Just in the Line of Duty

Sam Bennett was exhausted as he walked into the Book Cafe. He saw Beth working at the counter and walked over to her. "Hi Beth," Sam said tiredly. "I'd like a cup of your strongest coffee and a muffin if you don't mind."

Sam let out a half-hearted laugh. "Tired?" he said. "Let's just say it's been a busy day for Harmony law enforcement. Any day when an officer is shot in the line of duty, is a really rough one, Beth." Sam now carried a grim look on his face.

"We don't know yet. He was taken into emergency surgery a few hours ago and we haven't heard anything yet. It didn't look good, but we are all praying for him as well as his family" Sam continued solemnly as he paid for his coffee and muffin.

"Thanks Beth" Sam said as he headed towards the door. "I appreciate that. I'm on my way over to the hospital now to see if there is any news." Sam opened the door to the Book Cafe and almost ran right into his brother Hank.

"One of his officer's was shot today. He's really worried about him" Beth told Hank. "I guess the guy is in surgery and it doesn't look good for him. He's on his way over to the hospital now."

"Speaking of Luis, I haven't seen him in awhile" Hank said with a boyish grin. "Let me guess, you've been keeping him so busy, he hasn't had time to remember who Sheridan Crane is, never mind that he misses her." Hank was giddy at the thought. "You see I told you Beth, you and Luis were meant to be, the same as Sheridan and I were meant to be." He threw his hands in the air and flashed her his cocky smile.

"Hank, I hate to tell you this," Beth frowned, "But I haven't seen Luis in weeks. He hasn't stopped in here, nor has he been at the Youth Center. Theresa hasn't even seen him."

"That's odd" Hank said thoughtfully. "I've been busy lately and haven't had time to see him. "Maybe I'll take a walk and drop by the station later tonight. He usually works late. If not, I'll stop by his house later." Hank paused for a moment, then smiled at Beth. "Hey, why don't you come with me Beth? We'll take a nice walk, go find Luis, then I'll leave the two of you alone and let you work your charm with him."

Beth smiled slightly at the thought of seeing Luis. "OK Hank" she said. "It's about time to close up here anyway. Give me a few minutes to close up and I'll be right with you."

Hank gave Beth a huge grin, as he plotted to get Luis and Beth together before Ethan's wedding. He knew Sheridan would be returning to Harmony for it and he planned to have Luis and Beth the hottest couple in Harmony before that happened. "Soon Sheridan Crane will be all mine" he said quietly to himself.

Luis and Sheridan had finally parted their kiss after what seemed like an eternity. Both were completely breathless, as they hadn't come up for air since their lips met. As the kiss ended, Luis tightened his hold of Sheridan and pulled her close to him. She responded in turn by wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. She rested her head under his chin and closed her

eyes. She had a huge smile on her face as she enjoyed finally being this close to Luis. Luis too wore a smile. He gently kissed the top of her head as he held her in his arms. After a few minutes of silent pleasure, Luis finally spoke.

Sheridan looked up into his eyes and returned the smile. "I'm not sure Luis" she said coyly. "I think we may be able to make it work, but I'd like to try this again just to make sure. What do you think?"

"I think I'd have to agree with your assessment of the situation Miss Crane" he smiled as he caressed her face. The smile suddenly faded from Luis' face. He brought his other hand up to Sheridan's face and gently held her face in both hands. "Sheridan, I've changed my mind" he said.

Sheridan smile as well was now gone. She began thinking maybe she'd been hoping for too much. Maybe the kiss didn't mean as much to Luis as it did to her? Maybe he thought it had all been a big mistake?

Luis pulled her in for another kiss. The kiss lasted only a moment, but what it lacked in length, it made up for in intensity. Sheridan's knees started to buckle as Luis built the intensity of the kiss to a new height. Slowly Luis pulled back, lowering his hands to her waist and pulled her close to him.

"Sheridan, let me explain something to you. You and I have had a big problem with communicating for some reason. And it almost happened again. When I said I've changed my mind, all I meant was I didn't agree with your assessment about needing another kiss to make up my mind. Right now I think we need to be totally honest with each other, so there are no

Luis continued to hold Sheridan in his arms. Neither one broke their gaze. "The kiss we shared a few minutes ago was the most electrifying kiss I've ever experienced. If ever there were a relationship I wanted to work this is it. The reason I kissed you again, was not to make a decision, but to show you how much I care about you and because kissing you takes me to another place Sheridan. It takes me to someplace that I can't even begin to fully explain, because I don't understand it myself. I've never had these feelings about anyone before in my life."

Sheridan smiled at Luis as he poured his heart out to her. He was giving her a smile that caused her stomach to do flips. "Well, Luis, if it's honesty you want, then it's honesty you will get" Sheridan said with a sparkle in her eyes. She stood back from Luis and smiled up at him.

"I apologize for saying I needed another kiss just to make sure. That wasn't true. I already know that I want a relationship with you. I've known it in my heart for sometime now." Sheridan just stared at Luis with his big brown eyes looking at her in a way that caused a foolish grin to stay plastered to her face. "I've dreamed about kissing you since just after New Years and that night you kissed me on the wharf was the happiest I'd been... Until tonight."

"I'd say that was a great idea Luis" she said grinning. "But if you don't mind, I'd like to check on Ethan at the hospital first. And see how that other police officer is. I feel responsible for him being shot." She now had a solemn face.

"Good idea. I'd like to see how Silvano is doing myself" Luis said. But Sheridan, understand this. In no way is any of this your fault. Roger and Pierre are the ones responsible for this, not you."

"Sheridan, even if you'd listened to me, they still would have come. Instead of Silvano it may have been another officer or even me that was shot. It doesn't matter. You did NOTHING wrong. You must believe that. This is the way those drug lords operate. They stop at nothing to get what they want. What they wanted was you dead. Fortunately, this time we got them instead of them getting you. Now, Shall we go?" Luis gave her a sly grin as she smiled gratefully at him. Luis extended his arm motioning Sheridan to begin walking. He then held out his hand for her to take. She gave Luis a shy smile as she placed her hand in his. They began walking back to the police station to get Luis' car, so they could go check on things at the hospital.

Ivy Crane sat at her son's bedside and held his hand. She talked endlessly to him and she had a small smile on her face as she watched him begin to stir as he lay there. "Ethan? Ethan? It's your mother" Ivy said gently, but her voice strong. "I'm here darling. You're going to be just

Ethan continued to stir, but he did not open his eyes. Dr. Russell walked in to check on her patient. "I see Ethan is starting to move around a bit. That's a good sign. He should be awake before too long, Ivy" Eve said. She was being as civil to Ivy as possible considering the circumstances. No matter what Ivy has done, Ethan did not deserve what happened to him and she was going to take the best care of him she knew how. Eve turned to leave after checking Ethan's condition.

"Thank-you Eve" Ivy said quietly, not even looking up from her son. Eve gave a quick smile and left. Ivy rested her head on the bed next to Ethan. She continued holding his hand and talking to him. She didn't even notice Sam as he entered the room. Sam stood there for a moment watching Ivy as she talked endlessly to Ethan, waiting for him to awaken.

Ivy whirled around at the sound of Sam's voice. "Sam!" Ivy exclaimed. "He's starting to move a bit, but he hasn't opened his eyes yet. Eve seems to think this is a good sign and that he will be waking up soon." She had a look of hope in her eyes. Hope for Ethan and hope for Sam. `He still cares, or he wouldn't be here' she thought.

"Thank you Ivy" Sam said nervously. He was about to back away when the door to Ethan's room opened once more. This time it was Sheridan and Luis that entered, hand in hand. Ivy noticed their hands locked tightly together immediately and smiled. I knew that those two would get together despite Julian and Alistair's interfering. Nothing can interfere with true love.' She smiled for another moment at Sheridan and Luis and then turned her gaze to Sam.

