A Shuis St Patrick’s Story

Sequel To: An Old Fashioned Fable

Disclaimer: I don’t own the characters I write about. They belong to JER and NBC’s Passions.

Chapter One:

With their bags packed Sheridan and Luis embarked on another trip home. This was their first trip home to Harmony since they met going home for Christmas. Last month they had adventured to New York for Theresa’s graduation from the Fashion Institute and this month was Antonio’s wedding to Monica. Luis would never miss a stepping stone in his family’s lives. Leave it up to his brother though to want to be married on St. Patrick’s Day. Luis packed away the suitcases in the trunk and called in the house for Sheridan to hurry up or they would be late for the rehearsal. Sheridan was putzing around and Luis was beginning to get annoyed. After calling a second time Sheridan finally came out of the house. He opened the car door for her and then walked around to the other side.

"What were you doing in there?" Luis asked as he started the car.

"Changing" Sheridan said sheepishly.

"Again? Sher that makes five times today. We are going to see my family not the pope"

"But it just didn’t look right"

Luis just rolled his eyes to her last comment. It just didn’t look right usually meant she was ready to break down into tears because she thought she was getting fat. But now there was a whole new spin on things. They didn’t tell anyone Sheridan was pregnant, they did know they were engaged but they had kept the baby a secret. They didn’t want to over shadow the wedding. So now Sheridan was paranoid that everyone would be able to tell. She was barely starting to show so Luis was confident everything would be fine. But that didn’t stop her from worrying or trying on 5 outfits. He had to laugh at her second attempt. She decided to wear one of his sweatshirts, which could fit two of her and hung past her thighs. Then she was wearing a pair of black leggings. He had to ask her if she was trying to look pregnant. She didn’t like that question and stomped up the stairs to change. She was now wearing jeans and a simple turtleneck sweater, finally she got a clue.

"I see you decided to stay on your side of the closet" Luis couldn’t help but tease.

"Shut up Luis! I still think they are going to be able to tell"

"Sheridan the only way they are going to be able to tell is if you tattoo I’m pregnant on your forehead"

"Do I really have to ride all the way to Boston with you alone" Sheridan huffed.

"Yep! Aren’t you lucky?" Luis smiled brightly.

"Yeah something like that" Sheridan scoffed. "Are we there yet?"

Sheridan knew that this was going to be a long ride. Luis was in one of his playful moods and she was a nervous wreck. It wasn’t a good combination. So rather than get into a fight she leaned her head against the window and pretended to sleep. Luckily they were picking up Antonio and Monica at the Boston airport and bringing them back to Harmony. Luis kept glancing over and knew for a fact she wasn’t really asleep, but he decided to leave her alone. She was going to make herself sick worrying about people finding out they were expecting so he let her rest. After a while he noticed her breathing had slowed and she had really fallen asleep. He turned up the radio and spent the time driving and humming along to classic rock.

Chapter Two:

Sheridan had finally woken up sometime after Luis crossed the Massachusetts border. He hadn’t expected her to sleep that long but anything to keep her healthy was fine by him. She stretched her arms trying to wake up. His hand left the steering wheel and tickled her side while her hands were in the air. He laughed and it was music to his ears. She was calm for the first time today.

"Where are we?" Sheridan asked as she yawned.

"Closing in on Boston" Luis informed her.

"I’ve been asleep that long?" she questioned.

"Did you sleep last night or were you too busy worrying?"

"Maybe I didn’t get as much sleep as I normally do"

"That’s what I thought. Sheridan you have to stop. It’s not a big deal. If they find out they find out. I just didn’t want to take away from Antonio’s big day. But if they figure it out there is nothing we can do about it, okay?"

"I’ll try"

"That’s all I can ask for" he took her hand and began rubbing soothing circles on it with his thumb.

Sheridan and Luis finally made it to the Boston airport. They were a little later than they had hoped but Luis knew that was because of all of Sheridan’s wardrobe changes this morning. However Luis was not going to bring that up again. Sheridan was still calm and he wasn’t going to agitate her again. Monica and Antonio were already waiting for them at their gate when Sheridan and Luis got there. They made their apologizes for being late and then after hugs everyone was off to retrieve the luggage and get back to the car.

