No Place To Hide

Luis thought about what Hal was saying. He really didn't want to leave Sheridan with Hank that night. If the truth were told he was slightly jealous Hank had showed up. Though he'd made it perfectly clear to Sheridan he had no intention of stepping over the line again; he still found a sense of comfort being with her. Something had happened between the two of them that night. Something he'd been secretly hoping would happen for months. At some level, he and Sheridan had reconnected. The bitterness was gone. The mean streak that had invaded Sheridan's personality had disappeared and they'd spent several wonderful hours together. Luis fought off the smile as he remembered the kiss they'd shared. For a brief minute it was just the two of them. The desire in both of their eyes and lips was unparalleled. Luis now knew without a doubt that Sheridan still wanted him as much as he wanted her. It was a night he would not soon forget.

“Luis when I assigned you to be Sheridan's bodyguard, the two of you were fighting like no two people I've ever seen. I heard some of the nastiest dumb agreements I've ever heard in my life. From what I could see tonight, the two of you seem to have stopped the senseless arguing. I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this Luis, but there is no doubt in my mind that the two of you are in love with each other.”

“I understand that Luis. I've known that all along. I believe it is your feelings for her that cause you to be so concerned about her. I know you'd protect anyone you were assigned to, but with Miss Crane you'd do that twice as much. Judging by what happened last night it seems like she will do anything to keep you alive as well. She saved your life last night Luis. That's a pretty special woman there. That's the first time I've seen the intended victim deliberately place their life in danger to save their bodyguard.”

“You're right of course Officer,” Hal agreed. “It wouldn't have happened last night, but it would have happened eventually. How long do you think the drug cartel is willing to wait around for Miss Crane to come out of her cottage? I'm willing to bet you that a new hit man is found soon. Word from Interpol is Roger is madder than a wet hen. He was sure Les would be the one to take care of things for him. There was an accomplice that we still don't know about Luis. Someone very close to Miss Crane. Les died before he could tell us who his accomplice was. My guess is that person will strike again. Whoever is hired to take care of Miss Crane will definitely be in touch with him or her.”

“Simple, Officer. Too many people know where Miss Crane is. As I've told you, Roger is very upset over this last bungled hit. He vowed once and for all to get Miss Crane and I believe he's planning on taking care of you this time as well. You have been a thorn in his side since you foiled his plan in Paris back in April. If he eliminates you, he believes there will be no problem in eliminating Miss Crane.”

“Pack? Where are we going? I don't want to leave here.” Her sad blue eyes now held a new fear. A fear of what Roger might do next and a fear of the unknown. Leaving her cottage which she'd planned on staying in for a very long time. Sheridan vowed to herself she would not disobey Luis ever again. He was right and she finally knew it. Her life was in great danger and by denying that fact, Hank had been shot and Luis was almost killed because of her stubbornness. Never again. She would do exactly what he told her.

Sheridan and Luis awoke to a loud banging on the door. Luis jumped up immediately to answer it. Sheridan, still waking from a peaceful slumber was surprised that Luis had been in bed with her! Searching her mind she finally remembered what had happened. During the night she'd had one of her nightmares. Luis had come in to comfort her as she'd been screaming and crying. Once she'd fully awaken from the nightmare she hadn't had in months, she'd asked Luis if he would stay with her until she fell asleep. She remembered the feeling of his warm embrace around her as she'd drifted off into sleep. Unlike her previous nightmare, this time her dreams had been filled with visions of Luis. She sat up in bed remembering the feeling of waking up in his arms, only wishing it hadn't been so brief.

When Sheridan emerged from the bedroom, Luis already had taken their bags outside to the car. Sheridan peered out the window and was in shock at the motorcade she saw. “All of this is for us?” She asked in surprise. Outside were six cars and a limousine. “What's with the limo? Don't you think a limo will draw attention to us?”

“Ordinarily yes,” Hal explained. “I think however, that if anyone is aware we are leaving they won't be expecting us to take a road trip in a limo. They would expect us to take an ordinary unmarked car. The rest of the cars will be our protection. Two armed agents in each car, as well as the driver of the limo and Luis in yours.”

Sheridan and Luis left the cottage; both clad in sensible clothes per Luis' request. He reminded Sheridan of her trek through the woods at Lover's Point where she had ripped her dress and he'd tossed her shoes. “How could I forget,” she'd told him with mocked anger. “Those were my favorite shoes.” This time, both were wearing comfortable jeans, t-shirts and carrying sweaters with them just in case they ended up someplace cool. Sheridan found her most comfortable pair of sneakers. Her feet still remembered her night in the woods. Sheridan figured if she was prepared for the worst, she could tease Luis about it later.

Luis closed the door behind him and the motorcade left the Crane Estate. Three cars in front and three cars behind Sheridan and Luis' limo. Luis made a mental note to himself to keep an eye on which way they were going, just in case. Agent Freeman seemed to have everything well planned, but Luis couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling that something was very wrong. He said nothing to Sheridan or Hal, for that matter. He decided it was just his nerves acting up. Luis was so deep in thought as their car took off he didn't even see his “best” friend Hank Bennett staring out from the bushes as they left. Hank placed a call on his cell phone as the last car in the motorcade rolled through the gates of the Crane Estate.

The motorcade had been traveling for several hours. The other cars didn't stay in front of and behind the limo as they had at first. They all dispersed one they'd gotten onto the highway. Luis decided they were doing this in order to keep their eyes out for anyone that might be following them. Occasionally he would spot one of the cars as they would pass it or one of the cars would pass them. Luis continually watched the road signs keeping in mind where they were at all times. For some reason, his nagging feeling just wouldn't go away. Though he still said nothing, he planned on being alert at all times.

The rhythmic feel of the tires on the highway had lulled Sheridan to sleep. Her head fell over towards Luis and eventually landed on his shoulder. He smiled contently and gently wrapped his arm around her and watched as she sighed happily in her sleep. She snuggled in closer, which caused Luis' heart to skip a beat. Luis knew he was walking a thin line right now, but he couldn't help himself. The woman got to him. She got to him in a way no one had ever gotten to him before. He sighed deeply as he recalled Sheridan teaching him the Paso Doble the other day and the passionate kiss they'd shared afterwards. Breaking that kiss was about the hardest thing he'd ever done, but he knew he had to do it. He also knew after one brief second when they prepared to dance again, that there was no way he could be that close to her in that manner and not want to kiss her. When she'd looked into his eyes the way she did, he'd felt something inside him he couldn't explain. All he knew at the time, was dancing with Sheridan could only lead to one thing. Luis wasn't entirely sure how long he'd be able to fight his feelings if they kept ending up in situations like they had the other night. Every time something happened between them, it seemed to bring them closer together. When he'd first started as Sheridan's bodyguard Luis figured they'd end up killing each other, thus eliminating the need for a bodyguard at all, but it seemed as though the exact opposite had happened. Spending all this time together seemed to bring them closer together. Closer in fact than they had been before Sheridan slapped him.

Luis felt electricity shoot through his body as he felt her snuggle closer to him and wrap her arms around him. Without thinking Luis slowly began stroking her hair. He lowered his head slightly and the scent of her perfume intoxicated him. He heard Sheridan mumble a satisfied sound, which only intensified his feelings. Finally he managed to shake himself from his trance and he again began to awaken her.

Pierre smiled and nodded his head. Roger pulled the gun from his coat pocket and examined it. He smiled as he stroked the gun as if it were a prized possession. “Ah Mademoiselle Crane, if only you had let me kill you sooner. It could have been so quick and painless. But now? Now you will suffer. You and your American cop will both suffer a long and painful death. By the time I am finished with you both, you will be begging me to kill you.” Roger kissed the barrel of his gun and laughed. “Hurry Pierre. I want nothing to interfere with my plan. Nothing must stop me from taking care of Sheridan Crane and her boyfriend.”

The limo pulled up in front of a small roadside diner. Several agents went in and checked it out and then returned giving the all-clear sign. Sheridan and Luis were escorted inside and seated at a booth. Coffee was soon served and Luis gratefully took the mug in his hands and drank from it. “Boy do I need this” he remarked with an appreciative grin.

Sheridan and Luis enjoyed a full breakfast of waffles, bacon, juice and coffee. Both had been famished and had eaten every bite. Hal made arrangements for some coffee to go for everyone and Sheridan and Luis decided they'd better use the restrooms while they had the chance. Since Hal was so secretive about the trip, they had no idea when they'd stop next.

“That's better” Luis said softly. He gave Sheridan a wink and disappeared into the restroom with his escort. Sheridan did the same. Sheridan had her mind focused on Luis while she was in the rest room. She tried not to think about the fact that she had to be accompanied to the bathroom by an agent, but she did understand the necessity for it.

She was surprised when she didn't see the agent outside her stall but figured she needed to use the facilities as well. She walked over to the sink and washed her hands. Once finished, she prepared to fix her makeup a little and when she looked at her reflection in the mirror, a look of horror crossed her face. She tried to scream, but a hand covered her mouth and the next thing she knew, everything went black.

“Sheridan! Sheridan! Can you hear me?” Luis whispered frantically. Luis' hands were tied together behind his back and try as he might he couldn't seem to untie them. A blindfold covered his eyes, but he knew Sheridan was right next to him. He knew by her scent. There wasn't another person in this world that could smell that good, especially under these circumstances.

“Luis, I just don't see a way out of this one” Sheridan announced sadly as her voice quavered. “So in case anything happens to one of us before I can say this, I just want to say thank you for everything you've done trying to protect me. Thank you for saving my life countless times and thank you for not giving up on me.” Sheridan's voice trailed off. She wanted to say so much more but she couldn't get the words out of her mouth. She wanted to tell him how she really felt about him, but even now, as she believed she was facing certain death, she couldn't get the words to come. Something was stopping her.

“Sheridan, I could never let anything to happen to you,” Luis whispered. “And just for the record, it's more than just a job to me. It always has been no matter what I've said. I also don't want you to give up. It's not over yet Sheridan.” Luis again struggled against the ropes tying his hands together. As he thrashed inside the trunk of the car, they heard a car door slam followed by another door slamming. The engine started up and Luis was flown practically on top of Sheridan as the car sped frantically out of the parking lot.

The car sped around a curve and the two were again tossed around in the trunk of the car. Even though he couldn't hold her, Luis could feel Sheridan's trembling body next to him. It was killing him not being able to hold her and comfort her. He felt her face against his; the cloth blindfold she wore was soaked through from her tears. Luis moved his head so he could whisper in her ear. “Sheridan,” he said softly so she could feel his warm breath caress her ear. “It's not over yet. I'm not giving up until there is no more breath in my body and I want you to do the same thing.” With that he gently moved his head down and kissed her cheek sweetly. He let his kiss linger long enough for Sheridan to feel a surge of warmth. More than anything she wanted to live.

Hal paid for and gathered the cups of coffee he's ordered to go. He looked around for Sheridan and Luis and saw them nowhere. “Johnson, Evans!” Hal called. “Go find out what's keeping our friends in the bathroom. “Sure thing Hal” Bob Johnson said. He and Charlene Evans headed for the bathrooms, only to come back a minute later. “What'd they do fall in?” Hal asked as his glance was focused on balancing his tray of coffee, not the faces of the agents. When he didn't receive a reply, he looked up in irritation. He was about to make another smart remark when he saw both of them white as sheets. Hal dropped the tray of coffee on the floor in front of him. He didn't even feel the scorching hot coffee as it burned through his pants to his legs. He took huge strides towards the restrooms, which turned into a run, just as he got there. He went into the men's room. At first he saw nothing, but upon walking in a little further, he saw the body of agent Mark Hanson sprawled out in front of one of the urinals. He'd been shot in the head at close range.

Hal began barking orders to all the other agents. Several of them scattered to the parking lot to see if there was any trace of whoever did this and any trace of Sheridan and Luis. Hal called the local authorities as well as the FBI for more backup. The diner was immediately emptied of all non-official personnel and a search for clues began. Hal felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. He had no proof yet, but he knew it was Roger and Pierre behind this hit. What he didn't understand is why he killed the agents and took Sheridan and Luis.

The local police arrived and they worked side by side with the FBI gathering clues. From what they could figure, Roger and Pierre had entered the diner through the bathroom windows. The windows had been jimmied from the outside. Witnesses in the parking lot recalled having seen a late model Lincoln Town Car speeding from the parking lot at the approximate time of the murder/kidnappings. One witness even claimed to see two men stuffing what looked like a dark haired man and blonde lady in the trunk. The witness said it all happened so fast he couldn't be sure though. The only thing he knew for sure was the two men were speaking French.

When Hal heard the mention of the two men speaking French, he knew without a doubt that Roger and Pierre were responsible. Hal feared the absolute worst, when he knew for sure who the assailants were. The one thing that still puzzled him was why Sheridan wasn't murdered there in the bathroom. Why murder an agent and kidnap Sheridan and Luis? Hal was actually afraid to think about the answer to that question. He wanted to focus on the only ray of hope and that was they were still alive. If they weren't killed in the bathroom, Roger must have another plan for them. Hal prayed Luis would be able to use his wit and get them out of their current predicament.

Their enjoyment was short lived however, as each was dragged roughly out of the trunk. For a moment they both thought they were going to be knifed, but soon realized the knife was only to remove the ropes from their feet. “I finally have you Sheridan Crane,” Roger said as he pulled her along with him. “You would have been smart to let me kill you in Paris, Mademoiselle. Then it would have been painless. But now both you and your cop friend here will die a slow tortured death.”

Sheridan felt a sudden chill. It was right then that she realized that Luis hadn't said a word. Somehow she was hearing his thoughts. His words were playing in her head and it was as if she could hear him aloud. `I'll try not to Luis' she thought. Sheridan attempted to drown out the sound of his voice. She tried to think of anything as long as it wasn't Roger's voice.

Luis and Sheridan heard loud engine noises begin. Luis' heart sank when he realized what they were. Engines from a plane. Luis had thought through different scenarios in his head, but being taken out of the country wasn't one of them. He didn't know for sure where Roger planned on taking them, but he was almost certain it was away from US soil. `What the hell is he doing?' Luis thought to himself.

Roger and Pierre pushed Luis and Sheridan up the stairs that entered the small plane. They heard one of the men leave and the other could be felt walking around them like a lion circling its prey. Sheridan felt an ice cold shudder, knowing it was Roger standing there, not Pierre. She felt hands on her blindfold and then that laugh filled the air.

Sheridan said nothing. She tried to fight back further tears as she felt the blindfold being removed. As the blindfold fell from her face, the light in the cabin of the plane insulted her eyes. She tried to open her eyes, but needed to keep them closed in order to adjust. Roger did the same thing to Luis. He roughly removed the blindfold and let it fall to the ground.

