tiny little pieces as it hit the wall. Jessica hurried to clean it up. "Why doesn't anyone believe me?" Kay sobbed.
"Kay, I won't leave your side," Sam comforted her. "I will help care for you and the baby since your mother isn't showing any support."
Noah felt like an innocent bystander. He really didn't know what to make of the situation. He loved Kay very much and highly disagreed with his mother's behavior but he wasn't ready to be involved in the demise of his family.
* * *
"So, where should we start looking for Luis?" Paloma asked her twin once they were outside the brand new Lopez-Fitzgerald home.
"Come on, Paloma. I know you didn't suggest that we go find Luis just to find Luis."
"What do you mean?" Paloma asked. Damn, she thought. He figured me out.
"You want to know the deal on me, Charity, and Kay," he said putting his hands in his pockets.
"All right, you discovered my hidden agenda. But, I do want to find Luis."
They walked down the street in silence toward the center of town. Miguel thought that was their best bet.
"So." Paloma said.
"All right. It all started three and a half years ago when Charity came to town. I was just about to ask Kay to be my girlfriend when I ran into Charity, literally. It was love at first sight."
Paloma laughed. There was no such thing as love at first sight in her opinion.
"I'm serious, Paloma!" he snapped. "Do you want to hear the rest of the story or not?"
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Continue."
"Then we started seeing each other and it turns out that she is Kay's cousin, the daughter of Grace's long lost sister."
This is just too weird, Paloma thought.
"Then there was a big fire at Charity's house and her mom died. Charity moved in with the Bennetts. We were dating and fell in love and planned to get married."
"So how does Kay factor in?" Paloma asked curiously.
"I guess for the past three years she's been obsessed with me. I didn't know it but I think she thought she was in love with me."
"How could you not realize it, Miguel? Wasn't she around you constantly?"
"Yeah, but."
"You're such a guy, oblivious to everything that's going on around you."
"That's because I only had eyes for Charity!"
"All right, all right. I get it; you love her. Now how did you get Kay pregnant if you didn't even realize she wanted you?"
"Well, I was at the Bennett house helping out. Charity had been acting weird lately and I was a little upset. The next thing I know I'm in bed with Kay and there was an earthquake and I really don't know how it happened!"
"Were you on drugs?"
"No!"
"Drunk?"
"No, Paloma I don't do that stuff."
"How else would you not know you were having sex with Kay?"
"I thought it was Charity!"
Maybe Miguel's situation is even more messed than I anticipated, Paloma thought.
"Look, Paloma. I know it sounds awful but you have to believe me! I honestly don't know how I ended up sleeping with Kay!"
"Miguel," Paloma said calmly, holding his shoulders to keep him together. "I know you didn't mean to sleep with Kay but you can't deny the fact that she's pregnant with your child."
"But-"
"Miguel, you have to own up to your actions. You may not have meant to get Kay pregnant or sleep with her but you do have a responsibility. Take it like a man and own up to your actions. That's the only way things will get better. If you keep on denying your night of 'passion' with Kay, it's just going to make things worse."
"I guess you're right," Miguel said, finally coming to the realization. "But how can I get back with Charity?"
"I don't know Charity but from what I gather, she will respect you more if you take responsibility for Kay and the baby instead of running around saying 'I thought it was Charity, not Kay.'"
"You think so?"
"I know so."
Miguel hugged her. "Where did you become so good at advice giving?"
"A friend in LA," she said recalling her own experiences when she was in trouble.
"I'm so glad you're back."
"Me too."
"Now we have to find Luis," Miguel said, moving on with their search.
"Does he have a cell phone?" Paloma asked. It was getting cold and if they could just call their brother, it would be a lot easier.
"Yeah," he replied.
"Why don't we just call him then?" Paloma asked taking out her cell.
"That's a good idea!" he said as if it were some major revelation. Paloma's twin wasn't the brightest bulb.
"You call him," she said. "He won't recognize my voice. Tell him there's a surprise waiting for him."
"All right," he said.
Miguel dialed the number and waited a few seconds until Luis picked up.
"Hello?" Luis said.
"Hey, it's Miguel," Miguel replied. Paloma was getting excited.
"What's up?" Luis asked.
"I've got a surprise for you," Miguel said looking at Paloma.
"I have a surprise for you too," he said.
"Does it have anything to do with where you are?"
"Yeah, it does," Luis said. Miguel could tell that he was smiling over the phone.
"Are you going to be coming home anytime soon? You know, you are getting married this afternoon."
"Ummm, actually."
"You are still getting married, Luis, aren't you?"
"I'm at the Cliffside Inn. I need to talk to you."
"Why can't you come home?"
"I don't want to get Mama involved. I need some brotherly advice."
