Chapters 24-29

Unable to sleep in her current emotional state, Sheridan made herself a hot cup of tea and decided to go back online in hopes of finding some of her Internet buddies lurking about. She checked her buddy list and sighed with relief when she saw Godis was indeed online. She IM'd her in hopes that some idle chit chat would help her forget some of her troubles.

Sheridan smiled sadly. All her life she'd dreamed of becoming a mother. But in the preferred order of things, first she needed a husband, a man to love with her whole heart and soul, who loved her the same way. Thinking about her current situation only made her sadder that her dreams may never come true.

Sheridan looked over at her buddy list and sure enough BabyShuis had just signed back on. Sheridan had her volume turned down so she couldn't hear her enter. She waited a moment when she saw an invitation appear to Godis chat. She quickly clicked on the screen and entered the chat with her two friends.

Sheridan felt the tears threaten again. “Yes, there is something wrong” Sheridan said. “I'm about to lose the friendship of the one person who knows the real me.” She stared blankly at the screen for a moment deciding how to answer. She wasn't sure if she should burden her friends with her problems.

BabyShuis: Aw, why would you think that? From what you've told us he seemed to be Mr. Right? Why all the sudden self doubts? You are one of the nicest people I've ever met! So to speak, LOL.

Sheridan signed off. She sat back in her chair and closed her eyes briefly. She was beginning to feel tired again and decided to try and get some sleep. She looked at the clock and it was after 4 am. Tomorrow was fast approaching.

Luis sat on the red bench in the park waiting for KC to arrive. He felt his heart speed up every time a blonde haired woman passed by and smiled at him. His nerves were on edge until finally he saw her coming to him slowly. A vision of beauty smiling in a way he could do nothing but sit there and stare in awe of her perfection.

Luis closed the distance between them and engulfed KC in a tight embrace. The feel of her body this close to his was more than he'd hoped for. He sighed with a smile as he held his angel in his arms. After a few minutes of their embrace, Luis pulled back, his eyes glazed over with pure happiness.

“I'd like that” he heard in response. With their arms linked Pezz and KC walked through the park gazing deeply into each other's eyes. When they reached the edge of the park, Luis spotted a stranded motorist in the street.

“I must my angel. I'll be back.” Luis smiled and walked away from KC. He was now in his police uniform and was wearing sunglasses. He walked up to the stranded motorist who was struggling with a tire.

Luis took Sheridan into his arms and the two of them began to dance the tango. He felt the heat from the dance and didn't think there was anything in this world that could make him feel better than he did at this moment.

“I have to go” he told Sheridan, but the sultry look in her blue eyes was almost more that he could take. He felt himself being pulled back to Sheridan, though he wanted to go to KC. “KC, I'm coming!”

Luis whipped his head back and forth between the two women. A sound seemed to appear from no where, getting louder and louder until Luis opened his eyes. He blinked several times until he realized he was in his own room at home.

Slowly he arose, sitting on the edge of his bed, his hands rubbing sleep from his eyes. “Whoa, that was definitely weird” he said. Luis looked up and saw the sun shining brightly outside his bedroom window. He looked at his alarm clock and it read 10:30. His heart jumped into his throat and he bolted out of bed. In an hour and a half, he was going to meet the woman of his dreams, KC.

Sheridan smiled in her sleep. She walked down the long aisle in her chic white dress to the man she loved and loved her. The church was filled with people, whose eyes were filled with tears of joy for the happy couple.

He smiled at her as he took her hand. She was thankful he couldn't see her face through the veil as she blushed scarlet still from a single look this man she loved so desperately gave her.

The priest performed the ceremony and she repeated her vows excitedly in anticipation of beginning her new life with her one true love. With love in his eyes, he repeated the same vows to her. To love honor and cherish until death do us part.

“ KC and Pezz, I now pronounce you man and wife” the priest announced with a smile on his face. The congregation cheered as Pezz lifted her veil to bestow a kiss on his new bride.

“Oh, but I do mean that. You're a damned Crane. The Cranes are responsible for my father's disappearance and you're a Crane.” Pezz walked down the aisle leaving stunned his bride in tears.

Luis said nothing. He continued to walk out of the church, while the crowd that had gathered each in turn stuck their heads in the air and followed Luis out of the church. Sheridan was left on her knees, sobbing as her new husband left her completely heart broken at the altar.

Her eyes fluttered open and she was relieved to realize it was nothing but a nightmare. She caught her breath and sat up in bed, panic setting in. “What am I going to do?” She asked. “What if Pezz really is Luis? He's going to hate me.”

She looked over at her clock and saw that it was nearly 11:00. she was supposed to meet Jay at the Book Cafe in 5 minutes and she was to meet Pezz in about an hour. Still not sure what she was going to do, she decided she needed to meet Jay regardless. She flew out of bed and quickly dressed. What she thought would be the happiest day of her life was starting to seem more like the nightmare she'd had earlier.

Jay sat reading her Sunday paper in the Book Café as she waited for Sheridan. She glanced at her watch and couldn't imagine what was keeping her. It was nearly 11:30 and Sheridan was supposed to meet her at 11. Jay decided to give her another five minutes before she called her to make sure she hadn't overslept. Jay knew how much Sheridan wanted to meet her cyber pal and couldn't imagine what would keep her from showing up this morning.

She took a sip of her coffee and turned to the sports page when she heard the front door of the Book Café open and lifted her head expecting to see Sheridan entering in a near panic. The look of surprise on her face was genuine when instead of a rattled Sheridan, she saw a very nervous Luis.

Jay held her newspaper up a little higher, to completely hide her features from Luis' view. She really didn't want him to see her sitting there and then have Sheridan walk in and join her. She watched as he walked up to the counter and ordered a coffee to go.

As Luis waited for his coffee, Jay saw him check his watch at least four times. She could tell he was on edge, more so than she'd ever seen before. His order was filled and after paying for it, Luis turned and quickly hurried to the door. He opened the door to leave and as soon as he turned the handle, the door flew open and Sheridan came flying in, crashing right into Luis, his coffee spilling everywhere.

"What the..." Luis began to yell as he was doused with hot coffee. He looked up and saw that not only was he covered with coffee, but the person responsible was none other than Sheridan Crane.

"Yeah, as if I'll believe that Miss Crane" Luis said curtly. "I don't have time for this right now. Stay out of my way, will you?" Without waiting for a response, Luis stormed out of the Book Café leaving an angry, confused Sheridan in his wake.

Holding in her anger, Sheridan approached Jay who saw the whole scene unfold. She again glanced at her watch and saw it was just about time to leave if they were to make it to the park on time. "I'm sorry for being so late Jay" Sheridan made her apology, "I overslept."

"I figured it was something like that" Jay answered as she watched Sheridan continue to look over her shoulder watching Luis walk down the street through the window of the Book Café. "I'm sure he didn't mean it Sheridan" Jay said trying to appease Sheridan somewhat.

"Save it Jay" Sheridan said holding her hand in the air to stop her from continuing in the direction she knew this conversation was headed. "Can we just get going and get this over with?" Sheridan asked in a slightly irked tone.

Jay was taken aback by the sudden change in Sheridan's demeanor. Last she knew Sheridan was excited about her meeting with her cyber friend and now it almost seemed as if she... As if she knew her cyber pal was Luis.

Luis found his way to the red bench by the flower garden in Lighthouse Park. He took a deep breath, scanning his eyes in all directions for any signs of her before he anxiously seated himself on the bench. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the Superman Pezz Dispenser he'd purchased the afternoon before at Kralik's Department Store. He smiled remembering the look on Jay's face when he'd shown it to her wondering if he'd found it in the piñata.

He flipped the head back with his thumb exposing one of the tiny candies. He grabbed it and popped it into his mouth while his eyes surveyed the area once again for any signs of KC. He glanced again at his watch and tried to shake the nervousness that continued to grown inside of him. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this anxious about anything in his entire life.

“Oh God, I don't know if I can do this” Sheridan said. The closer they got to the flower garden the more she was sure this was all a very bad idea. But as much as she didn't want to confront this situation, she wanted to know once and for all if PezzMan was indeed Luis Lopez Fitzgerald.

“I think so” Jay answered. “Let's go this way” she suggested pointing Sheridan in a slightly different direction. She planned on having her approach the garden from the rear, so if her cyber pal was sitting on the bench, he'd not see her walking towards him.

Sheridan nodded in appreciation and the two women walked in silence until Jay came to a stop. The red bench was in view and Jay saw Luis sitting there fidgeting anxiously. “We're here Sheridan.”

Sheridan exhaled the breath she'd been holding. She felt herself about to start hyperventilating and tried to slow her breathing. This was not time to panic, not yet. “Can you see what he looks like?” Sheridan asked, an almost pained look on her face.

Jay glanced back over at the bench. She saw it was Luis sitting there and all her suspicions were now completely confirmed. “Yes Sheridan” Jay answered. “I can see what he looks like.”

The deeper into this conversation Sheridan became, the larger the lump in her throat became. She felt like crying at this point because she knew in a moment, she was going to find out that the man of her dreams was none other than a man that hated her like a plague. “Do I know him Jay?” Sheridan asked, not really wanting her to answer.

Sheridan slowly and deliberately walked over to a spot next to Jay. She peered over at the bench and saw him sitting there holding a small object in his hands. She felt lightheaded, almost as if she was going to pass out, but she took a deep breath and stepped back from the view. A single tear came to her eye, which did not go unnoticed by Jay, while Sheridan fought to keep her emotions in control. Breathing deeply, she nodded sadly at Jay and began to walk away.

“I don't know Jay” Sheridan said hesitantly. “My relationship with Pezz meant a lot to me and the minute he realizes that Sheridan Crane and KCGirl are the same person, he'll hate both of us. I don't know if I can handle that.”

Sheridan looked at Jay hard for a moment. “I don't know.” She walked a little further away from the flower garden and kept turning back to see Luis sitting there anxiously awaiting KCGirl to show up. She looked down at her fist that was clenched tightly. She opened it and stared at a wonderwoman Pez Dispenser, her signal to Pezz. After looking at it for a few moments, Sheridan opened her purse and dropped it inside. She looked back at Luis for a brief moment and then walked away.

Luis was getting more nervous and agitated by the minute. Each time someone passed by the bench, he felt his heart catch in his throat, only to feel a wave of disappointment when he realized that the passer by was not KC. He'd never experienced such a range of emotions as he had in the last 10 minutes.