“Officer Luis Lopez Fitzgerald to the rescue!” Roger snarled. “Hmm. It is terribly sad that you will not be able to save the fair maiden this time Officer. This time I will kill Mademoiselle Sheridan Crane and for all of your interference I WILL KILL YOU TOO!” Roger roughly grabbed Luis and held him in a headlock. “There is no way out for you cop,” Roger held a gun to Luis' head and a knife at his back. He smiled in a way that gave Luis a sick feeling in his gut. Luis held his head up high and said a small prayer.

“Oh the poor mademoiselle!” Roger said with extreme sarcastic concern. “Is this bothering you? You don't want to see me kill your boyfriend here? Ha Ha! Why do you even care Sheridan? He doesn't care about you! He used you just like Jean-Luc. You should be grateful to me for killing him.” Roger cocked the gun held at Luis' head and Sheridan felt her whole body go numb. She wanted to say something to Luis but she couldn't get any words to come out of her mouth.

Sheridan saw the glint in Roger's eyes as he held the gun to Luis' head. She watched as the knife in his hand grazed down Luis' back. Finally she couldn't watch anymore and shut her eyes. She prayed that Roger would at least make it quick for Luis so he didn't have to suffer. The waiting was horrible for her and she knew it must be for Luis as well.

Luis felt the release of his hands and the barrel of the gun was no longer pressing against his head. He inhaled sharply and opened his eyes only to see a possessed Roger standing there still waving the gun at him. His laughter sent a chill through Luis. Roger then grabbed Luis and shoved him into one of the seats on the plane. He immediately grabbed Sheridan who had been standing there in shock and pushed her into the seat next to him. He roughly cut her ropes as well. He then grabbed a pair of handcuffs from a pocket in front of one of the seats and placed one side on Luis' right wrist and the other half on Sheridan's left wrist. He went back to the same seat pocket and pulled out a length of rope. He securely tied them both to their seats, so there was no way for them to escape.

Though the threat of immediate death was over, both Sheridan and Luis knew Roger still planned to kill them both. They didn't know how, but had an idea it involved torture. So far he was doing a good job at it. As Roger was putting the finishing touched on tying the rope; Luis took Sheridan's hand in his. He held it tightly and refused to let it go. Sheridan was still trembling and Luis could tell by how badly her hand was shaking within his. Luis turned his head and stared at Sheridan. Sheridan looked back at Luis through her tears. Fear was in her eyes as in Luis' as well. Neither spoke a word, they just sat there in silence holding each other's hand and speaking through their eyes.

Luis and Sheridan continued to sit there in silence for a few minutes. They listened as the planes engines were warming up for take off. The plane they were in seemed to a small commuter plane, capable of holding only twenty passengers or so. Luis and Sheridan were seated in the rear of the plane, which suited them just fine, to be as far away from Pierre and Roger as possible for the time being.

A crackling could be heard from the loud speaker. “Welcome aboard Mademoiselle Crane and Officer Luis Lopez Fitzgerald. We are preparing for take off. Please make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in an upright position. We are sorry but no refreshments will be served on this flight. We hope you enjoyed your breakfast earlier as it was your last meal. This is a one way flight.” Again they heard the sound of evil laughter.

“If only I had listened to you earlier about being in danger and hired my own bodyguard. If I had done that then the FBI would never have assigned you to be my bodyguard and you're life wouldn't be in danger right now.” Sheridan was sincere with every word. “I am so sorry for all the trouble I have caused you and now I will be responsible for both our deaths.”

“Hey, I don't EVER want to hear you say that again, do you understand me?” Luis caught the sad look in Sheridan's eyes. As grim as their situation was, he didn't want her blaming herself for this mess. “Sheridan, no one forced me to go to Paris after you and no one forced me to go to the cabin after you, either. Chances are after Antoine's bungled hit the FBI would have assigned you a bodyguard of their choosing anyway, so don't even think that way.”

Hal took the tracking device from the agent and examined it. “Well, now we know how they found us here and why our agents didn't spot them. The question now is how did it get into the bag?” Hal gave Sam a very grave look. Sam felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He hoped to God his worst fear would not come true.

Luis glanced in front of him to make sure there was no sight of Roger. When he was sure they were alone he began the search in his pocket. Luis stretched his body out the best he could with the ropes holding him in place and took his right hand and Sheridan's left hand and started searching his pocket. Sheridan attempted to fight the grin that was threatening her face as she found her hand deep in Luis' front pocket. She finally couldn't keep the grin off her face, so she turned her head instead. She didn't want Luis to see how embarrassed she was. Luis caught a glimpse of her face and he too blushed. Even in the dire situation they were in he couldn't keep himself from calling her on it.

The minutes seemed like hours. Hal who had quit smoking five years earlier had bought a pack of smokes and was puffing furiously. Some of his men that had worked with him for years were quite disturbed by his behavior. They had seen some gruesome scenes in their line of work and Hal seemed to take them all in stride. They had never seen his react like this before.

Luis scowled as he waited for Roger to disappear into the cockpit. Sheridan had fear in her eyes again. As soon as Roger was gone Luis pulled out his knife again and began to cut the rope. Luis glanced out the window and saw the plane was beginning a slow decent. They were over ocean, but there were island groups scattered everywhere. “Sheridan, we have to hurry! We have to get these ropes off and then jump out of this plane. Look around and see if you can find some parachutes.”

Sheridan nodded. The first layer of rope finally gave way. “OK, Sheridan. It snapped. Start moving around. We need to get them loosed and fast. Sheridan began moving as best she could to help loosen the ropes. Luis continued to cut through the ropes as he kept glancing out the window watching the ground get closer and closer. The second layer of rope snapped. Luis too began wriggling in his seat, frantically. The rope was loosening. “Almost there Sheridan! Come on! Faster! We need to get out of here NOW!!!!”

Luis took one step into the aisle and felt Sheridan's arm coming with him. His cheeks turned crimson as he realized he forgot the fact they were handcuffed together. Sheridan took her free hand and covered her mouth to stifle the laughter. Luis retreated his step and looked up into Sheridan's smiling eyes. She said nothing. She knew how embarrassed Luis was and it wasn't the time to call him on it. She did know that she would remind him of this at a more appropriate time.

Sheridan inhaled sharply. She knew this was their only chance of survival. “Let's go Sheridan. Keep close to the ground.” Luis peered around the corner again and saw no one was looking. He ran quickly low to the ground with Sheridan following close behind. He found some compartments and began searching different closets and compartments. They were both beginning to panic when they found no sight of a parachute. They opened the last door and found what they were looking for.

“Thank God!” Luis exclaimed. Sheridan heaved a sigh of relief. Luis pulled two parachutes out and started putting one on Sheridan. He was grateful to find out that she had indeed parachuted before, but made sure she knew exactly where the ripcord and emergency release were. Once he was sure Sheridan knew what to do he started putting on his own chute. He'd barely gotten one arm in when he heard it.

Sheridan reached in front of herself carefully and held onto the ripcord. “Hold on tight Luis!” She shrieked. “We're going to have a major pull here.” Luis held onto her as best he could and still give her room to pull the cord. Sheridan pulled the cord and then quickly threw her arm back around Luis. Even though they were handcuffed together he could still be seriously injured without a parachute. In fact Sheridan wasn't entirely sure they both weren't about to be killed. Jumping out of an airplane in the middle of the ocean was crazy enough. Never mind the fact they weren't dressed for it and only had one parachute between them. As insane as it was, it was still a thrill to be falling through the air. Especially with Luis holding her so closely.

They were both pulled upward momentarily and then they began to descend again at a much slower rate. Sheridan opened her eyes and looked for someplace to land. She spied a small island not to far from where they were. “Luis, I'm going to try to head for that island over there. We can't make the island, but I think I can get us close enough to make a swim for it”

“Thank you Luis” she said proudly. “I did quite a bit of skydiving when I was in Europe. Though you are my first passenger!” Luis laughed. They both decided to remain quiet for awhile as all the shouting above the wind was causing them to become hoarse. As Luis was looking out at the horizon he spotted something in the air.

Slowly but surely Sheridan landed them both in the warm Atlantic Ocean about a hundred feet off shore. They both sunk and came back to the surface, but Sheridan was having difficulty releasing her harness. There was a strong current and it was pulling her down. “Sheridan!” Luis shouted. He did everything he could to help her. Sheridan continued to fumble with the harness but was having no luck. Luis suddenly took a deep breath and dove under. He pulled his Swiss army knife out and began cutting Sheridan loose from the harness. After a moment the harness was severed and together they pulled it off her.

“Hal I'm as surprised as you are” Sam admitted. His head was still reeling from the fact that the data had been erased from his department. `Wouldn't Ethan love to hear this?' Sam thought bitterly. “My guess is the name Jack Gallagher is an alias. Why else would someone want to erase the photo. Why not the whole file?”

Sam's mind was racing. Who in Harmony with access to the computers at the Harmony P.D. would need an alias? Sam felt a knot in his stomach as his mind flashed back to the wharf with Les pointing his finger at Hank. He then remembered Hank's beating a few weeks prior to that. Sam took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He also knew that Hank returned to Harmony right around the time that the photo had been deleted from the file. Hank also had spent a lot of time at the station, as that's where he and Luis both worked.

“I know Sheridan” Luis said out of breath. “Thank you God.” The two of them lay there until they were breathing normally. Once he could Luis sat up and looked out at the ocean. He was looking for any signs of Roger, but didn't see him anywhere. From that, he deduced Roger was in the ocean trying to make his way to shore. He was sure Roger had seen them, therefore he would be following them to the island.

Sheridan sat up on the beach and looked out at the water. The water was a clear crystal blue and the whitecaps of the waves crashing against the shore were breathtaking. She and Luis were also still alive after their closest call with death yet and they were alone on a deserted island. It would have been paradise, if not for Roger. She felt the fear return as she slowly stood up pulling Luis with her. Luis sensed what she was feeling. He grabbed her hands and looked into her eyes, which matched the color of the water. “It's all right Sheridan,” he said with a slight grin. “We can beat him. I told you earlier, I think there is a reason for us being here right now. I don't know what it is, but I have complete faith in us surviving.”

Luis picked up the parachute and stuffed it under his free arm. With his handcuffed hand he took Sheridan's hand in his own. She looked at him in surprise. Luis acted like it was the most natural thing in the world, though it was the first time Sheridan could really remember him doing it. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Ready?” was all he said.

“I'm ready” she replied softly. They walked at a steady pace towards the area that looked like a path. Sheridan felt a warmth within her as she walked hand in hand with Luis. `This feels so nice' she thought to herself. She smiled as she took notice of her surroundings. Beyond the beach was an area of thick brush and trees. She looked up at the tall palm trees and saw some of them had coconuts on them. “Well at least we won't starve to death Luis. I see coconuts up there.” Sheridan pointed the tree out to Luis.

“Yum. Coconuts. Look! There are a few on the ground over there.” Luis dragged Sheridan with him as he went to retrieve two coconuts that had fallen from the tree. “I can see it now. When we finally get off this island I can write a best selling book. One hundred ways to use your coconuts.” Luis grinned mischievously at Sheridan as he handed her one and tossed the other in the air then catching it.

Sheridan chuckled as they continued their trek. They began walking down the path and the brush was getting thicker and thicker. The heat was stifling and beads of sweat were beginning to form on Sheridan's brow. There was a gentle breeze, but it didn't do much to dissipate the heat. There was a sudden rustling sound coming from the brush. Sheridan stopped dead in her tracks, which also caused Luis to come to a halt.

“I just heard something” she said. They both stood there in silence for a moment. The noise happened again and this time they both heard it. Their eyes shot in the direction of the noise and they saw some shrubs moving. Sheridan felt fear grip her body and began backing up. Luis protectively pulled her closer to him and began walking with her. Suddenly an armadillo came rushing out of the brush and darted directly in front of Sheridan, then flew between her legs. Sheridan screamed and jumped into Luis's arms.

Sheridan realized that he was right but refused to give him the satisfaction. She glared at him, then tugged his cuffed arm. “Let's go” she said in a huff. Luis was still smiling as he walked with her down the path. Occasionally she would hear a slight noise, but decided it best to forget it, as Luis would just have a field day with her. There was a fork in the path up ahead and again there was a rustling noise. “Which way?” She asked Luis.

Without thinking Luis took the coconut in his hand and threw it at Roger with all his might. The coconut caused the gun to go flying from Roger's hands. Roger was instantly startled by this action. When he realized what happened he lunged at Luis only to be met with another coconut hitting him squarely between the eyes. Luis turned to Sheridan who had a smug look of victory on her face as she watched Roger fall to the ground. His expression turned from one of surprise to one of satisfied approval.

“Wouldn't you think twice about prancing around naked?” Luis asked. He immediately regretted what he said when he recalled their conversation about the topless beaches in Europe. “Forget it. Don't answer that” Luis said as he continued stripping Roger. His cheeks were blushing slightly. “At least it will slow him down. He won't be able to run as fast without shoes and when certain things start flap...” Again Luis regretted what he said. Sheridan was finding this entire conversation endearing. She loved seeing Luis squirm with embarrassment as it didn't happen very often. Now twice in the last few minutes he'd managed to embarrass himself.

Sheridan turned and walked a few feet away when Luis began stripping his boxers. The last thing she wanted to see was Roger's private parts. Luis had used pieces of the rope that had tied him and Sheridan in place on the airplane to tie Roger up. At best, Luis figured without anything to help him cut through the rope, it would take him several hours to get himself out of his ties. He wouldn't starve though. Luis kindly cracked the two coconuts and placed them by Roger's head.

When he was finished he gathered Roger's things and wrapped them in the parachute. He walked over to where Sheridan was standing and placed a hand on her shoulder. She was startled by his touch and turned to face him. She couldn't help the grin that formed on her face when her eyes met his. They were so warm and inviting right now. How she loved looking into Luis' eyes.

Luis and Sheridan walked for several hours creating as much distance between themselves and Roger as possible. They were very careful to follow already worn paths and cover their tracks, as they didn't want Roger to have an easy way to trail them. Sheridan kept having flashes of Roger catching up with them and would shudder. When she pictured a naked Roger catching them she shuddered and then wanted to vomit. They reached another beach on what was probably another corner of the island and Luis suggested they camp there for awhile. It was a good thing they had a good breakfast, as neither of them had had a thing to eat or drink since then.

“Luis I'm sorry for my behavior in the past. I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused you while you were trying to protect me. I know now you were right and I was wrong. I was being stubborn. Too stubborn for my own good. My stubbornness is the reason that Hank was shot, the reason I was forced to kill a man, hit man or not and the reason you and I are stuck here on this island with Roger in pursuit.” Sheridan paused for a moment and took a deep breath "Luis, please don't leave me here by myself. I feel safe with you. You're the only person I've ever felt this safe with and until we are completely free of Roger and the drug cartel I don't think I can handle being alone. Especially when I know Roger is out there looking for me.”

