The Usual Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. I have nothing to do with NBC or Passions of which the characters are owned. I'm just borrowing the characters for a while. I hope to god that nobody decides to sue me. That would be bad.

Time: About 6 years after Sheridan and Luis first met.

Alyssa was four years old when she first saw the vision--or at least when she first remembered it. The premonition involved both of her parents.
The vision, however didn't happen yet. But Alyssa could feel now, more than ever, that it would happen soon. This was quite a burden for an eight year old to handle alone. The thought of something bad happening to her parents grabbed hold of her mind and refused to let go. She tried to rid herself of the unease she felt, but was failing miserably. She wanted to believe that nothing bad was going to occur, but all of her premonitions usually came true.
"Alyssa," she heard her mother call from the bottom of the stair case, snatching her out of her reverie, "We're leaving now. Come say goodbye."
Alyssa felt tears come to her eyes. Goodbye seemed so final. If her premoniton came true tonight, it would be. To say goodbye would mean forever.

* * *

Two years later

"Luis! Alyssa should be arriving soon," Sheridan told her husband as she walked into the room.
Luis turned to look at her and smiled. He was carrying their two month old daughter, Cassie, in his arms. Cassie was indeed a miracle child. For several years, they thought that it would be imposssible to have children because of an illness Sheridan had suffered as a child. When she became pregnant, she was warned that the chances of the baby surviving was minimal.
Sheridan and Luis were determined to carry the pregnancy through to the end. Not only did their child survive, she was as healthy as they come.
Before Cassie was conceived, they had decided to adopt. Sheridan didn't want to adopt a baby or infant. She knew that it was nearly impossible for an older child to be adopted and felt in her heart that they should adopt someone older.
Two years ago, Alyssa's parents had been killed in a car accident. The poor girl felt responsible for their deaths, saying she knew they were going to die that night, but she couldn't stop them from going out. Sheridan knew first hand what that kind of guilt could do to a young child. For years, she believed that she had been responsible for the deaths of her mother and some mystery man. She knew better now and was determined to help this girl overcome the guilt.
"Alright, I'll just put Cassie down for her nap," Luis told her.
The timing was perfect. As soon as Cassie was put in her crib, the doorbell rang.
"That's probably her right now, "Sheridan proclaimed nervously and Luis put his arms around her.
They embraced for a moment and headed downstairs to answer the door. Without a doubt, this ten year old girl was going to change their lives. They had no clue as to how much of an impact she was really going to make.

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I am in no way, shape, or form related to NBC or Passions. I have just borrowed their characters for a while.

This Chapter mostly contains a "where are they now?"
Alyssa didn't know how to react to the people who had adopted her. Over the past year and a half, she had met with them countless times. They really did seem like nice people and she liked them very much. But they weren't what she wanted most, her real parents.
'There's no use dwelling on what can't be helped,' she thought to herself.
She was determined to make the most out of her situation. Before, it had only been her and her parents. Neither of her parents had any living relatives. Alyssa had always wanted to be in a big family and it appeared as if that was about to happen.
She had been told about the Lopez-Fitzgerald family and tried to remember what she had been told. Luis had four other siblings, two girls and two boys. Antonio, who was the eldest, had disappeared many years ago, somewhere around 15 to 20 years ago, along with their father, Martin. They were still missing to this day. Paloma was living somewhere in France. She had a job as a financial advisor to an American corporation located there. She had put herself through college without any help from her family. They say that she is a genius. Theresa was married to some guy named Ethan Crane. She was 23 years old, and already had three children. She just finished college and was starting her career in fashion and design. Miguel, the youngest of Luis' brothers and sisters, was 22 years old and widowed. His wife, Charity had died during childbirth due to complications. She had given birth to twin boys. Miguel was now dating his oldest friend and his late wife's cousin, Kay. Kay was 5 months pregnant with twins. Apparently, twins run in her family. So, Miguel was going to be a father again.
The matriarch of the family was Pilar. She used to work for the Crane family, but now was a successful restaurant owner. Pilar was considered the strength of the Lopez-Fitzgerald family. She seemed to always know what to do and was adored by her children and grandchildren. The disappearance of ther husband and son was still hard on her, but she had faith that they would some day return. Alyssa admired that faith and courage.
Alyssa didn't know all that much about Sheridan's family. Ethan, she knew, was Sheridan's nephew. Evidently, the family was really rich. Unfortunately, when Ethan married Theresa and Sheridan married Luis, they were both cut off from the family, disowned. Though Sheridan felt rejected by her own flesh and blook, she knew that it was all for the best. She knew that Luis, whom she loved more than life itself, never could live in that world anyways.
Luis was a detective with the Harmony police force. Ever since the old police chief, Sam Bennett, retired after being shot, Luis was up for the job. Sheridan and Luis hoped that her would get the job. Sheridan was a chemistry teacher at the local high school. Everyone liked her. Alyssa remembered Luis telling her how Sheridan had made teacher of the year last school year.
Most of all, Alyssa couldn't wait to meet her new sister, Cassie. When she first knew that she was going to be adopted by Sheridan and Luis, she never expected that they would later have a child. At first, she was worried that they wouldn't want to adopt her since they were having a child of their own. But they assured her that this was not the case. They were never going to turn their backs on her.
The front door opened and Alyssa saw that both of them answered.
They enthusiastically told her to come in. As she stepped into the house, she got a strange feeling. It was a familiar one, but something she wished never to feel again. After two years, she was getting a vision and didn't know how to stop it. Or what to expect.