He heard footsteps approaching and once again, felt his heart stop. When he looked up this time, his disappointment turned to anger. “You! What are you doing here, following me?” He asked.

“Officer, what would make you think that I'd care who you meet? I just find it interesting you'd be meeting a woman carrying a child's toy in your hand, unless of course the woman has a child?”

“It's not a child's toy and she doesn't have a child” Luis seethed. “What the hell are you doing here anyway? Didn't I make it clear I wanted you to leave?” He was angry for letting himself get tricked into admitting he was meeting a woman, as well as the fact that of all people, Sheridan was standing there when he was about to meet KC. Luis glanced around hoping she'd be in sight and also hoping she wasn't anywhere near there because he didn't want her to see him with Sheridan.

“Look, Sheridan I told you I was meeting someone. Why don't you pick another bench? The park is filled with them. Better yet, why not pick another park? I'm sure the Cranes must own a few private parks the size of Yellowstone and you could have the whole thing to yourself.”

“Fine” Sheridan said standing up looking around for another bench. A wave of relief spread across Luis' face until he saw where she sat. There was another bench on the back side of the one he was sitting at that Sheridan decided to sit on.

“Well, I guess I was wrong about you” Sheridan finally said. “I was beginning to think last night that you weren't as mean spirited as I imagined, but it appears that I was right in the first place.”

“Mean spirited? Is that how you see ME?” Luis shot in anger. “Let me tell you a little something about mean spirited Miss Crane. That is a title that fits you and that group of degenerates you call family. Actually, mean spirited is too nice an adjective to describe the Crane clan. Let me give you a better word. How about disreputable?”

“Your last name is Crane isn't it?” Luis asked. “If your last name is Crane, then I know everything there is to know about you. You're nothing but a cold-hearted, ruthless, dishonest, menacing, threatening, misguided, conceited specimen of humanity. Hell I don't think the Cranes are human at all. Probably some form of demonic nightmare that the poor unfortunate people of Harmony have been subjected to for as long as the town has been chartered. And you are nothing but the spoiled princess, stuck-up daughter of the evil patriarch of the family. I pity any man who ever gets involved with you. It would be nothing short of a life sentence of misery with death being a preferred choice.”

Luis' words wounded Sheridan to the core. She knew better than to come here today, but her feelings for Pezz, the good man she thought he was, forced her to take a chance. She'd hoped against hope that the personality of the Luis she'd danced with last night was the real him and that he could overcome his prejudices against her family. She was wrong, dead wrong.

Sheridan stood up on shaky legs, trying to regain as much dignity as she could from this completely humiliating experience. She could barely look him in the eye. “Well now” she said unable to keep all emotion out of her voice. “I'll be leaving now Officer. You have your wish. Good luck meeting your friend. I hope she has all of the qualities you are looking for in a woman, where as I seem to just possess everything you hate in a person.”

Luis knew he'd gone too far. He saw the hurt in her eyes and regretted his words immediately, but there was nothing he could do now. He couldn't take them back. He swallowed hard, but said nothing.

Jay watched the scene unfold in shock. She knew Luis hated Julian and Alistair Crane. She knew he despised everything the Cranes stood for, but never had she seen him act in such a manner. Never had she witnessed Luis treat a woman as nice as Sheridan, or any woman for that matter, in such a reprehensible manner. Her heart was breaking for Sheridan right now and she knew she had to go after her, but first chance she had, she planned on giving Luis Lopez Fitzgerald a very large piece of her mind.

Sheridan wiped more tears from her cheek, which was beginning to sting. “Why are you sorry? You weren't the one who accused me of being demonic. You weren't the one who believes a man would be better off dead than involved with me.” She somehow thought that if she repeated the words they wouldn't sound quite as bad, but it only made her feel worse. Sheridan couldn't remember being more hurt by any man in her life, no exceptions. She didn't even bother brushing away the new tears that formed. There was no use.

Jay didn't know what to do. She decided to do the only thing she could right now, be Sheridan's friend. She hugged her, allowing her to cry on her shoulder. Sheridan gratefully accepted Jay's offer of friendship and sobbed quietly.

Jay could only imagine the pain Sheridan must be feeling right now. She knew that Sheridan found Luis attractive right from the beginning and after the tango they shared last night, she was sure she had feelings for him. Today, not only did Luis reject her in a most atrocious manner, but she also found out that the man she trusted more than anyone in this world, the man she longed to meet was no one but Luis, the man who attacked her and hurt her deeply.

"You know, Sheridan, I consider both you and Luis to be my friends, but right now, he's not making it very easy for me to be his friend. Not after what he just said to you, the way he treated you. I'm trying to figure out what got into him, but whatever it was, I won't try to defend him to you. He was wrong, plain and simple, he was wrong and there is absolutely no excuse for his behavior."

Jay and Sheridan walked back to the Book Café in silence. Jay watched Sheridan as she dealt with the hurtful blow she'd been dealt today and thought about Luis. She still couldn't fathom him treating anyone the way he'd treated Sheridan. As soon as she made sure Sheridan was ok, she planned to track down Officer Lopez Fitzgerald.

Luis opened the door and walked into the kitchen of his house. His mother was chopping vegetables on the counter and smiled when she saw her son enter. “Good afternoon Mijo” she greeted.

Luis opened the refrigerator and grabbed a can of coke. He pulled back the tab and took a long drink before answering his mother. “I was supposed to meet someone in the park today and they never showed up.”

“I guess you could call it that” Luis told her as he pulled out a chair at the table and sat down. Pilar wiped off her hands on a dishrag and pulled up a chair across the table from her son.

Pilar smiled. “Luis, contrary to what you might think about me, I wasn't born yesterday. I've seen you on your computer late at night. I've heard you call the name Casey out in your sleep. It all makes sense now.”

Luis chuckled softly. “Still keeping tabs on me I see. As usual you're right. KC Girl and I have been emailing back and forth for a few months now” Luis told her emphasizing K-C.

Luis shrugged his shoulders. “I don't know. I was supposed to find out today when we met, but as I said she didn't show up. Instead, Sheridan Crane showed up and I really let her have it.”

Pilar inhaled a deep breath, regaining her composure. She knew Sheridan's mother used to refer to Sheridan as KC's girl when she was a small child. 'Is it possible that Luis' KCGirl and Sheridan are the same person?' Pilar wondered.

“I laid into her. I told her I have no use for any Crane including her. I think I went too far though, she looked like I hurt her. I didn't know a Crane could get hurt. Only humans have feelings.”

“Dear God, I did not raise my children to act in such an abominable manner. Luis Lopez Fitzgerald, I am ashamed of your behavior.” Pilar was absolutely mortified that her son would actually treat a woman like that whether she was a Crane or not.

“Look, I'm sorry Mama” Luis implored. “I don't know what got into me. I guess I was just nervous about meeting KC and when she was late I got more nervous and then Sheridan showed up and I didn't want KC to see me with her.”

Luis stood up from the table and ran his hands through his thick head of black hair. He paced for a moment before responding. “I don't hate her Mama” Luis finally announced. “I really didn't mean the things I said to her but I couldn't help it.”

“Luis, you should know by now that you choose the things you say and do to people. You chose to lash out at Sheridan. It was a wrong choice. Now you must choose what to do next. I think you know what the right thing to do is, do you not?”

“As long as I'm going back to the Book Café for your car, I think I'm going grab some of those movies that are being stored there since the Youth Center is closed for repairs. What do you say we watch one when I get back?”

Sheridan smiled as she watched Jay depart. She'd only known Jay for a short time and yet she felt closer to her than any of the girls she'd befriended while living in Paris. Harmony certainly was everything a small town should be... with one exception of course.

Luis wandered around town for a while before he found himself at the Book Café. He ordered a cup of coffee and sat down, still contemplating his earlier encounter with Sheridan and the fact that KC had not shown up. His conversation with his mother still weighed heavily on him. He couldn't believe that she would even suggest that he had feelings for Sheridan. How could he? After all, she was a Crane and Luis knew that all Cranes were evil.

He stared at the computer that was sitting on the table in front of him and debated whether to write to KC. His thoughts were interrupted though when he looked up and saw Jay standing over him.

"What is it with you and the subject of Sheridan?" Jay asked in disgust. “I can't believe the things I've been hearing coming out of your mouth lately Luis, especially what I heard you say to her today.”

"Tough, you're going to get another lecture and you are going to pay attention to every single word." Jay stated firmly. "What you did to Sheridan was indefensible. You crossed the line."

“Luis, I'm not finished talking and you're not finished listening” Jay said not batting an eye. Without missing a beat Jay continued. "Sheridan's worked her butt off at the Youth Center and she's done a great job there. You should be kissing her feet in gratitude for all her work and how well and how quickly she's fit in. But instead, you do everything you can to make her life miserable."

"Luis, I've defended you to Sheridan every single time that you've treated her badly in the past. I've told her what a great guy you are and I've even explained why you hate her family so much. But Luis, I can't defend you on this one. I won't defend you. What you did to Sheridan today was flat-out wrong.”

"You may think you attacked Sheridan because she is a Crane and you hate the Cranes, and that would be an understandable reason, but that isn't really why you did it. You attacked Sheridan because you were angry with yourself and you were taking it out on her. It's been your pattern of trying to deal with your feelings for her since the first day you met her."

"When you look at Sheridan, you don't see her as a person, you see her last name. You look at her and see a neon flashing sign that says CRANE and it warns you away from her because she is the 'enemy'. But then, something happens and the sign disappears and you see the Sheridan that the rest of us see and you not only don't hate her, you actually like her. In fact, you like her a lot and you won't deal with what you are really feeling. It happened last night when you danced the tango with her and I've seen it happen other times too. But then, you get angry with yourself for consorting with the enemy. So, you do or say something mean to Sheridan to push her away from you, so you don't have to deal with what you are feeling. And each time it happens, you get angrier at yourself for forgetting she's the enemy, so each time you get meaner and push her harder."

"You are nasty to Sheridan because you can't deal with your own feelings. You're extremely attracted to someone who you think should be the enemy. You're scared to death that if you let your guard down, you'll fall in love with Sheridan Crane. Oh, and let's not forget cyber girl."

"You've convinced yourself that you're in love with KC and since you're a one-woman kind of guy, you feel like you're being disloyal to cyber girl by having feelings for a real live flesh and blood woman. Your feelings for Sheridan make you feel like you're cheating on KC. So, you took your guilt out on Sheridan too."