They had made it through the airport and were now all nestled in Luis’s car. Luis was still driving and Antonio was in the passenger seat. The girls were in the back sitting diagonal from their significant other. The topic of choice right now for the girls was Monica and Antonio’s trip to Mexico. Monica’s whole family lived there with the exception of her mother, father, and brothers. Most of her family were not very well off and couldn’t make the long trip up for the wedding. So Monica and Antonio went there for a pre wedding celebration with all of her family. They had been down there for a week and came back bronzed and they looked incredibly happy.

"How is your family?" Sheridan asked Monica ignoring the guy’s banter about sports. Luis was trying to catch Antonio up on what he missed.

"Wonderful. It was so nice to see my great grandmother again. She is almost 100"

"Wow! That’s amazing"

"I know. She is so happy for me although she would like all of us to move back to Mexico. She says we live too far away"

"Sometimes I think Luis thinks we live too far away from his family but our whole life is in Newark"

"Luis loves his job Sheridan. And although he misses his family he is going to start a new one in Newark"

"What did you say?" Sheridan almost choked on the coffee she was sipping. How did Monica know they were going to start a family? Suddenly she felt her pulse begin to quicken.

"You know, when you and Luis are married you will be his new family" Monica explained.

"Oh right, right" Sheridan breathed a sigh of relief. That was too close for her liking.

The guys continued their conversation up front. Luis could hear a little of what the women were saying and heard Sheridan begin to cough but he was proud that she didn’t blow their cover. Luis was telling Antonio all about spring training and the warm up baseball games in Florida. The conversation was very light and enjoyable.

"So who’s going to go all the way this year?" Antonio asked.

"One can only hope for another subway series" Luis replied.

"No way!" Antonio protested. "You are such a traitor. The Sox are going to be in it this year for sure"

"In your dreams Antonio, in your dreams" Luis smirked.

"Talking about my dreams" Antonio took the segway and changed the topics. "Do you think it is time we tell them baby?" he looked back at Monica for approval.

"Yes!" Monica replied anxiously. "We need someone to support us when we tell our families.

"What are you guys talking about?" Luis asked.

"There has kind of been a little development" Monica admitted.

"You’re pregnant too" Sheridan slipped and quickly covered her mouth.

"No!" Monica’s eyes got big. "But you obviously are, but we’ll come back to that later"

"We kind of eloped" Antonio confessed.

"You what?" Luis asked hoping he had not heard his brother right.

"We got married in Mexico" Antonio reinforced his comment.

"Mama is going to kill you!" Luis exclaimed.

"Oh and she isn’t going to kill you?" Antonio argued. "You are having a child out of wedlock like that is going to make her happy"

Sheridan and Monica sat back with their mouths shut and just listened to the men’s little tiff. They didn’t want their heads bitten off so they knew to stay out of it. Antonio and Luis fought back and forth about what was going to make their mother madder and when they pulled into the driveway of their family home they came to one conclusion. Their mother was going to going to be in the church for days straight saying Hail Mary’s and praying for forgiveness. They both dreaded going inside the house.

Chapter 3:

Pilar and Martin welcomed both couples into the house. Hugs and kisses were exchanged and they were now all settled in the kitchen, talking over coffee. They had about an hour to kill before the wedding rehearsal and everyone had a lot of explaining to do in that short time. Pilar noticed that Luis and Antonio were abnormally quiet this afternoon. She could sense they both had something unpleasant to tell her and Martin.

"All right boys" Pilar narrowed her eyes at them. "Spill it"

"What?" Luis and Antonio innocently asked at the same time.

"You know better not to play dumb with your mother" Martin scolded.

"You first" Luis whispered to Antonio.

"No you first" Antonio whispered back.

"You’re the one who is going change the weekend plans" Luis whispered heatedly back.

"You’re the one that did something wrong" Antonio spat back.

"Did not"

"Did too!"