"Luis, Sheridan" Sam said as they entered the room. "I see you two are speaking again?" Sam asked rhetorically. He knew the answer to this of course, as he to noticed the grip they had on each other. Both merely smiled at Sam.

Eve gave Sam and Luis a grave smile. "He's still in surgery. The bullet was very close to his heart, but missed it from what I understand. That is very good news. He's lost a lot of blood, but he's young and strong. It's still touch and go, but things aren't quite as bad as they looked earlier."

"Yes, Thank you" Luis added with some relief. "At least he's still hanging in there. Oh, by the way, how are the prisoners? I'm not interested in details, just are they going to live or die?"

"Both Roger and Pierre will both live. Pierre just has a concussion, Roger is out of surgery and is doing fine" Eve reported. "Now if you will excuse me, I need to get something for Ethan."

Eve Russell returned and gave Ethan a shot for his headache. "I am very glad to see my patient awake" she smiled at him. "This is a codeine shot, Ethan. It is the best medicine we have for headaches. You should feel better in a few minutes."

Sheridan smiled at Eve. "I'm better than I have been in weeks" Dr. Russell. "Ethan is going to be fine, the men who have been trying to kill me have been caught and ... Everything is WONDERFUL!" Sheridan said beaming.

"I'm happy for you Sheridan. Very happy for you" Ethan said getting sleepier by the minute. "I'm going to take a nap now." With that Ethan drifted off due to the effects of the headache medicine.

"Ethan will probably sleep for a few more hours. When he wakes up he will feel like a new person and can go home in all likelihood. Ivy, you may stay if you wish, but Ethan does need his rest now" Eve explained as Sam and Luis quietly re-entered the room.

"It's ok, Dr. Russell. I'll be going. I need to get home anyway," Sheridan said. Her face suddenly turned into a frown. "What am I talking about. I can't go to the cottage tonight. It will still have all the remnants from this afternoon there. Police tape, blood all over." Sheridan

Luis was intrigued by the fact that Sheridan didn't want to sleep in the main house. She looked petrified at the thought of it, but her immediate need was a place to spend the night.

"I'll just check into a hotel" Sheridan said. "I'll just stay there until the mess is cleaned up." Sheridan was relieved she'd come up with a quick solution for herself. She knew everyone must want to know why she couldn't stay at the mansion and wasn't up to an inquisition.

"Sheridan" Luis said seriously. "You could never be an imposition. I'm going to call Mama right now and let her know what's going on. I owe her a phone call anyway." Luis didn't wait for a response. He left the room before Sheridan could utter another word. He left her standing there with a slightly embarrassed look on her face. Ivy smiled broadly and Eve and Sam kept their smiles to a minimum.

Hank and Beth left the station. "Why on earth would Luis take a few days off now?" Hank asked. Just a little while ago he was hear morning noon and night. He said he was pushing to make detective and couldn't even take time off to run the Youth Center. I don't get it Beth!"

"Let's go to Luis' house. If he's not there at least Pilar will know where he is. He would never take off and not let her know where he was going" Hank said a touch annoyed that he was unable to locate his friend. He didn't know why, but it was really beginning to bother him. "This just isn't like Luis, Beth."

Hank looked at his watch. "Nah!" he said. "This is Pilar's late night to work at the Cranes. She probably won't even be getting home for an hour or so. We can just walk around until I'm sure she'll be home."

Luis walked away from Ethan's room and flipped open his cell phone. He started dialing a number when he heard a familiar voice coming towards him. "Luis!! Hijo!" Pilar said loudly and excitedly enough to get Luis' attention.

"Mama!" Luis greeted as he walked up to his mother. "Mama, it's so good to see you." Luis threw his arms around his mother and gave her a great big hug. Luis was grinning from ear to ear. "I was just about to call you Mama" he continued excitedly.

Sheridan just emerged from Ethan's room. She spotted Pilar and Luis, but they had not noticed her presence at this time. She just stood next to the door and threw her head back, closing her eyes. She would wait to greet Pilar until after Luis was finished, as he had not seen his mother since he had returned to Harmony.

Sheridan had opened her eyes to witness Luis picking his mother up and swinging her around. She smiled to herself thinking about all the love in the Lopez-Fitzgerald family. She so much wanted that in her own family, but never had it. As a child, Pilar had given Sheridan a taste of what real family love should be. She'd never forgotten that and promised herself that someday she'd have a family as loving as Pilar's family.

Sheridan stood there in shock. She'd never expected to hear a conversation like this, otherwise she would have left, but she had heard it. Luis was in love with her! She felt her insides knot up. She wanted to scream out I love you too,to Luis' but couldn't. She couldn't move. It was almost as if she were frozen in place. She just stood there listening to this conversation.

"Pretty much, Mama" Luis said. "So much had happened in the last few days. There is so much I have to tell you. But I do have a question to ask you. Is it all right if Sheridan stays at our house for a few days until she can move back into her cottage? Ivy told her she could stay at the main house, but Sheridan almost freaked out at the thought of it. Then Ivy apologized for making the offer. I have no idea what that was all about."

"Yes, I see" Pilar said knowing why Sheridan refused to spend a night at the mansion. "Of course she may stay with us, Luis. You will tell me why Sheridan is unable to stay at the cottage?"

"Yes, Mama. Ivy is with him. He'll probably be released in a few hours" Luis explained. "Like I said Mama, I have a lot to tell you. Right now I need to get Sheridan out of here. She's had a very long day and needs to get some rest."

"No, Mama! Of course not!" Luis said, his cheeks flushed. "I'm not even sure exactly how Sheridan feels about me. I mean, neither one of us has told the other how we feel. We shared a kiss and that's all." Luis took a deep breath and entered a near trance like state as he happily recalled their kiss.

"It was, Mama. For both of us. That we agreed on. Sheridan and I still have a lot of issues to work out, but we've both agreed we think this relationship is worth fighting for. And I for one, will fight ANYONE who tries to interfere."

“Luis, I am very happy for you" Pilar said. "I never wanted anything for my children except their happiness. Sheridan is a wonderful woman. I told you that long ago, when you disagreed with me."

Luis laughed. He indeed remembered how his mother tried to convince him what a wonderful person Sheridan was. "I remember. I thought you were crazy at the time. I now realize you were right all along. It just took me a little longer to see it for myself."

The door to Ethan's room opened and Eve Russell, Sam and Ivy came out of the room. Sheridan was now standing behind the other three, looking like she'd just emerged from there as well. Sheridan was still in shock over the conversation she'd just overheard. She knew she had to tell Luis, but now for now she was still in shock over the conversation she'd overheard. She joined the others as they made their way over towards Luis and Pilar.

When the group arrived in front of Luis and Pilar, Pilar saw Sheridan standing there. "Sheridan!" she said with relief and happiness in her voice, as she gave Sheridan a hug. "I am so glad to see you are all right. When Luis left for Paris I feared for your life. I have never seen my son so frightened."

Sheridan was genuinely pleased by the greeting she received from Pilar. With the exception of Ethan, she always felt her own family could care less if she lived or died. "Thank you Pilar" was all Sheridan could say. Tears of happiness escaped her eyes.

"I'm thanking you for always being there for me and caring about me. I'm also thanking you for having such a wonderful son" she said gazing up at Luis, staring deeply into his eyes. "I owe him my life. You should be very proud of him Pilar." Luis smiled back at Sheridan and the two just stared at each other for a moment. Pilar's gaze shifted between the two and she smiled.

"I am proud of him Sheridan" Pilar said. "Very proud of him. I also wanted to tell you Sheridan, you are most welcome to stay in our home. I understand your not wanting to stay in the mansion. You may stay with us as long as you like."