"All right, I'll be right there," Miguel shook his head as he pressed the end button on Paloma's cell phone. What has he done now? he asked himself.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"I'm not sure yet. We have to go meet him at the Cliffside Inn. I think it has something to do with the wedding."
Miguel and Paloma walked back to the Lopez-Fitzgerald home and hopped in Miguel's beat up old car.
Paloma had gone back to her new family home, just recently built by Theresa, with her mother. The home was cozy and just what she had imagined her family would live in. However, she hated the fact that Theresa's sudden abundance of money paid for it. While Paloma talked to Theresa earlier, she detected a new air of smugness in her mannerisms. It made Paloma resent her even more.
Anyway, Pilar had an idea that Paloma should wake Luis up on the morning of his impending wedding to Beth. Paloma couldn't wait to see the look on Luis' face. She couldn't wait to thank him for keeping in touch over the years and really caring about her.
Paloma stood at the door of Luis' bedroom and peeked in. There was a mass of sheets messed up on the bed but no signs of Luis. "Luis?" she said as she crept further into the room. Maybe he had gotten up while Mama was at the Crane Mansion with Theresa, she thought to herself and headed back to the kitchen.
"He wasn't there," she said to Pilar who was sitting at the kitchen table.
"Perhaps he already left," Pilar replied as she took a sip of coffee. "Miguel!" she called.
"Yeah, Mama?" Paloma heard a voice call from another room.
"Do you know if Luis got up?" she asked loudly.
"He should be still sleeping. I've been here the whole time and he hasn't gotten up." Miguel approached the kitchen.
At the door, he did a double take. "Paloma!" he yelled, smiling for the first time since his doomed wedding to Charity.
"Hi, Miguel," Paloma said getting up to give him a hug. "I can't believe you recognized me."
"I think I know my own twin when I see her," he replied. He was getting teary eyed. At least something good has happened this week, he thought.
"Look, I heard what happened with Kay and your girlfriend or whatever. I'm so sorry," Paloma said sympathetically.
"It's been hard but I'll learn how to deal. Just your being here will help," he replied. "I'm so glad you're home."
After a few minutes of chattering, Pilar said, "Now where on Earth can your brother be? He's supposed to get married this afternoon."
"He'll turn up eventually, Mama," Miguel replied. "He's a grown man. He can find his way home."
"I just worry about my children when they're gone," Pilar sighed.
Yeah right, Mama, Paloma thought to herself. Like you ever worried about me when I was away. You barely ever called.
"Why don't we go out and look for him?" Paloma asked her twin. "I can't wait to see Luis." Plus, she needed to get out of that house.
"All right. It'll give us a chance to catch up some more," he said walking over to get his coat.
* * *
In just a short period of time, Noah was reunited with his family. His sister, Jessica, was just as glad to see him as Kay had been. His mother and father, Grace and Sam, instantly forgot about all of the fights that they had had with their son before he left three years earlier. Noah was glad to be home except he could really feel the tension building in his family. He could almost immediately tell who was on whose side. It was split down the middle; Jessica and Grace seemed to perfectly agree while Kay stayed close to Sam almost the whole time they were conversing as a family. It almost looked as if Kay was afraid that Grace would hit her or something. Wow, he thought. I guess things have gotten really bad. The one person that he was unable to see right away was his long lost cousin, Charity, who had locked herself in her room after her ruined nuptials.
At the moment, Noah was sitting at the kitchen table waiting for his mother to finish making him her famous blueberry pancakes. The one thing besides his family that he missed while in the Outback was home cooking.
"Here you go, Noah," Grace said placing a plate of hot pancakes on the table in front of him.
"Thanks, Mom," Noah replied taking a big bite.
Grace served Jessica next, followed by Sam. "I think I'll bring a plate up to Charity. She needs to eat. She can't shut everything out of her life," Grace said heading for the stairs.
"What about me, Mother?" Kay asked.
"What about you?"
"Don't I get any pancakes?" Kay asked again. "You know, I am eating for two now."
"You don't deserve to be served after what you did to Charity, young lady."
"How can you say that? I'm carrying your first grandchild!" Kay cried.
"Well, at this moment Charity is more important. She is very upset because of your actions and needs to eat something."
"Grace, how can you say that your niece is more important than our unborn grandchild?" Sam interjected.
"Kay's pregnancy is a disgrace! I don't know how she did it but she somehow tricked Miguel into making love to her so that she could break Miguel and Charity up. She's bringing evil back into Harmony and I know it!" Grace exploded.
Wow, Noah thought. My mom has turned into a psycho!
"But he told me he loved me!" Kay shouted as she hurled the water glass in her hand across the room. It shattered into hundreds of tiny little pieces as it hit the wall. Jessica hurried to clean it up. "Why doesn't anyone believe me?" Kay sobbed.
"Kay, I won't leave your side," Sam comforted her. "I will help care for you and the baby since your mother isn't showing any support."
