Sunlight streamed through the open window, a cool breeze blowing against their heated skin. Ivy’s blue eyes sparkled as she watched the rise and fall of her husband’s chest, tracing little shapes on his skin. She could hardly believe that this was real; that she was starting her second day as Mrs. Sam Bennett. ‘Just the second of many,’ she thought to herself, snuggling further into her husband’s embrace.

A rapping at the door sent Ivy grabbing for the sheets, especially when the door slowly opened revealing a small brown head. His not-so-innocent grin had Ivy wondering about little Hank Bennett. No one child could be more demonic than him; she had seen the charred remains of the innocent Barbie…

“Morning,” he smirked, tiptoeing over to the bed but watching to make sure his brother was still asleep. He may have only been five, but having a brother like Sam in his twenties, he knew that girls were things to be drooled over and adored. And if Sam married Ivy, then she had to be one hot woman! “So what’s a babe like you doing with a loser like my brother?”

Ivy tried not to laugh. How old was this kid? Twenty in a five-year-old’s body? What was it her mother always said about men, they aged and never matured? Here was the prime example; she shook her head. “I’m married to him, which technically makes us family,” Ivy whispered.

“Such a waste,” Hank shook his head. “You could have done much better,” he puffed out his puny little chest. “So, if you get tired of him, just come on down to my room.”

“His is the one with Sesame Street on the walls,” Sam mumbled, opening one eye to look at his kid brother.

“Hey! I’ll have you know I took them down,” he crossed his arms. “It’s Spider Man this week.”

“That’s an improvement,” Sam groaned. “What do you want, Hank?”

“To go to the park with Luis after church!” Hank gave him puppy eyes. “Come on! Dad said he has to check in at the station and mom’s always getting new recipes from all those old farts, I really wanna go to the park…please Sam???”

Sam sighed, looking at his wife who was grinning angelically at him. “I was going to paint the apartment today, but I sure as hell can’t ask you to take him alone…that’s cruel and unusual punishment for any human. All right, for a couple of hours. Now get out!”

Hank laughed. “YES!” he ran out, running down the stairs screaming, “Mom! MOM! Sam’s taking me to the park!”

Ivy giggled. “He’s a cute kid, Sam. Promise we won’t have any like him?” she begged.

Sam chuckled. “I heard him hitting on you. Pathetic how he picked up some of my worst lines,” he shook his head. “My brother’s going to be a real loser when he grows up.”

“No kidding,” Ivy sat up. “So I guess we’re going to church this morning?”

“Yea, family tradition. Breakfast, then Mass, then Hank loses his tie before we can get home to change clothes. But I can’t wait. Everyone gets to meet my beautiful wife, Ivy Bennett.”

She closed her eyes and sighed contently. “I love the sound of it. Ivy Bennett! It’s so beautiful, so perfect,” she opened her eyes and looked at him lovingly. “It means so much to me.”

“Ditto,” he kissed her lips softly. “We better go get ready or else Mom will come in with the hose.”

Ivy laughed and got up, wrapping herself in her robe. “All right, but I get the shower first,” she winked and walked out towards the bathroom.

Sam groaned. She was such a tease…his tease, but still a tease.

Sheridan watched as Pilar rummaged through her trunk for something to wear to church, her little feet kicking against the bed. Her friend Luis had gone into the other room to get ready, his eyes never leaving her until his brother, Antonio, dragged him away. She sighed; not gone five minutes and she already missed her friend. Luis had held her all night long and when they both woke up, he took her into breakfast, pulling out her chair before helping her sit on the booster seat and bringing her the last bowl of his favorite cereal.

“Miss Pilar, can I wear the purple dress?” Sheridan asked, peeking into the case at the dark purple outfit in her hands. “It’s the one I like bestest.”

“Then it’s the one you’ll wear today,” Pilar offered a weak smile, standing Sheridan up and helping her into the dress. Sheridan spun in a circle and watched the skirt swirl around her. “My mommy’s in Heaven now, isn’t she?” Sheridan asked, grabbing her doll from Luis’ bed.