"Enough!" Pilar yelled over them. "I want to know what is going on and I want to know now!"

The boys exchanged glances but still remained quiet. They weren’t readily going to divulge this information to their mother. They didn’t want to hurt her but both Antonio and Luis knew that each of their news would. This wasn’t what she would want for her boys. But the best argument they both had was that they were happy. What mother didn’t want her sons to be happy?

"Sheridan, Monica. Do you want to tell me what’s going on?" Pilar gave up on her flesh and blood and hoped their fiancés would provide her with some information.

"No not really" Sheridan admitted.

"We still have to tell our own families" Monica confessed.

"Boys, I want you to tell your mother what is going on right now" Martin ordered backing his grown boys feel ten again. But still neither of them said a word.

"You boys tell me what is going on or there won’t be a wedding tomorrow!" Pilar yelled.

"Funny you should say that Mama" Antonio piped up.

"What do you mean Antonio?" Martin asked.

"Um, Papa, you see something happened while Monica and I were in Mexico" Antonio couldn’t look his parents in the eye. He stared at the design on the tile floor.

"What happened?" Pilar asked voice now full of concern.

Antonio began to tell his mother and father the events that happened in Mexico. Antonio and Monica had gone to the celebration for their marriage and enjoyed all the time they spent with her family. He explained the time they spent with her great grandmother was what they enjoyed the best. They learned a lot from the old woman. She told them they should live of life of love and happiness but just as importantly they should live a life without regret.

"You see Mama we took those words to heart" Antonio explained. "Neither Monica nor I ever wanted a big wedding. We wanted something simple but to please both of our parents we agreed to the wedding. We didn’t want to start out married life out with a regret. So we arranged to have our flight home to have a connection in Las Vegas"

"Dios Mio" Pilar murmured.

"That’s right Mama we are already married. Monica and I eloped" Antonio finished his confession and took a deep breath. He felt better having the truth out in the open. It was as though a weight had been lifted off his chest.

"Why didn’t you tell us in the first place?" Martin asked.

"Why did you have to get married in that sinful city?" Pilar asked sadly. "We would have accepted it if you had told us"

"We did what we wanted Mama and we won’t regret it. You need to accept it now" Antonio stood up for his actions.

"I will have to learn to accept it Antonio. I just hope that God will"

Pilar left the kitchen and went into the living room. She kneeled in front of a table that had a candle and a picture of the Madonna on it. She began to pray in Spanish. Luis and Sheridan had followed her into the room. The scene before him made him wish he hadn’t decided he should tell his mother now. But he knew it would be better this way. She would find out eventually anyway and now that there wasn’t a wedding to over shadow, it was time. Luis and Sheridan walked slowly over to his mother.

"Mama?" Luis said lightly, trying not to scare her.

"Not now Luis" Pilar shooed him away.

"No Mama, remember how you asked what Antonio and I were hiding. I didn’t get my chance to tell you yet" Luis confessed.

"Please tell me you have good news Luis. Although I fear that isn’t going to be"

"Well that depends on how you look at it" Sheridan said trying to lighten the mood.

"Out with it Luis" Pilar urged. "I would really like to be able to go to church tonight"

"Well Mama in about seven months we will be able to call you grandma"

"What?" Pilar sucked in a hard breath.

"We’re going to have a baby Pilar" Sheridan tried to smile but wasn’t sure if Pilar was happy or not.

"Dios Mio, but you are not married"

"But we are going to be Mama" Luis tried to make this a happy situation. "We didn’t plan on having a child so soon, but we are happy about it. I can’t see what the love Sheridan and I share has created"

"I am happy for you, really I am" Pilar gave a halfhearted hug to both Sheridan and Luis. "But I would have preferred you to be married first"

"Some things happen for a reason" said Sheridan.