"I received a call while you were talking to your mother, from the Boston P.D" Sam said. "It seems that Interpol and the Gendarmes will be in Harmony tomorrow. This is going to be a big investigation. They want Tina back in Harmony until the investigation is over, since she was part of the capture. So, Tina had been temporarily assigned to the Harmony P.D. I'm going to assign her as your partner since Silvano is out of action for awhile. You two worked well together. I told her Captain that as well."

"I thought you'd be happy to hear the news, Luis. "I'll call you tomorrow when we need you and Sheridan at the station," Sam said. "I know you too need to catch up on sleep, so I'll try to make it as late as possible."

"All right Mama" Luis said. "We'll see you in a little while then." Luis escorted Sheridan out of the hospital. Once in the car Luis said to Sheridan, "Lets go!" Sheridan smiled at Luis as he left the hospital parking lot.

Hank and Beth approached the Lopez-Fitzgerald house and found it in darkness. Hank looked at his watch. "It's still a little early. Pilar must not be back from the Crane mansion yet" Hank said trying to hide his anger. The longer he looked for Luis without finding him, the more he knew Luis was up to something he wouldn't like. `But what?'he thought to himself.

"Yeah I remember, Beth," Hank said visibly disappointed. He joined her as she walked away from the house. "I'll walk you home and stop back again, just in case on my way to the B&B."

"It is nice to be home Sheridan" Luis said as he sat down on the couch and sprawled out. "Don't get me wrong, I love seeing other places, but Harmony is my home. I also think I would have appreciated Paris more under different circumstances." He gave Sheridan a sly smile. "I did enjoy my one day with own personal tour guide."

"Well maybe some day you can go back and have another personal tour" Sheridan said impishly. "I don't know if your tour guide would want to revisit any balconies or ledges, but the rest of Paris would be lovely."

Sheridan blushed slightly and slowly walked over to the couch. She held out her hands to Luis and he pulled her onto the couch next to him. They sat side by side, their faces only inches apart. Sheridan inhaled sharply as she was deeply affected by their closeness. She felt her heart pounding as she lost herself in Luis' smiling brown eyes.

"I believe we have a kiss to finish Sheridan" he said in a raspy voice that sent chills through Sheridan's body. The two moved closer to each other, until their lips met. The kiss started out slowly but quickly intensified. Luis put his hand behind Sheridan's neck pulling her as closely to him as possible.

Sheridan's hands began rifling Luis' hair. Luis parted their lips deepening the kiss, which caused Sheridan to let out a slight moan. She felt her body heat begin to rise, her hands now leaving Luis hair, moving to his chest. Luis in turn gasped, kissing her harder until he finally broke the

"Sheridan, I don't know what came over me" Luis said. "It's just that whenever I get near you I seem to lose all control. I've never felt this way about anyone in my life." Luis, still breathless, just stared at the woman who was sitting in front of him. His gaze kept going from her eyes to her lips and back again.

"Luis, please don't apologize for kissing me. I too have never felt this way about anyone and having you kiss me like that is about the most wonderful feeling in the world." Sheridan gave Luis a sweet smile. Luis leaned in and gently kissed Sheridan on the lips. He was about to kiss her again when they heard the front door opening. They quickly separated and watched Pilar, as she walked into the living room. Pilar removed her coat and walked over to her son and Sheridan.

Sheridan stood up to face Luis. She had a half smile on her face, but she was determined. "Luis, I've slept on couches before. I'll be fine right here" she said pointing to the couch.

No one noticed Theresa as she quietly walked into the living room from the kitchen. She stood there and watched Sheridan and Luis as it looked like they were going to begin to have one of their famous fights.

"Luis look, I don't want to be responsible for you waking up in the morning with a kink in your back" Sheridan said flatly. "I'm the one intruding, so I will sleep on the couch."

"Well, if I get a kink in my back, then I'll just have to get you to give me a massage, now won't I?" Luis said with mocked anger. His wore no smile on his face, but his eyes were dancing.

"Does this mean you back down Miss Crane?" Luis asked curiously. He cocked his head to the side, putting one side of his head toward Sheridan, with his hand behind his ear. He was waiting to hear her answer.

Sheridan caught Luis' gaze. She felt her cheeks get warm. "I believe so" she said demurely, never losing eye contact with Luis. Luis' grin broadened upon hearing Sheridan's words.

Theresa saw the looks the two were giving each other. "I see" she said knowingly. Theresa was ecstatic that Luis and Sheridan had made up. "Well, I'm glad you will be staying in Harmony and I know Ethan will be thrilled. Does Ethan know you're back yet?"

Theresa noticed the look on Sheridan's face. She then glanced over at her mother and brother and saw similar looks on their faces. Suddenly Theresa went pale. "What's going on here? Is Ethan all right?"

Sheridan walked over to Theresa. "Ethan will be just fine, Theresa. He's in the hospital right now, but he should be released in a few hours" Sheridan said with encouragement.

Theresa's mind was racing. She wanted to run out the door and go to the hospital to see him, but Luis was standing right there. Sheridan also was Gwen's friend. Still with the panicked look on her face, she looked at Pilar, who she knew would understand her dilemma. "What happened to him? Why is he in the hospital?" she asked, trying not to show how upset she really was, but it was fairly obvious.

"That's right Theresa" Sheridan said soothingly. "It's a long story what happened to Ethan, but basically he was shot by a tranquillizer dart. It just caused him to sleep for a few hours and he woke up with a terrible headache. Dr. Russell gave him a painkiller for his headache before we left the hospital and he went back to sleep. Dr. Russell said he'd probably go home when he wakes again."

"Luis and Sheridan are going to explain everything now, Theresita" Pilar said. "I'll go put on some coffee and then we can talk." Pilar walked into the kitchen and started the coffee.

"I saw someone down at the docks one night that looked just like Luis, sounded just like Luis talking to someone on his cell phone. He was telling them how much he hated the Crane family and now he was going to pay them back by using me" Sheridan frowned. "There were many unpleasant things said and I'd rather not go into it now. I'm just glad that I came to my senses and realized Luis couldn't possibly have said those things. I kept saying at the time if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes I wouldn't have believed it. It was like there were two different people." Sheridan's voice trailed off and she sunk back onto the couch. She now had a dismal look about her.

Luis walked behind the couch, bent over and placed his arms around her neck. He gently kissed her neck and whispered in her ear "Just remember it wasn't me. I would NEVER do anything like that to hurt you. I really care about you Sheridan. More than you can imagine." He kissed her cheek and stood up.

Pilar returned and announced there was coffee and pastries in the kitchen for everyone. Theresa, Luis and Sheridan walked into the kitchen and sat down. There was a discussion of who would eat what pastry, with Theresa getting the first choice. Sheridan laughed to herself as she watched how close this family really was. They were so at ease with each other.

"Yes Mama, it was" Luis said as he started to tell the story. "In fact, Sheridan was meant to be killed with him that night" Luis continued to tell Pilar and Theresa of their adventures in Paris, as well as Luis kidnapping her, Sheridan having Luis arrested and Roger and Pierre again trying to kill Sheridan in the states. He then told his mother what had happened weeks ago to cause Sheridan to turn on him and explained to her that Sheridan now believed it couldn't possibly be Luis that said those things.

Pilar and Theresa were totally enthralled with the story. "It's a wonder neither of you were killed!" Pilar exclaimed. "Those two drug lords sound like they really wanted to kill Sheridan."

Luis laughed. "It's just that one of the Gendarmes said the same thing to me. Luis was now turning beet red thinking about the last part of what he said. "Yeah, but he changed his mind afterwards."

"Why did he do that?" Theresa asked. Just then there was a knock on the door. Luis jumped up very glad for the interruption. Sheridan excused herself and left for the restroom while she had the chance.

"Luis, I see you are alive. I've been worried about you buddy. I haven't seen you around lately and no one seemed to know where you were" Hank said as he looked at Luis curiously.