“I’m afraid so, mija,” Pilar combed Sheridan’s curly blond locks. “She’s happy with the angels, watching over you from the clouds.”

“Do you think she misses me?” Sheridan looked up at Pilar.

“How could she not?” Pilar turned her head and finished doing her hair. “Sheridan, your mother wanted the best for you always. She thought your fath…Alistair would take care of you but he did some very bad things. So she brought you to stay with us for a while.”

“Will you be my Mommy?” Sheridan whispered, her hand touching the beautiful braid Pilar completed.

“No, mija, but I will take care of you for now. Does that sound all right?” She asked, patting her head.

Sheridan nodded. “Miss Pilar?”

“Hmm?” Pilar straightened Sheridan’s dress.

“Do you know what love is?”

Pilar looked at the tot inquisitively. “Yes, mija. Why?”

“Cause I think I’m in love,” she grinned. “But don’t tell, Luis. Cause he gets embarrassed.”

Pilar chuckled. Her son and Sheridan Crane! Would wonders never cease? With a sigh, Pilar kissed Sheridan’s cheek. “I won’t tell him. Come now, we’ll be late for church.”

“All right,” Sheridan ran after her, her doll bouncing as she tried to keep up. She saw Luis and stopped, blushing demurely. “Hello Luis,” she focused her eyes on her shoes.

“Hello, Sheridan,” he replied, blushing as well. “Would you like to hold my hand in the car?”

Sheridan nodded excitedly. “Can I?”

“Sure,” he took her hand, leading her outside.

“Look, mi amor, I think he likes her,” Martin laughed, watching Luis help Sheridan into the back seat, even giving up sitting by the window.

Pilar sighed. “She likes him too, but Martin they are only babies. I find it hard that they could be in love.”

“My darling, never underestimate the heart,” he kissed her cheek. “Come on, if we don’t hurry we’ll miss Mass entirely,” he led her to the car, hopping in to drive away. Pilar only hope this was just a phase, her son and Sheridan would only have heartbreak otherwise.

Fate looked at the little girl in the back seat of the car and sighed. She was laughing at the silly faces Luis was making, giggling when he called her his little bunny. Had she been in the mood to laugh, it would have been funny; but she could only think about the woman curled in her bed crying. Poor Sheridan had no idea how her mother missed her and would never have any idea.

“What are you doing, Fate?” Honor asked, watching her fried turn off the TV screen.

“Nothing,” she turned away, brushing some tears from her cheeks. “Where’s Hope and Wishful Thinking.”

“Right here!!!!” the tot called, running for her friend and throwing her arms around her. “Oh Fate! My Sheridan! She cried all night!” the little angel looked devastated. “Luis and I tried so hard to make her feel better, but still she cried.”

“She misses her Mommy,” Fate tried to explain, holding the angel on her hip.

“I miss my mommy too,” Wishful Thinking sighed. “And I tried to tell her that, but she was a little too happy hugging Luis. I don’t think he liked it too much though,” she giggled. “He made weird faces.”

Fate laughed. “You’re cute sometimes, a pain but cute.”

“Thanks,” she rested her head on Fate’s shoulder. “Now, no more sadness Fate, Sheridan’s happy. I think she’s falling in love with Luis. Can she fall in love?”

“Yea, she can,” Fate turned on the TV again and watched the family run into church as Mass started. “But she won’t know it for years.” She sat down on the nearby couch.

“Oy, that means I better get a lot of rubber bands ready,” Wishful Thinking smiled. They fell silent for a moment, both snuggled together on the couch.

Fate thought that the child had fallen asleep, but she obviously hadn’t. In fact, she lifted her head from Fate’s shoulder and looked into her eyes.

“Fate?”

“Yea, kid?” she asked.

“Did anyone feed my turtle?”

Chapter Eight

Hope watched as Wishful Thinking’s giggling form walked slowly past the chairs in the viewing room. The tot was taking unsteady steps backwards, one hand covering her smile and the other dangling a string with a piece of lettuce attached to the end. Crooking an eyebrow, Hope slid to the end of the couch and looked over the arm, finding a small, slow, green creature with a bright yellow hallow following the bouncing lettuce. Shaking her head, Hope rubbed her eyes and looked again, finding the pair had moved only one or two more steps.