"Yes and other’s are mistakes. I am sorry both of you that I can’t share in your joy right now. I will not hold any of this against the precious child you will bring into the world. But right now I would really like to go to church and pray for both of my sons"

Pilar got up off of the floor and retrieved her coat. She headed out of the door and closed it so gently it scared Luis. He wished she was either happy or mad, not in limbo like she seemed to be. Antonio, Monica, and Martin came into the living room joining Luis and Sheridan. They sat around in the chairs and on the couch and continued to drink their coffee. However this time there wasn’t any talking. They silently awaited the return of Pilar hoping God had guided her to find the good in these situations. Pilar returned sooner than any of them thought. They all doubted she had even made it to the church. She burst into the door and rushed to find them all sitting together.

"I have a solution" Pilar announced. "We have the church reserved tomorrow and Antonio and Monica are obviously not going to use it" she tried to hide the bitterness in her voice. "So since Luis and Sheridan are already engaged, why don’t they use it?"

Everyone’s eyes bugged out to Pilar’s suggestion. The coffee that had been in Sheridan’s mouth was now sprayed out over the coffee table and floor. Luis had dropped his mug on the floor. Pilar hadn’t thought her solution would cause such a reaction. She just stared happily at her family waiting for someone to say something.

Chapter Four:

Luis was still staring at his mother. She could not have just suggested that he and Sheridan take the church tomorrow and get married. He knew that her suggestion was driven by the fact that she didn’t want her first grandchild to be born out of wedlock but they had seven months. Did that mean they had to get married now? He looked at Sheridan to try and gage her reaction but her mother had rendered her speechless. And that was a hard task. Sheridan’s eyes were as big as saucers but he couldn’t tell if she liked the idea or not. Sheridan didn’t seem to be able to move. Out of all the things she could imagine to come out of Pilar’s mouth, this was not one of them. Sure she wanted to marry Luis. It was an event that floated through her dreams every night but so soon? It was unplanned and so spontaneous. It was almost exciting though and the thought of it got her adrenaline pumping. She looked to Luis to see if she could tell what he was thinking. He looked as confused as she felt. Before they could give an answer either way, they needed to talk, alone.

"Will you excuse us?" Luis tugged at Sheridan’s hand and led her out into his car. They hadn’t bothered to grab their coats so Luis quickly started the car and turned the heat on full blast.

"Where are we going?" Sheridan asked as Luis pulled out of the driveway.

"No where in particular. Just for a drive. It would have been hard to have any privacy in the house" he explained.

"Yes, I’m sure there would have been ears straining to hear us talk"

"What do you think?" he asked first hoping her thoughts would guide his.

"I don’t know Luis" she admitted. "It’s so fast"

"But we have never really set a exact date" he pointed out.

"Yes but I never thought it would be tomorrow"

"So you don’t want to do it" this was more of a statement than a question.

"Now, I didn’t say that either. It’s kind of exciting to think that we could be married by tomorrow night. I mean we have never done anything slow"

"Another good point. We moved in together after knowing each other barely two weeks"

"And we were engaged and expecting a baby after barely two months" Sheridan smiled.

"The only problem with this impromptu ceremony would be that my family would be there but would yours be able to come? And would your father allow them to?"

"Luis, I knew from the start that my father wasn’t happy with our relationship. I mean, I am not even allowed in my childhood home anymore. I think of your family as my own more than I do my actual family"

"What about Ethan, Gwen and your mother?"

"I would love for them to be there but as long as I have you I don’t need anything else"

"You might not need anything else but what about what you want?" Luis asked.

"I want to be your wife" she confessed.

"And I want to be your husband. But the question is do you want it to happen tomorrow?"

"Do you?" Sheridan asked not wanted to admit the truth just yet.

"Truthfully?" she nodded. "I think I might like being married tomorrow"

"Me too!" Sheridan gushed. She itched to kiss him but with him driving it was impossible to give him the kiss she wanted to.

"So I guess we’re getting married tomorrow" Luis said excitedly.

"I guess we are" the smile on her face couldn’t get any bigger.

Luis pulled a u-turn on the road and headed straight back to his house. They had to announce to his family that they had accepted his mother’s solution. Luis was having trouble not putting the petal to the metal and getting to his house faster. He was suddenly very excited and very nervous about tomorrow. He resisted his urge to become the next Mario Andretti and got them safely home. They didn’t think anyone had moved since they had been gone. Everyone was still seated in the living room drinking coffee. They only difference were the two coffee spills were cleaned up.