“Yeah Sheridan, I know, but that was before the shooting at the wharf. We've been through a lot since then and I shouldn't have been so callous with your feelings.” Luis pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead. “I promise you it won't happen again Sheridan. I'll protect you. I swear to God, I'll never let Roger hurt a hair on your head. Now let's go get some water, O.K.?”

“Fine. I'll spread the parachute out to give you someplace a little more comfortable to sleep,” Luis announced. He got up and grabbed the parachute and spread it out in a secluded corner of the beach. Sheridan smiled as she watched him smooth the parachute out trying to make it as “comfortable” as possible. When he was finished he returned and extended his hand to Sheridan. She took his hand and he helped her to a standing position. Luis then walked her over to her "bed".

Sheridan decided to fix herself a pillow. She lumped some sand together under the parachute and lay her head on it. She lasted only a few seconds when she was back up reshaping her “pillow“. She lay down again, lasted several more seconds and repeated the procedure as she tried to get comfortable. Luis heard her pounding the sand and looked over to see what she was doing. His eyes danced with amusement as he watched her repeat this several times, each time becoming more frustrated.

“No!” she said in disgust. “I guess I'll just have to live with it.” She again pounded the sand in one more feeble attempt at comfort. She lay back trying her latest creation and then sighed in annoyance. Luis fought hard to keep the laughter from coming. A pleasing smile finally came to his face when an idea struck him.

“I'll tell you what. Why don't you try it for a minute. If you don't like it then you can go back to pounding your sand pillow.” Sheridan saw the look in Luis' eyes felt a warm feeling engulf her body. Luis didn't wait for her reply. He placed his arm gently around her and pulled her down, resting her head on his chest. Luis felt Sheridan sigh in contentment. After a moment he asked. “Is this any better?”

Luis was eating his banana staring out thoughtfully at the ocean. Sheridan watched him as he appeared deep in thought. Her heart began to ache when she thought about how much she loved him. She closed her eyes and remembered all the good times they'd shared together. Her most recent memories were just before the shooting. She and Luis had danced the Paso Doble and shared the most passionate kiss she'd ever had. Oh how she wished that kiss hadn't ended. That kiss had allowed her to feel more in a few seconds than she'd felt in a life time. She winced when she remembered him tell her it was wrong of him to cross the line. He was there as a cop. He couldn't allow himself to be distracted.

'Distracted' she thought. She knew he'd felt something with that kiss too. It wasn't about getting caught up in the dance. They BOTH wanted that kiss, but Luis refused to let his guard down. She was glad for that too, in a way. Thanks to a little luck and Luis she was still alive. They were both alive. Alive and stranded on an island off the coast of Florida somewhere. But was there a way to find out how Luis really felt? When she thought he was going to die, she'd told him she loved him. Sheridan thought she'd heard Luis say something along those lines earlier, but figured she'd been imagining it. She knew if he ever really spoke those words she'd never question whether she was hearing things or not.

A new smile replaced her frown, as she reminded herself how wonderful it had been to sleep in Luis' arms last night. She knew without a doubt she'd allow him to be her “pillow” anytime he wanted. She almost laughed out loud when a crazy idea flashed through her head of stuffing Luis under her arm and carrying him back to her cottage. She'd place him on her bed and never let him leave.

“Luis! What are you talking about? Roger could...” Sheridan stopped in mid-sentence. Her face went pale, then scarlet. Luis had turned around in disbelief. Then he saw the look on her face and realized the full impact had just hit her full force. “Oh my God! Oh my God! I am so stupid.” Sheridan refused to look at Luis who was wearing the grin of all grins. She threw her hand up in the air and then quickly walked as far away from Luis as she dared go.

A few minutes later Luis walked up behind Sheridan. “Hey,” he said softly. Sheridan was afraid to look up. She was still mortified at her earlier exhibition. “Sheridan,” he said, “we should start packing stuff up from here. Until we figure a way off this island I want to keep moving as far away from the spot we met Roger. We need to make this place look like no one stayed here too.”

It didn't take long to clean up their area and they were soon on their way. They walked for several hours before the heat really began to effect them. They found another spring and decided to rest there for awhile. Sheridan was sitting on a rock fanning herself. Luis took his shirt off. His torso was glistening from sweat and Sheridan found herself staring sinfully at him. She saw him catch her staring and she quickly said, “You know, that's not fair. You get to take your shirt off.”

Sheridan's first thought was to immediately take off her shirt, but as she thought about it she had a better idea. She kept her eye on Luis to make sure he wasn't looking. She saw he was occupied with looking for fruit trees. Satisfied, she quickly stripped her clothes off and laid them on the rock. She then walked into the water to cool off. The water was warm, but not quite as warm as the air so it was still refreshing. She immersed herself below the shoulders. “Luis?” she called.

“Sure thing,” he said not thinking. He continued what he was doing for a minute before he realized what she said. Luis stood up straight and slowly turned around. He spied the rock first with all her clothes neatly piled on it. Then he found Sheridan. She was swimming. No, scratch that. She was skinny-dipping. Sheridan smiled at him and then swam off in the opposite direction.

Luis grinned and shook his head. He then pulled out his Swiss army knife and found the scissors and began cutting. He left Sheridan with a “short” pair of shorts and reluctantly tore himself away. “All set” he yelled over his shoulder. Every encounter like this Luis had with Sheridan made him more and more unsure he was going to be able to control his feelings for her. He knew he had to more than ever now. After all, right now he was the only person that could save her from Roger.

After a swim and a lunch consisting of pineapples, Sheridan and Luis continued their trek to the furthest part of the island. Sheridan was much more comfortable with her shorts and felt somewhat refreshed after her dip. They walked in silence hand in hand just taking in the beauty of their tropical paradise. `If only the circumstances were different' Luis thought as he glanced at the beautiful blonde by his side.

Sheridan left Luis' side as she walked ahead of him checking out various trees and bushed looking for different fruits. She saw one tree ahead of her that she thought might be an orange or tangerine tree. “Luis, look!” she shouted as she ran towards the tree. The tree was in a thick area of brush and she scraped up her legs slightly getting to it, but she didn't care. She pulled several oranges off the tree and stepped back to hand them to Luis.

“Sheridan try to stay calm and keep still. Don't move your leg” Luis ordered. He placed her on her back with her leg straight out. He examined the bite as he searched through the packed up parachute. He pulled out one of the pant legs from Sheridan's jeans that he'd saved. He quickly ripped several strips of cloth from it. He tied one strip above the snake bite and the other below it slowing down the blood flow to the area. Luis frowned when he saw the swelling right before his eyes. There was blood pouring from the fang marks which was not a good sign. Snake venom causes blood to become a watery consistency and that is exactly what he was seeing.

“Sheridan, I'm trying to help you here,” Luis said in a calm voice. He pulled out his pocket knife. “Damn!” he muttered. He needed a match or a lighter. Something to help sterilize the blade. He quickly thought of Roger's pockets. He'd never gone through them. Like lightening he tore through Roger's pants pockets praying there would be something there he could use. A wave of relief went through him when he pulled a lighter out of his pocket.

Luis quickly sterilized the knife the best he could. He let the blade cool slightly. “Sheridan this might hurt a little. I'm really sorry, but I have no choice.” Luis said a small prayer and took a deep breath. Luis sliced the wound open from fang mark to fang mark. Blood poured out of her leg. He wiped as much blood away as he could and then began Luis then began to suck the venom from her leg. He did this for about ten minutes. He knew that it was ineffective after about fifteen minutes and it had taken him five minutes to get everything set up.

After he'd managed to calm her down a little, Luis gathered up his belongings. He tied everything inside the parachute and flung it on his back as he might a back pack. He then ever so gently picked Sheridan up and carried her. He was surprised as how effortlessly he managed to carry her along with him. He felt as if he could walk for days with her like this if he needed to. He knew he's do whatever it took to protect her or keep her from harm. Right now all he wanted to do was find an good place for them to camp. She was not going to be doing much traveling for a few days and he wanted to find a spot as out of the way as possible.

The sun was beating down on them. Sweat glistened Luis' torso as Sheridan lay limp in his arms with her head on his shoulder and her arms wrapped around him. She had stopped crying. Her eyes were closed. She was asleep. Luis knew she was as he could feel her warm breath on his neck as she took her rhythmic breaths. Every time her breath hit his neck he felt a tiny jolt of electricity. He continued his trek, worrying about Sheridan's snake bite and at the same time enjoying their closeness. Part of him wanted to stay on this island with her forever. Just the two of them, without the interference of outside forces. Unfortunately Roger was also on this island and Luis knew he must be untied by now. Luis had tied him up well, but he knew that someone as determined as Roger would find a way to cut himself loose.

Luis saw a clearing up ahead and when he got there he saw one of the most beautiful sites he'd ever seen. It was like a tropical paradise complete with Queen Palms, fruit trees and about every flowering bush in the subtropics. There was also another small spring for fresh water and a tiny waterfall. Luis stopped for a moment and surveyed the area. “Perfect” he said. He headed a far corner where there were several large trees for shade.

Luis lay Sheridan down on a grassy area under a tree. He placed the parachute under her leg in order to elevate it and then examined the wound. There was a lot of swelling but the bleeding had stopped. Luis heaved a sigh of relief. He was pretty sure he'd gotten the poison out. Sheridan winced in pain as he placed her leg down.

“Sheridan, the truth is you've got yourself one heck of a bite on your leg. You must have really spooked that snake. But I think I got all the venom out. Most of it anyway. The most important thing for us to do right now is keep you quiet, give you plenty of rest and hope and pray an infection doesn't set in. I did my best to sterilize the knife when I made the cut in your leg.”

Sheridan forced a small smile as she watched Luis walk off. She closed her eyes trying to remember a time in her life when she'd been happy, a Christmas she'd actually enjoyed, a birthday party... Suddenly Sheridan smiled. She did have one memory that was happy. Funny, it was from her early childhood and her mother was still alive. Yes. She could tell Luis about that. Her smile was still on her face thinking about that happy time when she drifted off to sleep.

Luis returned to find Sheridan fast asleep. He was actually glad, as he had a few things he wanted to do and he knew once she woke up she'd want him nearby. Luis didn't mind. He knew right now she felt vulnerable and he wanted to be there for her, but this way he could do what he needed and not have to worry about it later.

The secluded area that Luis and Sheridan were staying in was surrounded on two sides by a fresh water spring. The water's edge was tree lined completely giving it privacy. The third side of their area was treacherous. It was loaded with fallen rocks and pine trees. Luis spotted numerous scorpions scurrying about and made a mental note to stay as far away from that area as possible. He planned on telling Sheridan as soon as she woke up.

From the fourth side of their little paradise Luis set several alarms and traps. He strung vine ankle height above the ground from tree to tree. In one area, if Roger approached, tripping the vine would bring a pile of coconuts dropping down on his head. In several other areas noise makers were set up. Luis hollowed out several coconuts and filled them with seashells pebbles and rocks. When the vine was tripped, the coconuts would sound very much like maracas. The last area unguarded was the best of all. There was a fire anthill right there. Luis covered the area on either side of the fire anthill with prickered palm fronds so Roger would have to walk right through the anthill. Though the bites are rarely deadly, fire ants tend to attack in large groups and cause an enormous amount of pain when bitten by one ant, never mind a colony of them.

Satisfied that they would at least be warned that Roger was approaching and with Sheridan sleeping, Luis decided to set up camp and gather some food for dinner. Luis laughed as he gathered more fruit. He would have killed for a nice juicy steak right then, but it wasn't going to happen. He thought about fish, but he couldn't leave Sheridan alone, so instead he decided to gather a variety of fruit. Luckily he had an assortment in this area and he also found some pecan trees. Luis decided to slice the pineapples in such a fashion that they could be used as a dish. That way he could make a fruit salad of sorts. He carried water back in empty coconut shells; water for both drinking and cleaning Sheridan's wound.

Sheridan woke up and groaned inwardly. She glanced around looking for Luis and saw him a few feet away cutting up fruit. She felt a smile form as she stared at him. The sun was beginning to set and the light reflecting on his slightly moist torso was a sight to behold. He hadn't noticed she was awake yet and Sheridan was glad about that. This was the best scenery she'd seen since she'd arrived on the island.

Luis finished cutting the fruit and felt her eyes on him. He turned towards her and caught her staring with a look of desire all over her face. He caught his breath and swallowed hard when their eyes met. Sheridan was soon embarrassed and broke the gaze. She pulled herself to a sitting position and was pleased that her pain level didn't increase while she was asleep. She was now managing to keep her moans to herself.

Luis continued to watch her as she inspected her leg. He saw her run her hand slowly down her thigh until it reached her calf which was the sight of the bite. He started walking over to her carrying dinner with him. He shook his head and tried to bury the feelings that were threatening to surface. `Get a hold of yourself, man. Roger could be anywhere by now.' Luis took a cleansing breath and joined Sheridan.

Roger was muttering obscenities in French as removed the last of the rope that bound him. “They will pay for this!” he yelled shaking his fist. His face was crimson and his mouth contorted. He was in a furious rage at the predicament he'd been left in. “Once again Sheridan Crane and that American cop think they outsmarted me. They have my gun and my clothes, but they have made one VERY big mistake. They did not kill me!” Roger laughed. “I will find you Sheridan Crane and Luis Lopez Fitzgerald!”

Roger began to follow the path more determined than ever to find Sheridan and Luis. When he did he would make sure he killed them once and for all. He cursed as his foot stepped on a sharp rock. Every time he felt pain coarse through his body, it made him that much more determined to find Luis and Sheridan and make them pay. Though night fall had approached that would not stop him. Roger was going to find them. He would not rest until Sheridan Crane and her bodyguard were dead.

Sam laughed. “I would hope not. They're both smart enough to realize that would be suicide.” He paused for a moment and his smile turned into a concerned frown. “At least I hope they wouldn't do that.” The smile faded from Sam's face. He knew when pushed, Luis would do just about anything, especially if it meant saving Sheridan's life.

Sheridan smiled as she placed her “bird of paradise” on the ground next to her. She was completely sated. “That was the best fruit salad I ever had Luis,” she glowed. “And wherever did you learn to present food in such a beautiful fashion? I haven't seen a “bird of paradise” anywhere except the finest restaurants and catered affairs! Have you been holding out on me Luis? I mean I knew you could cook, but this?” Sheridan was visibly impressed.