“Hank look" Luis said defensively as he tried to gently explain to Hank why he went to Paris. "I received a fax at the police station that a drug dealer was killed in a mob hit by the name of Jean-Luc. He was killed at the exact time Sheridan returned to Harmony last summer. I kept having this gut feeling that this was Sheridan's ex-fiance and if it was, I knew she could be in danger just by being associated with Jean-Luc. As it turned out I was right. They tried to kill her three or four times in Paris and again after she returned to Harmony today."

"Hank, it really is a long story and I'd rather not explain it all again tonight, but that is the gist of it. The two drug dealers are in the hospital under police guard and Silvano is in the hospital as well in critical condition. Even Ethan was shot by a tranquillizer gun. He'll be fine in a few hours though. So as you can see, it's been a very long day" Luis finished.

Luis watched Hank and felt jealousy build inside him. He knew Sheridan had dated Hank several times in the past and also knew Hank wanted Sheridan for himself. Hank saw the look on Luis' face and felt the need to prove to him once and for all that Sheridan would be his not Luis'.

"Sheridan, it's so good to see you!, Hank said. "I knew you'd come back to Harmony soon. I guess you just couldn't bear to let a good catch like me go, huh?" Hank was grinning from ear to ear and Luis' face was getting redder by the minute. Hank also wouldn't let go of Sheridan and she was beginning to get a bit uncomfortable.

"Hank would you like some coffee and a pastry?" Pilar offered. She saw the tension building in the room. Pilar was well aware of Hank's dating history with Sheridan and also knew Hank hated losing to Luis.

"That would be great Pilar" Hank smiled. "Just so long as my best girl joins me." Hank gave Sheridan a juicy kiss on the cheek before he released her. Hank walked over to the table to sit down, but made sure Sheridan was with him and sat next to him. Pilar could see that Sheridan was very uncomfortable with the situation. She was unsure what she could do to help in this situation. Luis had seen enough at this point.

Theresa and Luis walked outside together. Luis started down the driveway with Theresa in tow. "Luis, I'm really sorry for telling Hank where you were. I didn't know he felt so strongly about Sheridan until tonight."

"It's all right Theresa" Luis said putting an arm around his sister. "Hank's just trying to show me up. He's had a few dated with Sheridan and thinks she's his private property. He made getting Sheridan into a competition with me. You know how he is with me. He never wants to lose. I told him he had a green light all the way with Sheridan before I went to Paris. Sheridan wouldn't speak to me and I was hurt and angry so I told him good luck."

Luis thought for a moment about their talk earlier and their kisses. A huge smile came across his face. He closed his eyes as he remembered how he felt kissing Sheridan. "After today Theresa, I'd really like to think not" Luis smiled.

"Theresa" Luis explained. "What happened with me and Beth was a long time ago. We were kids then. I thought I was in love with her at the time. I didn't know any better. To tell you the truth Theresa, no feelings I have ever had for a girl or woman in my life can begin to compare to the way I feel about Sheridan. It's crazy I know, but I can't help it." Luis was grinning like a schoolboy as he shared with his sister the feelings he'd kept bottled inside himself for so long.

"Luis, I'm happy for you. I really am. And I'm sure Sheridan feels the same way about you. I've seen the way she looks at you. I also saw the desperate look on her face when Hank grabbed her. She was just too polite to push him away" Theresa said.

"That's because she thought you were using her. She loved you and it was tearing her up inside. That's why she lashed out at you. She doesn't love Hank, so she doesn't want to hurt his feelings, silly" Theresa explained. "Don't you know anything about women?"

Sheridan rolled her eyes to the back of her head and propped her elbow on the table so she could use her hand to support her head as she looked away. Frustration didn't even begin to describe her feelings right now.

Pilar saw how troubled Sheridan was and tried to think of a way to get her away from Hank, even if it was only for a moment. "Hank" Pilar called loudly to him. "Could you help me gather the dishes?"

Sheridan saw this as her cue. "I left something in the car. I need to go out and get it." She didn't wait for a response, but flew out the kitchen door as fast as she could. She saw Theresa and Luis at the end of the driveway and walked over to where they were standing. "Hi" she said stood in front of them.

Sheridan sensed what Luis was thinking. "Luis about what you saw in there with Hank. There's something we need to talk about" she said quietly looking at Luis, then at the ground.

"I need to tell you about my relationship with Hank, Luis" Sheridan began as she walked over to the curb and sat down with her back to the house. Luis followed her and sat down next to her.

"Sheridan, you don't have to tell me this. I don't own you. I know you and Hank have been dating for awhile" Luis said not looking at her. Neither Sheridan or Luis heard the back door open. Hank walked out of the house and walked over to join them. He stopped at a slight distance when he heard them talking. He stood there and listened.

"Silly me" she said with slight sarcasm. Sheridan paused a moment, then continued. "Luis I had a wonderful time on our date the night before. I walked into the Youth Center looking for you. I wanted to tell you how much I'd enjoyed our evening. When I arrived there, no one was around. Then I found those roses on the bench. The card was addressed to me but wasn't signed. The card said, I would love to go out with you tonight. I was so excited when I read that. I thought you'd bought the flowers and wanted me to go out with you again. I wanted NOTHING more than to go on another date with you Luis. Before I even turned around I said out loud, `I'd love to go out with you.' When I turned around it was Hank. I was surprised to say the least."

"Yes, I was" Sheridan replied with a touch of nervousness. " Once I saw it was Hank, I lost all nerve and didn't want to hurt him. I figured one date wouldn't hurt anything. But I hurt you and I never wanted to do that." Sheridan now had a tone of sadness in her voice. "I did try to tell you, Luis" she said, “but we kept getting interrupted.”

"That whole night I kept having mixed feelings" Sheridan said. "I so much wanted to tell you later, but every person I ran into kept telling me you and I could never be. We were from two different worlds and I'd only end up hurting you. That was the last thing I wanted to do. I was torn up about my feelings for you and if we could have a relationship. Then I ran into you

“I'm really glad you did, Sheridan" Luis grinned. He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her face close to his. He rested his forehead on hers, then gently rubbed his nose against hers. He laughed slightly. "I am so glad you did" he repeated in a whisper. Sheridan was beginning to gain courage she didn't know she had and decided to go for broke.

"All right, let me explain" Sheridan said. "Ethan asked me to join him at the Seascape for New Year's Eve and told me to bring a date. I told him there was no one in Harmony I was interested in and he asked me who I pictured myself kissing at midnight."

"I went to the Youth Center to ask out the only person I could even think about kissing. I was too afraid to ask HIM in person, because I knew he'd say no, so I asked him from behind the door. The only problem was, HE wasn't there. Once again, Hank surprised me. I didn't know he was in the storage closet." Sheridan paused. "Luis, I thought it was you I was asking out."

Luis was very pleased to hear this, very pleased indeed. "Sheridan" Luis grinned broadly, "I REALLY like this new honesty and open communication between us." Luis pulled Sheridan in closer for a kiss. He kissed her passionately and she returned his kiss with equal much fervor.

"Hank, I'm sorry. I never intended to hurt you. I never intended to hurt anyone" Sheridan said with regret. "I just kept getting myself into the middle of these impossible situations and didn't know how to get out of them."

"Sheridan, if you'll remember, I gave you a chance to get out of both the New Year's Eve date as well as the Ice-Skating date. I asked you both times, if you knew it was me. BOTH TIMES YOU SAID YES!" He shouted.

"Hank, I am terribly sorry. I don't know what else I can say!" Sheridan felt terrible, but knew something like this was bound to happen someday. She knew Hank liked her, but had no idea he would become so angry. He seemed to be becoming angrier by the second.

"And Luis, my best buddy! HA!" Hank mockingly laughed. His eyes resembled those of someone demonically possessed. "You told me you had no interest in Sheridan. 'I want nothing more to do with Sheridan. If she ever comes back to Harmony she's all yours Hank!' That's what you said."