"Well?" Pilar asked even though she knew the answer. They were smiling entirely too much.

"We’re decided to do it Mama. Sheridan and I are going to get married tomorrow"

The group all stood and joined in a big circle hug. The room was filled with joy and happiness which was a nice change from the earlier gloom that clouded the room. As quickly as they returned home Pilar sent them on their way again. They needed a marriage license. They had both already had blood test so they just needed to go down to the town hall for the piece of paper. Luckily it was still before five on a Friday so the town hall was still open. So they were off again. Sheridan also decided it would be nice to go and attempt to tell her family of the news. With any luck her father would be on a business trip. She didn’t expect any of her family to come to the wedding but she could always hope. They reached the town hall, then it would be off to the Crane Mansion and then to the church for the rehearsal.

Chapter Five:

Sheridan and Luis now had their marriage license in hand. It was fortunate that they were both born in Harmony so their birth certificates were on file. Now they were off to the Crane Mansion to inform Sheridan’s family of their plans. Luis was skeptical that they would even get through the gate. The last time they saw her family her father made her choose between Luis and him. Even after only knowing Luis a day or so she chose him. The thought of that made Luis warm inside. Sheridan was nervously wringing her hands. Luis knew it was important to her to have her mother there tomorrow even if she wouldn’t admit it. Luis slowed as they approached the gate and Sheridan’s smile grew.

"This is great Luis. Jordan is on duty, he always had a crush on me. We won’t have any trouble getting inside" Sheridan said happily.

"I don’t like that you are going to flirt with him to get inside" Luis griped.

"I’m not marrying Jordan tomorrow now am I?" she replied casually, although she was revealing in his jealousy. Luis rolled down the window and Jordan peaked inside.

"What is your business here sir?" Jordan asked not recognizing Luis.

"Actually it’s not so much his business as it is mine" Sheridan said as she leaned over Luis so Jordan could see her. "Hello Jordan, it’s nice to see you again" she smiled sexily.

"Sheridan?" Jordan gasped. "I mean Miss Crane. It has been a long time"

"Yes it has. Too long" she added for effect. "Could you let us in please?"

"I’m sorry Miss Crane but I have orders from your father not to let you inside and to inform him immediately that you attempted to gain access to the grounds"

"What trouble could I cause?" she batted her eyelashes. "I just want to see my mother" she explained in the most pathetic voice she could muster.

"I’m sorry but…" Jordan tried to be strong but he was always a sucker for those big blue eyes. He used to sneak her out to clubs when she was a teenager.

"Please" she begged. "Do you know how painful it is to be ripped away from your mother? And Gwen had to have had the triplets by now. I want to meet my nieces"

"I could get fired for this" Jordan said regretfully.

"Oh thank you Jordan. I’ll never forget this"

Jordan pushed the button and Luis maneuvered the car inside. They pulled up to the main house and got out of the car. Sheridan stared at the house, bombarded by memories of her childhood. Although her time her wasn’t always pleasant it was still good to be home. Usually she would walk right in, but she didn’t think she had that privilege anymore so they rang the bell. To their surprise it wasn’t a maid that answered the door but Ethan. He was holding a small child. To say he was shocked to see his aunt at the door was an understatement. He nearly dropped his own child.

"Sheridan? What are you doing here?" he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "You need to leave"

"Well I am happy to see you too" she snickered.

"No, you don’t understand. If Grandfather sees you here I don’t know what he would do"

"Probably yell a lot" Ethan was getting annoyed that she was amused by this situation. "May we come in?"

"It’s your death wish" Ethan relied only half joking. He led them into the living area and sat with them. "And what do I attribute this honor to?"

"Luis and I have some news" Sheridan smiled. Ethan looked directly at her hand and could see a ring sparkling there.

"You’re engaged!" Ethan said happily. "Congratulations"

"Well we are not only engaged" Luis started to correct.