Chapter 3

"She's still having those nightmares, Luis," Sheridan said, "She's been here a month and they happen every night. I'm beginning to worry about her."
"Look, sweetie, I'm sure that it's because she still has so much change to adjust to. She's in a new place, probably still overwhelmed with becoming familiar and comfortable with everyone, " he answered her.
"Uh oh!" Sheridan said and smiled as Cassie threw up on Luis' new shirt, "I'll take care of her while you clean yourself up."
"Good idea."
Sheridan took Cassie from him. "Well, I'll bet you just loved puking on Daddy's brand new shirt, now didn't you," Sheridan teased as Cassie let out a shreak of delight.
She was so engrossed in her baby that she didn't hear Alyssa come into the kitchen. Alyssa just watched Sheridan speaking jibberish to Cassie. She nearly laughed when Cassie's fingers grabbed onto Sheridan's shoulder length hair and wouldn't let go.
"Okay, Sweetheart, you can let go of my hair now," Sheridan said as she tried to pry the hand loose from her hair.
"Need any help, Sheridan?' Alyssa spoke up.
"Nope, I've got it handled. There! You've got quite the grip going for you, little one."
Sheridan looked at Alssa and was concerned with what she saw. There were bags under her eyes and she could see the exhaustion in them.
"You look a bit pale, Alyssa. Did you have trouble sleeping again last night?" Sheridan asked.
Alyssa made her way to a cupboard to look for some cereal in order to hide the truth she knew was showing on her face when she said, "No, I slept just fine."
Sheridan didn't believe her, but she felt that she needed to heve her some room and time. She believed Alyssa would talk about it in her own time. There was no need to push her at this point in time.
Alyssa fixed her breakfast and sat down. She let her curly blach hair fall to the side of her face as she ate. She didn't look up until Luis walked into the room
"Good morning, Alyssa. How are you doing this morning?" he asked her.
"I'm fine, thanks, Luis," she responded quietly.
From the corner of her eye, she watched as Luis and Sheridan started kissing. Alyssa could see that they were definitely very much in love. She wondered if she would ever find someone to love her with the same kind of passion Luis loved Sheridan. But that was far into the future. It was time to enjoy the present.
Alyssa smiled at the though of a future true love. Her happy thoughts suddenly disappeared when she remembered the nightmares that she had been having. She believed that they stemmed from the vision she had when she first arrived at the Lopez-Fitzgerald home, because it was more or less the same. Alyssa was confused as to whether or not the vision was a premonition. It could just as easily be something that had happened in the past.
She guessed that she could ask Sheridan and Luis if there was any significance. But she really didn't want to scare them. 'What would they think of me if they found out what I can do. I might scare them off,' she told herself.
Alyssa decided to just review the vision, see if she could make anything out. The vision slash nightmare started out with her watching a young girl, maybe a teenager of 13, walk down a huge staircase. Alyssa guessed it might be the mansion Sheridan had lived in as a child. There were sounds coming form the fron parlor, like arguing. The next moment, the scene change into something that was extrememly disturbing. The girl was kneeling down in front of an object that Alyssa could never make out. She knew it made the girl upset and wanted to comfort her. Then the vision would stop, leaving Alyssa to ponder what the object lying on the floor was.

Chapter 4

Alyssa was reading a book on interpreting dreams that her mother had given her. She would pause every so often to look at the inscription on the front cover. It said, "When I saw this is the bookstore, I just had to get it for you. I know that you are going to enjoy it. Call it my own sixth sense. Lots of love to my own personal psychic, Mom.'

A knock on the door caused her to look up. She waited to see if someone else would answer it. Then she remembered that Luis was at work and Sheridan was taking Cassie to the doctor's. She picked herself up off the couch and went to answer the door. Looking in the peephole, she saw Miguel and Kay waiting patiently.

"Oh, my," Alyssa said to herself, "What are they doing here?"

She opened the door and said, "Miguel! Kay! I thought that the two of you were out of town." "Actually, we're getting ready to leave soon. We just wanted to drop this CD off. It's the music Sheridan wanted for the tango competition next month," Miguel told her.

Her adoptive parents had entered a contest in which they would choreograph their own dance and compete. The prize was $5000. Alyssa took the CD from him and told them that she would be sure to give it to them. Kay asked if she could use the bathroom before they headed off.

"Sure, go ahead. Do you have time for a snack as well?"

"You know what? It would be wonderful if you got me an orange and a bologna sandwhich. I've had the worst craving for those things, " Kay requested.

"Alright, one orange and one bologna sandwich coming up."

"Thanks so much, Alyssa."

She went to the kitchen and Miguel sat on the couch to wait. There was a book on the coffee table that he picked up. He opened the cover and was taken aback by the inscription inside. The words opened a floodgate of painful memories.

Alyssa opened the kitchen door and entered the living room. "Miguel. I just realized I forgot to ask if you wanted something..." She paused in midsentence when she saw what he held in his hands.

Miguel saw the worried look on her face and said, "You know what? That's what I used to call Charity, 'my own personal psychic.' She had the uncanny ability to know what wasgoing to happen before it did, amoung other things. Can you?"

"Yes. I've been able to for most of my life. But please, don't tell Luis and Sheridan. I need it to be a secret."

"They both know that clairvoyance is very real. They won't freak or anything like that."

"I know, and I will tell them, but not now."

"Alright. You're secret is safe with me."

A thought suddnly came to her. Before she culd debate to tell Miguel or not, she blurted out, "Charity knew that she was going to die before Samuel and Marc were born, didn't she?"

Miguel looked away to hide the pain in his eyes. It hadbeen almost two years since Charity had died. Even though time eased his pain, some thoughts about her would cause a terribleache in his heart.

"Yeah," he sighed, "She knew, but he didn't tell me until near the end of her pregnancy."

Kay cleared her throat and interrupted the moment. Sheknew that Miguel still g rieved over the death of his wife, but hated it when her memory overwhelmed his present. Kay understood that she couldn't ask him to forget Charity, but wanted to have a little more room in his heart.

"Kay! I didn't know you were there?" Miguel said with alook of guilt on his face.

Kay smiled at him with all the compassion and understanding she could muster. He loved her, she was sure of it. She just prayed for guidance and patience.

"I love you, Miguel," she told him as she gave him a hug,tears filling her eyes.

"And I love you."

"What brought on this conversation abut Charity?"

Miguel looked at Alyssa. Alyssa nodded her head, giving him permission to tell her the reason.

"Well, it turns out that Alyssa here has the same clairvoyant abilities as Charity. I found out by reading the inscription in the book she was reading."

Kay was surprised. She certainly didn't expect to meet another psychic other than Charity. But then again, in the past 5 years or so, they had encounterd a centuries old witch, as well as other paranormal phenomena. It had gotten to a point where their lives semed like continuous episodes of theX- Files.