"You couldn't have been a bigger jerk if you had planned it all ahead of time. You hurt her Luis. You really hurt her this time. You may have even succeeded in pushing her away for good. And she didn't deserve it. This whole situation is your fault and your issues, Sheridan is not to blame for any of it. You owe her a huge apology that I wouldn't blame her if she refused to accept. And if you want to regain any of my respect that you've lost today, and Luis, you have seriously lost a lot of my respect, you better do some heavy soul searching and make a concerted effort to treat Sheridan decently from now on."

Without waiting for Luis to reply, Jay turned and left Luis to think about what she said. In all the time Luis had known Jay, she'd never spoken to him like that. He sighed as he watched Jay leave the Book Café and not turn back. He had no idea how things had gotten so far out of control. His mother was angry with him, as was Jay. He'd hurt Sheridan Crane, a woman who had gone out of her way to be nice to him and didn't even know why. He'd had run ins with her brother and nephew before and though he wasn't pleasant he'd never treated them the way he treated Sheridan earlier in the park.

So why did he deliberately say things to her that he knew would wound her deeply? Luis asked himself this question over and over in his head. He knew the answer was there, but for some reason he couldn't or wouldn't bring it to the front of his mind.

Luis reasoned that he was angry at Sheridan for showing up at the park when he was supposed to be meeting KC. He closed his eyes and hoped that KC hadn't seen him there with Sheridan. 'Maybe that's why she didn't show up? She saw Sheridan' he thought. 'Or maybe she was in an accident? Or maybe she got lost? All sorts of reasons flashed through his mind, but he was finding it hard to concentrate at the moment on KC, when the guilt he felt over what he did to Sheridan was weighing so heavily on his mind.

Luis tried to organize his thoughts in his head. He needed to email KC and find out what happened to her. He didn't even want to entertain the idea that she changed her mind and didn't want to meet him. There had to be a reason. He also needed to apologize to Sheridan. He heaved a sigh when he realized that was going to be the most difficult task of all. She had every reason to not believe anything he said at this point, but he truly was sorry for the things he said to her and had every intention of changing his behavior where she was concerned. As much as he hated Alistair and Julian Crane as well as what the Crane name stood for, he knew in his heart of hearts Sheridan wasn't like her father and brother. Not only was she about the most beautiful woman he'd ever met, but she was great with the kids at the Youth Center and had a kind heart. These were traits he'd not seen before in a Crane.

A vision of himself dancing with Sheridan popped into his head. He remembered how he felt holding her in his arms. While he danced with her he felt as if there were no other people on the planet, it was just the two of them. The feel of her skin, scent of her perfume, glint in her eyes all had him completely mesmerized in a way he'd never been before. “Maybe Jay's right?” Luis said in defeat. “Maybe I do like her.”

Still torn between the two women, Luis decided to take care of one thing at a time. Since there was a computer terminal in front of him, he decided the easiest thing to do first was email KC. He also needed more time to think about the Sheridan situation.

Sheridan sat on her couch waiting for Jay to return. The silence was deafening, but what was worse was the sound of the voice in her head thinking about her humiliating experience with Luis earlier. Being alone with those thoughts was not what she wanted. Not at all.

She slowly walked over to her computer and decided to find something to entertain her until Jay came back. “At least it's a distraction” Sheridan said as she turned on her computer. As she got online she thought about Pezz and the fact that KC had not shown up for their meeting. As far as she knew, Luis didn't know she was KC, yet she was not willing to contact him at this point. She pulled up her privacy preferences and added Pezz's name to a list of people to block. She wanted no contact with him at this point and she knew he'd IM her if he saw her online.

Once that was accomplished, she checked her email and groaned softly when she saw at least a half-dozen emails from her friends. Godis, BabyShuis, Katy4IU, LibertyGal, Onica'sMom and several others. She knew what they all wanted. They wanted news on her meeting with Pezz.

I discussed some of this with Godis and BabyShuis last night and while I did go to the appointed spot at the right time, I never acknowledged who I was. It turns out that I know Pezz and he and I don't get along very well. As a matter of fact, it's worse than that.

As Sheridan clicked send, she heard a knock on her door. She stood up and walked over to the cottage door and was greeted by a smiling Jay with her arms filled with movies and a bag of munchies.

“I told you I knew what kind of food to buy when one wants to wallow in self pity” Jay said with a smirk. “So, what movie do you think you'd like to watch? I brought An Affair to Remember, Casablanca, Shop Around the Corner, Roman Holiday...”

Jay looked up from what she was doing and exhaled slowly. She knew exactly what Sheridan was talking about. She motioned to the couch for them both to sit down so she could explain to Sheridan exactly what she knew. Sheridan followed her lead and seated herself waiting for Jay's explanation.

“The truth is I didn't know for sure until I found your ring in the shower yesterday afternoon. When I saw the initials KC engraved on it and you explained where the name came from, then I knew.”

“He did” Jay acknowledged. “Luis and I have been emailing each other since I moved to California. He told me about you the first time he emailed you. He fell in love with your post on Spain and couldn't help but write to you.”

“I see” Sheridan said, not sure how much she really wanted to know, but yet Pezz had never hurt her. KCGirl is the one who hurt PezzMan by not showing up and part of her still needed to know everything she could about the man that captured her heart. “What else did Luis tell you about KCGirl?” Sheridan finally asked.

“Sheridan, I know this whole situation must be tough on you, but I have to tell you that Luis is crazy about KCGirl. From the first time you emailed him he couldn't stop talking about you. I don't know if it's possible to fall in love with a cyber pal, but if it is then PezzMan is definitely in love with KCGirl.”

"I don't think Luis hates you, Sheridan and I told him the same thing when I saw him a few minutes ago. I'm hoping that the Luis I know and love will think long and hard about what he's done and that he will try to make things right with you, if that's even possible at this point."

Sheridan waved good bye one last time before closing the door. She took in a deep breath as she rested her weary body against the cottage door and closed her eyes. She hadn't done much more than take a short walk, but she was exhausted nonetheless. Between little sleep the night before and the emotional drain from the events of the day, Sheridan had every right to be tired.

At Sheridan's request, Jay had stayed for two movies and a pepperoni pizza, but finally had to leave. Jay's mother needed to run a few errands, so Jay had to go home to take care of her grandmother. Sheridan rather enjoyed the company, though she understood why Jay had to leave.

Glancing at the grandfather clock in the corner, she noted the time as 9:00. It was time for bed. She'd make a quick check of her email and then hopefully get some quality sleep. Though she was still reeling from the events earlier in the day, she decided she was tired enough to sleep.

"Damn" she whispered. She knew she should just close it and forget about it, but for some reason she couldn't. She just stared at it for what seemed like hours and kept rereading the same thing. The sender PezzMan, the subject, What happened?

I missed you today. I was so looking forward to meeting my angel, I could think of nothing else from the time I woke up this morning. It never even crossed my mind that you wouldn't come today.

You seemed as excited as I was to finally be able to meet and I must tell you, it hurt me, but I keep telling myself that you would never deliberately hurt anyone. There must be a good reason.

I wish I could say that your not being there is the only thing bothering me right now, but unfortunately I can't. As I sat there in the park anticipating meeting you, a woman who has annoyed me since almost the moment I met her showed up instead.

This woman's family has been a thorn in my side for years now and she had the unfortunate experience of catching my wrath when she showed up. In several short minutes, I managed to hurt this woman as deeply as her family has hurt me over the years. I was cruel to her, KC.

I treated her as if she was nothing but pond scum, when in fact she is probably the one bright star her family has. I was so surprised to see her there and due to my excitable state and not wanting you to see me with another woman, I said things to her I never dreamed in a million years I'd say to anyone. Subsequently I found out that saying those things didn't change anything, except the fact that I'd never felt worse in my life.

I still can't believe that such cruel words actually came out of my mouth. I have never in my life treated any woman like that. Whoever created the saying "Sticks and stones... had no clue what they were talking about. Names do hurt. I can still see the hurt look in her eyes as I called her some of the most deplorable names in existence.

I'm ashamed of myself KC. She did nothing to deserve that. Despite what I think of her family I had no right to treat her that way. She has done nothing to me but help me and how do I return the favor? By belittling her. By treating her as if she was less than human. No one deserves to be treated like that and yet I did to her what I claim her family does to others. I acted superior. I treated her as a non person, someone without feelings and as the words were flying out of my mouth I could see immediately that she was anything but that. She is a person, a very caring person who I had no right to say those things to.

"Oh Pezz, I believe you. I really believe you. If only I could believe that Luis honestly feels this way. Sometimes I think Luis sees me for who I really am and then... Well then there is today. I don't know what to believe." Sheridan sighed in dismayed.

"Oh Pezz" Sheridan exclaimed in quiet frustration. "If I only I knew what to believe." Sheridan stood up and walked away from her computer. Her mind flashed to the tango she danced with Luis the night before at the Youth Center. She tried not to think about it by going to the kitchen and turning on the kettle to boil water for some tea.

It wasn't working. Sheridan placed her palms on the edge of the stove and closed her eyes remembering how it felt being in Luis' arms during that dance. She'd never felt so alive in her life as she did at that moment. She closed her eyes, her mind now a chaotic mess. Pezz's note had confused her. She'd been so hurt by Luis' insulting remarks earlier she didn't think she'd ever get over it, yet he seemed so sincere in his email and his memory of the cyber hug reminded her of the wonderful man she'd written to faithfully for the last few months.

Sheridan felt closed in all of a sudden. She glanced at the clock and although it was late, she decided the only way to deal with all the jumbled thoughts going through her mind at this point was to take a walk on the pier. There was something about standing at the docks smelling the salt air and listening to the gentle lapping of water as it hit the sides of the boats that comforted her. She turned the kettle off again, grabbed her keys and headed for the harbor.

Luis slowly patrolled the wharf, his eyes keenly darting back and forth, looking for anything suspicious, anything at all. His cell phone was up against his ear as he talked to his mother briefly informing her of his plans.

“Yes Mama” Luis said into his cell phone. “I should be home shortly after midnight. The night shift is covered, but when Cal tripped and sprained his ankle chasing that mugger, Sam needed someone to fill in quickly.”

“They're not really mocking him Mama” Luis explained. “They'll just want to have a little fun with him. Believe me, they wouldn't be doing this if it was something serious. It's just their way of releasing tension.”