“Wishful, sweetie, what are you doing?” the angel asked, watching the turtle stretch its neck towards the green vegetable only to have it moved away again.

“Playing with Spot,” the girl giggled, taking another step backwards. The turtle stopped for a moment, looking as though he was trying to decide if this was worth the effort, only to move his large legs forward again. He attempted once more to grab the lettuce and seemed to sigh when it was again moved away.

“Spot?” Hope smirked. “Who’s Spot?”

“Well, duh,” Wishful Thinking replied. “Who do you think Spot is, Hopie? My turtle!”

“Oh but of course, we all know that Spot is such a normal name for a pet reptile,” Fate laughed from her place on the couch, removing the pillow from her face. “Why is his name Spot, WT?”

“Cause I painted his shell black so I knew he was mine,” she motioned to the big black blob on the angel turtle’s shell.

“Of course, it makes perfect sense now!” Hope sighed dramatically. “Since when do they allow mini angels to have pets anyway?” she mumbled to her friends, who were too preoccupied with the viewer to care what she was complaining about now.

“Well,” Purity replied, flipping open the Perfect Mini Angels Companion Guide to the page on pets. “They were given the permission to own pets in nineteen ninety when parental angels complained about the lack of stimulation for their angelic children.”

“What are you? A walking version of Britannica or something?” Fate whined. “Purity, dear, get a life!”

A collective gasped sounded throughout the room as all eyes pinned on Purity to see how she would react. No one had expected Fate to ever say such a thing, though it really didn’t surprise many of them. The insulted angel slammed her book shut, standing and glaring at Fate.

“You…you aren’t a very nice angel sometimes, Fate! I…I think I find myself hating you right now!” Purity attempted to seek revenge.

Fate held out a steady hand. “Oh, I’m shaking,” she rolled her eyes, grabbing the remote and changing the channel to the park, looking for Sam and Ivy. She honestly didn’t care what Purity felt about her.

“Arg!” Purity screamed, nearly knocking Wishful Thinking over as she headed for her room in a fury.

“Wow, Fate, that was unnecessary…” Charity felt bad for her friend.

“Oh please, you were all thinking the same thing. Now leave me alone. I plan on drooling over Sam’s paternal instincts when he deal with little Luis and Sheridan.”

“Ohhh where is that?” WT joined the group, landing on her knees right in front of the TV. Spot finally caught up and grabbed the leaf of lettuce, munching happily on his well-deserved reward. “I wanna go there!”

“To a park?” Hope asked, looking at the children on the swings. She hated parks; they were far too noisy and quite annoying with all the sticky faced screaming kids.

“Is Sheridan and Luis going there?” Wishful Thinking asked, giving the adults a look and crossing her arms.

“Yes they are,” Fate replied with a smirk.

“Then I wanna go to,” she insisted. “Now!”

“You said they were going there,” Hope told her friend. “She’s your problem now.”

“Fine, I’ll take her. Come on, WT. Let’s go,” the disappeared.

“Oh dear Lord, what have I done letting the two of them go alone?” Hope asked, eyes focused on the screen. “God protect them all!”

Sheridan sat on the couch of the Lopez-Fitzgerald house, a pout on her face and tears rolling down her cheeks. She had loved going to the park with her mother and it just hadn’t seemed fair that Luis was allowed to go without her, leaving her behind with Antonio. It wouldn’t have mattered had she liked Antonio, but he was just so weird and kept talking about her beautiful blond hair. Looking to her left, she found the object of her non-affection watching her through unblinking eyes. He was just creepy.

“Luis, mijo!” Pilar called from the hallway. “Hurry, Sam will be here with Hank soon!”

Martin entered the living room with the newspaper, his eyes falling on the very disappointed Sheridan Crane. “Sheridan, sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Martin asked, settling beside her with the paper.