"I have the things you wanted," Alyssa said.

"Okay, thanks."

"I'll just go into the kitchen to get it. Do you wantanything, Miguel?

"No, thanks, anyway."

Alyssa entered the kitchen and said in a near whisper, "Dammit. I should have kept my mouth shut. I just ended up bringing memories that hurt."

She sighed and picked up the food for Kay. Before openingthe door, she took a moment to collect herself.

"Here you go, Kay" She handed the food to her.

"I hope you don't mind if we just take this and run. We need to be at the airport soon."

"Go ahead and enjoy the snack."

Kay and Miguel got up to go and Kay said, "The three of us should get together one day and just chat."

"Sure thing. Anytime is great. Have a safe flight."

As soon as Kay and Miguel left, Alyssa felt drained of energy. She decided to watch television and maybe later got to the swimming pool with her best friend, Katie.

After a couple minutes channel surfing, she found a movie called "Searching the Past." It was about a woman who was having nightmares that she couldn't explain. Alyssa could definitely relate to that. Anyway, it turned out that when she was a child, she witnessed her father murdering her mother.

Alyssa knew that she shouldn't have watched the movie when shestarted getting the slight headache always associated with her visions. She didn't feel up to dealing with one, but there was nothing she could do to stop it. Why was this happening again?

The vision was different from the ones she had been having. Sheridan and Luis were both in that parlor. They weren't really doing anything, just looking at the floor. Suddenly, the room dimmed and she saw the young girl again, in front of that object. The girl was startled by something in front of her and looked up. Alyssa saw that it was Luis. The girl got alook of fear in her eyes and spoke for the first time.

"She said, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do it."

She broke into sobs and Luis just knelt down. Alyssa couldsee the compassion in his eyes and apparently so did the girl. Luis opened his arms to her hand she reach out. He held her as she cried and clung to him as if he were her only lifesaver. The room lightened and Alyssa had to blink her eyes to adjust to the light. The young girl Luis was holding slowly changed into a woman and that woman was Sheridan.

"Alyssa! Alyssa! Snap out of it. You're scaring me. Alyssa, please. Look at me." Alyssa heard form a distance.

The vision in front of her slowly faded and was replaced by a television screen. She turned her head towards the voice and Sheridan's face came into focus. Alyssa, remembering the vision, couldn't stop the tears that were beginning to fall.

"Alyssa! My god, I was getting so worried. You didn't answer me when I called to you. It was like you wern't here at all."

"I'm fine," she reassured her, "but there's something important I need to talk to you about."

Chapter 5

"Are you sure we shouldn't get you to a doctor?" Sheridan asked Alyssa.

"No, when I get these spells, I usually just need to relax and take some Tylenol for the headaches."

"What are you talking about, when you get these spells? How long has this been happening? Nobody told us about them."

"Well, nobody really knows. I just started getting them again. Only my parents knew about them. And they aren't life threatening or anything. They really have nothing to do with health."

"What do they have to do with?"

"I was going to wait to tell you and Luis this, but I can see that now is the time to tell you at least. Miguel came here with Kay a couple of hours ago and he figured it out on his own."

Sheridan was getting frusterated, "Please Alyssa, just spit it out."

"Sheridan, what I was having when you cnme in was a vision. And I saw something that has to do with you and Luis. I think it mainly has to do with something from your past."

Sheridan was speechless. Nobody but her and a few people knew about her past. Luis didn't even know that she once thought herself to be a murderer or that she spent several years in a mental institution as a young girl. Is this what Alyssa saw?

"Does Luis know what happened that night?" Alyssa cautiously asked.

"Uh...no, no. I haven't really told anyone. I've wanted to tell Luis. But I never could, "Sheridan said in a voice that betrayed the coming of tears, "Oh, God, is this a sign that I should tell him?"

"Because of what I was in this vision, I have reason to believe that you don't need to fear telling him."

"Why do you say?"

Alyssa took a moment to try to find the correct words to use. Then she told Sheridan about the vision. She described the compassion in Luis' eyeas and how he held her while she wept.

"It was a horrible time in you past. You need to share those bad times with your husband as well as the good. He deserves to know, Sheridan. He loves you so much that he would give away his own life for you. If you still hold baggage from that time in your life, Luis will do anything to help you get over it, or at least come to terms."

Sheridan looked at Alyssa with a mixture of hope and fear. She understood what she was saying and agreed, but it was a secret that she held in her heart for along time. She wasn't sure if she was ready to share it yet. Even with the great love of her life.

"What are you thinking, Sheridan?" Alyssa asked, curious.

"I don't know. I'm going to need to think about this for a while."

"Okay. I'm here for you."

Sheridan got up to pick Cassie up out of her playpen and put her down for a nap. She was halfway to the stairs when she turned to Alyssa.

"You sound like you really know what you are talking about. If there is something in your past you need to talk about, I'm here for you, too," she told her.

"Thank you, Sheridan. You'll be the first person I'll go to."

Chapter 6

"You'll never guess who called this morning," Sheridan announced.

"I don't know. Who?" Luis asked her.

"Julien"

Luis choked on his cofee. He looked at her, amazed.

"Julien? We haven't heard or seen him for several years. Why on earth is he calling now?"

"Well, he said that Alistair and he started talking about all of us, me, Theresa, Ethan, and you. I am a little suspicious of their motives, but I think I believed him when he said..." Sheridan hesitated to tell him.

"Sheridan, please. Just tell me what he said."

"He said that thhey wanted to make amends with all four of us. They asked if we could go over to the mansion and have dinner together."

Luis looked down when Sheridan turned a hopeful face to him. This news didn't make him happy. The Crane family had put them all through hell. He wasn't sure he was ready to just forgive or forget all that had been done. But Luis could tell that Sheridan wanted to at least try to be on good terms with her family.

"What do you think? Do Ethan and Theresa know?"

"No, not yet. I wanted to get your opinion first. What do you think, should we refuse?"

"I wish I could tell you that I want us to go. But I don't trust Julien and Alistair. However, before we decide, I would like to get together with Theresa and Ethan."