Noah felt like an innocent bystander. He really didn't know what to make of the situation. He loved Kay very much and highly disagreed with his mother's behavior but he wasn't ready to be involved in the demise of his family.
* * *
"So, where should we start looking for Luis?" Paloma asked her twin once they were outside the brand new Lopez-Fitzgerald home.
"Come on, Paloma. I know you didn't suggest that we go find Luis just to find Luis."
"What do you mean?" Paloma asked. Damn, she thought. He figured me out.
"You want to know the deal on me, Charity, and Kay," he said putting his hands in his pockets.
"All right, you discovered my hidden agenda. But, I do want to find Luis."
They walked down the street in silence toward the center of town. Miguel thought that was their best bet.
"So." Paloma said.
"All right. It all started three and a half years ago when Charity came to town. I was just about to ask Kay to be my girlfriend when I ran into Charity, literally. It was love at first sight."
Paloma laughed. There was no such thing as love at first sight in her opinion.
"I'm serious, Paloma!" he snapped. "Do you want to hear the rest of the story or not?"
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Continue."
"Then we started seeing each other and it turns out that she is Kay's cousin, the daughter of Grace's long lost sister."
This is just too weird, Paloma thought.
"Then there was a big fire at Charity's house and her mom died. Charity moved in with the Bennetts. We were dating and fell in love and planned to get married."
"So how does Kay factor in?" Paloma asked curiously.
"I guess for the past three years she's been obsessed with me. I didn't know it but I think she thought she was in love with me."
"How could you not realize it, Miguel? Wasn't she around you constantly?"
"Yeah, but."
"You're such a guy, oblivious to everything that's going on around you."
"That's because I only had eyes for Charity!"
"All right, all right. I get it; you love her. Now how did you get Kay pregnant if you didn't even realize she wanted you?"
"Well, I was at the Bennett house helping out. Charity had been acting weird lately and I was a little upset. The next thing I know I'm in bed with Kay and there was an earthquake and I really don't know how it happened!"
"Were you on drugs?"
"No!"
"Drunk?"
"No, Paloma I don't do that stuff."
"How else would you not know you were having sex with Kay?"
"I thought it was Charity!"
Maybe Miguel's situation is even more messed than I anticipated, Paloma thought.
"Look, Paloma. I know it sounds awful but you have to believe me! I honestly don't know how I ended up sleeping with Kay!"
"Miguel," Paloma said calmly, holding his shoulders to keep him together. "I know you didn't mean to sleep with Kay but you can't deny the fact that she's pregnant with your child."
"But-"
"Miguel, you have to own up to your actions. You may not have meant to get Kay pregnant or sleep with her but you do have a responsibility. Take it like a man and own up to your actions. That's the only way things will get better. If you keep on denying your night of 'passion' with Kay, it's just going to make things worse."
"I guess you're right," Miguel said, finally coming to the realization. "But how can I get back with Charity?"
"I don't know Charity but from what I gather, she will respect you more if you take responsibility for Kay and the baby instead of running around saying 'I thought it was Charity, not Kay.'"
"You think so?"
"I know so."
Miguel hugged her. "Where did you become so good at advice giving?"
"A friend in LA," she said recalling her own experiences when she was in trouble.
"I'm so glad you're back."
"Me too."
"Now we have to find Luis," Miguel said, moving on with their search.
"Does he have a cell phone?" Paloma asked. It was getting cold and if they could just call their brother, it would be a lot easier.
"Yeah," he replied.
"Why don't we just call him then?" Paloma asked taking out her cell.
"That's a good idea!" he said as if it were some major revelation. Paloma's twin wasn't the brightest bulb.
"You call him," she said. "He won't recognize my voice. Tell him there's a surprise waiting for him."
"All right," he said.
Miguel dialed the number and waited a few seconds until Luis picked up.
"Hello?" Luis said.
"Hey, it's Miguel," Miguel replied. Paloma was getting excited.
"What's up?" Luis asked.
"I've got a surprise for you," Miguel said looking at Paloma.
"I have a surprise for you too," he said.
"Does it have anything to do with where you are?"
"Yeah, it does," Luis said. Miguel could tell that he was smiling over the phone.
"Are you going to be coming home anytime soon? You know, you are getting married this afternoon."
"Ummm, actually."
"You are still getting married, Luis, aren't you?"
"I'm at the Cliffside Inn. I need to talk to you."
"Why can't you come home?"
"I don't want to get Mama involved. I need some brotherly advice."
"All right, I'll be right there," Miguel shook his head as he pressed the end button on Paloma's cell phone. What has he done now? he asked himself.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"I'm not sure yet. We have to go meet him at the Cliffside Inn. I think it has something to do with the wedding."
Miguel and Paloma walked back to the Lopez-Fitzgerald home and hopped in Miguel's beat up old car.