“I-I wa-want to g-go,” she sobbed out, sad blue eyes looking up at Martin. “I was a good girl today! Mommy always takes me when I’m good.”

Taking the small girl into his arms, Martin held her close and let her cry, her tears dampening his shirt. His hazel eyes shot over to Pilar, who looked near tears herself. Quietly, he mouthed, “Can she go too?” earning a shrug from his wife in reply. With a sigh, he lifted her tiny quivering chin so he could look into her eyes. “Why don’t we see if Sam Bennett will let you tag along, peanut? Would that make you happy?”

Sheridan nodded and sniffled, wiping her eyes with her tiny hands. Looking around to make sure no one was listening, she moved closer to Martin and whispered, “I like spending time with Luis, Mr. Fitzgerald. He is really sweet and I don’t want to be here without him.” She blushed.

Before Martin could reply, the doorbell rang and Pilar motioned for him to get the door as she disappeared down the hall in search of their youngest son. “Hold that thought,” he told Sheridan, heading to the door and opening it to reveal Sam at the foot of the steps with his arm around Ivy, little Hank making faces from his place on the porch. He still wasn’t used to seeing the young lovers this way: happy and kissing in his front yard.

“Hello, Mr. Fitzgerald. Is Luis ready to go?” Hank asked, turning on his angelic nature for a moment before giving up and trying to look inside.

Martin opened the screen door, laughing when Hank tried to peer around him into the living room only to be disappointed with the sight of a tiny blond and no Luis. “He’s almost ready; why don’t you three come in and wait?”

“Can we, Sammy?” Hank asked, turning to his brother. “I don’t wanna wait in the car and I’m tired of seeing you kiss her.”

“Sure,” Sam sighed, looking at Ivy and then following his kid brother inside. He was surprised to see Sheridan sitting on the couch with her wrinkled purple dress wrapped around her knees. “Who is she?” he asked, not having met Sheridan at church.

“That’s Julian’s sister, Sheridan,” Ivy gasped, rushing over to the small girl who seemed to be in so much pain. If she was here then it was obvious that something was wrong at the mansion. “Hello darling, what’s wrong?” she knelt beside the couch.

“I want to go to the park with Luis,” Sheridan sniffled. “But I wasn’t invited,” she scowled at Hank, almost wishing he would disappear.

“Hey, I don’t like girls that are as young as you, babe. Call me when you’re legal,” he smirked, earning a smack upside the head from Sam and the nastiest of looks from Ivy. “Ow! Why I oughta!”

“Watch it, kid, or you’re going home and I’ll take Luis to the park!” Sam threatened. “Sheridan, you can come with us if you like,” Sam told her. “Go on and get some play clothes on first.”

“Really?” Sheridan jumped up excitedly, running to Sam and throwing her arms around him. “Oh I would kiss you but I’m in love with someone else,” she told him, rushing down the hall. “Miss Pilar! Miss Pilar! I can go!”

Ivy laughed. “I think you made her lifetime. No one at the Crane mansion ever paid her much attention before. I remember spending a lunch there with Julian and watching the poor darling play alone with a tea set. It was so dreadfully depressing. I’ve always wanted a baby sister and I was jealous Julian had one he cared so little about.”

“Yes, it means a lot to know you’re willing to bring her along,” Martin told Sam. “She was so disappointed to learn her companion was leaving her for the day. They’ve been together since Katherine dropped her off last night.”

Sam didn’t look too pleased about the topic of conversation after nearly losing Ivy to Julian Crane, even if he was intrigued as to why the Lopez-Fitzgerald family would be caring for a girl they had no claim on. “Well, I couldn’t very well leave her here if she wanted to come with us, that’s rude. Hank may be a little dork but I’m not and my parents would never let me hear the end of it.”

“I’m not a dork,” Hank crossed his arms. “I just don’t hang out with toddlers, especially girls.”

“Watch it, Hank,” Ivy gave him a look. “Or else I’ll let little Beth Wallace know who torched her Barbie. Don’t think Sam hasn’t filled me in on the destruction count!”