"I would like for Alyssa to be with us if we go. Julien did say that they would like to meet her. She knows about everything that had happened and I trust that she is old enough to handle seeing them."

"Alright. Call Ethan and Theresa to see if we could meet this evening. I'll talk to Alyssa when she gets home."

Sheridan picked up the phone.

Chapter 7

Sheridan glanced nervously at the clock. 5:00. In one hour, she was going to be in the home she had spent the first few years of her life in. She wondered what it would be like to be back. Ethan had wondered about the same thing last night when they were discussing the dinner.

"Will I be able to face going into that room again?" she asked aloud.

Sheridan jumped in her seat when she heard Alyssa say, "I'm sure you'll be just fine."

"Alyssa. For a second I thought you might be Luis."

"Nope, just me. Have you decided if you were going to tell him about that night or not?"

"I don't know. However, I think after tonight, I just might. But I'll have to see."

Luis entered the room in time to hear the last sentence and asked, "See about what?"

Sheridan looked away from Luis to hide her face. Her heart seemed to skip a few beats. A couple of seconds passed by before she could turn to him again. Luis waited patiently for her answer.

Alyssa quickly covered by saying, I just asked her if I could go to a sleepover this weekend. And she said that she may need me to babysit Cassie on Saturday. So, we'll just have to wait and see."

"Oh. Okay," he responded.

"You know what? I'll just go and finish getting ready. I'll see you both downstairs in a few," Alyssa said. She left the room

Sheridan slowly got up and smooth out her blue skirt. She was starting to feel sick to her stomach. Luis noticed her face go pale and asked if she was well enough to go.

"Of course, Luis," she reassured him. I'm just a little nervous. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure? he asked and she nodded her head yes.

Luis took her by the shoulders. He looked in her eyes. He could feel her trying to steady her nerves. Sheridan fell into his arms and held him tight. She took a deep steadying breath and smiled as she felt his lips kiss her on the top of her head.

Sheridan knew that as long as Luis was with her, everything would be all right. It was times like this she wished she could just let everything come out about the past that continued to haunt her.

Now, they were going back to the mansion and most likely would spent a lot of time in that living room tonight.

"I'm ready to go," Sheridan told him.

* * * *
The Crane mansion

At 6:00, Ethan, Theresa, Sheridan, Luis, and Alyssa stood outside the Crane mansion because they decided to go in together. They rang the doorbell and were surprised that Alistair himself answered. Everyone was more amazed to see a wide smile spread across his face.

"Come in, come in, everyone. It's great that you all decided to come," he said. He stood back to let them in.

"And you, my dear, must be Alyssa. such a beautiful name. I'm so happy to meet you. Why don't you all come into the living room?"

Both Alyssa and Sheridan braced themselves for entering that room. Alyssa was worried about Sheridan. They looked at each other and Alyssa saw the nervousness and determination combined in her face

"Are you not feeling well, Sheridan?" Alistair asked his daughter.

"I'm fine, Father."

Everyone in the hall but Luis and Theresa knew about that night. They understood the look on her face. Alyssa grabbed on to Sheridan's left arm and Luis grabbed hold of her right.

The room that they entered was just like the one in the vision, hardly anything was different. She glanced over at Sheridan again and was relieved to see her more relaxed. All the while, Sheridan was remembering the last time she had seen the room.

Flashback
4 years ago

Sheridan slammed the door of the library, leaving her father and brother gaping at the door. She was going to marry Luis. They were not going to stop her. For two years, they had just about tried every dirty trick in the book to keep them apart. She thought she could handle them when she first discovered the truth abut the imposter. She kept her temper in check when they threatened to take away Luis' job. But now, they were threatening the whole Lopez-Fitzgerald family. She told them to take their threats and shove them you know where.

As she was about to slam out the front door, something drew her to the living room behind her. Ever since she first retuned to Harmony, she slowly was able to face going there without nearly passing out.

She could sense that this would probably be the last time she would enter it. Heart pounding, she stepped in.

The same memory she saw thousands of times flew through her head. It made her wonder if something really did happen in there all those years ago. Did she really kill someone or was it just a dream like they said? Sadly, Sheridan realized she would never know. Lifting a hand to her face, she wiped away the tears. She turned and walked briskly out of the room, then out the front door, not bothering to look back.

Chapter 8

"Now I guess you are all just dying for an explanation," Alistair started off by saying, "I'm not going to give you a long drawn out version, so I'll just get straight to the point. At first, my own personal reason may seem a selfish one, but I hope you'll be understanding."

"You're dying," Alyssa spit out before she could stop herself.

She covered her mouth with her hands, thinking, 'Why can't I keep my big mouth shut. I couldn't do it with Miguel and I can't here either.'

Everyone was staring at her, wide-mouthed. Her face turned a very dark shade of red and said, "I'm so sorry. I don't know where that came from."

Alistair was the first to speak. "No, you're absolutely right. I am a dying man. Unfortunately, I have an advanced case of lung cancer. I suppose from ober 60 years of smoking. I didn't catch the problem until it was too late. There's not really much that can be done."

Sheridan felt as if the world came to a crashing halt. Despite everything that had happened, she loved her father. She had hoped for so long that he would love her back. Sheridan looked over at Alistair to see him looking at her face. There was a look of regret on his face, causing the lines on it to stand out more. Before she could stop herself, she started to cry.

Luis reached out to her across the couch and pulled her into his arms. Instead of letting him comfort her, she quickly pushed Luis away. Anger was beginning to take control of her, causing her to lash out at her father. She stood up.

"I can't believe you. For years, you don't even bother to contact us to apologize for all the rotten things you did. Now you just decide that because you're dying it's time to "make amends" as you say. And you expect everything to be automatically right between us. I can't speak for anyone else, but I can't see that happening."

Alistair listened to her with a look that nobody could interpret and when she was finished, he said to her, "I understand why you are angry. But when I found out that I didn't have much time to live, I couldn't help but look back at my entire life. I don't regret most of what I've done, but there are many things that I do. My biggest regret was not getting to know either of my children. Believe it or not, I always cared for my family. Unfortunately, I put other things ahead of you. Now all that I am asking is that you put everything from the past in the past, where it belongs. I want all of my family, including Luis and Theresa, to be a part of the last days of my life."