Luis grinned at her. He was pleased she appreciated his hard work. “Mama always said food only tastes as good as it looks. Give people something that looks nice and they'll love whatever it is. I saw a bird of paradise at a wedding once and thought it was a really neat way to serve fruit salad, especially pineapple. I asked Mama about it and the next day she showed me how to make one.” Luis laughed heartily. Let me tell you, we ate a lot of fruit that summer.”

Sheridan smiled at him thinking how wonderful it must have been to grow up in a family that close. She tried to imagine Ivy teaching anyone how to cook never mind create such a splendid sight and she almost laughed. All she managed to learn from her family was who to call to get what she wanted. “Never do yourself what you can pay someone to do for you.” She'd heard Julian say that more than once.

“As you know already, I don't have very many memories of my early childhood. The few I do have are happy, but the one I'm going to tell you is much later. “I was a Junior in high school” Luis began. “We already discussed my accomplishments in school” Luis looked at Sheridan and she smiled at him. “My mother was so proud of me. There was nothing in this world I wanted more than to make my mother happy. She sacrificed so much to keep the family going after Papa disappeared. Her only joy was her children. Anyway, my guidance counselor talked me into applying to colleges. I really didn't want to. I knew as soon as I finished school, I was going to get a job and help Mama out. She wouldn't allow me to work while I was in school."

“Anyway,” Luis continued, “I got home from school one afternoon and Mama was there with a very large envelope in her hands. It was addressed to me and it was from the Admissions office at Dartmouth. Luis what is this she asked me? I was nervous she'd found it. I'd applied to several schools and hadn't heard from any yet. As I said I had no intention of going, but I did as my guidance counselor wanted and even applied to the schools he suggested. I figured he was nuts, but what the heck right?” Luis laughed as he watched Sheridan smiling at him. He was mesmerized by her as the flames from the fire reflecting in her blue eyes.

“Well I was thrilled. But Mama! Sheridan, I don't think I have ever before or after seen Mama so happy. She had tears in her eyes. She wanted to know why I hadn't told her. Sheridan, she called every person she knew and told them about that scholarship. My son has been accepted to an Ivy League school, she would tell them. I swear she cried for a month after that every time she saw me. The funny thing was, as happy as I was to have gotten the scholarship, I was even happier to see Mama. She'd been so sad for so long and it was as if she'd been given a new hope.” Luis' voice trailed off as he seemed to get lost in the fire.

Luis did his best to keep the bitterness out of his voice, but it was hard. Very hard. “I don't know how much you know about your family's business, but I'll tell you this much. Working as a domestic at the mansion does not offer health insurance as a benefit. Two months before the start of my Freshman year Miguel ended up in the hospital with pneumonia. He was there for almost two weeks and for a short time we weren't even sure he was going to pull through. He and Reese had gone swimming one afternoon and then were caught in a thunderstorm. Kids being kids, they never bothered to go home, dry off or anything. They both wound up in the hospital with pneumonia. I swear when I found Miguel his body temperature had dropped ten degrees. We tried to warm him up and the next day he had a fever of 105.5 and Eve Russell demanded he be admitted immediately.”

The bank threatened to foreclose on the house. Mama picked up a second job and tried to talk to the bank. They wouldn't hear it. I had a summer job at the Sea Scape. I was planning on using my money for school, but I gave it all to Mama instead. It still wasn't enough. I knew the Harmony P.D. was looking for recruits so I went down and talked to Chief Bennett.”

“She was, Sheridan. She was. She still wanted me to go. Can you believe that? She said it didn't matter what happened to her and she could send Theresa and Miguel to live with relatives if she had too. She still insisted I go and make a life for myself.” Luis was shaking his head as he recalled the event which was so vivid in his mind.

Sheridan clung to Luis. She had tears in her eyes as she listened to the turn of events that may have destroyed Luis' chance for a promising future. Luis saw the pain in her face as well as the tears rolling down her cheeks and smiled at her. “Hey,” he whispered. “We survived. That's all that mattered.” He gently brushed away her tears. “I told Mama that no matter what, we would remain a family. Even though I never went to Dartmouth no one could ever take away the fact that I'd been offered the scholarship. Mama still has my admission letter. I think she had it framed and has it hanging in her bedroom.”

“Okay. It was my fourth birthday party. My mother had invited all of the children of her friends. Ivy was there with Ethan and your mother was there as well. We did all the things a child does at a birthday party. It was wonderful. I can still see my mother's face as she told me to blow out the candles. Oh Luis, I wish you could have known her. She was the kindest gentlest woman I ever met. And every time she smiled at me I felt warm all over” Sheridan said wistfully.

“Anyway, it was a special day just for me. I know it wasn't anything nearly as wonderful as being accepted to an Ivy League school, but it was my most precious memory of my mother. In my other memories of her, she is very sad. In this one she is happy and laughing and enjoying life. I still have the present she gave me back at the cottage. I've kept it all these years.”

“My father thought parties serves one function, to seal business deals. “He saw no sense in birthday parties. He'd send a servant to the store and make sure I had all the presents I could ever want. Then he'd have Cook bake me a small cake to eat after dinner. Just me. He couldn't be bothered singing Happy Birthday or even saying it for that matter.” Sheridan's tone held a combination of bitterness and sadness.

“What about Ivy? Didn't she ever throw you a party? Surely Ethan had them,” Luis asked. Luis was still floored. In his family birthdays were still celebrated each year with a huge party for each family member. Luis made a mental note that he was going to throw Sheridan the biggest party of her life when her birthday came around again.

Sheridan thought for a moment as she tried to bring the buried memory to the surface. “As I recall we were having cake and ice cream after dinner. Ivy was having one of the maids get the pool ready so we could all go for a swim. Father cam home and had a fit. He told Ivy to mind her own business where I was concerned. He sent everyone home and told them to take their gifts with them. I was never so embarrassed in my life.”

“No actually she wasn't” Sheridan answered in a trancelike voice. “I went to see her at the cottage. I knew she lived there but had never been there before. After Father broke up the party I ran out the front door. He called after me and told me if I didn't come back immediately I would regret it, but at that moment the only thing on my mind was seeing Pilar so I kept running.”

“I was crying when I got to the cottage, I remember that” Sheridan explained. “I knocked on the door and then I heard music playing. Pilar opened the door and gave me a big hug and kiss and wished me a happy birthday, She was upset to see me crying and brought me inside.” Sheridan's face started to go pale. She pulled away from Luis and just stared at him in disbelief.

“I told Pilar what had happened and she comforted me for awhile. She had a present for me. It was a beautiful hand knit sweater. I thanked her for it and decided I'd intruded long enough. She told me that was nonsense. She said it was “dance night” at the Lopez-Fitzgerald's and I was more than welcome. “Your father was trying to teach your sister the tango. It really was a cute site. She couldn't have been more than four at the time. I really felt out of place as everyone seemed to be having so much fun. I told your mother I didn't know that dance and she just laughed at me. We'll teach you, she said. Your mother refused to let me feel like an outsider and she and your father taught me the basic steps of the tango...”

The look on Luis' face was now shock and utter disbelief. He finished the story for her. “Then Papa decided you and I should dance together since we were both about the same age. I remember watching you as Mama and Papa were teaching you the steps thinking you were the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. I was really surprised at how friendly and nice you were. Anyone I'd met from that family before had always seemed so cold and superior, but you were so different.”

They both smiled at the memory. Luis leaned in closer still and Sheridan helped close the distance. Their lips met in a passionate kiss and they felt a surge of electricity. They both remembered feeling the same surge all those years ago. This time the kiss was filled with passion and an unspeakable desire. Luis didn't run this time. He pulled Sheridan in close to him and deepened the kiss. Sheridan responded eagerly and wrapped her arms around Luis, encouraging his every move. For a moment Luis forgot where he was. He didn't think about circumstances. He just allowed himself to feel. The feel of Sheridan's lips against his. The indescribable feelings of love, pleasure and desire. Luis had once told Sheridan their kiss had taken him to another place. It was becoming a place that was more and more difficult to leave. Luis broke the kiss and began kissing her soft neck. She was breathless and moaned in pleasure. He found his hands beginning to roam. He was definitely beginning to lose control. His hand made its way down her arm and brushed against her soft breast. He heard Sheridan gasp in pleasure as he felt a shockwave hit him. He couldn't. Luis pulled away and stood up as quickly.

“Fine Luis. Now if you'll excuse me I'd really like to be alone right now.” Sheridan knew how much Luis' sense of duty meant to him, but after all they were on a deserted island right now, Roger was after them and they didn't even know for sure if they'd live to see the next day. She chastised herself silently for allowing herself to feel so much for a man who obviously didn't feel the same way. Sometimes she was sure he did, but then he'd do something like this and it just about killed her. `Never again' she thought.

Luis wouldn't let it go. He knew he had to make her understand. Without thinking, he grabbed her and kissed her with more passion than he thought possible. Sheridan tried to fight it for all of a second, but soon succumbed to his kiss. Luis deepened the kiss. His tongue sought out hers and the two of them were lost in ecstasy. Luis kissed her passionately and deliberately. He made sure his hands didn't wander too far. He slowed the kiss and pulled away for air. After a few gasps of air he kissed her again. The passion intensifying.

Sheridan thought it was a dream. Never had she felt like this before. If she doubted his intentions before, the way he kissed her now caused all doubt to leave her mind. After they kissed for a few more minutes, Luis gradually ended the kiss. He gave her several small pecks as if not really wanting it to stop, but he knew it must.

Luis slowly got up being careful not to wake Sheridan. The fire that had once burned brightly was now nothing but a few glowing embers. Luis quickly doused the remaining fire and began packing their things. He knew it was dangerous to leave in the middle of the night, especially with Sheridan's leg, but he felt that staying there could be worse. Once he had everything packed up Luis went to wake Sheridan.

“I don't know. Help me up and I'll let you know.” Luis had inspected her leg earlier and it was no worse. The swelling may have even gone down a little. He helped Sheridan to a standing position. She grimaced in pain as she felt the blood flow increase to her lower leg. She now felt a throbbing sensation, but it still felt much better than it had after her bite. She tentatively place weight on the leg and tested it. “I think so Luis” she said. “I don't think I can run any marathons though.”

“I know you're here somewhere Sheridan Crane” Roger said out loud as he followed his chosen path. I will find you and when I do watch out!” Roger was almost completely mad at this point. He had managed to string together some palm fronds and made a makeshift loin cloth and shoes. He was uncomfortable, but at least his feet were protected from the sharp rocks and pebbles he'd been stepping on frequently.

Roger sniffed the air and smelled smoke. An evil grin spread across his face. He had been very tired as he'd been walking all night, but now with the smell of smoke in the air he knew he was close. “You can not escape me Sheridan. Nor can you Officer. I am coming to get you.” Roger's adrenalin was pumping furiously now as the smoky smell became stronger still. He followed the scent until he was certain they were very nearby.

Roger immediately spotted the secluded area. He smiled, as he knew that's where they'd be. He remembered to remain very quiet. He needed the element of surprise in order to get them. Roger recognized Luis' traps. He was impressed at his ingenuity, but it still wasn't smart enough to out smart him. He found the only entrance that wasn't booby trapped. Roger carefully stepped around the broken tree branches and entered the area.

Sheridan felt every hair on her body stand up on end. Luis felt a wave of fear go through him as well. “Let's go Sheridan! NOW!” The two of them began to run up the hill almost blindly. Fear was the motivating factor allowing Sheridan to run. Her leg was throbbing, but that didn't stop her. She knew whose scream she was hearing and that was enough to keep her running for sometime to come.

Roger continued to scream as hundreds of fire ants attacked his mostly naked body. Each bite felt like a nerve ending was on fire and nothing seemed to put it out. Roger started swatting at the ants, only to find he was getting bitten now on his hands and arms. He began to run. His screams becoming louder and echoing for miles. Roger finally spotted the spring and gratefully dove into the water in order to cool his body.

The water washed away the ants, but the pain of their sting remained behind for sometime. As the pain began to subside, Roger slowly emerged from the water. Even though it was dark, he saw the red marks on his body from the ant bites. He cursed and muttered loudly in French as he slowly examined the camp site. They'd been there all right. They'd also left already. From the looks of things not to long ago either.

Though he was sleep deprived, Roger was one determined man. He gathered his wits about him and took off on Luis and Sheridan's trail. Roger was a man possessed with good instincts. He seemed to know exactly which way they'd gone. He followed their path and as he ran through the brush on the hill, his foot hit something hard and he kicked it away. Roger cursed momentarily, but bent down to pick it up, wondering what he's kicked.

“Stuff it Sheridan!!!” Luis shouted angrily. “I'm NOT leaving you here and that's final.” With that Luis picked Sheridan up in his arms and began to run again. Sheridan tightened her grasp around his neck and buried her head. She felt like crying. She was petrified they'd be caught. She meant it when she told Luis to go on ahead, but was very glad he'd not taken her up on it.

It was mid morning when Luis and Sheridan finally reached the top. Luis placed Sheridan and the pack on the ground and glanced around him. The island was much larger than they'd originally thought when they were parachuting from the plane. Luis guessed they'd only seen about one quarter of it if that. `With an island this size there has to be a way to keep away from Roger' he thought. Luis was thankful they'd made it to the top when they did. The sun was beating down on his back and the heat was scorching already. He knew he had to find some water soon or the two of them would become dehydrated quickly.

A short while later Luis found a small lake and the two of them gratefully quenched their thirst. They rested for awhile under a shade tree, as the noonday sun was almost intolerable. Sheridan fell asleep while Luis planned his strategy or attempted too. Somehow they had to lose Roger from their trail. Though he hadn't seen a trace of Roger, Luis knew he was close. So close in fact Luis got a chill. Suddenly he shook Sheridan.

“I mean it Sheridan! Let's go!” Luis suddenly had a sick feeling in his gut. As he picked her up and prepared to start moving Luis and Sheridan heard a loud crack. He froze for a second and then heard a distant voice swearing. Instantly Luis began running blindly. He heard trees rustling and twigs snapping and knew Roger was following close behind.

Luis ran as fast as he could through the thick brush. Sheridan clung to him for dear life. Luis saw a clearing ahead and decided he'd need to pick up speed when he got there to avoid being an open target. When he reached the clearing, Luis was about to run faster when he saw the ocean in front of him and came to a dead stop. “WHOA!!!” he yelled as he looked over the edge of a cliff. “Damn!” Luis put Sheridan down on one leg and looked around frantically. They were stuck, right at the edge of a cliff with no place to go except forward or backwards. He looked over the edge and saw the ocean beneath. He looked behind him and saw Roger running towards them. Roger was approaching them, his gait slowing. His gun pointed and an evil grin across his face.