"We are going to be married tomorrow" Sheridan stated.

"Tomorrow? Why didn’t we get an invitation? I feel jilted Sheridan. You could have at least tried to tell us"

"Calm down Ethan. Luis and I just decided this today"

"Let me get this straight" Ethan shifted the baby in his arms. "You decided today to get married tomorrow? You two must be the two most impulsive people I know"

"Well it wasn’t just a random thought" Luis explained. "My brother was supposed to get married tomorrow but he eloped"

"So you just decided to swap places?" Ethan asked still trying to piece together the pieces of the situation.

"Basically yes" Sheridan replied.

"Does Grandmother know about this?" Ethan continued to fire away.

"That’s why we are here. Where is mother anyway? And father too I guess" she asked.

"Grandmother is upstairs with Gwen and the girls, and Grandfather and father are out at a business meeting" Ethan explained.

"Great. I was afraid father was going to throw me out before I had time to talk to any of you. Now take me up and introduce me to your daughters. Who is this cutie?"

"Do you want to hold her?" Sheridan nodded eagerly and took the little bundle. This would be good practice. "That is one or your new nieces, Heidi Athena Crane"

"Well let’s go upstairs and meet her sisters" said Sheridan as Luis stood back and watched her. She was a natural with the child.

The four of them made their way upstairs to the nursery. Sheridan refused to let go of Heidi even for a second. She loved the way the baby was nestled in her arms. Ethan said he would go in the nursery and prepare the women for her arrival. Normally he would let Sheridan surprise them but if the girls were sleeping he didn’t want to take the chance and wake them. It was a sacred moment that they all slept at once. Ethan slowly opened the door and let Sheridan, Luis and Heidi into the room. Luis took Heidi from Sheridan’s arms and she rushed into her own mother’s outstretched arms. It was nice to be in the embrace of a mother. Gwen came over and took the sleeping Heidi from Luis and placed her in her bassinet. Sheridan and Luis looked at all three of the darlings and Ethan and Gwen introduced them to each. Heidi Carolyn was the oldest, then there was Emma Reagan, and finally the one they called their drama queen, Claire Sasha. After the introductions and a short visitation time Katherine dragged Sheridan and Luis from the room. She wanted a chance to talk before Alistair returned and put a damper on things. Ethan and Gwen promised Sheridan they would sneak out and attend the wedding tomorrow or at least part of the reception. Sheridan hugged Ethan tightly before leaving and then proceeded to follow her mother into a room she never remembered being in before. It was filled with cobwebs and such. It didn’t look like it would belong in the Crane mansion.

"What is this room?" Sheridan asked making sure to stick close to Luis. She wanted him to protect her from any and all creepy crawly things.

"This, my dear, is my storage room" Katherine explained.

"Why hasn’t it been cleaned with the rest of the rooms?" Sheridan asked.

"Because no one is allowed in this room. I keep my personal treasures in here"

"Shouldn’t they be kept in a bank vault?" Luis questioned.

"They are nothing of value to anyone but me. These are all my sentimental items and I like to have them close" Katherine informed them. "But there is one thing in here I want Sheridan to have"

"What is it mother?"

Katherine continued to shuffle through some hanging garment bags until she selected the one she was looking for. She brought it in front of Sheridan and unzipped the bag. Inside was a beautiful antique wedding gown.

"This" Katherine smoothed out the dress. "Was your grandmother’s wedding dress. I didn’t get the chance to wear it because it wasn’t up to Crane standards but I think it would look perfect one you. And I didn’t hear you mention that you had one upstairs"

"I don’t!" Sheridan said on the verge of tears. "I never even thought of it. This is so perfect. Thank you" Luis reached in his pocket and pulled out a tissue for her. Since her mood swings started he made a habit of carrying supplies with him. Katherine looked at him strangely after his kind gesture but thought nothing of it.

"Now you two better get going. I don’t expect Alistair and Julian to be gone much longer" Katherine rushed them out of her room and relocked the door.

"Will you come tomorrow?" Sheridan asked her eyes pleading for an affirmative answer.