"Well, I've changed my mind again!" Luis shouted. "Sheridan and I have cleared up the misunderstanding that caused her to slap me. I probably would have felt the same way if the situation had been reversed. We've both hurt each other a great deal in the last few weeks and we are trying to set things right by being honest with each other. We want to try and start this relationship again."

"Well you could have told me you still had feelings for her, Luis. You had to have still had them or you wouldn't have been able to just pick up where you left off" Hank yelled.

"Hank, how could I tell YOU I had feelings for her when I couldn't even admit it to MYSELF? I was trying to convince myself I wanted nothing to do with her. I'm sorry Hank. It's hard to be honest with someone else when you can't be honest with yourself. I also told you at one point, it didn't matter what you or I wanted, it would be Sheridan's decision" Luis bellowed.

Sheridan was shaking at this point. Tears were beginning to fall down her cheeks. Luis gently put his arms around her and held her tight. "Let's go in" Luis said gently. They both stood up and walked into the house.

"Sheridan must have seen the look on my face when I saw Hank hanging all over her. She came outside to explain her relationship with Hank. We decided earlier today we were going to tell each other the truth about things, so she did" Luis explained. "Unfortunately for Hank, the last two dates Sheridan had with him were misunderstandings. One she thought I was asking her out and the other she thought she was asking me out. Sheridan then was afraid to straighten it out because she didn't want to hurt Hank's feelings."

"I think it's time for all of us to get some sleep. You two have had a long day. Luis, why don't you get Sheridan settled in upstairs. Where is Theresa? I thought she was outside with you?"

Luis took Sheridan by the hand and led her up to his room. When they entered the room, Sheridan suddenly realized she didn't have anything with her. Since Luis had kidnapped her, she'd never packed anything. "Luis, I don't have any clothes! Nothing!" She said in dismay.

Luis smiled. "How about a pair of sweats? I know they're not designer, but I imagine they'll be more comfortable to sleep in than the clothes you've been wearing for the last two days."

Luis gathered a pair of sweats and handed them to Sheridan. "Here you go" he said staring deeply into her eyes. "I think you will be swimming in them though" he said softly.

"That sounds great, Luis" she said smiling. "I'll see you in a few minutes then. Sheridan watched as Luis walked down the hall and smiled after him. She then closed the door and changed her clothes. Somehow wearing Luis' sweats gave Sheridan a feeling of comfort she'd never had. As tired as she was, she felt more alive than she could ever remember being before in her life. Sheridan opened the door again and then she wrapped her arms around herself and closed her eyes. She brought to mind the wonderful moments she'd spent with Luis in the last few hours.

Sheridan continued in her reverie as she stood in front of the window waiting for Luis' return. She wasn't looking out the window, just standing there in a dreamlike state. "Oh, if this is a dream, I hope I never wake up" she said out loud.

Luis had just returned with two cups of hot chocolate. He was about to make his presence known when he heard Sheridan talking. He quietly placed the mugs on his nightstand and walked up behind Sheridan. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck. "This is no dream, Sheridan. It's real." He continued to lay sensual kisses on her neck, causing her to shiver.

"I have a good idea" he said with his killer smile. Sheridan felt her heart begin to pound wildly due to her close proximity to Luis. "Do you have any idea how sexy you look right now?" Luis asked seductively.

Sheridan's entire body became hot and a lump developed in her throat preventing her from speaking. She just looked at him, gazing deep into his eyes. She saw desire and passion in his eyes, such that she'd never seen before. She felt her breathing become labored just looking at him. Suddenly Luis leaned in and kissed her fiercely on the mouth. Their lips parted, the kiss escalating to something that was almost out of control. Sheridan threw her arms around Luis, one hand rifling his hair, the other wandering up and down his back. Luis held her neck with one hand and was running his other hand up and down her side and thigh.

"Oh my God, Luis" she panted through kisses, " I've never felt like this before" She returned to kissing him, her conscious mind now a blur as she found herself totally lost in the moment.

"Neither have I Sheridan" Luis said in a deep whisper. He kissed her harder, both hands now moving up and down her body wildly. One hand came to a stop at Sheridan's breast. He gently rubbed her breast, causing Sheridan to softly moan. They both knew they had to stop, but neither willing to separate. They'd been fighting their feelings for so long. Now months of build up tensions and desire were being unleashed. They continued exploring each other, unaware they had an audience.

Now Luis felt like an idiot. `I left the door open, brilliant Luis' he thought to himself. "Oh," was all he could say. After regaining his composure a bit he said, "I'm sorry I yelled at both of you."

"That's all right Luis" Miguel said smiling. "I gotta tell you bro, that sure was some kiss! Oh, and Sheridan? I just wanted to tell you I'm glad you're back in Harmony. I'm also glad that you and Luis have made up."

"Goodnight Luis, Goodnight Sheridan" Miguel and Theresa said in chorus. The two pulled the door closed and giggled as they left. Luis caught Miguel winking just as the door was closing. He quickly ran over to his bed, grabbed a pillow and tossed it at the door. He then let out a relieved laugh.

Luis chuckled. His heart pounded when he thought Sheridan might want him as much as he wanted her. He needed to get himself in control, as he knew he shouldn't even be THINKING what he was thinking. "Sheridan, I know we agreed to take things slowly, but I don't know if I can. I lose all sense of reality when I'm near you."

"We may not even be needed tomorrow, Sheridan. We're supposed to sit tight until we're called in. Tina will be arriving with Interpol and the Gendarmes" Luis answered. "And I accept your date." He gave her his killer smile. "Where are you taking me?"

"I'm glad. I need to thank her" Sheridan said. "What would you think of a romantic picnic lunch on the beach? The weather has been wonderful, yet it's really too early for many people to be headed for the shore."

"Well I'll go find out then" Luis grinned. He gave Sheridan a quick, but passionate kiss on the lips and opened his door. "Don't you dare fall asleep without me." He smiled and ran down the hall, leaving Sheridan in shock.

Hank Bennett angrily paced the confines of his room at the B&B. He was angry, hurt and frustrated. Frustrated, that Luis had apparently beaten him again. Once more his "best buddy" had taken the girl he wanted away from him. This time however, the girl didn't just have a pretty face, she had money too.

"I don't get it" Hank said out loud to himself. "She's a Crane! Luis hates the Cranes. Why did he lie to me? He's always told me about the girls he's wanted before, even if I was after the same girl. Damn him! Damn her too! Why the hell didn't she just tell me she thought that card was from Luis? Why the hell did she let me think I was the one she wanted to spend New Year's Eve with, when it was Luis all along? OH MAN!!" Hank was pacing faster. His hands would one minute rumple his hair then he'd pull them down, punching one hand into the other.

Every once in awhile, Hank would stop, look at the telephone. He would then wave his hand in dismissal and return to pacing. The longer he thought about Luis and Sheridan the more he stopped and looked at the phone. "I could have had it all" he said. "A beautiful woman, the lifestyle I was born to live (he laughed cynically) and all that Crane money. But no, once again, LUIS beat me. Always LUIS! Damn him! Damn her too."

Again, Hank stopped pacing and looked at the phone. This time, he didn't return to his pacing, however. Hank walked over to the phone. "Well, if I can't have Sheridan, then at least I can have the money." He took a deep breath and picked up the phone, dialing a number.

"Yeah, it's me... I'll do it... I know what I said before, but I don't care about that anymore... Look, all I want is the money... So, if someone gets hurt, they get hurt... Not my problem... I understand... I'll be here..." Hank hung up the phone and heaved a nervous sigh. "Well, that's it," he said. "There is no turning back now." Hank walked over to his bed and fell on top of it. "Hell won't be so bad as long as I have money there," he laughed. Hank lay on his bed thinking about what he would be doing. After what seemed like an eternity, he fell into a very restless sleep.