Their strokes weakening quickly, they finally felt solid ground beneath their feet as they fought the ocean current once again in an attempt to make it to shore. As soon as they reached the sandy beach Sheridan fell to her knees and rolled over on her back totally spent. She panted heavily as she fought to catch her breath. Her leg was to the point where she couldn't even feel it anymore, but she was thankful to be alive. Once again Luis had saved her from the jaws of death. `Luis' she thought frantically. `Where is he?' She forced herself to sit up and look for him. A wave of sheer terror coursed through her veins at the thought of losing him. The terror she felt at that very moment was worse than the fear of death. Worse than any feeling she'd had to date in her life.

She spotted him soaking wet sauntering over to her. Relief spread through her like wildfire. She'd never been so happy to see anyone in her life. Luis plopped himself on the ground next to her as he caught his breath. Unable to think about anything else, Sheridan jumped on top of him, knocking him to the ground and kissed him frantically. The hunger in her kiss aroused feelings in Luis he'd only imagined existed, but never experienced. He moaned loudly when he felt her deepen the kiss and rolled them over so he was on top. Luis returned her kiss with an equal passion.

As their hunger for air superceded their hunger for each other, the kiss slowed and they both lay there completely out of breath. Luis was glad that they were both physically exhausted from their ordeal, because he knew if he'd had the strength he would have made love to her right there on the beach. As Luis lay on top of Sheridan he realized part of his weight was on her bad leg. “Sheridan, why aren't you screaming?” Luis asked with concern.

“I spotted what looked like a small hut to the North. I'm headed there in case maybe I wasn't seeing things. Maybe we'll get lucky and someone actually lives on this island.” Luis was tired, but his concern for Sheridan gave him the strength he needed to continue. He no longer had the feeling that Roger was following them. Luis figured it would probably take Roger days to find them again, unless of course he jumped in after them. His concern right now was Sheridan's leg. It looked terrible and the numbness she felt could not be good. He hoped and prayed that he could find some way to help heal her leg. Otherwise...

No! Luis didn't want to think about that. He would do what it took to help Sheridan. He turned his head slightly and caught sight of her resting with her eyes closed. She looked like an angel resting her head on his shoulders. As if she sensed him gazing at her, she opened her eyes and gave him a warm smile. There was a look of innocence and trust in her eyes. Trust in him. She trusted he would help her and that was exactly what he planned on doing.

Luis carried Sheridan for hours. He should have been dead tired, but instead he seemed to be gaining strength. He stopped dead in his tracks as he arrived in the clearing. He hadn't imagined seeing the hut. It stood there in front of him in all it's glory. “Sheridan!” he whispered lightly in her ear. “Sheridan look!”

Sheridan fell asleep while Luis took care of the hut and remains of its previous occupant. After he buried the body and left a proper marker for him, he cleaned out the hut the best he could in order to make it inhabitable for Sheridan. Not only did he find all the medicinal plants inside the hut, but there were also a variety of tools as well. Luis also found several mess kits complete with cups and large containers suitable for carrying water. There was a small makeshift table and chair in one corner of the hut with a book laying open on it. Luis glanced at it and saw it was a diary. He grabbed the book and continued surveying the room.

In another corner the bed was made from straw and covered with what appeared to be an old life raft. Luis' mind was going a mile a minute as he saw the raft. He pulled it off the bed and dragged it outside. “This has potential” he muttered. He then brought out the water containers and mess kits and decided he needed to clean everything. If he could find the water supply that is.

“Well no one in their right mind anyway. I'm just going to walk around in concentric circles Sheridan. I won't go too far, I promise.” Luis gave her an encouraging smile and went on his search. Sheridan gave a small smile in return. She knew Luis would never break a promise to her. She returned her attention to the diary in front of her. She opened the book and turned to the first page.

I'm not completely sure of the date, but I believe this is correct. I had engine trouble immediately after take off from Miami and was forced to land on the beach here. Thank God it doesn't appear that I damaged the plane any, so there is a good chance that I can get off this island at some point. I only wish I was a better mechanic. I should have listened more attentively in that class I took last year. Too bad I was so cocky as to believe I would never need to service my own plane! Ha!

Right now I think I'll get some sleep and try to work on the plane in the morning. I suppose if I had to make an emergency landing on an island, this is the place to do it. It could be worse. I could have made it all the way back to New England and then I'd really be in trouble. Imagine spending November nights outdoors in cold country? I shudder to think!

God, it poured last night!! So much for my fire. I no sooner got it lit than it was doused by the rain. If I can't come up with something soon, I'm going to have to start thinking about building a shelter. It serves me right taking that job! What was I thinking! I was perfectly happy running my charter service. I didn't need this trip to Miami.

Who are you kidding, George? You know exactly why you took this job! Money! You were greedy George! Plain and simple. Hell, who wouldn't have jumped at the chance? A million dollars just to take one passenger on a one way trip to Miami? I mean really! Yeah, I guess I should have asked a few questions, but I think the reason for the cool million was so I wouldn't ask questions. That poor lady though! She looked so sad when he dismissed her. That man certainly had cold eyes. The coldest eyes I've ever seen. If you ask me, she was lucky to be rid of him. Still, there was a sadness about her that made me really feel for her. I knew the trip wasn't her idea.. She looked as if she was being torn from something or someone she really loved.

“I don't know yet Luis,” Sheridan answered excitedly. “All I know is the man's first name was George and he owned a Charter Service somewhere in New England, I think. He was on his way back to New England from Miami. He took some job delivering a female passenger to Miami for one million dollars. He was on his way home when he had engine trouble.”

“Much,” she smiled. She watched as Luis began cutting up the pineapples with his knife. He was sitting Indian style next to her and she couldn't help but smile at him. She loved looking at Luis no matter what he was doing, but there was something in the way he looked right now that made her feel warm all over. Luis looked up and caught her staring.

Sheridan finished reading and Luis had his brow burrowed in deep thought. “This is really interesting Sheridan. I wonder who the woman was? Or the man for that matter! Why would someone pay a million dollars for a plane ride from New England to Florida? I don't get it? You could buy your own plane and pilot for that kind of money!”

This is so frustrating! No matter what I do, that engine will not turn over. I don't understand this at all. The plane was fully serviced before I left Miami. The more I think about this whole thing the more suspicious I become. What was I thinking taking that offer? I'm really beginning to think the plane was sabotaged in some way. The joke's on me right? I can't pick up my money until I return home and the way things look right now, I won't be returning home anytime soon..

Yesterday was a total bust. I kept that fire going for nearly 20 hours. Not one ship, not one plane. I worked on the plane a little more and I think I have it narrowed down to the fuel line. I drained what I could from the fuel line and stored it in extra containers I had on board. It will also help prevent the fuel from evaporating. So far I can see nothing. Now I'm wondering if maybe the fuel itself has been tampered with. There is a slight build up in the system, but it doesn't look like enough to cause it to go down. All I need to do is get back to Miami. That's not asking much. It can't be more than 50 miles from here.

I worked some more on the fuel system. I think I've gotten in over my head here. I'm not sure I know how to put it back together. Damn it! What have I done to myself! All of this because I stupidly agreed to take this trip! Way to go George! Your friends warned you! Your family warned you. Would you listen? NO! You found a sure fire way to make a quick buck. Set yourself for life! Yeah, well it was a nice idea, but where has it gotten you? Stuck on a deserted island in the middle of the ocean. That's where.

I really should have seen this deal for what it was. Why on earth was he willing to pay so much money to send her to Florida? Hell, that family has more money than God for crying out loud. Certainly they have their own plane or could have at least bought one. I'm beginning to think I was meant to die in that plane. Let me die and there is no one alive that knows where she is.

“Some people have no conscience Sheridan. They will do whatever it takes to get what they want. Anything. One poor pilot is a small sacrifice to a person like that. What do they care if that pilot had a family depending on him? A family torn apart because he never came home? Nothing, that's what.” The bitterness in Luis' voice was evident. It was also evident he was no longer thinking about George.

“Yeah I was” Luis said. “I'm sorry Sheridan, but it really burns me that people who have money and power think they can step all over ordinary common folks to get what they want. I told you once before that I don't believe the end justifies the means. There are rules in this world and people like that don't seem to think they have to play by the same rules as everyone else.”

Luis saw the distant look come over Sheridan. He realized this was a real sore spot with her. He placed his hand on her shoulder. “Hey, I know you are nothing like that Sheridan. I also know that all rich people are like that either, but I gotta tell you. I do believe your father and brother are just like that. And someday I'm going to prove it too.”

I'm glad my parents didn't totally waste their money on my college education. They were both very disappointed when I chose to become a pilot instead of a pencil pusher. I will admit that class I took in botany came in handy. Seneca snakeroot, that's the ticket. Chew the root and then apply it to the snake bite just like a paste. That had to be the most God awful stuff I've ever tasted, but it did the trick. I am so lucky I found some down here. It's very rare finding it this far South. God must have been with me.

I kept that fire burning for five straight days. No one even blinked. I finally saw several ships pass, but I believe they were too far out. I also saw several planes, but they were all commercial planes and they probably didn't even see this island. Where are all the small planes when you need them? I've been here for over two weeks now and all I've accomplished is almost dying because I was dumb enough to step on a diamond back. I've been putting this off, but the time has come for me to built a shelter. Tomorrow I'll find a location near some fresh water and build a hut. Hopefully I can find someplace near the plane. I did see what appeared to be a suitable location about a mile from here. I'll check it out tomorrow.

As Luis was reading the passage from the diary, he noticed Sheridan start to swoon. At first he thought she was just tired. Keeping a close watch on her he continued reading until he saw her reach for her cup of water. As she leaned over to pick up her cup she toppled to the ground unconscious. Panic stricken, Luis dropped the journal and rushed to her side.

“Sheridan! Sheridan!” he screamed. “Sheridan, can you hear me?” he shouted louder still. Luis gingerly picked her up in his arms. Her entire body was shivering. He felt her forehead and it was burning up. “Damn it!” Luis took a deep breath to calm himself down. He needed to be smart about this. First thing he needed to do was get Sheridan's temperature down.

Luis came out with a small container. “Hmm, white willow bark” he said as he re-read the label. “I hope it works. I'm not quite sure how I'll get her to drink it though. Luis picked up the bucket and walked over to Sheridan. He placed a cloth on her forehead as well as one under each arm pit. He then pulled her up into a sitting position.

Sam and Hal had just returned to the airport from a long day of searching with air sea rescue. Sam was visibly upset that they had not found any sign what so ever. Hal wasn't talking much. He as well was disappointed, but he knew it had been a long shot. There were hundreds of small islands out there and IF they made it to an island they could be on any one of them.

Once in his room, Sam flopped on his bed and exhaled a long sigh. He really hoped Hal was right. He wanted Luis and Sheridan to be all right on one of those islands. “Damn!” he said. “Why did this have to happen in the first place?” Sam thought back to the night of the shooting. He still didn't understand how Les knew Sheridan was going to be there that night. He also didn't understand why Les pointed to Hank. Or did he? Sam then thought about what Hal had told him about Jack Gallagher and the missing FBI picture. The one that had been deleted from the Harmony PD. It was last summer. The same time when Hank had come home after being away for several years. Sam had a sinking feeling in his gut the more he thought about it. He got up from his bed and began to pace the room.

Luis held Sheridan as she shivered endlessly in her sleep. He exhaled a sigh of relief when he saw the beads of sweat begin to form on her forehead. Luis dampened the cloths with fresh water and wiped the perspiration from her brow. “Thank God” he said. “The fever's broken. I guess George knew what he was talking about.” Luis chuckled to himself as he wiped her face again.

“Sounds good Luis” she replied happily. Sheridan felt better than she'd felt in awhile. Her leg was hurting a little, but the swelling seemed to be down considerably. After she'd filled the water bottles she sat there and watched Luis gathering fruit. She couldn't stop the smile that formed on her face watching his muscles flex in the setting sun. Before she could turn away Luis caught her admiring his physique. He winked at her and gave her his killer smile before he returned to his task. Sheridan's face turned a dozen shades of red as she turned away from him. “Good going Sheridan” she chastised herself.

“We will, if we find it and manage to fix it. But I think it would be a wise idea to think about alternatives, just in case. As much as I like the idea of being stranded on a tropical island with you, we still have Roger to contend with. The sooner we get off this island, the sooner we can send a search party back for him and your life will be your own again. You'll no longer be in danger.”

“Think about it for a minute Sheridan. For starters they didn't kill us on the spot. They killed two agents instead. That should tell them that they had other plans for us. Since their were several attempts made on your life earlier, then why take you prisoner now? Only one possible reason. Revenge. We made Roger look inept and he was going to make us both suffer for it.”

Well, yesterday was Thanksgiving. I was thankful I'm still alive. I really missed having a big turkey dinner with my family. It was the one holiday where everyone came home. My sister Kathryn from Boston always comes up with her two boys and my brother Tim comes down from Portland. This year was going to be extra special as Jamie was coming home from California. He hasn't been back to Maine since he left in `72. I was really looking forward to seeing him. Tim and I were going to see what we could do about talking him into staying. Mom and Dad miss him so much. They'd never admit it, but it nearly killed them when he moved out there. Somehow talking on the phone just isn't the same as being there in person.

“Today I worked some more on the plane. I was wrong when I said it was the fuel system. To the best of my knowledge it's completely clean. I wish I could figure out what's wrong with it. It's almost as if there's a loose wire or screw or something. It is so aggravating! I feel like a dog who is being teased with a bone. It's right there in front of me, but I can't reach it. I'm almost at the point of giving up. If only I were a better mechanic. But, that's what I had Mike for isn't it?

I've been thinking about Mike a lot since the other day. He was such a top-notch mechanic! A great friend too! Why did I let those men talk me into giving the plane an overhaul in Miami? Mike would never have allowed me to fly the plane down here if he didn't think I'd make it back to Harmony. I swear that guy just had to look at a plane and he knew exactly what was wrong with it. I'm sure now that something was done to that plane. Someone never wanted me to return home. I swear right now on everything that is holy, I will get to the bottom of this when I get off this island. If my suspicions turn out to be true, I'll make that bastard pay!

I guess I should celebrate or something today. It's been two years since I was stranded on this island. I've just about lost all hope of a rescue. It takes every ounce of strength I have just to make it through the day here. I should be grateful I've lived to be thirty -two. From what I've been told I was near death's door as a child with leukemia. A “miracle” my mother had called it. They told me I was in remission for years and when it never came back the doctors finally pronounced me “cured.” Who'd know it would come back to haunt me twenty years later! I can barely remember being sick as a child, though I know I was. I also remember being too tired to play with all the other kids in the neighborhood. That's how I feel right now. Tired. Too tired to fight anymore.