Alyssa had the feeling that Alistair was being truthful in what he was saying. However, there seemed to be more to it. She felt as if there was something that Alistair wanted to disclose, but didn't think it to be the right time.

It took a lot of tears and plenty of arguing, but by the end of the night, there was an air of forgiveness in the room. Even Luis was a part of it. Alistair basically had everyone present convinced he was on the level. Alyssa and Sheridan both hoped that all would remain well. In the future, there may be returning suspicion of motives, but nobody was thinking of that. Not even someone who could see into the future.

Alistair pulled Sheridan to the side, just before everyone was about to exit the front door. There was something important that he wanted to talk to her about. And it had to do with something that happened one night in the living room nearly 20 years ago.

"Now's not the right time to discuss this. I would like to tell you the truth soon. If you still feel that you want to know, give me a call and I will clear everything up.

"Thank you, Father. I'll think about it," Sheridan said and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Alistair stood in the doorway to watch everyone leave. He really didn't want to tell Sheridan the truth of that night. However, with that psychic girl, Alyssa, he believed that the truth would come out no matter what. He would rather be the one to tell her, than any other source.

Julien, on the other hand, was worried that once Sheridan found out about that night, she would go to the media. He couldn't allow that to happen. He was determined that the truth never come out, even if it meant killing his father before his time was really up.

* * *

Lopez-Fitzgerald house: 1 AM

Alyssa woke up with a start. She had been having a nightmare. It took a couple of seconds before she could recall what she had been dreaming. Then it suddenly hit her full force.

"Oh, my God. I have to tell Sheridan and Luis," she whispered to herself loudly.

Alyssa got out of bed and put on a robe. She hurried down the hallway as quietly as she could, so as not to wake Cassie.

"Sheridan. Sheridan. Wake up," she said as she lightly shook the sleeping woman.

Sheridan, a light sleeper, woke up easily. She rolled over and asked groggily, "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Sheridan, you need to get to your father. Now! I think that someone is going to kill him. Tonight!"

Chapter 9

When Luis and Sheridan got to the mansion, it was too late to stop Alistair from being shot. According to Julien, there was an intruder in the house. He wasn't sure what happened exactly, but Alistair had been having trouble sleeping recently. He had probably gone into the living room to get a late night drink, indicated by a spilled glass of brandy near to where he fell.

He was still alive when they got there. 911 had been called and an ambulance was on the way to the hospital with him. Sheridan and Luis followed close behind. When they were at the hospital, Sheridan called Ethan to tell him the news. He was there in a matter of minutes.

"What happened?" he asked.

"No one really knows. Julien says he thinks it was an intruder," Luis answered.

"Is Sheridan here?"

"Yeah, she just went to get some coffee while we wait to see how Alistair does in surgery."

After Sheridan arrived with a cup of coffe, she never even go a chance to drink it. The doctor came with bad news. Alistair died at 3:16 that morning. Sheridan felt her throat constrict as her eyes began to burn with tears. She dropped the coffee and looked down to see it spread across the floor. She couldn't feel anything but shock.

"I think I have to sit down," she announced in a shaky voice.

Luis and Ehtan rushed to her side and guided her to the nearest seat. She couldn't believe it, just when everything had been going so well between them. Alistair was gone just as suddenly as he had reappeared in her life.

* * *

3 months later

Alyssa was washing the dishes for Cassie's first birthday party. The birthday girl, who was just learning to walk, toddled into the kitchen.

"Hello, there Cassie. Happy birthday!"

Just as she was aobut to pick Cassie up, the front doorbell rang. She lifted the little girl into her arms and went to answer. Sheridan yelled from the top of the stars, "I'll answer it." Alyssa had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She sensed that something big was about to happen. Maybe, there was news about Alistair's death. Whatever it was, she knew she had to finish cleaning the kitchen before everyone arrived for the party. She was nearly done when Sheridan walked in. She was carrying a large envelope.

"Hey, Mom! What's that?" Alyssa asked.

"I don't know. Let's open it and see," she said and sat down at the kitchen table.

She opened the envelope and started reading. Alyssa watched her face progress in a variety of different emotions from curiosity to confusion to shock.

"I'm not sure I want to read further," she said.

"Why not? What is it?"

"It's a letter, from Father. Dear Sheridan, if you receive this letter, that must mean that I'm dead and we haven't had a chance to talk about what happened that night in the living room. I don't know what circumstances stopped us from talking, but I hope all is well. Maybe you have figured out the truth on your own. If not, please read further. I love you. Godspeed. Your father, Alistair," she read.

"And there are several pages and documents included."

"Are you going to read them?"

"No...no I can't. Not now."

"But, Mom. You need to know what happened. I know that you are afraid, but..."

"But nothing. I went all these years not knowing. Besides, it's all in the past. There's no use in dredging it all up." With that, she took the papers and left the room to go upstairs and change.

Alyssa shook her head. She looked down at Cassie, who was staring wide-eyed after her mother. She then looked to Alyssa.

"Okay, Little One. Let's get you ready for you big party. Everyone is going to be there."

An hour later, Pilar was the first to arrive. And one by one everyone else came after. Alyssa was a bit worried when Sheridan didn't come down. She left the party to seek her out. Sheridan was not in the house.

When she reached the room Sheridan and Luis shared, she stopped when a wave of diziness hit her. She had to sit down on the bed. It was a vision.

Sheridan was walking across the street in front of the Lopez-Fitzgerald house when a car came out of nowhere and hit her.

Alyssa snapped out of the vision and ran as quickly as she could outside. Sheidan was crossing the street. Alyssa saw the car round the corner. She opened her mouth to yell a warning. Unfortunately, no sound escaped.

Chapter 10

The driver of the car noticed Sheridan just in time. He slammed on his braks and the car stopped quickly enough, but not enough to prevent him from hitting her. Sheridan yelled in pain and fell to the pavement. The car had hit her, but only hard enough to do little damage.