Pilar smiled at him, which confused Luis. "Luis, yes, it's fine with me. I know you are a grown man now. I also know you would never do anything to upset me. You have been a wonderful son and from what I can see, you have used good judgment when it concerned women. You never were one to take advantage of them, when your heart was not there. I just trust you will use the same good judgment, now that Sheridan has your heart."

Luis laughed. It was not a laugh of amusement, but rather of nervousness. "Mama, Sheridan and I have many obstacles in our way, one of which is the fact she's a Crane. Julian wouldn't like it too much if I asked Sheridan to marry me. But, the way I feel about her right now, I would marry her in an instant. I love her more than I thought it was possible for one human being to love another. I just need to find a way to tell her."

"You know, Mama, you are right. It's holding back the way we think and feel that partially caused our problems in the first place" Luis said happily. "I'm going to tell her. Soon in fact."

"Luis know this, whatever you and Sheridan decide, I am behind you always. I know I was against this relationship at the start, but I can not stand in the way of such a true love. I believe now that you and Sheridan are meant to be together. Fate you may call it. Just don't tell Theresa I said that. I just want you to make Sheridan happy anyway you know how, as I know she will make you happy."

"I will Mama. Goodnight." Luis kissed Pilar and returned to his bedroom. He found Sheridan sitting up in bed looking through his old yearbook from high school. "Did you find anything interesting?" He asked with a sheepish grin.

"Yeah, well, that was a long time ago Sheridan," he said gently taking the yearbook from her and placing it back in the bookcase. "From now on, I don't want to think about the past. Only the future. Now scoot over!" Luis gave her a playful grin.

Sheridan snuggled as close to him as she could, wrapping her arms around him as well. "Perfect. I wouldn't mind spending the rest of my life right here" she whispered sleepily.

Luis pulled her closer and smiled. "Me too." He gently kissed her forehead. Sheridan sighed, but was too tired to say anymore. She fell into a peaceful sleep within a minute. Luis watched her sleep for a few minutes, but he too, was very tired. He soon followed Sheridan into a deep slumber. Sheridan and Luis slept in each other's arms, smiles on their faces. Pilar walked by a short while later, saw them sleeping peacefully and smiled to herself. She noticed the two mugs of untouched hot chocolate on the nightstand and picked them up. She quietly closed the door and brought the mugs to the kitchen. She then checked on her other two children and went to bed.

Sun streamed in the window as a new day in Harmony dawned. Sheridan stirred slightly as she felt the warmth of the sun on her face. She fluttered her eyes open, feeling more refreshed than she had in weeks. She glanced at her unfamiliar surroundings, then felt a warm body wrapped around her. Her face lit up as she realized she'd spent the night in the arms of the man she loved. She could feel his rhythmic breathing on her neck as he peacefully slept. She felt chills go through her body each time he took a breath.

Sheridan gently rolled over to face him. She smiled as she watched him sleeping, thinking how perfectly content she would be to stay here forever. She lightly placed a hand on his face and traced its contours as if trying to commit them to memory. She felt him move and removed her hand not wanting to wake him up, but it was too late.

"You didn't have to stop you know" he said groggily as his eyes slowly opened. "I was rather enjoying it." Luis managed a sleepy smile as his eyes came in to focus. The first thing he saw was Sheridan smiling at him. "I can't remember the last time I slept this well" he said. "I think I'll have my doctor order you to stay here every night. We can call it an alternative to a sleeping pill" he laughed.

"I'm not sure exactly" she said as she began caressing his face again. "I just know I couldn't be this close to you every night and just let you sleep." Sheridan's heart was beating rapidly as she lay there so close to Luis. She could still feel his breath on her, but it was no longer rhythmic. His breathing seemed to be faster than before and now was driving her crazy. After a few moments, she couldn't take it anymore and leaned in, kissing him gently on the lips.

Luis felt like he'd been struck by a bolt of lightening as he felt the electricity charge through his body. He instantly pulled her close to him and kissed her back. This time Sheridan was the one to part their lips, deepening their kiss. This caused Luis to moan with pleasure. Hearing Luis moan sent shivers through her body. Sheridan immediately lost herself in the kiss. She'd enjoyed kissing other men in the past, but NEVER was the one to initiate such a kiss. She couldn't remember even wanting to kiss a man so desperately.

Luis pulled Sheridan on top of him, which caused her to catch her breath. She couldn't control how excited she was becoming, so she returned to kissing him wildly. Luis was completely caught up in the moment. He felt their body heat rising and began to let his hands run free over her body. He slipped his hand under the sweatshirt and gasped as he felt the silky smooth skin underneath. He caressed her back with one hand, the other moving its way up her side.

Luis' hand worked its way up to her chest. As his hand touched her breast, Sheridan moaned loudly. She lifted her head for a moment and looked at Luis in a way she'd never looked at another man. She saw a fire in his eyes, mimicking her own, which caused her to get more excited.

Luis now was massaging her chest, sending waves of pleasure through Sheridan's body. She leaned over and returned to kissing him, with more ferocity than before. Luis returned her kiss with equal passion and quickened his massaging the more caught up he became.

Sheridan rolled off Luis and the two sat up breathless and completely frustrated. "I'll be there in a minute," Luis called back, trying to hide the fact he was out of breath.

Luis smiled at her. He desperately wanted to kiss her before he left, but decided he'd not be able to stop if he did. He walked out of the room, still slightly short of breath.

Luis walked downstairs and decided to use the phone in the kitchen, so he could make some coffee at the same time. He picked up the phone. "I have it Theresa" he said completely composed now. He heard the phone click and said, "Good morning Sam. So much for letting me sleep in?"

Luis, as well, placed the phone in its cradle and finished making coffee. He waited for it to brew and returned to his room with two fresh cups. He handed Sheridan her cup and said, "Sam wants us both at the station as soon as possible."

"O.K. Sheridan agreed. "Luis we're forgetting, I have no clothes! I can't possibly go dressed like this! And I can't stomach the thought of putting those clothes back on I wore for the last two days!"

Sheridan nodded in agreement. After a few mouthfuls of coffee, Luis took her to Theresa's room. Luis knocked lightly on Theresa's door. She answered it almost immediately. "Did you two sleep well?" She greeted, grinning at them.

"We slept fine, thank you" Luis retorted with light sarcasm. "Listen, Theresa" Luis continued before Theresa continued her quest to embarrass them, "Sheridan and I need to get down to the station. All of her clothes are still in Paris and we were wondering if you had something she could wear?"

Theresa went through her closet with Sheridan and they looked for something that would fit her. They agreed a dress or skirt would be easier as Sheridan was taller than Theresa. Finally they decided on a short navy blue skirt and a white form-fitting sweater.

Theresa helped Sheridan get some towels from the linen closet in the hall as Luis emerged from the shower wearing a towel around his waist. His upper body was still dripping wet and his hair tousled from a towel having been hastily run through it. He saw Theresa and Sheridan and smiled at them, "Ladies" he said and then went into his room to get dressed.

Sheridan just gawked at him with her mouth opened. Seeing him like that brought back memories of her accidentally walking in on him in the men's locker room at the Youth Center and the time in Santa Fe they each opened the connecting door thinking it was a closet. Theresa laughed as she watched Sheridan's expression. "What's the matter Sheridan, haven't you ever seen Luis in a towel before?"

Theresa grinned as she handed Sheridan her towels and took her clothes from her. "You take your shower and I'll put these in Luis' room for you when he's finished changing."

Ivy and Ethan walked through the front door to the Crane Mansion. Ivy escorted Ethan into the living room, sitting him in a chair. "Are you sure you're all right, Ethan?" Ivy asked.

"Ethan was shot with a tranquillizer gun," Ivy told him scathingly. "I can't believe you have no idea what happened here?" Ivy laughed bitterly. "Maybe you should read the newspaper with your morning brandy, Julian. You might find it interesting."