I've been thinking a lot today about the lady I flew down here two years ago. I wonder what happened to her? I swear, I have never seen such a beautiful, yet sad face in my life. She had the face of an angel. She was obviously wealthy from the way she dressed, but she didn't act snobbish like those damned Cranes that make everyone in Harmony cringe. I wonder if she was one of them? I feel bad though. She asked me to deliver a letter for her when I got home. I wasn't going to at first. I figured if Alistair Crane ever found out, I'd be the next one shipped off somewhere. I did agree, however. I just couldn't deny her that. The sad look on her face made me really think she was being forced to leave someone she truly loved. Maybe her husband found out she was cheating on him and hired Alistair to send her away? I don't know. If I ever get my strength back, I think I'll take a trip to the plane and read that letter. I'm curious who she wrote it too.

It's funny how the mind works. I don't even remember who she told me to leave the letter with. She did say she'd like it hand delivered though . Even though I can't remember who I was supposed to give it to, I remember where I was suppose to go. 462 Railroad Street. Now why can I remember that when I can't remember the person's name?

Luis saw a look of panic he'd never seen before. All the dangerous and life-threatening situations they'd been in together and he'd not once seen her look like this. “What is it Sheridan?” Luis asked softly as he looked into her grief stricken eyes. “What do you think is so important in that letter that it can't wait until morning?”

Looking at Luis just then sent her over the edge. She finally broke down and wept uncontrollably. Luis gathered her in his arms and held her. He stroked her hair as he watched her literally fall apart and he had no idea why. “Sheridan please tell me?” Luis asked gently. “I want to help you. Why is that letter so important?”

Thirty minutes later Sheridan's leg had been cleaned and a new paste has been put on her snake bite. She and Luis were both amazed at how well the bite looked after a few hours with the snakeroot application. Luis also had Sheridan drink another mixture of the white willow bark, telling her he was trying to prevent a similar occurrence of earlier in the day. Sheridan had make a smart remark to “Doctor” Luis, but she knew he was doing this for her and she also knew he was right. Luis also packed an extra dose of each, as he doubted they'd be returning to the campsite tonight. A mile wasn't far normally, but on an island in the dark with a woman who shouldn't even be moving, it was a great distance.

Though he'd never admit it to Sheridan, Luis was secretly pleased to be going to the beach to look for the plane. He'd been dying to find it since they first read of it's existence and now would be the chance. Once he started packing, Luis decided to pack some tools as well. Maybe in the morning if all went well, he could tinker with the plane a little.

Sam Bennett walked into the Harmony Police department and went directly to his office. He switched his computer on and immediately accessed the FBI database. While he was waiting for the computer to load, Sam went and grabbed a cup of coffee. He ran into several officers who were surprised to see him and asked him if there was any word on Luis yet. Sam told them what he and Hal were currently working on which gave the guys some hope. There were a few wolf whistles as the guys joked about Sheridan and Luis being stranded on an deserted island together. Sam tried to hide his grin from the men, but he too found the thought amusing, considering how they felt about each other. Little did the rest of the men know that most likely if Sheridan and Luis were together on an island they would be fighting their feelings rather than fighting each other.

“Well there's one way to find out for certain if Jack Gallagher and Hank are the same person” Sam muttered. His hands flew over the keyboard and he brought up a police file on Hank from several years earlier. At the time Sam had done what he could to help his little brother out of trouble. There was still a police record for Hank Bennett on file, though few people knew about it. Sam made sure of that. Now that record was coming up on his screen. Sam went to the section with the fingerprints and printed it out. He then went back to Jack Gallagher's file and did the same thing.

“I hope I'm wrong” Sam muttered to himself as the pages were printing. He drummed his fingers impatiently on the desk as he waited for the pages to finish. Finally the last page fell from the printer and Sam held them side by side. He frowned and then placed them on his desk. He opened a drawer and pulled out a magnifying glass to examine them more closely. After carefully examining both sets of prints under the magnifying glass, he put down the papers and threw his hands to his head covering his face. He sighed deeply and then ran his hands through his hair.

”Wow!” she said enthusiastically. Luis helped Sheridan into the plane and both climbed into the cockpit. Sheridan seated herself in the pilot's seat and she began flipping switches. She watched as the cabin lights came on and the instrument panel lit up. Luis carefully watched Sheridan as she systematically lit the planes lights up. “Hey Luis, would you check the lights for me outside? See if any marker lights are burned out?”

“Done” she said happily when she finished. “Now where would George have put that letter?” Sheridan wondered out loud. She began searching all the places George may place a letter that was handed to him in flight or before his passenger disembarked. Sheridan finally shoved her hand into a pocket on the dash and slowly brought out a yellowed linen envelope.

The letter is addressed to Mama,” Luis said quietly. He waited carefully as Sheridan opened the letter. Inside the envelope was a piece of stationery as well as a smaller envelope. Sheridan was afraid to read the envelope. All of a sudden she lost all her nerve and handed Luis the letter in it's entirety. “Luis you read. It was addresses to your mother so you can stand in for her." Luis felt Sheridan's hand shaking as he accepted the letter from her. Once he had himself situated to read, he took Sheridan's hand in his free hand and tried to comfort her the best he could at the moment.

When you receive this letter, you will undoubtedly have already learned of my demise. I wish I had words of comfort for you at a time like this, but what I have to tell you will not comfort you, I fear. Pilar there is no easy way to tell you thins so I will just say it. I am not dead as Alistair is telling people. Sheridan's birth did not weaken me, in fact it strengthened me in numerous ways.

“Luis!” Sheridan sobbed, “My mother! She's not dead! All these years... “ Sheridan felt numb as she heard Luis read the words of the letter to Pilar. Her mother, the one person she loved more than anything had been deliberately torn from her. Banished to live a life without her family. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she tried to keep herself together. She wasn't successful. She was losing it quickly. “My God! My father ruined my mother's life and destroyed my happiness.”

Oh Pilar, I have made such a mess of things! I knew better than to challenge Alistair, but I couldn't take it another minute. How could I have been so foolish Pilar? You tried to warn me, I know. Ah, the innocence of youth! You and Martin are so in love with each other. I have always envied your love. To have the love of a man so unconditionally must be such a wonderful thing. That is all I ever truly wanted in my life. I never wanted the money or the power. You know that. All I ever wanted was my husband to love me. But alas, Alistair does not know what love is I am afraid.

Pilar, I think you must know what happened. I don't regret anything I have done. I only wish I could have kept Julian further away from Alistair. He was so different as a child. The saddest day of my life was when Julian came home from college and Alistair announced it was time for Julian to learn how to become a true Crane. My son was now lost to me, but I still had my Sheridan.

Again Pilar, please try to help my angel. She will not deal with my “death” well. Please let her know how much I love her and I will think of her everyday. If ever there is a way for me to come home, rest assured I will find it. Unfortunately I fear this may never happen. Julian will probably take over when Alistair dies and keep me in my prison. I pray Ivy has sense to keep Ethan away from those two, but in the true Crane tradition, that sweet child will eventually be swayed as well.

Sheridan's entire body was shaking as Luis finished her mother's letter to Pilar. “Come here Sheridan” he said softly. Luis pulled Sheridan from the pilot's chair and brought her to the back of the plane. The body of the plane was fairly small and contained four club seats. Luis sat Sheridan down on one seat and sat down next to her, allowing her to rest her trembling body next to him. Sheridan wrapped her arms around Luis and allowed herself to bury her head on his chest. She had no control of her tears at this moment. She was in total shock from the contents of the letter to Pilar. She had a feeling the woman George brought to Miami was her mother, but actually hearing Luis read the letter to her was overwhelming.

Luis felt a huge smile form. The look of childlike innocence on her face was a very appealing sight. “Of course I'll help you Sheridan.” He continued to stroke her hair, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from hers. He was lost in her fascinating blue eyes. He imagined someday he would meet another woman with the same eyes. “We're a team now aren't we?”

Luis' smile grew and he gently brushed her chin with his hand. “You know Sheridan, this is a good thing that we found this letter. I know it's a cruel twist of fate to find out your mother was sent away by Alistair, but look at it this way instead. She didn't die all those years ago. Even though you may have lost all those years with her, you can still get her back. You will still have the future to share with her when we find her.”

“Not at all Sheridan,” he answered. “I'll be right back. Luis slid out of the plane and returned a few minutes later carrying the supplies he'd left on the beach. Luis handed Sheridan a cup of water which she graciously thanked him for. “I didn't mention it earlier, but it looked like there might be a few lights out. At least one tail light and a few markers on the sides. The headlights are working just fine though.”

I so wish things could have been different, Sheridan. I wish I could have found a way back to you, but as you probably are aware by now, Alistair Crane is not a man to cross. He threatened you if I ever chose to come back to Harmony and I couldn't allow him to hurt you. The reason this all happened was because I was trying to protect you from him and the ways of the Cranes.

I asked Pilar to give you this letter before you married, so I trust you will now understand why I did what I did. Sheridan, I lived with your father Alistair Crane for 25 years. In that time I was the most dutiful wife a man could ask for. I did everything he ever asked of me and all I asked in return was his love. Not only was this something he would not give me, I don't think it was possible for him to love anyone. You and I were adornments, my love. Nothing more. I found not too long ago, Julian had turned into a younger version of Alistair. It broke my heart to see him take on the role of the Crane male. I had no idea what that role really meant until I saw Alistair transform Julian before my eyes.

It was when I heard his plans for you Sheridan that I knew I had to do something. I had already lost my son to the Cranes and I would not lose my daughter as well. Sheridan, as despicable as the life of a Crane male is, the life of a Crane female is even worse. Women in this family are treated as possessions. Our staff is treated better than we are.

Sheridan I heard Alistair on the phone literally selling you to the highest bidder. He was offering your hand in marriage as a prize. It was then I knew I had no choice but to get out of there and take you with me. I refused to allow him to destroy your life the way mine had been destroyed. Alistair's father picked me as a wife for him much the same way, and I know that Julian has already been searching for the best match for Ethan. I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out Ethan marries Gwen Hotchkiss.

I pray you are strong enough to stand up for yourself Sheridan. I pray you will not allow Alistair or Julian to fill you head with nonsense about the mighty Cranes and how important it is to always do what is best for the family. Marry someone that you love with all your heart, my dear. Marry the man you've dreamt of marrying all your life. Remember the dreams you had as a little girl? The man without a face that comes to your rescue? I know he's out there Sheridan. That man exists and I know you will find him one day. Stay strong Sheridan and you can break free of the Crane ways.

“Luis do you realize I've been having that one dream my whole life?” Sheridan cried. “I didn't remember that until now. But I do remember. She used to tell me stories and she'd make me feel like I'd be swept off my feet one day. I can see it all so clearly now.” Sheridan looked into Luis' eyes as she shared her memory with him. He gazed right back at her in a way that sent shivers to her very essence.

Luis continued gazing into Sheridan's eyes. The longer he stared the deeper to her soul he seemed to reach. Sheridan couldn't take much more of this. She loved this man with her entire heart and soul. Reading her mother's letters only reaffirmed what she already knew. Luis was the man of her dreams. Sheridan now felt as if she'd loved Luis her whole life. Nothing on earth could have prepared her for the connection she would find with him these past twenty four hours. First she learned her first tango had been shared with Luis all those years ago and as it would happen, her first kiss as well. Now she found out that she and Luis had played together as small children and she'd been dreaming of him since she was a mere toddler.

Luis gently brushed away the tears that were falling from Sheridan's cheeks. Luis was finding himself drawn closer and closer to her with each passing moment and there was nothing he could do about it. He continued caressing her cheek, even when her tears were no longer there. Luis had always felt a special connection with Sheridan. He'd denied it for a long time, but it was always there. For awhile he believed he had no chance with her, but the last few weeks brought him a renewed hope. He planned on pursuing a relationship with her as soon as the drug cartel business was over. What he didn't plan on were the events of the last 24 hours. Luis was never one to believe in fate. He'd chastised his sister many times for her foolish notions of people being destined to being together. What had happened these last few days was causing Luis to rethink his feelings. He had never felt closer to another human being than he did to Sheridan right now. Just when he thought he couldn't feel more connected to her, something else happened causing him to be drawn closer to her.

His head told him he had to keep his distance. Roger was still out there and posed a threat to her safety. His heart told him otherwise. As he looked deep into Sheridan's eyes, he was seeing directly into her soul. He felt as if she was part of him now, wholly and completely. There was nothing that could change that now. Though he didn't know how to verbally respond to Sheridan's admission of the faceless man in her dreams, he certainly knew how it effected him. It literally blew him away. As he caressed her face he kept telling himself to pull back now. He couldn't. He couldn't pull his hands away and he couldn't break their gaze. He felt as though their was a magnetic force stronger than either of them pulling them together.

The silence was now deafening. “Luis I...” Sheridan whispered but was cut off by Luis' fingers against her lips. She felt her heart begin to pound. Luis brought both hands up to her face and held it gently. His thumb moved slowly over her cheek. Sheridan took a quick intake of breath. She closed her eyes for a minute as she savored the sensation his touch was causing her. When she opened her eyes, she saw Luis too was visibly affected. She noticed his breathing was ragged and his gaze had grown intense. Sheridan lifted her hand to Luis' face. His normally clean shaven face was now covered with stubble due to their predicament, but she didn't care. She let her hand drift down to his strong shoulders, then his bare chest.

That was all it took. Luis slipped his hand behind Sheridan's head and pulled her towards him. His lips met hers and kissed her with such passion, Sheridan groaned almost instantly. Once she realized what was happening, Sheridan eagerly matched his every move. The desire these two had for each other was almost unfathomable. Luis deepened the kiss and moaned in pleasure as he experienced her sweet taste. The intensity of the kiss continued to escalate. Both knew where this kiss was leading, yet neither of them did anything to stop it. Luis began to explore Sheridan's body. His hand roamed sensually down her side, resting on her thigh. Sheridan pulled back from the kiss to catch her breath when she felt Luis' hands begin to move.

Sheridan fought hard to catch her breath, but as soon as she pulled out of the kiss Luis began trailing kisses down her neck. His hand was now gently squeezing her thigh and Sheridan thought she'd about go insane. She wrapped her arms around his head and held him tightly to her. Sheridan threw her head back and closed her eyes, reveling in the new sensations Luis was awakening in her. His other hand began to roam as well finding its way to her chest. Sheridan was just about to moan in pleasure when they both heard a loud bang which immediately brought them both back to their senses.

Luis jumped up and whipped around. The cabin door, which he'd left open was now closed. He walked over to the door and peered out the window next to it. He saw nothing. “Sheridan, I think it was the wind, but I'm going to check it out anyway,” Luis told her anxiously. Sheridan nodded, using the time to catch her breath. She was too nervous to think about anything else at this moment. Luis grabbed the lantern, walked outside and circled the plane. Inside, Sheridan heard a loud crash and boom and jumped slightly. She then heaved a sigh of relief. Luis returned to the plane soaking wet with a huge grin plastered across his face.