Luis glanced at his watch and saw it was nearly 10:00. “Mama, I think maybe you should call them and have them come home. That mugger is still out there and there is no telling where he will show up next. The only pattern he has shown so far is he attacks people when they are walking alone.”

Luis closed his cell phone and placed it back in his shirt pocket. He felt better knowing his family would soon all be safe under one roof. He didn't even want to think about how he'd react if someone he loved were forced to face the mugger who was currently stalking Harmony.

Sheridan found herself walking aimlessly along the Harmony Pier. She shivered slightly as the cool damp ocean air reminded her that even in the middle of summer, Maine nights by the water were anything but warm. She hadn't been swimming in the ocean since she'd been home from Paris, but she vividly recalled the freezing temperatures of the water, even in August. She was comfortable at her cottage, but the breeze now which was picked up from the sea, dropped the air temperature by at least 10 degrees.

She vigorously rubbed her arms in an attempt to warm up and continued her trek along the boardwalk. She began to wonder if this had been such a great idea, coming to the wharf so late at night. She knew Harmony was a sleepy little town, but it was only 10:00 and already it was completely deserted. Shop after shop she passed was closed up tight and there wasn't another person in sight. She walked over to the water's edge and stared intensely into the black ocean, as she leaned into the hand rail. The moon was new and the only light shed onto the water was an occasional lamplight from the pier reflecting off the cold waters.

She heard the fog horn's mournful cry in the distance. Normally this would have been a comforting sound to her, but the cold air was causing her to shiver too much to be comforted by anything. Sheridan now heard a small engine whining in the distance, the sound growing louder with each passing second. She strained her eyes to catch a glimpse of the small craft as it motored closer to its slip. She could vaguely hear the sounds of laughter coming from the boat and finally saw two couples on board. Both couples were wrapped tightly in each others arms as the boat slowed, until the driver finally cut the engine. The two men in the group climbed out of the boat and tied it to the dock and then helped their partners out. Sheridan smiled as she watched them leave their craft, arm in arm with the person they loved. The women were giggling as they nuzzled their heads into their lovers arms and stealing kisses.

Sheridan sighed dreamily. They looked so happy, so in love. What she wouldn't give to have a relationship like that. A slight frown appeared on her face when her thoughts turned to what might have been. Until late last night, she could have seen herself in a similar situation. She really thought that Pezz was going to be that special person in her life. She was so caught up in her own thoughts, she never heard someone approach her.

Luis walked his beat diligently. Hearing laughter and footsteps, his attention moved from the alley he was surveying to the approaching tourists. He nodded solemnly at them, watching them do their best to straighten up, seeing a police officer. Luis knew they were a little drunk. It didn't take a genius to figure it out from the way they were walking, but they didn't appear to be harmful to anyone. He chuckled slightly to himself when he heard them take off running the minute they were out of his sight. “Kids” he muttered as he continued walking his beat.

Luis found it eerie how quiet it really was tonight. Usually there was still a fair amount of activity on a Sunday evening, but tonight there was barely a soul around. He reasoned that the cool weather had something to do with it, though nights on the pier were never warm.

As Luis reached the end of the boardwalk and turned around, he felt a cold chill run down his spine. He shook it off until he heard a blood curdling scream coming from the other end of the dock. The scream lasted only a second and then seemed to be silenced. Without wasting a second, he took off sprinting towards the scream.

Sheridan nodded as best she could, but the cold sharp blade that was touching her throat made it nearly impossible to move. She was afraid to move, afraid that if she did, her accoster might slip and cut her. Slowly, she raised her arm that carried her purse so this man could take it from her. Her eyes were closed as she felt his strong arm travel the length of hers as he slipped her purse from her hand. Sheridan felt bile rise to her throat from the feel of this man's hand on her arm, but she held her position, not daring to move.

Sheridan wanted to cry as she thought about giving this pig the ring that her mother willed her. It was the one thing she had that reminded her of her mother. She felt tears well up in her eyes as she placed her hand on the ring and gently began to remove it.

“Freeze!” Sheridan's heart nearly pounded completely out of her chest when she heard that word. She looked up and saw the face of the one man she never imagined coming to her rescue. Luis Lopez Fitzgerald.

Sheridan looked pleadingly into Luis' eyes for help. The knife this man was holding was pressing deeper into her neck and she expected at any minute that he would indeed slit her throat.

Luis looked at the mugger and then back at Sheridan. He gave her an encouraging look with his eyes and then returned his attention to her attacker. “You know buddy, if I were you I'd relax my grip of this lady here.” Luis then glanced back over at Sheridan and looked into her petrified blue eyes intensely. “She looks like she's about ready to pass out and if she falls to the ground it's all over for you.”

Sheridan knew exactly what Luis was doing. She looked at him for a split second longer for confirmation and then closed her eyes. She allowed her body to go limp and at the same time, the mugger relaxed his hold of her slightly. Sheridan fell to the ground with a whimper.

The mugger knew he'd been tricked and cursed at Luis. “Damn you” he scowled as he reached into his jacket and pulled out a gun. The minute Luis saw the barrel of the gun aimed at him, he pulled the trigger of his own weapon, discharging a bullet directly into the perpetrator's heart. The man dropped his weapons and clutched his chest. His face contorted, turned a faint shade of blue as the life was drained out of him. He fell to the ground in a heap right next to Sheridan, who was crying softly.

Sheridan looked up at him, fear in her eyes and her lower lip quivering. Her gaze then drifted to her side where she saw the lifeless body of the man who she thought was going to kill her.

“Thank you” Sheridan said softly as she gazed into his dark brown eyes. She expected to see a look of hatred, or at least indifference, but was surprised when all she saw was the kindest pair of brown eyes she'd ever encountered. She saw the eyes she'd envisioned Pezz to have many times in her dreams.

Luis examined her neck and although there seemed to be quite a bit of blood, the color was too bright red to come from an artery. “No, it's not the carotid artery, but I need to get the bleeding stopped anyway.” Luis looked around for something to stop the bleeding and found nothing. He thought as fast as he could and suddenly an idea came to him.

Sheridan watched Luis carefully as he opened his uniform top and un-tucked his t-shirt. He made a small tear at the bottom and ripped off about the bottom 3 inches of material from his shirt. He then made a makeshift pressure dressing and gently placed it on her neck over the area where the blood was oozing from. She was surprised at how gentle he was with her, his hands expertly holding the precise amount of pressure until the bandage was in place. He then sat down beside her and pulled her closer to him. “I'm going to stay right here just like this until the ambulance arrives” he said in a reassuring voice. “It's just a small cut and they can put a proper dressing on it when they get here, but I want to get the bleeding stopped as soon as possible.”

Sheridan nodded. She felt safe with him somehow. She couldn't believe that Luis was doing all of this for her after all of the terrible things he'd said to her earlier in the day. She reflected on Pezz's admission in his email, but still wasn't comprehending it all.

“Luis, I really do appreciate everything you're doing for me” Sheridan said hesitantly, “but I'm not sure why you're doing it when you hate me so much. Why didn't you just let that mugger kill me?”

Luis felt like he'd been slapped in the face, but he knew he deserved it. No matter what he thought about a person, any person, he couldn't stand by and watch them murdered in cold blood, but after the way he'd treated Sheridan he could see where she might think that.

“I was going to tell you this tomorrow when I saw you at the Book Café, but since you're here now, I'll tell you. Sheridan, I really am sorry for the way I treated you at the park earlier today. I was completely and utterly out of line. I had no business treating you that way. I said a lot of things that I could see truly hurt you and I am sorry. From the bottom of my heart I'm sorry for everything I said.”

Sheridan saw the look in Luis' eyes and he appeared sincere, but yet she couldn't forget the treatment he bestowed upon her earlier in the day. Luis had lashed out at her one time too many for her to just forgive him. “I wish I could believe you Luis” Sheridan told him after a long silence. “I truly wish I could believe you're sincere, but I just don't know.”

Luis expected as much. Jay had warned him that Sheridan might not be able to forgive him this time. “I understand Sheridan” Luis acknowledged. “I know I hurt you. There is nothing I can say to you that will explain why I acted the way I did today. Just know, that I'm never going to speak to you again like that. I hope that in time, you'll come to realize that I mean what I say. I know you're not like the rest of your family. As a matter of fact, I have no intention of ever mentioning that fact to you again. I'm hoping that at the very least we can at least be civil to each other at the Youth Center.”

The breeze picked up and Sheridan shivered as the cold seemed to go right through her. Goosebumps began to form on her arms. “I'm not sure I'll even be returning to the Youth Center, Luis” Sheridan informed him as she tried to ignore the chilly weather.

Luis scooted over and moved behind Sheridan. He didn't have his jacket with him so he did the only thing he could think of. He wrapped his arms around her, engulfing her small frame in his warm embrace. “Body heat usually helps” he said quietly. Almost immediately Sheridan felt a rush of warmth. She couldn't believe how safe and warm she felt in his arms. A flash went through her mind. She remembered the email Pezz sent to her earlier in the night.

“You know Sheridan” Luis said, “I'd like you to reconsider your decision of not working at the Youth Center. The kids really like having you around and truthfully, I'm impressed with how well you've managed to fit in there. I'd really like it if you stayed.”

“Over here!” Sam yelled to his crew as Sheridan and Luis were descended upon by police officers and paramedics. Luis helped Sheridan stand up and she was immediately attended to by an EMT. Luis walked away with Sam, but looked over his shoulder to make sure Sheridan was ok, only to find her staring right at him.

The EMT's having finished with her, Sheridan walked away from the ambulance with a police escort. She was brought to a small bench where she gave her statement to them about what had happened and how it happened that Luis shot the man. Sheridan told the officer everything that had happened. During the questioning, she found herself wishing that Luis had been the one to do the questioning. When she realized what she was thinking, she shook her head and asked herself where that had come from? She glanced over her shoulder looking for him and found him in an animated discussion with his boss. She couldn't hear the words, but Sheridan knew by the body language that each man was unhappy.

“What do you mean you have to take my badge Sam?” Luis asked defensively. “I had no choice but to shoot that man. He pulled a gun on me and if I didn't shoot him he was going to shoot me and then most likely shoot Miss Crane.”

“Luis, I understand that” Sam said sympathetically. “This is an administrative leave, not a suspension. It's policy Luis and you know it. Anytime there is a death by shooting the officer involved is put on paid administrative leave until Internal Affairs can determine the shooting was justified.”