Julian retreated to the foyer and found the paper in it's usual spot and returned to the living room. He quickly scanned the front page. His mouth dropped open as he began to read the events of the previous day.

"Luis saved Sheridan, Father" Ethan offered. "He flew to Paris on a gut instinct and saved her life. When she refused to come back to the States with him, he kidnapped her because the drug lords were still after her. Sheridan was angry with him for kidnapping her and had him arrested. She later dropped the charges, which was a good thing, because the drug lords followed her to Harmony and tried to kill her again. Luis again saved Sheridan, this time arresting the two men responsible."

"That's ridiculous, Mother" Ethan said angrily. "I hope Sheridan and Luis do get together. She could never find another man who would risk his own life and spend every last cent he had to save her life. I for one will do everything I can to help them out."

The phone clicked and Julian pushed the button hard breaking his connection. He then slumped into his chair and exhaled a deep breath as he covered his face with his hands. A moment later he reached for the brandy decanter, which was conveniently on his desk and poured himself a stiff drink. He put the glass to his mouth and downed the drink in one gulp.

Sheridan and Luis walked into a large conference room at the Police Station. The room was buzzing with activity. There were charts and graphs set up all over the room, while agents and policemen chatted together in different areas of the room. Luis searched for Sam, finally finding him standing with Tina and the two French Police men that had come to Harmony. Luis caught Antoine's glance and felt a chill in his spine. Antoine smiled as he saw the two, but Luis had a feeling something was wrong. He didn't share his feeling with Sheridan, not wanting to worry her.

Tina smiled at Sheridan and Luis, who in turn smiled back. Tina glanced down at Luis' side and saw he was tightly holding Sheridan's hand. Her smile broadened. "I guess they finally talked" she muttered to herself.

Tina sat on the other side of Sheridan (Luis of course was sitting next to her), while the two gendarmes sat across the table from them. The Interpol agents and Sam occupied the rest of the table.

Luis heard them whispering and turned to see what was going on. He saw Tina grinning and then she winked at him. "What?" He asked, but he knew what. He too, turned slightly pink. He then motioned for Tina to come over for a second.

The rest of the morning was spent rehashing the events happening since Roger and Pierre originally kidnapped Sheridan. Sheridan, Luis and Tina once again had to tell their stories involving the case. It was agreed that Pierre and Roger would be returned to Paris for immediate trial, even though there would still be charges against them in the United States. Antoine and an Interpol agent would replace the Harmony cops as the guards for the two drug lords until they were well enough to travel back to France.

She looked at her watch and frowned. "It's rather late for lunch, but maybe dinner?" She asked. "I think we'll have to change the location though. It will get too cold at night. Do you think the crime scene tape is still at the cottage?"

Sheridan groaned and rolled her eyes to the back of her head. "I guess I'll have to go shopping then" she said. Everything I own is either in PARIS or at the cottage." She glared at Luis.

"What was that look for?" Luis asked. "I saved your behind in Paris by kidnapping you! What was I supposed to do, say "Sheridan when you bring the plane ticket I deliberately left for you to find, please pack a suitcase because I'm going to chloroform you and take you with me?" Luis laughed at the thought.

Sheridan gave him the evil eye. She wasn't really mad, just annoyed. She knew what Luis did was for her own good, but it didn't mean she had to like it. "I know Luis, but I just hate shopping alone" she pouted.

"Well, now that I'm going shopping, I'm going to do it right" she said. "I also have to make arrangements for dinner, you know." Sheridan raised her eyebrow and gave him a suggestive look. "I do have something important to tell you."

"Well, it's not going to work this time, Luis" Sheridan said smugly as she opened the car door and climbed in. Luis gently closed the door for her. He shook his head and laughed.

Tina was just climbing into her seat when Luis said quietly, "Keep an eye on her for me?" He gave Tina a pleading look. Luis didn't know why, but he felt as if something was amiss.

Tina smiled at Luis in acknowledgement. "This will be one of my more pleasant duties" she whispered to Luis. With that, Tina climbed in the car and she and Sheridan left on a shopping spree. Luis watched the car as it drove out of sight, wondering why he couldn't shake the feeling he had.

Hank sat at a table in the Book Cafe, staring at the spoon he was absent-mindedly stirring in his coffee. His face was a complete frown as he remembered what he'd done the night before. "I can't believe I agreed to do that" he said out loud to himself.

Beth's heart sank. She could tell by the sound of Hank's voice, by the look on his face, she wasn't going to like hearing what would come next. "Where did you find him?" She asked cautiously.

"It seems that Luis received a fax from Interpol about some guy named Jean-Luc being killed in a drug hit last summer. Luis had a strong feeling that it was Sheridan's old boyfriend in Paris and felt she was in danger. So, he flew to Paris. It turned out, it really was the same guy and Luis ended up saving her life four or five times in Paris, then again when they returned to the States." Hank stopped and took a sip of his coffee.

Beth was nervously squirming in her seat. "Well, that doesn't sound too bad" she said. "I mean, after all Luis is a cop, right?" Beth let out a slight laugh. "He was probably just acting on his police instinct?" Beth was grasping at straws and she knew it.

Hank looked at her. He flung his head back in a fit of laughter and ran both hands through his hair. "Yeah, that was it. Police instinct. That's why when I saw them kissing, I thought I heard Sheridan say `Save me Luis, Save me!'" Hank raised his voice several octaves and waved his hands frantically in the air. "Give me a break Beth. As it turns out, I did overhear Sheridan clearing up a couple of misunderstandings. Unfortunately they involved dates I had with her." Hank's expression was solemn.

Hank started laughing. "You're going to love this Beth. It seems that Sheridan thought she was asking Luis out for New Years and thought it was Luis asking her out the night we went skating." Hank's face was still in a laughing mode, but the anger in his eyes was evident.

"The last conversation I had with Luis, I point blank asked him if he was in love with Sheridan. He laughed at me and told me Sheridan was a Crane through and through and he wanted nothing more to do with her. He said if she ever came back from Paris, I was welcome to her, because she meant nothing to him." Hank's eyes were as cold as steel right now. He was staring at Beth in such a way, she felt her body go cold.

"Then last night he tells me they've cleared up their misunderstanding and he's changed his mind. He and Sheridan want to try to work things out. I don't know about you Beth, but I for one am not going to stand still and just let it happen. If Luis thinks he's going to get Sheridan that easily, he's got a surprise coming. A big one!" Hank's face lit up and he began to laugh. It was almost an evil laugh.

"You'll find out soon, Beth" he said. "Very soon." Hank now had a very satisfied grin on his face. Beth just looked at Hank. She had a bad feeling about what he was up to, but was secretly hoping it would work, whatever it was.

Sheridan and Tina had already been to several shops. Sheridan had bought just enough to get her through the next week. She also bought a special outfit for Theresa for helping her in her hour of need, as well as a "sexy" dress for her date tonight. They decided to stop and get a bite to eat since neither had lunch and were famished. They walked into the Book Cafe and sat down at a table. Chad quickly walked up to them and smiled.

Tina was scanning the menu, while Sheridan was just glancing around the Cafe. She suddenly spotted Hank and Beth sitting there and let out a soft groan. "Oh no" she whispered not really meaning for anyone to hear. "I didn't need to deal with those two today."

Sheridan suddenly realized Tina had heard her. "Oh, it's nothing, really" Sheridan laughed nervously as she kept looking back to Hank and Beth. They had not spotted her yet.

"So Sheridan" Tina asked, "Why don't you tell me exactly what happened with you and Luis? After all, I feel like I was in the middle of a romance novel while we were in Boston. I missed a few chapters and would like to hear about the make up part!" Tina laughed.