Luis smiled as Sheridan left the cabin and turned off all the electric from the cockpit. The only light they had left was a dim glow from the lantern Luis left burning. She returned to the cabin and took her seat. “All set,” she said. There was another loud crash and boom and Sheridan once again jumped slightly. Luis returned to his seat next to her and placed his arm around her shoulders.

Sheridan laughed slightly. “I'm fine Luis. Thunder and lightening just make me jump sometimes.” Sheridan leaned her head on Luis' wet shoulder. It was then that it hit her just what they'd been doing a few minutes earlier. She looked up at Luis for a moment, only to find him looking back at her with an expression she'd never seen. Again she felt her heart begin to race and a lump developed in her throat. She swallowed hard as their stare seemed once again to become transfixed.

“Sheridan I've come to the realization that you and I are meant to be, no matter what. The events of the last day have changed my belief system somehow. I've always felt a strong connection to you, but for the longest time I just dismissed it. The closer we became, the stronger the bond and something in those letters of your mothers just seemed to seal that bond for me.” Luis paused for a moment and just gazed into the most beautiful blue eyes he'd ever encountered. “I know I'm not explaining this well Sheridan. I'm not very good with words...”

Sheridan felt tears begin to well up in her eyes. She'd waited her whole life to hear this man say those words. This man who had invaded her thoughts since she was a babe in arms, loved her. Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald, the man who she loved more than life itself. The man who she would gladly sacrifice her life for, loved her back. This had to be a dream. This couldn't be real.

Luis grabbed both of Sheridan's hands and took them in his own. “Sheridan, why are you so surprised?” Luis asked gently. “I've been in love with you for sometime now, but I couldn't admit it to myself at first. For some stupid reason later I was still afraid to admit it Sheridan, but that's behind me now. I'm not afraid of what I feel for you. As a matter of fact I embrace it. I know it's right. It's the way it's supposed to be Sheridan. “You and I together as a team, friends, partners, lovers, that's what I want. No matter what happens after this moment, that will always be what I want. Nothing can ever change that now. “ The words rolled off Luis' tongue as if they were the easiest words he'd ever said. It all seemed so natural to him right now. He was no longer afraid of getting too involved. Roger was still a threat, but he knew he'd be able to protect he, no matter what.

“Hmm, where do we go from here?” Sheridan mused as she repeated Luis' question. There was a loud crack of thunder, but this time Sheridan didn't flinch. He mind was set on one thing at the moment, or one person to be more specific. Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald. “Where do you want to go Luis?” Sheridan asked in a sultry voice.

“I want that too Luis,” Sheridan whispered back, "So very much." Sheridan had a very sexy smile on her face. She pressed a button on her seat and leaned back. The seat went all the way back, making almost a bed. Sheridan then lifted up the armrest and pulled it back as well. “I think your seat will do the same thing Luis,” Sheridan suggested.

“I love you too Luis,” Sheridan barely whispered. As Luis continued to lean in, she found it difficult to breathe. She felt her whole body shiver in anticipation. When his lips met hers, thunder again boomed in the background. The cabin briefly filled with light as a flash of lightening struck outside. They both felt as if the lightening struck them, as the surge of electricity they felt, was the most powerful yet.

Luis pulled back for a moment and gazed deeply into Sheridan's eyes. Her eyes were ablaze with desire and her smile told him everything he wanted to know. Luis leaned in again and kissed her. This time the kiss was fierce. Sheridan parted her lips allowing Luis access. Luis was in complete synch with her as he deepened their kiss at the same moment.

Luis held her close to him with one hand behind her head. He couldn't seem to kiss her fast enough and Sheridan seemed to feel the same way. Their kisses were becoming desperate, both needing and wanting to be closer to each other. Luis allowed his other hand to slowly move down her side. He stopped at her waist and slipped his hand under her shirt. Sheridan wrapped her arms around his back and began rubbing it in small circles. As Luis' hand moved upward, Sheridan's rubbing became more intense. Luis finally reached her chest. Sheridan moaned as she felt his hand begin to massage her breast through her satin bra. She pulled away to catch her breath.

“Oh Luis,” she whispered in a husky voice. She flung her head back as Luis began frantically kissing her cheek and neck. He made his way to her earlobe and started kissing her ear. He nibbled and sucked her lobe and she started breathing raggedly as the sensation was driving her mad. His hot breath and wet kisses combined with his caress of her breast caused her to dig her nails into his back. Luis was almost completely lost in his desire for Sheridan. He pulled back suddenly and sat up. He pulled Sheridan as well to a sitting position. Sheridan was confused at first, but once she saw the look in his eyes her confusion was gone. She gasped slightly, but still unable to tear her eyes from his. Luis ran his hands down her torso, lingering slightly at her breasts until he reached the bottom of her shirt. He then slowly began to lift the shirt over her head, making sure his hands touched her silky skin as he did. Sheridan involuntarily shivered once again at his touch. Her body filling with a warmth she'd never known.

With her shirt now discarded, Sheridan sat in front of him in her bra. Sheridan smiled enticingly as she reached behind her and unfastened it, slowly removed it from her body. Just as she dropped it on the floor, there was another thunderous boom, followed by a bright flash, allowing Luis an erotic view of her supple breasts. Breathing heavily, Luis kissed her wildly as they both fell back again. His hands each caressed a breast causing Sheridan to moan loudly. She broke the kiss to gasp for air and Luis hungrily kissed his way down to her chest. He took one breast in his mouth, kissing it and blowing on it, until he caused her nipple to rise to a hardened peak. Sheridan was almost out of control. She thrashed her head from side to side as Luis worked his magic. Never had she experienced such pleasure.

Sheridan ran her hands over Luis back. She lowered her hands until they were just above his waist band and she slid them under his pants giving his buttocks a gentle squeeze. “Sheridan! What you do to me!” Luis moaned gutturally. He moved to her other breast and repeated his action in a more frantic manner. Sheridan pulled her hands out and maneuvered them around to his waist. She undid the button of his pants, which caused a gasp from Luis. She then slowly lowered his zipper. Luis looked up and caught her gaze. Breathing hard Luis stood up and extended his hand for Sheridan to follow. She took his hand and stood up in front of him. Luis moved his hands to Sheridan's waist and undid her shorts in much the same manner. He then slipped his hands over her hips and slowly pulled them down, allowing them drop to the floor. He grinned as a naked Sheridan stood before him. Sheridan returned the favor and slipped Luis' pants off for him. They stood there for a moment and admired their partners physique. Luis closed the distance and pressed his body to Sheridan's. They felt the heat emanating from each other's body and the feel of bare flesh to bare flesh caused it to get even hotter. Luis pulled Sheridan into another sultry kiss. They resumed their position on the seats and made love for the first time. Neither one had ever experienced anything like it. Every time the thunder roared and the lightening flashed, they felt as if it was searing right through them. The odd thing was, the weather had nothing to do with it. What they felt during their first experience as lovers would only intensify in the future.

“Well, I could swear that when we were just about to... I mean when we were at that point...” Sheridan was stumbling badly to articulate her thoughts. She was quite embarrassed. Luis caught on to what she was trying to say and finished her thoughts for her as he whispered it in her ear. Sheridan's face was now crimson and Luis was pleasantly amused at her demeanor.

Luis awoke the next morning early. He smiled when he felt Sheridan's warm naked body pressed to his. `I could wake up like this every morning and be a very happy man' he thought to himself. He slowly removed himself from his position, being careful not to wake Sheridan and stood up to get dressed. He looked around the cabin for something to cover her with and the only thing he could find was the curtain that separated the cockpit from the cabin. He pulled it down and gently covered her.

Luis walked outside the airplane shortly after sunrise. It was still fairly cool (at least not scorching hot) and Luis decided to look around a bit. What he saw next startled him. There were palm branches everywhere, several smaller palm trees had been completely uprooted, and coconuts and bananas littered the beach. What Luis saw next caused him to groan. “Oh no! It can't be! Damn it!!!” Luis banged his fist on the plane door as he saw the one of the metal side panels of the plane lying on the ground. He walked over to it and picked it up. He looked at the exposed area. Wiring everywhere. It didn't look to be too disheveled, he thought. But why did this panel just fall off? Luis took a closer look and realized it hadn't been riveted in place like the others. This one seemed to have been glued. “That's odd” he muttered.

“I like your suggestion that this panel was glued on by the maintenance crew in Miami. I'm going to go on the assumption that George was right and the plane was sabotaged. My guess is Alistair planned the whole thing. Dangle a carrot in front of George in the form of $1,000,000, payable upon return from Miami. Alistair then pays someone to fix the plane so George never returns. No witnesses and he's saved himself a million bucks.”

“Maybe on some things Luis, but I don't think Julian would have stood by Father on this one. Even though Julian followed in Alistair's footsteps, he loved our mother very much. He was heartbroken when she died. I actually found him crying one day shortly after the funeral. I was very small at the time, but I knew what he was doing. As soon as he saw me standing there, he covered up and said something foolish, but I know he was crying.”

“Things that George said,” he replied excitedly. “He said it made no sense that the plane wouldn't start. “Chances are, he never opened this panel, probably because it was glued in place. Maybe whoever did this, didn't want him to find the problem, if in fact he survived the crash. Maybe it was planned all along that he wouldn't crash, just land somewhere like here and become deserted. I don't know, but this whole thing seems awfully contrived to me.”

His eyes opened and he moaned loudly as he felt the weight of the large tree branch lying across his middle. He pushed with every ounce of strength he had to get it off him. “Mon Dieu!” He spewed angrily. “This is their entire fault. Oui! They are responsible for this and I will make them pay!” Roger was nearly mad at this point. All reason had left him. He had one goal in mind. Finding Sheridan Crane and her American cop boyfriend. In his mind, they were responsible for everything that ever went wrong in his life. He no longer even remembered Sheridan was a potential witness against him in the murder of Jean Luc. All he knew, was he was after them on this island.

Roger was on a hunt. A hunt for two Americans. He did not even remember how he got to the island anymore. Roger stood up and stretched his bruised body. He was still covered in palm branches for clothing, and his hair was a tangled mess. His appearance looked completely wild at this point. If it were not for the gun that Roger was toting, one might think he'd spent his entire life on that island alone. He was suspicious and nervous, but nonetheless, he was the one on the prowl.

Roger slipped through the brush and woods effortlessly, having learned well how to walk with his makeshift shoes. He traveled swiftly, stopping every now and again to check his direction. He seemed to be going on pure instinct and this time it served him well. Several hours after he freed himself from the fallen tree, he stumbled upon the campsite that George had called home for several years. A huge grin appeared on Roger's unshaven face. He nodded his head, “Yes, yes, they have been here. It will not be long now...”

Sheridan had spent the better part of the morning picking up all the stray branches she could, in order to give them room for a runway. Several times she'd enlisted Luis' help for a few trees that had fallen, but for the most part she managed on her own. Luis was keeping himself very busy going through all the wiring behind the once glued panel. It was a tedious job, but Luis' gut told him something here was the root of the problem. He had even gone back to George's diary to see if there was any mention of this panel and found nothing. What he did find out was that George was almost positive that the fuel system and the engine checked out. This was a good thing, but still didn't tell him what the problem was. George had given up working on the plane at a fairly early stage as far as Luis was concerned.

Sheridan had gone back inside the plane to check everything out in there. Though the instrument panels and all controls seemed to be in order, the radio wasn't. Somehow she wasn't surprised. She would have been surprised had it actually worked. She did find four parachutes all packed and ready to go, as well as some tools. In the back of the closet the parachutes were in, Sheridan found another box, which she thought, was going to hold more tools. When she pulled it out, she found several rolls of tape. There was both electrical tape and duct tape. She was ecstatic at her find and was about to go show Luis when she heard him frantically call her.

“Hey, air traffic control, this is an emergency. This is Officer Luis Lopez Fitzgerald with the Harmony Police Department. I'm stranded on an island off the coast of South Florida somewhere with Sheridan Crane. Right now I am her personal bodyguard assigned by the FBI under the direction of Hal Freeman. We need you to get in touch with Agent Freeman for us.”

“Worst thing that can happen Sheridan is you have to fly this thing using nothing but your eyes and the horizon. How bad can that be for fifty miles?” She said in a nervous laugh. “Come on Luis! What's taking so long!” Sheridan had been nervous as a bag of cats since Luis left her with his warning a few minutes earlier. She too, now had a feeling of impending doom. Not wanting to wait any longer, she left her seat and went outside to see what was taking Luis so long.

Sheridan closed her eyes and waited. She heard the gun click, but there was no shot. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Roger jumping up and down swearing violently in French. In anger he threw the gun down and started running towards her. Sheridan froze for a second and then she saw Roger trip over a large tree branch and fall hard to the ground.

This was her only chance. With strength she didn't know she had, Sheridan dragged Luis' lifeless body to the door of the plane. She heaved him up the steps of the plane and slammed the door behind him. “Come on Luis!” She yelled, shaking him. You can't die on me!” She quickly checked for a pulse and found a very weak pulse in his neck. “He's just unconscious” she said trying to regain her composure. Sheridan managed to get Luis into one of the club seats and buckled him in. She then ran to the cockpit and prepared for take-off.

Sheridan began taxiing down the makeshift runway. “God let this plane fly!” She moaned. Tears were still trickling down her cheek, but she knew the only way Luis had a chance was for her to keep her cool. She had to remain in control of the situation and get them to a place where Luis could get medical attention. As the plane picked up speed on the beach, Sheridan caught a glimpse of Roger chasing after the plane, shaking his fists.

Trying to avoid all distractions, Sheridan pressed on as fast as she could until she finally felt the nose of the plane rise in the air. A quick wave of relief went through her when the plane was airborne, now she had to get to Miami. “Fifty miles” she said out loud. She glanced back to the cabin and Luis hadn't moved. Blood was every where, and she knew he needed a hospital immediately, if it wasn't already too late. “No, it can't be too late” she scolded herself. “He has to make it. He can't die on me.”

Sheridan picked up the mike. “Center, this is Harmony 2-1-A. We're in the air. I need coordinates to Miami. Unwilling to trust instrumentation. Need immediate medical attention upon arrival. Luis has a gunshot wound to the chest. He's lost a lot of blood.” Sheridan could barely recognize her own voice. She suddenly had a calm feeling come over her and it was as if someone else had taken over her body. She was all business right now. One purpose-- get Luis to safety.

Hal, Sam and Hank were sitting there when the message came over the radio. Sam heard the controller giving Sheridan the needed coordinated, but he was in a daze. Luis had a gunshot wound to the chest. This was the worst nightmare a police officer's family and friends could go through. Not only was Luis one of Sam's best men, he was also a close personal friend. He knew Luis would lay his life down for Sheridan if need be, he just never really thought it would come to that.