Everyone ran out of the Lopez-Fitzgerald home to see what all the commotion was about. Luis came out of nowhere and rushed to his wife. as far as he could see, she was ok. However, her left leg looked to be broken.

Sheridan was rushed to the hospital emergency room to get fixed up. she was back home in no time. Unfortunately, when they returned, the party was over. Sheridan was upset that she missed her daughter's first birthday party.

* * *

Later that evening

"So no one knows who hit me?" Sheridan asked Luis. "Nope. As soon as the driver hit you, he turned the car around and sped away. It all happened so fast that nobody saw the driver's face or the plates. The car was a blue Toyota Carolla, probably from the mid-80s. But that's basically it for a description."

"I hope they find out who did it."

"Since the hit and run involved the wife of one of their own, the guys at the station will leave no stone unturned and find out."

Alyssa was standing outside the door to Sheridan and Luis' room, listenting to the conversation. There was something important she needed to talk to Sheridan about. She waited for the right time to interrupt and knocked on the door.

"Come in," Sheridan called.

Alyssa walked in and informed the both of them that she needed to talk to Sheridan alone. Luis was fine with that and left them alone.

"Mom, do you know where those papers are that you received from Grandfather?"

"Sure. I put them under the mattress. I didn't have the heart or courage to throw them away yet. Why?"

"Because, I think that they are gone."

Sheridan looked at her, stunned. ALyssa helped her out of bed and lifted the mattress. She was right. The papers were missing. The hit and run must have been a diversion to get everyone's attention elsewhere. Alyssa sighed and looked intently into Sheridan's face..

"The hit and run wasn't an accident. The drive hit you on purpose."

"Oh, God. I think you're tight," Sheridan sighed, "Now I have no choice. It's time for the truth to come out. Can you get Luis in here?"

"Yeah, I'll get him," Alyssa said as she got up to look for Luis.

* * *

An hour later.

"So, what you're saying is that almost 20 years ago, you may have killed someone. Who and how?" Luis asked, shocked by what he had just heard.

"I was a 12 year old girl when it happened. There was so much confusion that I never fully remembeered what occured. They told me that it was just adream. I didn't believe them for most of my life afterwards, but I had no proof that something happened that night. The next da I was sent to a psychiatric hospital just outside of Paris. For my own good, they told me. I went through everything from hypnosis to shock therapy so that I could, quote, recover. I was never the same after that experience. But Inever forgot that something bad might have really happened."

"And the night we went to the mansion, he told you something did happen. And you received a letter and some papers from your father today, describing what did happen. Now it's gone and you don't know what happened that night," he stated.

"yes, Luis. I didn't read the documents because I was afraid of knowing the real truth.

* * *

Alyssa's room

Alyssa had visions and premonitions on her mind. Over theyears, she had often wondered why she had been blessed, or perhaps cursed, with them. LIke Theresa, ALyssa believed in fate. She believed htat fate had brought her to htis family. But to what purpose, she was only just figuring out. Perhaps by telling Sheridan of her visions, she started a chain raction of events that led to the truth finally being exposed.

"I just wish taht my visions tell the whole truth. Why can't I just lie down and concentrate to see the whole picture?" she asked herself aloud.

An unexpected voice answered, "Perhaps Sheridan needs to be the one to reach back into her deepest meemories to pull out the truth for herself. And maybe you are the one who fills in the gaps."

Alyssa's head snapped around to see Sheridan and Luis standing in the doorway.

"Mom. Dad. What's going on?"

"Get your shoes on, we're dropping Cassie off at my mother's and going to the Crane mansion," Luis told her.

Chapter 11

"What makes you think this is going to work? And how did you get Julien let us in?" Sheridan asked after sitting down on the couch in the mansion's living room.

"I don't know if it's going to work or not. To answer your second question, I'll have to explain later. The idea to do this just popped into my head. I thought it might help to actually be here, where it happened," Luis answered her.

"Where do we start?" Alyssa asked.

"We need to start at the beginning. In your vision, Alyssa, what came first?"

"Well, it usually started at the top of the staircase in the hallway."

"Okay. I need you to describe in detail, all that you remember from the vision. And Sheridan, while she is describing everything, close your eyes and try to picture it. Can you both do that?"

"Sure," they answered.

Sheridan sat back and closed her eyes to listen closely to what Alyssa was about to describe. Alyssa found that she couldn't stand still and paced while describing what she saw and heard.

"The whole thing started up there on the stairs. I can hear the sounds of a heated argument coming from the living room. There is a young girl standing up there, listening to the noise. She looks afraid, as if she can sense the danger of something terrible happening. She turns to go and takes a step, but pauses. Then slowly, she comes down the steps and stands outside the living room..."

Sheridan suddenly lost the sound of Alyssa's voice. She no longer was afraid of knowing the truth of what happened that night. Her letting go of the fear opened the door to the memory.

She interrupted Alyssa's words, "It didn't start there. In fact, the drama began years before that night ever happened."

Keeping her eyes closed, Sheridan described the events of the years leading to the night that nearly broke her spirit.

"As both of you know, Julien is anything but a caring older brother. But it was a whole lot worse than that....I don't think Julien always hated me. I do remember a time when he was nice to me. After my mother died, something must have snapped. He blamed me for her death. I would always dread coming home from school because I knew Julien would be here."

"What did he do to you?" Luis asked, struggling to control the tone of his voice.

"Occasionally, he would hurt me. Physically and emotionally. He would tell me as often as he could that I killed my mother, and I didn't deserve to live myself. He said that when the time was right, he would kill me. And he would put his hands around my neck and squeeze just enough to cut off my air for a few seconds, leaving me light-headed and dizzy."

She paused to catch her breath and slowly opened her eyes. The light in the room seemed too bright. She could feel the fear starting up again, but this time, there was a sense of saddness included. No one moved, even when they could see Sheridan struggle to hold back tears. Luis wasn't sure they should continue, but Sheridan was determined to get it all out. Sheridan hesitated to fit in the next peace of the puzzle since it had to do with Luis.