“You wouldn’t!” he panicked.

“I would,” Ivy smirked, watching him hide behind his older brother as Sheridan and Luis ran down the hall hand in hand. Both seemed so happy to be together at the moment that Sam knew he had done the right thing inviting her along.

“Are we ready to go now?” Sam asked, ruffling Sheridan’s curly blond hair and earning a pout. “Aww, don’t worry, squirt. You’ll get used to mussed hair.”

“Miss Pilar worked very hard to make me pretty,” Sheridan told him. “She won’t like what you’ve done.”

Sam swept Sheridan into his arms, amazed by how light she felt. “Don’t worry about it,” he whispered. “It will be our little secret…especially since Miss Pilar didn’t make you pretty. You already are.”

Sheridan blushed, burying her head in Sam’s neck and giggling profusely.

“Hey,” Luis tapped Sam on the arm, giving him an angry glower. “If you wouldn’t mind putting mi amor back on the floor, I’d ‘preciate it. You have your own blond, buddy.”

“Your love, huh?” Sam asked, looking at Ivy with a huge smile on his face. “What do you think, babe, should he have his girlfriend back?”

Ivy laughed, enjoying the young love in the house. “I think so, Sam, besides you’re spoken for already, as Luis kindly pointed out.”

“Right, how could I forget that I’m married?” he shook his head, putting Sheridan back on her feet beside Luis. “You just take real good care of her, ok buddy?”

Luis nodded, taking hold of Sheridan’s hand. “Definitely, Sam. I have to since her Mom is gone, the angel said so,” he lead her outside to Sam’s car.

“Wonderful,” Hank grumbled. “Now my buddy is seeing things too. Just wonderful,” he followed Luis and Sher out. At least he wasn’t the only one seeing angel in Harmony, though he would have preferred if he had been.

“Guess that’s out cue. See you Mr. And Mrs. LoFitz,” Sam waved, dragging Ivy out behind him. With a sigh he watched the kids climb into his car. “Here we go…hang on, babe, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.”

Ivy just laughed and settled in the car as Sam took off for the park.

Wishful Thinking ran around the park excitedly, touching everything and shooting rubber bands at all the children who couldn’t see her. The benefit of being an angel was not always being seen by everyone around unless you wanted him or her to see you. Tiredly, she walked over to Fate and lifted her arms. “Up.”

Fate laughed, lifting the tot into her arms. “Something wrong, WT? Run out of gas all of a sudden?”

“Yea,” she sighed, looking around for Sheridan and getting quite disappointed when she didn’t see her at all. “When will my friend get here, Fate? I want to see how she is? You know how sad she was last night. I’m worried about her.”

“I know,” Fate told her, rubbing her back gently. “Sheridan and Luis will be here soon. So will Sam, Ivy and Hank. I promise, it won’t be long now before you see your little buddy again and you’ll see how happy she is.”

“Who is Hank?” WT asked, remembering Sam and Ivy from the big screen in the sky but never having seen Hank before. “Is he going to be trouble?”

Fate laughed. If she only knew the half of it! ”Yea, he’s going to be some trouble but don’t worry, Luis will take care of him. Luis will take care of everything because that’s who he is. He’s the hero.”

“Good,” WT struggled to get down. “Ok, I’m ready to go play some more,” she spotted a little boy throwing rocks at a bird nest, the mother bird trying to protect her eggs from the rocks. “Hurry let me down,” she kicked.

Fate put her down and watched as she ran over to where the boy was, aimed a rubber band and hit him smack in the backside. “YES!” Wishful Thinking cheered as the boy ran off to his mother in tears, rubbing his backside.

“WT!” Fate shook her head with a smirk. Oh, who was she to yell at the kid? She interceded all the time on Ivy’s behalf. “Good job,” she gave her a thumbs up and sighed. It was going to be a long day.

Chapter Nine

A few hours later, Wishful Thinking’s golden head rested against Fate’s shoulder, her drool pooling on the older angel’s cloak. Fate shuddered slightly, thinking about all the things that had been in the little angel’s mouth that day: sticks, rocks, dirt…worms. Glancing down at the peacefully slumbering face of Wishful Thinking, Fate realized that this was the only time the mini angel wasn’t causing trouble: when she was asleep.