“No way out of it Hank? Sam asked in surprise, which quickly turned to anger. “You agreed to set up Sheridan? You took a position as her bodyguard and used it to set her up? My daughters were threatened and you didn't tell me? Hank! How could you! How could you do this to your family? To Sheridan, the woman you claim you love and to Luis, your BEST friend?”

“Life is full of choices Hank!” Sam seethed. “You made the wrong choice. What was it Hank, huh?” The sarcasm was now echoed in every word. “Did you owe Les money? Was that it? What was it Hank? Gambling? Women? And you were afraid to tell me, because you didn't want a lecture. You didn't want your brother, the Chief of Police to give you another lecture, so you decided to sell your soul.”

Sheridan eased the plane into the airport and taxied to a stop. The minute she was able she rushed back to Luis. His shirt was now totally covered on blood. She felt a wave of panic hit her when she realized she couldn't feel a pulse anymore. “Luis! Come on Luis” she cried. Sheridan's calmness had left her now that they had reached the safety of the states and she was a basket case again. Tears once again flooded her eyes as she put her ear to his chest to listen to the sound of his beating heart. She heard something, but she wasn't sure it was his heart. It certainly didn't sound as it had last night when she rested her head on his chest after they'd made love for the first time.

The trauma team emerged with Luis on a stretcher. His body still lifeless, one man was holding a mask over Luis' face giving it a gentle squeeze every few seconds, which delivered the breaths to him he couldn't get on his own. Another man held an IV solution above his head and Sheridan could see the fluid dripping quickly through the tubing. The third member of the team held two units of blood in the air and that too seemed to be pouring into Luis. A thin blanket covered his body, so the blood that covered his body earlier wasn't quite so apparent. Sheridan held her hand over her mouth as she watched them wheel Luis to the waiting ambulance. Instinctively she ran to his side.

“I love you Luis,” she said kissing his hand. She looked back for a moment and watched them place Luis in the ambulance and close the doors. She waited until she saw the ambulance race off. As she walked with Sam towards the car, she realized the diary and her mother's letters were still in the plane. “I need to get something out of the plane, Sam.” Sheridan rushed back into the plane and returned a minute later clutching onto the items.

Hank was already in the car when Hal escorted Sheridan and Sam to it. Sam made sure Hank was in the front seat, as he wanted him as far away as possible from Sheridan at this moment. Sheridan managed a weak smile when she saw Hank, but she was too preoccupied with her own thoughts to even wonder why Hank was there. Sheridan just stared out the window in thought during the ride to the hospital as Sam opened the diary and began to read.

Dr Coleman returned. “I'll have one of the nurses take you to the surgical waiting room. I'm going to scrub and they are prepping Luis as we speak. This will be a very long surgery, so don't start panicking if you don't hear anything right away. For right now, no news is good news. I'll let you know as soon as surgery is finished how he made out.”

Sheridan sat nervously sipping a cup of coffee. She hadn't realized how much she missed it, until that very minute. She glanced up at the clock and noticed only an hour had gone by. She sighed heavily in frustration, realizing this was going to be a very long night. She watched Sam who was on the phone with his family. She realized they must be worried sick about him and was almost surprised he'd waited this long to call. She thought about calling someone, but there was no one to call. Ethan maybe, but the way he'd been acting lately she wasn't even sure he'd care if she was back. The last time she spoke to him, she felt like she'd been speaking to her father and she didn't like it. Not one bit. No, the only one she wanted to talk to was in surgery right now. Luis was the only one that truly cared about her. And Pilar of course, but she was on her way from Harmony. Sheridan felt a sense of comfort knowing Pilar was on her way.

Sheridan's mind started drifting back to the events of the last week. So much had happened since she last saw Harmony. Sheridan knew one thing for certain, her life would never be the same again. She also couldn't even imagine living her life anymore without Luis. It had only been a day since they proclaimed their love for each other. Only a day since they made sweet love for the first time. A smile crept across her face when she remembered telling Luis about feeling the plane rock. Here she thought he'd laugh at her and he felt the same thing. She felt her face get warm as she imagined Luis smiling at her. She closed her eyes and could almost feel him kissing her. A tear trickled down her face as her vision of Luis faded to black. `What if he doesn't make it?' she thought to herself. Her body suddenly went cold and she shivered. “God, please let Luis be all right” she prayed looking towards the heavens...

Sheridan knew she needed to get these thoughts out of her head. She needed to be strong for Luis. He was going to need all the love and support he could get in order to recover fully. She shook her head and tried to get the image of Luis fading to black out of her head. She closed her eyes again and tried to conjure up another vision of Luis. She tried to think of a happy memory of Luis, but all she could see was a fading black picture...

Sam and Sheridan sipped on their coffee in silence for a few minutes. Sam was the first to speak. “Sheridan, would you like to tell me what happened? So much has happened. All I know is you and Luis parachuted from a plane and Roger followed you. I also know you were bitten by a rattlesnake and Luis was shot by Roger right before you left the island. What happened in all the time you were on the island?”

Sheridan returned thirty minutes later. Not only had she found some clothes in the gift shop, but a very friendly volunteer had shown her where she could get a shower. She felt like a new person. She walked in to find Sam totally engrossed in the diary. A hint of a smile played on Sheridan's lips as she watched Sam completely wrapped up in his reading. She knew first hand how riveting it could be.

Sam looked directly into Sheridan's eyes. He saw them filled with pain and loneliness. Pain caused by her father and loneliness from having to grow up with out her mother, the one person in her family that truly loved her. Maybe the only Crane that was capable of love. Sam felt for her. He had some sense of what she was feeling and he knew it was most unpleasant.

“Sheridan don't you see?” Sam said waving the diary and letters in the air. “This diary reveals that a pilot named George from Harmony was stranded on an island until his death. The plane was tampered with causing him to land, thus stranding him. It won't take much to investigate a missing pilot and airplane. It this George checks out and I believe her will, this is a criminal investigation. Whoever caused that plane to go down is responsible for George's death. What happened to your mother is criminal as well. It's called kidnapping.”

“I'm going to find out who George was. It shouldn't be too difficult. “I'll call Marty at the station house and ask him to check into it for me.” Sam turned and called the police station. He talked to Marty Quinlan and asked him to find out about a missing pilot named George. All he told Marty was the man's name was George and the date of his disappearance. He deliberately left out all other information. No need involving anyone else until he knew exactly what he was dealing with.

Pilar saw the distant look in Sheridan's eyes and knew something was different. Something had changed between Sheridan and Luis while they were on that island. She looked at Sam with concern in her eyes and Sam smiled at her, confirming her suspicions. Pilar was about to question Sheridan when a very tired Dr. Coleman walked into the waiting room. Sam, Pilar and Sheridan were all at full attention as they faced the surgeon.

“We managed to remove the bullet that pierced his lung and repair the artery. We think we have all the bleeding stopped right now, but we won't know for sure for another 24 hours or so. It was touch and go there for awhile, but he made it through surgery. That's a very good sign. He's in the recovery room right now. They will be taking him shortly to a bed in the ICU. I'll have someone direct you to that waiting room when he's moved. From there the nurses will let you see him once he's settled.” Dr. Coleman shook everyone's hand and parted with an encouraging smile.

Several hours later an anxious Sheridan paced the floor in the small waiting area for family members of the surgical intensive care area. Several other families were also in the room, patiently waiting to see their loved ones as well. A nurse appeared in the door of the waiting room and Sheridan's heart about pounded out of her chest. She stared at the nurse waiting...

“He's in much better shape than when you last saw him Sheridan,” the nurse said happily. It always pleased Karen Parks to give family members good news. Often times it wasn't the case. “The doctors have removed the bullet and stopped the bleeding. His lung has re-expanded allowing him to breathe on his own and he's been given transfusions to replace all the blood he lost. As long as there is no more bleeding, he will probably go to a regular room tomorrow afternoon and be home in a few days.”

“Now, I need Sheridan to come with me. I'll let you two come in, in a few minutes, but I think Luis would like to see Sheridan alone for a few minutes.” Karen gave Sam and Pilar a knowing smile and wink. Pilar and Sam glanced at each other quickly and then returned the smile to the nurse. Sheridan followed Karen into the ICU.

Sheridan walked up and stood next to Karen, looking in at Luis. She smiled, tears of happiness in her eyes, now fast falling down her face as she looked at the most beautiful sight she'd ever seen. Though he was hooked up to different machines which were measuring his vital signs, he was sitting semi upright in bed and a small smile escaped his lips when he saw her.

“All right Casanova,” Karen said sternly. “If you don't behave, I won't allow Sheridan to visit anymore.” She gave Luis a knowing look and he returned it with an innocent smile. Sheridan on the other hand was mortified. She turned her head so as not to be seen by Karen. Karen again left the room. Sheridan stayed at a safe distance from Luis.

Hearing Luis say those words made her want to cringe. She'd been outraged all those months ago when her privacy had been invaded, but looking back on it now, it had been the best thing that had ever happened to her. She never dreamed that living 24/7 with Luis would have ended on such a sweet note. But that was now the problem. It had ended. She dreaded the thought of going back to the way things were before....

Sheridan felt the electricity surge through her body. It had been so long since she'd felt like this. The doctor had warned Luis about strenuous activity for six weeks after surgery and Sheridan saw to it that he followed doctor's orders. Certainly they'd snuggled with each other, but she made certain that it never went any further than that. It had been difficult at times, but Sheridan had insisted that Luis be released by the doctor before allowing anything to happen.

“Not on your life! The doctor released you, remember?” Sheridan caressed his cheek with her hand. She reached up and pulled Luis into a very sensual kiss. Luis now felt heat flow through him. He had wanted nothing more than to make love to Sheridan since he was released from the hospital more than a month ago, but she had very patiently told him it was too soon.

At first Luis thought he'd go crazy not being able to make love to her, but Sheridan had shown him wonderful ways for the two of them to enjoy each other. Luis found himself falling deeper and deeper in love with her each day. After his therapy each day, he and Sheridan spent their time taking long walks on the beach, candlelit dinners for two, going to the movies and everything they could think of that was quiet and subdued. It had been wonderful spending every minute of the day with her. They'd talked about everything and anything, being careful to avoid the subjects of her family, the drug cartel and Martin's disappearance. They knew the time would come for them to again begin the search for Sheridan's mother. Sam was researching it for them and promised he'd give a full report when the doctor gave the ok. It had been hard for Luis to forget all of mysteries in his life at first, but the more time he and Sheridan spent together, the easier it had become.

Luis gently parted Sheridan's lips and deepened their kiss causing them to moan simultaneously. Luis ran one hand up and down Sheridan's bare back, while the other tickled the back of her neck. Their kiss was fueling a fire that had been simmering for weeks and was quickly becoming a raging inferno. Luis broke the kiss to catch his breath and kissed her neck and shoulders as he fought for air.

Luis caressed Sheridan's back then lowered his reach for the zipper to her dress. The dress fell to the floor and Sheridan stepped out of it and her shoes, leaving her in her bra and panties. Their kisses were now totally out of control. The pent up feelings they shared this time were far more passionate than they'd been before they made love the first time. This time they both knew and admitted their love for each other and were spending every minute together and were still unable to be with each other. Now that circumstances had changed, they couldn't seem to get enough of each other.

Sheridan ran her fingers lightly down Luis' chest causing his to shudder. Her hands rested on his hips for a moment and she then circled his waist until she reached his zipper. She looked up at Luis with a sexy grin and then lowered her eyes back to his waist. She slowly unbuttoned his pants and then placed her hand on the zipper. She again looked into Luis' eyes and saw a look that caused her heart to do back flips. She slowly lowered the zipper, never losing eye contact with him.

“I'm counting on it Luis,” she said in the sexiest voice she could muster. Luis again pulled Sheridan into a passionate kiss and lowered her to the bed. He expertly unhooked her bra and flung it across the room. He kissed his way from her mouth down her neck to her chest. Luis hand gently ran up and down her side sending numerous tiny shocks through Sheridan's body. She closed her eyes and moaned when she felt Luis' hand cover one breast and gently stroke it. His mouth soon descended on her other breast, which was almost more than she could handle. Her breathing was ragged and she flung her head from side to side as the sensations her body was experiencing were overwhelming. Somewhere in the back of her mind she thought she heard someone knocking. 'What the heck is wrong with me?' she thought to herself. 'Why am I thinking about someone knocking on a door now?' She shook the thought from her mind and continued to revel in the wonderful feelings she was experiencing until she heard it again. This time it was much louder.

Sheridan stared right into his hazel brown eyes and found herself heating up. “Oh you get to me all right,” she whispered. “You get to me like no other.” Without thinking about it, Sheridan leaned in and kissed Luis gently on the lips. That gentle kiss slowly built up to a passionate one. Both were so caught up in the kiss they didn't hear the knock the first time. The second knock brought them back to reality and they pulled apart.

Luis upbeat mood was suddenly dampened by the mere mention of his ex-best friend. “Yeah, actually I am interested in what's going on,” Luis said with a hint of anger in his voice. He now kept his eye on Sheridan as well. When Sheridan had heard that Hank was a hired killer, she`d been totally devastated. It took every ounce of strength Luis had to convince her he was not going to turn on her or use her the way Hank had. Luis too had been hurt deeply by the betrayal of his friend, the man he shared everything with since he was a child. He'd listened to Hank's reasoning for why he did it and understood to a point why he thought he had to, but when it came right down to it, Hank was a coward. He was afraid to take his punishment like a man for his deeds, so instead he was willing to betray the woman he claimed to love. He betrayed his best friend, and for that Luis could not forgive him.

Luis didn't wish Hank any harm, but he knew he could never trust him again. He knew Hank had taken the bullet meant for Sheridan at the last minute, but it wasn't enough. In Luis' mind, Hank only had one real option when he was faced with that situation. He should have told Sam or himself what he'd been asked to do. Hank chose the wrong path and he was now paying for it. He'd not only lost any chance he might have thought he had with Sheridan, but he'd lost her friendship and trust as well. He'd also lost the friendship and trust of his lifelong best friend, as well as the trust and respect of his brother. Sam as well, was sickened by the revelation.

“As a matter of fact he did Sheridan,” Sam said. “Remember in the diary where George mentioned he'd been warned by his friends and family not to take the job? Well I guess Andy had been the one to lead the campaign to stop him from taking the trip. It seems that Andy has an even bigger mistrust of Alistair Crane than I do.”

There are numerous reasons, but the most important one to this case is the fact that at the time of the “death” of Sheridan's mother and the plane disappearing, Alistair Crane held every member of the Police board and town council in his back pocket. Much of it had to do with keeping Julian out of trouble from what I understand. Andy was waiting for the town to be renamed “Craneville“.