"Like I said, he would physically hurt me. One day, he dragged me into the kitchen and threatened me with a knife. He dragged the blade lightly up my ring finger on my upturned hand, breaking the skin. That's where the scar came from, Luis."

Luis kept his face tightly controlled as she continued. Alyssa could tell that he was trying to stay calm and quiet. She said a silent prayer that he would remain as such.

"Your father, Luis, was picking your mother up from work," she smiled lightly, as the face of the man she had trusted more than anyone in the world appeared in her mind, "Julien just left me there. Uncle Marty found me sitting on the floor, cradling my injured finger. He thought that I had been fixing myself a snack when I received the cut. It took me several months before I could tell him the truth."

"So, you knew my father?" Luis asked with a dark look.

Sheridan looked at her husband. Their eyes locked and she couldn't look away. She didn't recognize the look in his eyes. Was it anger, or maybe hatred? She wondered what expression his eyes would soon hold once he found out what happened to his father and the role she played in his fate.

"Yes. He was like the father I never knew. I felt most comfortable around him and put my faith and trust in him." She paused and let out a laugh that held no humor.

"Please, Sheridan, go on," her husband urged.

"He took me to the hospital that day. Father was none too happy about that. He thought we were making too big a deal about it. I wonder if he knew that Julien had been the one to cut my finger. I wonder if he was afraid I would tell the doctor. I wonder....if he didn't want the media to get a hold of it. Maybe I'll never know."

Sheridan was thirsty and asked for a drink of water. Alyssa found her way to the kitchen. As she entered the room, she looked over to the far right corner. A ghost of a vision crossed before her eyes and she could just see Sheridan sitting there with Martin bent over her while he examined her finger. And it was gone as suddenly as it appeared. She filled a glass of water for her adoptive mother.

She re-entered the living room in time to witness Sheridan and Luis just staring at each other, oblivious to their surroundings. His hand brushed over her forehead to push away a strand of fallen hair. The other hand was holding on to her right arm.

"Here you go, Sheridan," she broke the silence.

"Thank you, Alyssa," Sheridan said and took the glass. She drank it so fast she almost choked.

"Anyway, over the next 3 years, every time Julien would hurt me, I would call Uncle Marty. At work, at home, it didn't matter. Anytime he thought it necessary, he took me to the hospital."

"But why didn't he tell anyone? If he knew you trusted him completely, why didn't he do the right thing and tell the authorities about the abuse you were suffering?" Alyssa asked gently, becoming angry herself.

"I wish I could tell you. One evening, Julien pushed me down the stairs in the hall. Fortunately, we were only a third of the way down. I must have fell only five or six steps. Unfortunately, I broke my left wrist. Miraculously, nothing else was wrong. I was a bit bruised, a bit sore. Nonetheless, I was otherwise unhurt. I think it was then he decided not to keep my secret. He couldn't come that night to take me to the hospital. Father hired a private physician to patch me up, in order to....avoid any unnecessary questions. Uncle Marty decided to confront Julien and Father. I think he called the estate to give fair warning of his arrival here."

"I remember that phone call. That's how I go the suspicion that your family had something to do with my father's disappearance," Luis told Sheridan.

"Really? Well, Uncle Marty came to the mansion that same night. Both Julien and Father..."

She was startled into stopping when she heard her brother's voice, "You know. It's a shame that I've come home to this most unwelcomed sight."

Chapter 12

Startled, everyone's focus soon changed to Julien as they turned to look at him. He was standing in the entrance to the living room, holding a dangerous looking gun. An evil grin was displayed across his face, sending shivers up their spines.

"I was hoping that I wouldn't find any of you here. But here you are," he paused dramatically before continuing, "Tsk, tsk, tsk, this is too bad. Because the truth will never leave this room. I can trust myself to leave with it, but I know too, that I can't trust any of you to. So, I suppose I'm going to have to get rid of the....evidence."

"You killed Martin that night in this room, Julien, now didn't you?" Alyssa said, the anger evident in her voice. She was trying to stall. And Julien knew it, too.

"Okay, if you want to play this game, I'm up for it. To answer your question, it was not I who killed Martin Fitzgerald."

"Then who did," Luis asked tightly," and don't tell me it was Sheridan, because I won't believe that for an instant."

"It wasn't Sheridan," he confirmed and Sheridan let out a sigh of relief, "Father is the one who killed Martin. It was quite accidental, though. As luck would have it, Martin and my family weren't the only ones in the mansion that night. I don't know who it was, or what he was doing h ere. Sheridan had been standing outside the libing room, listening to us arguing about her. He came up behind her. Maybe he was going to kidnap her. Probably."

Alyssa knew what the intruder was doing in the house. "He came here to kill Sheridan," she said to a startled audience, "He was hired by Julien to do so."

Anger overwhelming any logical thinking, Luis lunged at Julien. Before he could reach him, he was stopped short with a warning from Julien to stay away or he was going to kill him. Luis knew that Julien would kill him anyway, but needed more time to see if he could find a way to escape with everyone alive.

"That's right. I did hire him to kill my dear, dear little sister. Unfortunately, I hired an idiot. Instead of waiting, he decided to take his chances and grab her right in front of our nose."

Sheridan cut in. "He grabbed me from behind and put his hand over my mouth. He might have accomplished kidnapping me, the argument in the living room being loud enough. It's any wonder the whole household didn't wake up. But I bit his hand. He yelled in pain and everyone stopped to look," she said.

"Everything went hectic. It all happened so quickly. Martin was the first to move, though. He was able to grab Sheridan from the guy. Then Martin grabbed the nearest thing to him that he could use to hurt him."

"The letter opener?" Alyssa asked Julien.

"Right. He grabbed it and went after the man. The intruder was able to grab onto it and wrench it away. In the process, he stabbed Martin in the arm."

Then he went after me again. He grabbed me another time and put the opener to my neck, threatening to slit my throat," Sheridan pused at the painful memory. She blinked back tears and couldn't continue.

Julien resumed speaking. "I accidentally knocked over a wine bottle and that destracted the man I hired enough for Martin to make a move. He lunged at the intruder. Suddenly, Martin grabbed onto his left side. It looked as if he had been shot, but I didn't hear a gun fire."