“Yeah right, a paid vacation” Luis hissed. “A paid vacation that lasts who knows how long and has the boys and girls from I/A digging into every aspect of your life including how many times a day you go to the bathroom.”

“I understand that Miss, but it's procedure for any shooting when a police officer shoots a civilian with death resulting, regardless of the reason. Luis knows the drill, we all do. It's just hard to swallow when it's yourself in the hot seat.”

“I understand Miss, but don't you worry about Luis. Internal Affairs will do their audit and Luis will be back to work in a week or so. Luis has nothing to worry about. This is as open and shut a case as I can recall. They just have to go through the proper procedures and everything will be fine.”

Sheridan nodded, but her heart went out to Luis, who she now watched hand his badge and gun over to Chief Sam Bennett. As she sat there watching him, she suddenly realized that she cared about what happened to Luis, more than she thought she ever could after the little display earlier in the day. She thought about Pezz's email and decided she wanted to go home and read it again. Something told her, she wasn't going to be able to get Luis out of her system very easily. He got to her and she needed to think long and hard and decide if she wanted him to get to her even more.

Sheridan arrived back at her cottage completely exhausted. She was ready for bed hours ago that is until she decided to take a walk on the pier. And now as tired as she was now, she couldn't sleep. After her questioning had ended at the wharf, she'd been taken to the hospital to be checked out, just as a precautionary measure. Dr. Russell was on duty and attended to Sheridan personally. She cleaned her wound and told Sheridan she was very lucky she didn't need stitches. The cut was deep, but thanks to Luis' quick thinking and applying pressure immediately there was no real damage. Sheridan gasped in horror when she realized that if the blade had moved a quarter of an inch to the right and she'd probably be dead right now. That's how close it was.

Even though her injury wasn't life threatening, Eve suggested that Sheridan take it easy for a day or so and avoid strenuous activity. She could go to the Youth Center (or Book Café for the time being) if she wanted the next day, but she was not to participate in any activities other than watching the kids have a good time. Sheridan smiled and agreed with Eve's medical advice. She was happy to be alive at this point and planned on following doctor's orders.

The entire time she was being treated in the hospital, Sheridan's thoughts were consumed with only one thing or rather one person, Luis. A few hours earlier she'd done everything in her power not to think about him and now she felt exactly the opposite. Right now she wanted to think about him. She wanted to think about Pezz and whether or not it was possible for her to continue her relationship with him. She also wondered if it was possible to start a relationship with Luis?

Sheridan reasoned that she could continue her cyber relationship with Pezz for the time being, but she also knew that if Pezz was to find out that KCGirl and Sheridan Crane were the same person, he'd probably not take it too well. The part that had Sheridan's mind in such a state of utter chaos, was the fact that the part of Luis that was Pezz, was a man that she was pretty sure she was falling in love with, yet the part of Luis she'd met as Sheridan Crane, was someone who had hurt her almost beyond words.

Initially her reaction was she never wanted to see or hear from him again, but after Pezz's note to her earlier and Luis saving her life tonight, she could no longer think in those terms. There was something in Luis' behavior tonight that made her believe he was being honest with her.

So now as she sat in her cottage sleep deprived and very confused, Sheridan once again read Pezz's letter. She was determined to come to some kind of decision before she finally went to bed. Though she was impressed by Pezz's entire note, it was the last part that she seemed to be drawn to.

“Do you really mean what you say Luis?” Sheridan asked thinking out loud. “Can you really separated your feelings for me from my family? I'd like nothing more than to believe that you can. I want to believe that you are capable of treating me as a person separate and apart from my family. Can you do that Luis?” Sheridan flashed back to the apology she'd received from Luis on the wharf after the shooting.

“Just know, that I'm never going to speak to you again like that. I hope that in time, you'll come to realize that I mean what I say. I know you're not like the rest of your family. As a matter of fact, I have no intention of ever mentioning that fact to you again.”

“Maybe he can learn to accept me for me” she said hopefully. “He seemed so sincere when he told me that.” She read the rest of the letter and took a deep breath as she finally came to her decision.

“Well, I don't know if I can forgive you yet Luis, but you did apologize and you seemed sincere. The least I can do is give you a chance to prove what you say. I must be crazy to even think this” Sheridan whispered to herself, “but I really want to get to know you Luis.” Her eyes scanned the last line of his email and her lips curved upwards into a shy grin.

“You did give me that hug Pezz whether you knew it or not. And I must confess... it wasn't terrible.” Sheridan felt her cheeks get hot as she recalled Luis holding her in his arms to keep her warm.

Sheridan now knew what she needed to do and the first thing on her list was emailing Pezz and apologizing to him for standing him up. As she began to type her apology to him, she hoped and prayed she was making the right decision.

“I thought you'd be asleep by now” Luis told his mother. Luis hoped his mother would have gone to bed before the shooting news hit the airwaves, but from the reaction he received from her right now, he knew she hadn't.

Luis stared directly into his mother's worried eyes. He didn't want to tell her, but he had no choice. “I've been suspended Mama” he finally said. “It's routine to suspend any officer that is involved in a shooting with death resulting.”

“Dios mio” Pilar whispered. She knew her son would never kill anyone unless it was in the line of duty, yet hearing that he killed another person, even justifiably was still a big shock. “Are you all right Luis?”

“Yes Mama” Luis said absentmindedly. “I'm just tired and all I want to do is go to bed. I'm going to help out at the Youth Center until this whole mess is cleared up by Internal Affairs. It'll keep me busy not to mention the fact that they really can use the help while the Youth Center building is closed.”

“I understand Luis” Pilar said knowingly. She kissed her son on the cheek and then held his face in her hands for a moment as only a mother can do. “Sleep well son. I love you mijo and if you want to talk...”

“I love you too Mama” Luis said, managing a tired smile. “And thank you.” Luis gave his mother a hug and kiss and walked towards the door leading to the living room on his way to bed. “Good night Mama.”

“Good night Luis.” Luis disappeared through the door as Pilar stared after him sadly. She hated seeing her son in so much pain, but she knew he was strong and would get through this. She planned on doing everything possible to help him through it. She wondered however, if the fact that the woman he saved from the mugger was Sheridan Crane was having an impact on him. Right now, she was having a difficult time reading him, but somehow she had a feeling that it was going to have a major impact on her son's life.

Luis pulled his chair up to his desk as he seated himself in front of the computer to check his mail. He prayed there was an email from KC. He'd managed to slip off to the Book Café several times during his shift to check mail, but was disappointed each time when there was none. He promised himself he wouldn't get upset if he still didn't hear from her, but knew that promise or no promise it would hurt.

A wave of relief hit him when he opened his mailbox and found this time he did have a message from KC. He was nervous as he clicked on the icon, as he had no idea what to expect when he finally opened it. Swallowing hard and taking a deep intake of breath, Luis glued his eyes to the computer as her letter appeared on screen.

I'm sorry it took me so long to respond to your last email, but I was detained by several matters. I'm sure you're wondering what happened to me earlier today and let me start out by apologizing for what happened. I never meant to hurt you and judging by your last letter, I did just that. You expected to see me there in the park and instead you were greeted by someone who apparently brings out the worst in you. I am so sorry for placing you in a position that caused you to act in a manner such as what you described. I must admit, the person you described yourself to be is nothing as I would have ever pictured you to be like.

It sounds to me like you are truly sorry for your actions with this woman today. Though I can't condone such behavior, I believe you when you say you are sorry for it and I suggest you make your feelings known to this woman. I truly believe that if you are sincere in your apology, the woman will forgive you. It might take time to regain her trust, but I trust in you Pezz. I trust you will do the right thing. Have faith in yourself Pezz. If you do this, I believe everything will work out for both of you.

I accept some responsibility for the chain of events that happened today and though I'd like nothing more than to explain to you why things turned out the way they did, I am not in a position to do so right now. I promise you that I will tell you everything when the time is right, but until then, I beg you to understand why I can not.

I've missed talking to you Pezz. So much has happened to me in the last few days and not having you to talk things over with has been very difficult. I feel as if you are my best friend and I don't want to lose that. You have been there for me so much in these past months, I don't know what I'd do without you.

I hope you can forgive me Pezz. I want to be there for you if you need me. If you can find it in your heart to forgive me, I still want to be your friend. I also still want to meet you, but due to unforeseen circumstances, I am afraid that won't be possible for awhile. When I get everything worked out, I promise you we will meet and if things go the way I would like them to, it will be a meeting that neither one of us will ever forget. When we do meet Pezz, there is nothing I would like more than to take you up on that offer for a hug. Does it still stand?

Though Luis was still disappointed in not meeting KC, he felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders after reading her letter. He responded to her email and then happily went to bed.

The sun streamed in Sheridan's window as she slowly opened her eyes, shielding them from the bright light with her hands. She was still exhausted when she saw the time was 9:30 on her alarm clock. She groaned loudly as she rolled over, pulling the covers over her head in protest of a new day. Her telephone started to ring preventing her from falling back asleep, so she reached her arm across the bed and picked up the receiver.

`There's something strange about this whole situation' Jay mused. “Sheridan, you wouldn't happen to know why Luis changed the time of the meeting would you?” Jay asked curiously.

Sheridan chuckled to herself. She could just imagine the bizarre thoughts going through Jay's mind right now. “Yes, we were together” Sheridan told her with an amused grin. “But it's not what you think. Luis worked last night and he saved me from a mugger.” Sheridan's light air suddenly became deadly serious. “Jay, the man had a knife to my throat and then he pulled a gun on Luis. He was going to shoot us both.”

“Oh my God!” Jay said in a barely audible tone. A knot developed in the pit of Jay's stomach. She had a feeling she knew what was coming next. “Did he.... Is the mugger dead?”

“This is all my fault. If I hadn't decided to go for a walk on the pier last night, none of this would have happened.” Sheridan felt terrible for Luis having been all but suspended.

“Sheridan, it's not your fault” Jay explained. “If it hadn't been you it would have been someone else and who knows, maybe Luis wouldn't have been around to help someone else. Luis did what he had to do. Any good officer would have done the same thing.”

“Ok. Bye Jay.” Sheridan hung the phone up, but now she was wide awake and there was no way she could get back to sleep. She climbed out of bed and walked into the bathroom for a hot shower. She was careful to protect her bandage and felt somewhat better when she was finished. She made a pot of coffee and sat down to her computer to check her mail and caught her breath when she saw that Pezz had returned her email.