"I wouldn’t miss it my darling"

Sheridan again rushed into her mother’s arms. She was so happy at this moment. Not wanting to jinx her good luck, Sheridan broke apart from her mother and left the mansion before her father had time to rain on her parade. They had made it safely out and were now back in their car heading to the church. It was almost time to practice walking down the isle. Wouldn’t the priest be surprised that he had a different bride and groom.

Chapter Six:

Sheridan and Luis ran up the steps of the church. They were running late and they didn’t need to make a bad impression with the priest. They would have been on time since they left the Crane mansion with plenty of time to spare but Luis had to show Sheridan something on the way.

~*~ Flashback ~*~

Luis was driving the car to the church when they passed the turnoff for Turner’s Bluff. When he saw the sign he decided they needed a detour. Luis had never taken a girl here in High School. It wasn’t his style. It was more of Antonio’s style. But Luis felt it was time to try something new. Turner’s Bluff was a beautiful spot over looking the ocean. By day it was a tourist attraction but at night it was the local make out locality. Luis was finally going to take advantage of the night time reputation.

"Where are we?" Sheridan asked when Luis pulled the car to a stop.

"Turner’s Bluff" Luis said with a sly smile.

"An that is supposed to mean something to me?"

"It will now" Luis replied with a goofy grin.

Luis bent across the car and brought Sheridan into a fiery kiss. It was a perfect location to act like love-starved teenagers and they were definitely fitting the part. They wouldn’t have been the first couple to get caught up in the moment and take things a little farther than intended but they were on their way to be one of them. But it wasn’t in the cards for them tonight. Little did they know Antonio was on his way to the church too and right behind them. He saw them take the turnoff and decided to let them have a little fun before he mortified them. Antonio saw the windows completely fogged and decided it was time. He went to their car and knocked on the window. Completely startled by the interruption Sheridan and Luis broke a part. Luis unrolled the window a bit so he could see outside while Sheridan found her sweater and returned it to her body. Luis saw Antonio smiling like an idiot on the other side of the window. Antonio teased them for a good while before he told them to get control of their hormones and get to the church. They let out frustrated sighs and followed Antonio to the church.

~*~

Antonio had made it to the church in record time and was already standing up front with Monica and the priest. Sheridan wondered if they had broken the news to him about the ceremony swap yet.

"And here comes the happy couple now" Antonio announced as Sheridan and Luis approached.

"Hello" the priest said politely. "I’ve heard there has been a change in plans"

"And how do you feel about that?" Sheridan asked nervously.

"Hey Sheridan?" Monica interrupted. "Why is your sweater on inside out?"

Sheridan turned many shades of red and averted her eyes from the priest. She fidgeted with the sleeves of her sweater but remained quiet. Luis squeezed her hand and gave her his best I’m sorry look. Antonio meanwhile struggled to contain his laughter.

"To answer your question my dear" the priest broke up the uncomfortable situation. "I did have a problem with the flip flop of couples at first but then Pilar came to talk to me"

"And now you’re ok with it?" Luis asked wondering how much information his mother divulged.

"Yes she explained your delicate situation" Sheridan and Luis held their groans. Did everyone have to know she was pregnant? They didn’t need all the guest gossiping at the wedding. "Don’t worry. What your mother told me was in the strictest confidence"

The rehearsal went off without a hitch. It was decided that Martin would walk Sheridan down the isle since she didn’t know when Ethan would get there. She felt more like a part of the Lopez-Fitzgerald family than she ever did in hers anyways. Monica surprised Sheridan as they were about to leave telling her Sheridan was to come to Monica and Antonio’s house tonight. It wasn’t right for her and Luis to spend the night together. Luis was staying at his parent’s so after one last kiss they parted ways. The next time they would see each other is when Sheridan walked down the isle.