"Alistair had a gun with a silencer on it," Luis interjected.

"Yes. He had been aiming at the man I hired. Fortunately, for Sheridan, and unfortunately for me, Sheridan had been able to get away from her captor. The bullet, which passed through Martin's body might have hit her, too, had she been there. It missed him as he had been struggling with Martin. As soon as Martin fell, he panicked, and fled the scene."

Sheridan could picture that night, like it was yesterday. She remembered the fear and terror she felt. It gripped her tightly, even now.

"Sheridan went into hysterics. She immediately ran to Martin and leaned over him. She kept on crying his name. He looked at her for an instant and smiled. He whispered something in her ear. I didn't hear it. She never told."

"He died. Right there in front of me," Sheridan let out an anguished sigh, "It felt like I was dying, too. Right there in that moment with him. He was so important to me. He was the one who most helped me survive because he was always there for me. I watched my own life slip away before my eyes. I din't know how to escape that death." Hot tears flooded her eyes and she let them silently fall.

Julien said, " I think Sheridan blamed herself for Martins's death. Had she not told him about the things I did, or maybe if she hadn't been evesdropping on our conversation, he might not have died."

"And Julien certainly didn't refute that belief. I told them I didn't mean to get Uncle Martin killed."

"Father decided that it would be in Sheridan's best interest to pretent the thing never happened. He sent her off to Europe to the institution where she spent 3 years. The doctor's tried their best to convince Sheridan that nothing occured through counseling and hypnosis, as well as other methods that they thought would help."

Sheridan shivered at the mention of those other methods.

"I never quite believed that nothing happened, though I did have my doubts every once in a while."

"Alright everyone," Julien put a stop to the conversation," that's enough chit chat." He raised his gun toward Alyssa first. He was going to kill her, then Luis, just to watch the pain in Sheridan as she witnessed the death of her loved ones.

Luis was about to make a move towards Julien, but he was distracted,when something unexpected happened. Julien's body pitched forward as an object made contact with his head.

"Oh, my God," Sheridan said sas she saw who hit him with a lamp.

Chapter 13

Alyssa and Luis were both as shocked as Sheridan when they saw Pilar enter the living room, stepping over Julien's unconscious form. She smiled at the three of them, her face filled with obvious satisfaction.

"You have no idea how long I've been wanting to do something like that to Julien Crane," she said.

Those words broke the overwhelming silence that filled the room. Everyone began speaking at once. It took a while for everything to calm down. Even then, Pilar had to raise both of her hands as a sign for all to stop talking. Nobody second guessed her.

"Don't you think its time we called the police?" Pilar asked.

The four of them came together in a group hug before doing so. Sheridan called the police while Luis restrained Julien.

* * *

One week later

Sheridan and Luis sat around the dining room table with their family. They were all waiting for Theresa and Ethan to drop by. The doorbell rang and Alyssa went to answer it. A couple seconds later, she reappeared with Pilar close behind. Pilar was holding a familiar looking envelope in her hands.

"Hey, Mama," Luis said, "What you got there?"

"It's something the police gave me to give to Sheridan. They found some documents hidden in the mansion and made some copies to give to her. I don't know what's in them. I didn't look. Here you go, Sher," she explained, handing the envelope to her daughter-in-law.

Sheridan opened it and pulled everything out. She skipped her father's letter and went straight to the documents. Now that she knew the truth of what happened that night, she could read everything without reservation.

Inside were numerous emergency room records, beginning with when Julien cut her finger. At the last of those documents was a short note in Alistairs own hand, explaining that Julien hired someone to steal all the records of her visits.

He wrote, "Julien was foolish enough not to destroy the records that he had taken from the hospital. I found them in the library safe about eight years ago."

The last two documents were letters, addressed to two different sources. One was from Julien to a doctor at the institution in Paris and the other to Sheridan. Julen had written to the doctor that he wanted him to plant a suggestion in Sheridan's mind that she had been the one to kill Martin, not Alistair.

When Luis heard this, he jumped out of his seat. He was trying to hold back his anger. Instead of saying anything, he went to the window and stared outside with his arms folded across his chest. No one else spoke. They just watched him.

"I could kill him," he broke the uncomfortable silence.

Still, no one spoke. They all felt the same way. Cassie picked up on the air of hostility in the room and started to fuss. Luis took a deep breath to calm himself.

The doorbell rang again and Alyssa, eager to leave the room for a while, answered it. Everyone in the dining room smiled as the sound of children filled the air. That had to be Theresa and Ethan with their crew in tow.

Sheridan decided that she needed some time alone. She excused herself and made her escape. While everyone else was in the family room, Sheridan made her way to her bedroom. She wanted to read the last letter from her father to her.

"Dearest, Sheridan," it read. "I never was the perfect father. I know that and I am sorry. I wish I could go back in time, to do some things differently. What kinds of things, you may be asking. For one thing, I wouldn't have sent you away to that damned institution. Also, I wouldn't have had ignored what was going on with you and Julien. I seriously hadn't much of an idea of how bad it had really been. Or perhaps I just didn't want to see it. Most importantly, though, I would have told you that I love you. Very much. I know that I've never shown it or said it aloud, but it's true. I am very proud of you, Sheridan. Your strength, your courage, your spirit, are all to be admired. Don't ever forget that. I love you. Always have. Yours, Father."

Sheridan sat back on the bed, resting her back on the headboard. She looked out at the room and stared unseeing. Her mind was a jumble of almost undecipherable thoughts and feelings. She had loved her father all her life and desperately wanted his love in return. It hadn't crossed her mind that she already had it. He just didn't know how to show it.

Sheridan smiled as she remembered Martin's last words to her. His voice echoed to her from the past.

"Remember, Sheridan, that despite how bad things may be, there is one fact that you should hold close to your heart...You are greatly loved. Promise you'll remember."

Sheridan believed now that he was talking not only about himself, or Ethan, but Alistair as well. She sat there for a minute and got up to stretch her legs. Feeling truly free for the first time in her life, she felt as though she could move mountains and face a future that was often uncertain. She had her family to give her confidence and strenth. She was greatly loved.