Sheridan laughed as well, then blushed as she remembered the talks she'd had with Tina in Boston and the worst talk of all, on the phone from Harmony. "You know Tina, using reverse psychology on me was a mean trick, but it did cause me to rethink things in a different manner."

"It was so obvious to me that you two were hopelessly in love with each other, but wouldn't even admit it to yourselves. I've never seen anything like it in my life!" Tina said light-heartedly.

"I'm sure Tina" she said. "Remember I'm having dinner in a few hours. Luis doesn't like it when I don't eat." She smiled as she thought back on their first date at the Lobster Shack. She had tried to order a salad, but Luis had set the law down on that.

"Now where were we" Tina thought. "Oh yes, you were just telling me that you and Luis didn't exactly proclaim your love for each other. Would you care to explain that?" She gave Sheridan a inquiring grin.

Sheridan blushed. Just the thought of Luis these days caused that to happen to her. She felt giddy as a schoolgirl most of the time when his name was mentioned. "OK, I'll tell you exactly what happened" Sheridan said.

Tina leaned in, listening intently, not wanting to miss a word. Sheridan told Tina the reason she was angry with Luis in the first place. She also told her that she now believed, Luis could never had said those things, but they didn't know who did, or why someone would have been so cruel.

She briefly explained that Luis' mother had been the Crane's housekeeper for many years and had been like a second mother to Sheridan after her own mother died. She told her why Luis hated the Crane Family and he blamed them somehow for his Father's disappearance. Sheridan explained that her father and brother didn't want her to date Luis and were willing to do just about anything to prevent that from happening.

"So you see, Tina, Luis and I have quite a few problems. We've agreed to take it slowly right now, because of how much we have hurt each other and all of obstacles in front of us." Sheridan took a deep sigh as she finished.

Sheridan sat there with her mouth open. She'd not yet admitted to anyone other than herself, that she was in love with Luis. She'd planned on telling him tonight, but wasn't sure if she would actually have the courage to go through with it. She still hadn't said the words out loud.

After another brief moment of silent thought, Sheridan answered Tina's question. "Yes, Tina. I love him. I love him with all my heart." Sheridan laughed nervously. "I can't believe I actually said it out loud!"

"No, I guess not" Sheridan admitted. Sheridan started grinning from ear to ear as she imagined telling Luis she loved him and having him tell her the same thing. "Tina, I don't know what it is about him, but every time I hear his name, see him, my heart starts to beat rapidly. I can't stand to be close to him, because all I want to do is wrap my arms around him and kiss him."

Sheridan was now really embarrassed. "Well... I... Well I sort of... I um... Well, I overheard Luis tell his mother he was in love with me." She finally managed to say. "But he also said he wasn't ready to tell me."

"I think the reason Luis doesn't want to tell you he loves you" Tina said, "is because he is afraid you won't feel the same way. He's still protecting his heart. Since you already know how he feels, you can tell him how you feel."

"Maybe you're right, Tina" Sheridan said, nodding her head in thought. Suddenly she had a look of determination on her face. "I'll tell him tonight." Sheridan grinned. `Tonight would be a very special night indeed' she thought.

"You go Sheridan!" Tina said. Chad arrived with her BLT. Tina thanked him. She picked up her iced tea and held it up as if toasting Sheridan. Sheridan laughed and began planning out scenarios in her head of how tonight would happen.

Luis and Sam escorted Antoine and the Interpol agent to the hospital. When they arrived, Luis and Sam immediately checked on Silvano's condition. He had survived the night, but was still on life support in critical condition. They were told that surviving the night was a good sign, but he was by no means out of the woods. They were grateful, at least he was still alive.

Antoine insisted on checking out the layout of the hospital, before seeing the prisoners. He made a mental note of every door and window, including which ones were exits. He learned where every door led, and how much security was on the hospital grounds. When he was satisfied, he returned to the group. They made their way to Roger and Pierre who were sharing the same room. There were two guards in the room and Roger and Pierre were both shackled to the bed. Antoine surveyed the room, much the same way he did the rest of the hospital. He glanced quickly at Roger and Pierre, but avoided any eye contact. Roger and Pierre were both smiling inwardly, but let no expression come to their faces. So far, neither had spoken a single word. Not one word to authorities, nor the doctors and nurses. It was if they were mute, but the authorities knew what they were doing.

Luis felt sick when he walked into the room. He stared at Roger and Pierre. It was a cold, spine-chilling stare. He felt hate building within him at these two men who almost took Sheridan from him. He was glad they were in custody, but he was still very uneasy. His gut was acting up again, though he knew it shouldn't be. Still he would not be satisfied until Pierre and Roger were back in Paris with Antoine.

"Yeah, Sam" Luis said. "I just couldn't spend another minute in the same room with those two. All I could think of was how they tried to kill Sheridan. I had to get out of there."

"Sam, I know that should make me feel better, but I have a strong feeling that something is wrong. I can't explain it" Luis said, "I just feel like something is going to happen. I also don't trust Antoine." Luis moved closer to Sam and began to speak in a very low voice. "When we were in Paris, I would have sworn he was about to push Sheridan off the balcony. I even decked him because of it. Granted, I didn't realize he was her bodyguard at the time, but still... Then, why didn't he notice the guy who tried to poison Sheridan in the cafe? He was supposed to be looking out for something like that. I'm telling you Sam, I don't trust the guy." Luis was fidgeting uneasily.

"No No! We haven't done anything yet, Sam." Luis said quickly. Then he started to laugh as he remembered their interruptions. "But you know, we might have a couple of times if we hadn't been interrupted. I'm not sure about Sheridan, but I was a goner. She does something to me, Sam. I don't know what it is, but I lose all sense when I'm around her."

"Love is funny that way, Luis" Sam said as he brought to mind a memory from the past. "I can remember feeling that way. In a way I still do." Sam seemed to have drifted off for a minute.

Luis was confused by Sam's reaction. He wondered if Sam had been thinking about someone other than Grace. He decided he'd let it go, however. Sam didn't give the impression he wanted to talk about it.

Sheridan grinned. "Well, my family owns a cabin not too far from here. It's vacant most of the time, so I think it will be a perfect location" she said happily. "Tina, I will need your help if you don't mind?" Sheridan requested.

"I'm going to call the lobster shack, right now" Sheridan said and order dinner for us. Then I need you to take me up to the cabin, come back here and give Luis directions how to get there."

Sheridan gave Tina a wry smile. "I need to call the Lobster Shack now" Sheridan said changing the subject. She knew Tina was right, but didn't need to be reminded just how stubborn she had really been.

It's all set" Sheridan said. It will be ready in fifteen minutes." Sheridan looked at her watch. "Oh No! Look at the time! It's almost 5:30! I still have to take a shower, get dressed..."

"I'm going to have a little fun, Beth!" Hank said evilly. Hank stood up and waited until Sheridan and the mystery woman were at the front counter. Sheridan had handed her check to Chad and turned to leave, when she ran smack into Hank.

“Sheridan!" Hank said with enthusiasm. He threw his arms around her and gave her a huge hug. "You know, Sheridan, I'm really glad I ran into you today. "I've thought it over and I've decided to forgive you."

"Hank, I don't have the vaguest idea what you're talking about" Sheridan said nervously. She didn't like the way Hank was acting and she certainly had no idea what he was getting at. Tina sensed Sheridan's uneasiness and walked up behind her.

"Look Hank, I don't know what you are trying to do here. I told you last night how things stood. Now if you will excuse me, I'm late." Sheridan nervously turned to leave, but Hank grabbed her arm.

Before Hank had a firm grip on Sheridan's arm, Tina grabbed Hank's and twisted it behind his back, causing Hank's entire body to spin around. "Now, Hank is it?" Tina asked. "Sheridan is late for a very important engagement, so if you will please excuse her, she will be leaving now." Tina let go of Hank's arm and she and Sheridan walked off.