Is there any doubt that I would forgive you? Yes, I was disappointed that we didn't meet, but if you say there was a good reason, I believe you. You have no idea how much I value our friendship, Angel. I can't imagine not being friends with you. Like you, our friendship has gotten me through some rocky times. The times we spend online chatting are the highlight of my day as far as I am concerned. It is also music to my ears to hear those three little words, “You've Got Mail” and find out that the mail I have is from you. Every email we exchange is special to me KC. I've saved every one.

I'd love to write some more tonight but I am absolutely exhausted. I had an experience tonight that I hope I never have again. I haven't told you this before but I'm a cop. There are some great parts to my job such as being able to save lives of innocent citizens and that was the good that came out of my unfortunate incident tonight. I saved a woman from a mugger who was holding a knife to her throat and for that I am eternally grateful, but it came with a price. I was forced to shoot and kill this man. I have never before been forced to shoot another human being until tonight. I know I had no choice doing it and if the same situation happened again I would do the same thing, but I am still responsible for taking another man's life. That is something I am going to have to live with for the rest of my life. I only hope I never have to make that choice again.

Well Angel, I'm off to bed, Please write soon and I'd love to talk to you sometime. I should be home every night for a while. I'm on administrative leave for the shooting so if you want to chat, I'll be here waiting. :)

Sheridan felt tears fill her eyes as she read his letter. She could tell how much pain he was in for having to shoot the mugger in order to save her life. She was relieved to find he didn't have any animosity towards her and touched that if given the same choice he would do it all again. “There has to be a way” she said softly as she reread the last part of his letter, “there just has to be a way.”

Sheridan arrived at the Book Café at precisely 11:45. She was the first one there for the meeting. In a very chipper mood, she ordered a coffee from Chad and then walked over to a table and sat down with her notebook in hand. She decided to jot down a few thoughts while she was waiting for the others to arrive.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when Buzzy walked up behind her and placed his hands over her eyes. She let out a slight gasp of horror not knowing who was behind her, as memories of her mugging last night surfaced.

Buzzy sensed Sheridan's fear and immediately released his hands and announced himself. “Sheridan, it's me, Buzzy!” He said. “I'm sorry I scared you. I didn't expect you to react...” Buzzy stopped mid sentence when he saw the look of pure fright on her face. “Man, Sheridan, are you all right? You're so pale?”

“Buzzy!” Sheridan exclaimed with relief as she caught her breath. Her heart was beating wildly as she held her hand over her bandage protectively. “I'm sorry I didn't realize it was you” she said trying to laugh it off, but in reality she'd been petrified.

Luis joined the two of them and saw Sheridan holding her neck and immediately became concerned. He walked up behind her and protectively placed his arm around her. “Sheridan, are you all right?” He asked softly.

Sheridan immediately began to relax from his touch and looked up at Luis and stared into his kind brown eyes. “Thank you Luis” she said sincerely. “I'm ok, really. Buzzy just caught me off guard.”

Luis wasn't even aware he was doing it, but Buzzy noticed immediately that Luis was caressing Sheridan's shoulders in a very soothing fashion. He stared at the two of them with a very confused look on his face. He'd heard only last night that the two of them had a major fight at Lighthouse Park Sunday afternoon and now this? He had no clue what to think anymore. “It's my fault Luis” Buzzy admitted. “I scared Sheridan when I came up behind her and covered her eyes. I was just trying to surprise her.”

“Well, I talked to Dr. Russell last night and she said you were supposed to take it easy for a few days” Luis told her quietly. “I assumed you'd be staying home today. I was going to call you later and make sure you were okay.”

Sheridan smiled genuinely as she stared into his beautiful brown eyes. 'A person could get lost in his eyes' she thought to herself. “Thank you for being so concerned, but I'm fine really. Dr. Russell told me no strenuous activity and I didn't think a planning meeting here was considered strenuous.”

Sheridan looked at Luis for a long moment. “Yes, I've decided to stay for now” she said truthfully. “I still need some time before I'll be able to completely forgive you, but if you keep your promise I think we'll be able to work things out.”

Luis pulled out a chair and sat down at the table next to Sheridan. Jay had walked in and she was with Buzzy at the counter watching the two of them together. Sheridan was intrigued by Luis' statement and wondered if he could possibly be referring to KC. She dared not get her hopes up, but couldn't resist asking.

Luis was suddenly embarrassed. He hadn't meant to tell anyone about KC, but he wasn't sure how to get out of this one. When he thought about it, he didn't know why it should bother him. “Yeah” he admitted quietly, staring at his shoes. “My friend, the one I was supposed to meet yesterday.”

Luis said nothing. He swallowed hard and looked at Sheridan with a confused and frustrated look on his face. He was having difficulty admitting how he knew her. Sheridan decided to help him out a little.

Sheridan had to be careful. She knew she was treading on dangerous ground. “How else would you know someone and not have met them? I've talked to some very nice people on the internet, but I haven't met any of them. Are you sure it's a wise idea, to meet her I mean?“ Sheridan asked with a look of concern. “I've had people tell me you have to be very careful about meeting people you've talked to online.”

“I didn't mean to insinuate she was a mugger” Sheridan explained. “I have internet friends that I trust too. Good friends. I was just thinking that maybe it would be a good idea to bring someone with you the next time.”

Sheridan hesitated slightly. She didn't want to lie to him but she certainly couldn't tell him the truth. “I'm afraid I've never had the courage to introduce myself to my cyber friends, but if I did I'd definitely have someone there I trusted.”

“That's very smart of you Sheridan” Luis commented. “You are right. There are weirdoes out there and one can never be too careful.” Luis stared at Sheridan for a moment and chuckled. “It's funny, I can't picture you talking to anyone on line.”

Jay couldn't keep the smirk off her face. “Nothing really” Jay replied with a huge grin. “I just thought that since you'd be making your office here for the next week or two that you should feel at home.”

Luis shook his head and laughed when he saw Buzzy carrying the tray of coffee. On the tray was the mug Luis used every day at the Youth Center. It was a ceramic mug with his name on one side and “Top Cop” written on the other side with a picture of a cartoon police officer arresting a criminal. “Thanks Jay” Luis grinned. “You know how I can't do without my mug.”

“Thanks Luis” Buzzy grinned. “I've been tossing around some of these ideas even before we found out the Youth Center was slated to close. I was trying to think of some fun things for the kids to do the last few weeks before school.”

“It will be fun” Buzzy announced. “I'll make sure of that!” The group laughed as Jay organized her notebook. She wanted everything written down with the day each activity would take place.

“All right everyone” Jay said, “I want to get this all down so I know what's happening. Some of these days I may not be able to make it. Don't forget the reason I am here is to help Mom with Grandma.”

“Yeah, that's right” Buzzy said. “It just opened. The owner and her husband just moved here from Europe recently. She's very artistic and he takes care of the business end. I guess Kasey's wife lived here as a child and always wanted to move back home so her husband finally agreed. Several parents of our kids have already gone there and have given it rave reviews.”

Sheridan looked at Jay with utter surprise on her face. She saw that Jay's reaction was similar to her own. She then glanced over at Luis who was looking like someone had just kicked him in the gut. “Have you met this KC and his wife?” Luis asked, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer.

Jay saw the pained look on Luis' face. She wanted to tell him that she knew for certain that there was no way this woman was his KC, but she couldn't without giving herself and Sheridan away.

She just prayed that KC's wife didn't turn out to be a blonde haired blue-eyed beauty. “Luis, I'm sure it's not the same person. Your KC would have mentioned if she were opening a business in Harmony. It's just a coincidence, that's all” Jay offered trying to reassure Luis.

Luis shot Sheridan a dirty look. “No, I don't think that” Luis snapped back. He then remembered his promise and took a deep breath. “I'm sorry I yelled Sheridan. It's just that my friend has the same screen name as the Ceramic store, KC and she just moved back to Harmony after spending most of her life in Europe.”

This conversation was making Jay very nervous. Her arm swiped Luis' mug slightly making it rattle on the table slightly. Jay reached out and steadied Luis' prized Top Cop coffee mug. She was so afraid Sheridan was going to say something to give herself away, she was now almost breaking cups. Sheridan was treading on very dangerous ground right now. Jay decided to ask Buzzy another question. “Any idea what part of Europe she is from?” Jay asked hoping he wouldn't say France.

“I'm not sure” Buzzy admitted, “but Kasey sounded like he had a British accent, so if I had to guess I'd say England, but you can't tell for sure.” Buzzy was very confused right now. He had no idea what was going on.

Luis felt a wave of relief, but he wasn't going to be completely relieved until he met this KC and his wife. Not wanting to dwell anymore on this new development, Luis decided to change the subject. “OK, what else in on the agenda.”

“We have a trip to Lighthouse Park for a softball game and picnic, a day at the community pool, Miniature Golf World and a trip to Bobby's Rollerway and finally a day at the beach with a cookout for dinner.”

“It did” Buzzy grinned, “but with the emergence of rollerblading it just reopened a few months ago. They're remodeling it, but they decided to open it in June when school got out. They didn't want to lose all the business from kids being off all summer.”

“There's one thing I forgot to mention” Buzzy said as an after thought. “The fair. As you know, the Youth Center has several booths in this year's summer carnival. So far we haven't had much trouble manning the booths, but we do need volunteers for a few time slots.”

"You'll love it, Sheridan!" Jay exclaimed. "There is something for everyone there. You have all the traditional things you might expect to see at a local fair. There are rides, bands playing live music, tons of food and all kinds of booths. The Youth Center always has at least one booth to help raise money for the following year. Pilar always cooks and Grace Bennett makes desserts for both the church and Youth Center booths. There are raffles and contests. Everyone in town joins in, natives and summer tourists. It's a really great time. It's the last two weeks in August every summer."

“It's all right Jay” Sheridan said, feigning a small grin. “You know, now that I think about it, I do have a recollection of going someplace with Pilar one day when I was very small. It was right after my mother died and she had to go set up a table at a local festival. I don't remember much except it all seemed very exciting. There were people everywhere laughing and playing games. I remember seeing a Ferris wheel and there was carnival music playing.” Sheridan started to laugh as the memory became clearer.

“Pilar bought me some cotton candy to eat while I waited for her to finish setting up her table. It was the first time I'd ever had it. Pilar and I decided to keep it out little secret because if Father ever found out he would have been very angry.” The faraway look on Sheridan's face seemed to disappear as she came back to the present.