Chapter Seven:

Sheridan was a ball of nerves. She had hardly sleep a winklet last night let alone a wink. How was anyone supposed to sleep the night before your wedding? Now she was standing in the church nursery with Monica, Pilar, Paloma, and Theresa. They were swarming around her trying to prepare her for the big day. He hair was done in curls in had babies breath woven through it. She opted to go veil less since her mother hadn’t given her one with the dress and there wasn’t time to find one. But she felt like a princess even without it. Her dress was pure silk with a high neck and long sleeves. It was fitted at the top but began to flow at the waist. Simplicity was its beauty. Monica helped her with the finishing touches of her makeup while the others worked on readying themselves.

The guys had their tuxes on and were at the front of the church all ready for action. They guests were filing in and Luis was becoming more and more nervous. He loved Sheridan with all his heart but that didn’t make this day any easier. He wringed his hands trying to think of anything to keep his mind from making him more crazy. Antonio patted him on the back and told him this was the exact reason why he eloped. Luis shot him a nasty glare and he laughed. He liked to see his little brother squirm. Luis took a deep breath when the priest approached him. It was time. He and Sheridan were about to start their lives together.

Martin came into the nursery to announce that it was time. The butterflies in Sheridan’s stomach seemed to flutter even more when she saw him come in. One by one all the girls left the room. As each one left Sheridan felt her stomach now tighten. She was proud of herself for staying away from food this morning. She had never been so nervous in her life. And the sad thing was she knew she had no reason to be. She loved Luis heart, body and soul. Why did proclaiming it in front of his loved ones change things so drastically? She headed towards the door making sure to take one last breath. She was sure she would forget for the rest of the ceremony.

Sheridan and Martin were standing behind the doors waiting for the wedding march to start. It was almost time. As soon as the doors opened she would no longer be Sheridan Crane. A name she gladly relinquished. She silently said a prayer. She prayed that her family would be here today. She even prayed that her father would be there. It would make the day complete. But even if they didn’t come it would be the happiest day of her life. She had Luis and he was all she would ever need.

Luis stared at the doors. His sisters were now standing opposite of him and the only one left to come was his intended. He had been waiting for this moment since the first time he laid eyes on Sheridan. It was finally time. He made sure he was breathing as he watched the doors open. His work was in vain though because all his breath left his body when he saw Sheridan. She was … she was … too beautiful for words.

With each step she took closer to Luis she felt her grin grow bigger. She was sure she was going to cry but now that the time was upon her the tears didn’t come. She couldn’t waste her tears on such happiness. She wanted to smile and glow, tears would just get in the way. She felt Martin push her towards Luis. She had already floated her way to him and now could feel her hands firmly clasped in his. Her nervousness was washed away and replaced by pure joy.

Luis looked into her sparkling blue eyes. She was glowing and that made him all the happier. The more joy he could see in her the more bliss he felt in his heart. All he ever wanted in life was to make this woman happy and by the looks of it he was more than accomplishing his goal. He didn’t even realize it but they had just exchanged rings. The ceremony seemed to fly by without him even realizing it. He couldn’t take his eyes off hers. They engulfed him into a separate world.

Sheridan smiled a shy smile at him. She could tell he didn’t have a clue as to what was going on either. She was so lost in the beauty of his smile that she hardly realized she had just said I do. She didn’t want to blink for fear that this moment would be over. She felt his thumb caressing circles on her palm. Even the simplest of touches from him had an affect on her. She wanted to kiss him right now.

The priest was more than happy to oblige with Sheridan’s wishes. The ceremony was now almost complete and he now allowed Luis to kiss the bride. His breath tickled her lips as he drew near. He whispered I love you just before he mouth pressed softly against hers. That continued to kiss unable to pull themselves away from each other.

"May I now present Mr. and Mrs. Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald" was announced over their sweet kisses.

The applause of the crowd finally brought them too. They turned to face their loved ones. They had done it. They were now one. And nothing could be better. But some things came close. The birth of their child would be one of the things and another was staring at them from the last pew.

In the back Sheridan saw her mother, Julian, Ivy, Ethan, and Gwen all smiling at her. They had made it. He heart swelled with love. And if she wasn’t seeing things she could have sworn she saw her father leaving the church. He had come, even if he didn’t want to be seen, he had come. Maybe there was hope yet.

THE END