Luis shook his head. 'Just like a Crane to think that way' he thought. Yet, he couldn't help but feel for Sheridan having to grow up in such an atmosphere. Part of him was satisfied that his mother was the person to at least give her a brief moment of happiness.

“I'm not sure what we have this year, but last year they had a pie throwing contest” Jay answered. “I heard that some lucky volunteer got to have a whipped cream pie tossed in their face fifty times a day.”

“I'm Sheridan Crane” Sheridan answered as she turned in the direction of the voice. As soon as she saw the recognizable brown uniform and package he was carrying she knew immediately what it was. A small grin appeared on the corner of her mouth.

“I have a package for you” the UPS delivery man announced. He handed Sheridan a fairly large box wrapped in brown paper and asked her to sign for it.” Sheridan placed the box on the table and signed the man's form.

“Thank you Miss Crane” the man smiled. He then left as quietly as he entered. Luis, Jay and Buzzy looked at her with great curiosity. “Do I dare ask how he knew to track you down here?” Jay questioned.

“Funny!” Buzzy grinned. Luis just shook his head and fought the urge to make a nasty comment. He could tell not mentioning Sheridan's family was going to be harder than he thought, but so far he'd kept his promise.

Buzzy stood up to leave as well. “Time for me to go as well. I'll walk you out Jay. See you tomorrow” he waved as he walked out with Jay. Sheridan and Luis said their good-byes to Buzzy and Jay and then it was just the two of them at the table.

Sheridan returned the smile and went to stand up. Without thinking Luis jumped out of his seat and helped her with her chair. “Thanks” she said smiling shyly. She wasn't expecting it and his action took her totally by surprise. “I guess I'll see you tomorrow” she said as she turned to leave.

Sheridan saw the box and couldn't believe she almost forgot it. “Oh! I can't believe I almost forgot this” she said picking up the box. She stared at it for a moment and then held the package out for Luis to take. “This is for you Luis” she said as she placed the box in his hands.

“It's just a little something that I thought you might like. I wanted to say thank you for saving my life last night. I know how difficult it must have been for you to put your life on the line for someone from a family you hate and I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate it.”

Luis was floored. “Sheridan, I was just doing my job” Luis insisted. “You don't need to get me anything, really.” He fought the urge to tell her he didn't want anything bought with Crane money.

“All right” Luis agreed. That was the least he could do. He opened the box wondering what Sheridan could possibly have gotten him that he wouldn't want to send back. His eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw it was a Boston Celtics team jersey with the number 33 on it. It was autographed to Luis from Larry Bird and there was a letter that went along with it. Luis stared at Sheridan with an incredulous look on his face as he opened the letter and read.

Sheridan called me last night and asked me if I had a spare jersey I could autograph for you. As I'm sure you can imagine, I don't do this for everyone, but when she explained to me what happened to her and how you saved her life from that mugger, I couldn't refuse her.

Sheridan is very special to me. We've worked together on several charity events and she is one of the finest women I've had the pleasure to meet, not to mention one of the most beautiful. You have done a great service by protecting her precious life and I can't thank you enough.

Sheridan also told me about the Youth Center you run that she has been volunteering at since she arrived home. It sounds like a wonderful place for young people. She mentioned your love of basketball so I'd like to include two scholarships for any kids of your choosing to attend my basketball camp next summer. I'd love for you to come with them and meet you in person. We can always use another hand working with the kids and she says you're pretty good. That I'll have to judge for myself!

Luis was totally and utterly speechless after reading the letter from Larry Bird. He had no idea what to say. “Sheridan, thank you” he finally said with genuine emotion. “This was a really nice thing to do.”

“You know, you really shouldn't have done this” he said, “but I have to admit, I love the jersey and I can't tell you how much the scholarships will mean to whichever kids get them. It's fantastic.”

“Well, as I said, it's just a small token of thanks for saving my life” she smiled. Sheridan was relieved that Luis was pleased with the present. She wasn't sure if he would accept it, since it was her being a Crane that gave her the opportunity to work with Larry Bird and get to know him.

Luis smiled at Sheridan, still in awe of the wonderful gift he'd received. It amazed him that she took the time to find something so personal, something that would hold deep meaning for him for a long time to come. “Thanks again Sheridan” Luis said. Without thinking, he walked close to her and held her arms gently. He gingerly placed a kiss on her cheek before he had a chance to realize what he was doing. Sheridan felt her face turn hot as she felt his lips lightly caress her cheek. She shyly looked up and swore she saw Luis blush, but he turned and left so quickly, she couldn't tell for sure. She sighed in satisfaction as she watched Luis disappear from the Book Café.

“My, you are certainly in a good mood Luis” Pilar commented as she just stared at her son as he grabbed a can of coke out of the refrigerator. She saw a box tucked under his arm that he didn't seem to want to let go of.

Luis couldn't keep the grin off his face. “You got me Mama” Luis laughed. “Yes it does have everything to do with the contents of this box.” Luis placed the box on the kitchen table and opened it, gently removing the precious jersey from the container. He held it up in full view for his mother to see.

Luis took a sip of his soda and handed his mother the letter he'd received with the jersey. Pilar read the letter and she was in almost as much shock as Luis had been earlier when he read it for the first time.

“Yes I thanked her for it Mama” Luis interrupted. “And I had a long talk with Sheridan last night. I promised her I wouldn't ever mention her family in front of her. I'm doing my best to get along with her.”

Luis sat down to his computer after hanging up his prized jersey and pinning his personal note from Larry Bird on his cork board. He laughed to himself when he thought about actually framing that letter. He felt silly at the idea, but after all this was Larry Bird, not just anyone. He hadn't had a chance to check his mail this morning and hoped there would be a note from KC. He was pleased to find there was mail waiting for him.

I am so sorry that you had such a terrible experience. You're right, you've never told me what you do, but I can only imagine how difficult it must be for you regardless of your occupation to take another life. It sounds to me as if you did what had to be done, still my heart goes out to you. I imagine the woman whose life you saved will be grateful to you forever. I always believed you were the hero type Pezz and this just proves it.

I hope you are still getting paid on administrative leave. I'm not an expert, but it seems to me that's the type of suspension when they do pay you? I sure hope so. It would be a disservice to the people of Harmony if they didn't. I for one feel safer knowing you are out there protecting me. It is a credit to the force to have someone as dedicated and caring as you out there.

I'm grateful you've decided to forgive me Pezz. I don't know how well I would have taken it if you hadn't. As I mentioned before, your letters mean the world to me as do our chats. I will be home tonight and would love to chat with you. As sorry as I am that you are unable to work for the time being, part of me is glad as we'll be able to spend more time together. Talking or emailing I mean.

I have a busy day ahead of me. As before, my days will be pretty full, but I should be home in the evenings. I'll be on the computer after eight tonight if you feel the need to chat.

Sheridan paced her living room floor in deep thought. Her mind was filled with thoughts of Luis, Pezz and everything that had happened in the last few months involving both men. “Both men” she said as she paced. “Both men are really one man” she mumbled. She stopped in front of her couch and threw her hands in the air. “What am I going to do?” She asked herself as she lowered herself to the couch.

Even though Sheridan was torn, she knew one thing. She didn't want to lose Pezz. She cherished the friendship she'd developed with him and until she discovered he was Luis was sure they would develop a much deeper relationship. Now that she knew Pezz was Luis, she needed to rethink everything.

Luis had hurt her with his cruel words, but she honestly believed he felt badly for his behavior. He'd apologized to her and told KC how terrible he felt. During the time she'd spent with him since the botched meeting, Luis had done everything he could to be considerate of her as well as make an effort to get along with her. She also felt something every time she was in his presence. It was something she couldn't quite explain, but she was pretty sure Luis felt it too. Her mind thought back to all of her pleasant moments alone with Luis and she felt her heart flutter just thinking about them. Despite the fights she'd had with him, she'd also seen some of the qualities in him that she knew Pezz possessed and she wanted to learn more about him.

She closed her eyes and remembered the feeling of being wrapped in his arms during the dance they shared, the feeling of safety and security she felt after the mugging and the feeling of how soft his lips felt when they brushed her cheek just a short time ago. The feeling was incredible and that simple gesture left her wanting more.

“I must be crazy” she said out loud standing up again, “but I think I want Luis. I want to get to know him, the person I know he really is when he's not prejudiced by the Crane name. I wonder if Jay is home yet from taking her Grandmother to the doctor's office?”

Sheridan picked up the phone and dialed Jay's mother's house. She was relieved when she found Jay was home. She quickly explained to her that she wanted to meet and discuss Luis and couldn't hold back her smile when Jay told her that “Sheridan and Luis” were her favorite topic. Jay agreed to meet her in half an hour by the water. Sheridan decided that since she had a few minutes before meeting Jay, she'd email Godis and BabyShuis and bring them up to speed. When she'd written them her last email she'd been vague and didn't tell them much except that she and the man she saw was Pezz didn't get along.

When she signed on line, Sheridan saw she had at least a dozen emails from BabyShuis and Godis. She hadn't really felt like reading much mail before and now she didn't have time to read it, but she managed to read the most current note from each and then began to reply.

I'm sorry my last email was such a downer, but as I told you, my almost meeting was anything but what I expected. I told you that the man who turned out to be Pezz and I don't get along, but I didn't tell you that he is the same man that I've already told you about. The one person who has made my life miserable since my return to Harmony.

I mentioned that I didn't meet Pezz, but I did talk to him, but not as KC, as the woman he despises. It was a very disturbing meeting and some very cruel and hurtful things were said. I was hurt beyond words.

Initially I was heartbroken. How could my Pezz turn out to be the one man in Harmony that hates me because of something my family may or may not have done to his family in the past? I was still reeling from it all when I was faced with another devastating situation. I was mugged and held at knife point. I truly thought I was going to die when a local police officer came to my rescue. He saved me from the mugger and was forced to shoot the assailant in the process. Any guesses who this man is? If you guessed Pezz, you're right.

I am in a state of confusion right now. Pezz has no idea that KC and I are the same person. He has also apologized to me for his hurtful remarks. I don't know if I am explaining this clearly or not, but then again, this is not an everyday situation. I wouldn't believe it if I were not stuck right in the middle of it.

What I need you to understand now is that Pezz and KC are friends again, though we still haven't met and I am about to make a decision to change my whole life. I'm on my way to meet a woman who has become a very good friend to me who is also best friends with Pezz. For some reason I can't get Pezz and his alter ego out of my head. I think I want to try to get to know him better, despite everything that has happened. There is just something about him....

I promise I'll write more later and try to explain this more clearly. For now, all you need to know if I do decide to go follow my heart and not my head, things will be very different for me.

Sheridan quickly hit the send key on her computer. She grabbed her sweater which was hanging on the back of her chair and headed out the cottage door to meet Jay. She was about to make the biggest decision of her life.

Sheridan paced anxiously at the end of the pier waiting for Jay to arrive. So many thoughts were going through her head right now causing her to be completely flustered. As many times as she'd surveyed the docks looking for Jay, she nearly jumped out of her skin when Jay seemingly snuck up behind her.

Sheridan nodded. She already knew the answer to the question, but she needed affirmation from Jay in order to ask the questions on her mind. "As his friend" Sheridan continued before Jay could say anything else, "do you believe he really meant it when he apologized to me?" Sheridan was visibly nervous and almost was afraid to ask the question.

“Of course he saved my life. He was on duty. He had to stop the mugger. He would have done the same for anyone.” Sheridan was barely conscious of the fact that Jay was there right now. She was at war with herself and Jay was the lucky witness to the event.

"Sheridan, Slow down! Take a breath and let me get a word in" Jay said determinedly. "First, I've told you before that Luis doesn't hate you. Second, Luis would not have apologized to you if he didn't mean it sincerely."

“I pray you're right” Sheridan said. “I really want him to be sincere in his promise to not bring up my family” Sheridan sighed in frustration. “If only my last name wasn't Crane I wouldn't be in this mess.”

Sheridan took Jay's remark as a “no” but in the delicate mood she was in right now, she probably would have taken just about any response as a no. She frowned at first and then smiled wryly as she once again began walking, briskly this time. “That's about what I figured” Sheridan said.

Sheridan was still frustrated, despite Jay's light attitude to the whole subject. “Jay, I just don't know what to do. The minute Luis finds out KC and I are the same person, he'll never want anything to do with either one of us again. So what am I going to do?”

"I think you need to make absolutely certain that you know what you want. And, I think you should start by asking yourself who it is you want and why you want them. So let me ask you, do you want Luis or Pezz?"

“Jay, I wish I knew what it was about Luis that made me feel the way I do” Sheridan began. “It would make sense that it's knowing he's Pezz that has me attracted to him, but if the truth be known, I was attracted to Luis before I found out he was Pezz.”

“It's not even because Luis is incredibly handsome and sexy either. I've known hundreds of men with killer good looks and bodies to die for and none of them ever made me feel this way.”

“I can't explain it Jay” Sheridan said in frustration. “If I had to use one word I'd have to say connected. Somehow I feel a connection with him that goes beyond anything I've ever experienced before.”

“Maybe it's because we seem to want the same things out of life, even though we are from two completely different worlds. The first thing I noticed was at the Youth Center the first day we met. He was so good with those children. He still is and what he is doing with those kids at the Youth Center is something I have dreamed about for a long time.”

“Whatever it is Jay, I want a chance to get to know him better. I know Pezz would love to have a relationship with KC, but I don't know if Luis will feel the same way when he finds out that I'm KC. I don't know if I can risk getting hurt again, if Luis can't get over his prejudice of my family.”

"I need something to help me think. What do say we go get some ice cream?" Jay suggested. "Don't worry Sheridan. We'll figure something out. What Pezz and KC have is very special and there's got to be a way to find out if Luis and Sheridan are meant to have that same kind of special connection without you or Luis getting hurt in the process."

Luis glanced at his watch and saw it was still early. He still had a few hours to go before KC would be online and he couldn't just sit around and do nothing. He walked back downstairs to the kitchen to tell his mother where he was going.

Sheridan laughed as she walked over to a bench near by and sat down. “Don't pay any attention to me. I'm just going to sit here and wait. I have my heart set on a cone of mint chocolate chip with colored sprinkles and nothing is going to stop me.”

"Well, it's not fully formed yet, but ..... I was thinking ..... Luis has told me how much he likes talking with KC. And, you've told me that KC and Pezz have a great time together when you talk online, right?"

Sheridan lit up. “The best time Jay. We talk about anything and everything. Since Pezz and I don't really know much about each others lives outside of what we talk about online, there is nothing stopping us from letting loose. Pezz doesn't judge me based on my family or any other preconceived notions. The same goes for me. We're just two people with a lot in common.”

"Well, if KC and Pezz have a lot in common, then so do Sheridan and Luis" Jay pointed out. "You're already seeing Pezz in things that Luis says and does. So it seems like Luis should get the chance to see KC in the things Sheridan says and does. Why not try to talk to Luis about some of the same things that KC and Pezz have talked about? See if you can recreate that special communication."

"That's exactly what I'm talking about" Jay said. "Now that Luis has promised to stop holding the Crane name against you, the two of you can start to be friends. As your friend, Luis can discover things he likes about KC in Sheridan. Maybe your real life friendship will develop into more the same way as Pezz and KC's internet friendship grew."

"Sheridan, I have to warn you about something though" Jay said. "Two things actually. The first is that Luis is going to fight his feelings for you and not just because you are a Crane. Luis has very strong feelings for KC and I think he is well on his way to falling in love with her. But Luis has always been a one-woman kind of guy and no matter what he starts to feel for Sheridan, he's not going to want to cheat on KC."

"Yes, but he's not going to know that" Jay said. "The other thing you have to be prepared for is Luis' reaction to the fact that you are keeping the information about you being KC from him. When he finds out the truth, he's not going to like it. But, I can also tell you that while Luis has a temper, he can also be very forgiving with those he cares about."

"True, if Luis found out now, I don't think he would be able to deal with it” Jay nodded. "But you can't keep this information a secret from Luis forever. I can't keep it a secret for very long. I can't and I won't. Luis has based his whole life on honesty and keeping your identity as KC from him is dishonest. I think we can keep this secret for a short period of time, say the next week or so, in order to see what happens between the two of you. But it can't go on much longer than that. One of us will have to tell him."

"Sheridan, I'm going along with now because for quite some time I've had a strong feeling that you and Luis belong together. I also can't see any other way of finding out if that is true. But you should know that if he asks me a direct question, I won't lie to him. Our friendship has been based on honestly, sometimes brutal honesty and I value him and our friendship too much to keep him in the dark for very long. I won't risk losing his friendship for anything. But I also want Luis to be happy and I knew that Beth would never make him truly happy. KC makes him happy and if there's a chance that Sheridan could be the woman to make Luis happy, then we have to try this, for his sake and yours.”

“Look! They opened and we didn't see them!” Sheridan exclaimed. She jumped up and took her place in line. “Ever since you mentioned ice cream I haven't been able to get the idea out of my head.”

Jay and Sheridan turned and saw Luis standing there wearing his signature grin. Sheridan couldn't help the smile from forming on her face when she was greeted with such a pleasant smile. The intensity in which he stared at her right now made her knees weak.

Luis paid for cones for all three and he and Sheridan didn't miss a beat teasing each other about which was better, chocolate or colored sprinkles. Jay watched in amusement when her cell phone went off. She answered it quickly and a moment later she put it back in her pocket and turned to Sheridan and Luis.

“Mom just called and she needs me to help get Grandma to bed. She's mad because they preempted Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy for local coverage of the Carnival. Something about a well known band is playing there tonight and tomorrow and the local affiliate is covering it. Anyway, since her programs aren't on now, she is insisting on going to bed early.”

Sheridan and Luis slowly walked in the direction of the parking lot, neither one saying much, just enjoying their ice cream. Luis was still reeling at the fact that Sheridan had been to a concert. “Tell me Sheridan” Luis asked, “what other concerts have you been to besides Bruce?”

“Most of the concerts I've seen have been right here in Harmony at the Summer Carnival” Luis admitted. “My friend Hank and I would sneak into them when we were kids. Most of the time we'd get caught, but it was fun while it lasted.” Luis laughed at the memory. “I tried to get Beth, that's my ex-girlfriend” he explained, “to go to a few with me, but she was never really interested. We had very different tastes in music.”

“Sheridan, would you like me to see if I can find a ticket for you as well for tomorrow night's concert?” Luis asked nonchalantly. “I'll be looking for one for Jay anyway. It should be a good show.”

Sheridan laughed slightly at his remark. “Well then, thank you very much for the ice cream cone and I guess I'll see you in the morning” she smiled as she inserted the key in the lock. She was about to open the door when Luis did it for her. She smiled in appreciation at him.

“Thank you Luis” she said. She was impressed. Not many men still treated women like ladies, never mind women from families they disliked. She gingerly climbed into her car and opened the window as Luis gently closed the door once she was settled.

“You're welcome” he smiled warmly as he leaned his head down towards the opened window. “I'll let you know tomorrow if I had any luck finding those tickets. I think I know where I can find a couple.”

Luis sauntered into his room and tossed his keys on his desk. His mind wandered back to the wharf and his encounter with Sheridan. He smiled to himself when he thought about their mutual fondness for mint chocolate chip ice cream. “Colored sprinkles” he laughed as he sat down to his computer.

Luis checked his watch and it was a few minutes before eight. He checked and KC wasn't on line yet. He sighed and again found his mind drifting to Sheridan while he waited. He caught himself quickly though. “What am I doing?” He asked himself. Luis shook his head to try and rid himself of these thoughts.

Thank you for your kind and encouraging words. As difficult as this is for me not being at work, I understand the need for the process. It doesn't mean I like it, but I understand it. No matter though. I have enough to keep me busy with my volunteer job. This week is the Harmony Carnival as well, so there is much to keep me occupied.

Tomorrow will be a very busy day for me. I'm going bowling with a bunch of kids in the morning and then in the afternoon taking them to a ceramics shop. I've never been, but I understand it's fun. Have you ever had an interest in ceramics?

“Well, I guess I should unblock myself and see if you're online.” Sheridan unblocked her screen name and sure enough the first person who popped up was Pezz. She immediately sent him an IM.

KCGirl: I'm glad you're coming to terms with your anger Pezz. I have to tell you, I was shocked to learn that you could act in such a manner. I never would have believed it if I hadn't heard it from you.

KCGirl: You're funny! For starters, you aren't sure what I look like, not to mention I'm not sure I'll be going. We won't even discuss the fact that there will be thousands of people there.