Looking around, Fate watched as Sam helped Ivy place the three children in the car; Sheridan looking a lot like WT with her head against Ivy’s chest. She knew what was coming and worried that she and her little companion wouldn’t make it to the Bennett house before the crew. The news that was to shake the Bennett home was coming and only she could protect Sheridan from the war that would rage. “What’s an angel to do?” murmured Fate as she watched the car drive away. “I have to be there for Sheridan and Ivy when the news comes out.”

“What news would that be, sister dear?” Hate appeared out of nowhere. “You look good with a mini angel. Perhaps He will let you have one someday,” she tossed a glowing red rock into the air and caught it.

“What do you want, Hate?” Fate asked, shifting the mini angel in her arms. “I’m busy.”

“You look it,” she replied. “I know about the will, Fate,” her sibling replied, making a circle around her sister and continuing to throw the glowing red orb. “But I don’t know what the contents are. My angels are heading over to the Bennett house to wreak some havoc, but Pain is wondering whom she’s going to get to hurt. I can’t give her an assignment until I know if the rumors are true. Is Sheridan a Bennett?”

“Maybe,” Fate shrugged, watching the glowing orb get brighter. The darn thing was a lie detector. Wonderful! How was she supposed to escape this with her sister and that blasted contraption around?

“Hm, I think you know, Fate. In fact, I know you do. You have the viewer. You know the future. That’s how you got us into this mess in the first place, how you changed time to make sure Ivy could go back to the past and marry Sam. You knew that it would release the truth about the Cranes, the secret they managed to hide with Katherine’s later death. You knew it would help Sheridan and Luis become married as adults! Tell me the truth, Fate,” she moved closer to her sister, her nose inches from her twin. “Is Sheridan a Bennett?”

“I wouldn’t tell you if you were the last angel in Hell,” Fate replied, glaring at her sibling. “You can take your motorcycle and your precious rock and shove it…”

“Watch it, Fate,” Love appeared behind her friend. “We’re needed elsewhere, this sibling rivalry will have to end,” she removed WT from Fate’s arms and passed her to another angel. The second angel disappeared with the child, leaving Fate, Love and Hate in the park.

“If it isn’t my sister’s favorite friend: Love. Here to rescue my sibling, are you?” Hate cackled.

“No, I’m here to remind you both that there is work to be done on earth. I may not approve of what you stand for, Hate, and how you use your power for the wrong side, but I know that Fate and I are needed elsewhere. The will has been opened, Fate.”

“I know,” Fate told her friend, her eyes pinned on her sister. “It was opened this morning. Alistair knows the truth and the phone is ringing at the Bennett’s as we speak.”

“Then it’s true!” Hate glowed, giddy with her knew-found knowledge. “Sheridan isn’t a Crane! How marvelous!”

“It’s true,” Fate’s eyes saddened as her sister disappeared. “Sheridan is Benjamin Bennett’s daughter. Come, Love. We’re needed elsewhere.”

Love nodded her head and the two disappeared and headed for their next assignment: the Bennett home. It would be their greatest challenge to date: to save the marriage of Ben and Maggie Bennett.

Sam glanced at the rear view mirror as he put the car into park, catching a glimpse of Sheridan asleep with her head on Luis’ shoulder. He nudged his wife, motioning to the back seat where the duo sat unaware that they were being observed. Ivy smiled gently, patting his thigh and looking into his shinning blue eyes.

“It’s love, Sam. They’ll be us someday,” she winked, slowly getting out of the car. What Sheridan and Luis had was something that poets and romance novelists would write about one day. It was a love that would last a lifetime. “Why did we come back to your parents’ place?”

“I thought some of my mother’s homemade cookies would be in order to finish off the afternoon. After all, it isn’t often that Sheridan gets out of the mansion, right? Might as well help the kid enjoy her freedom while she has it.”

“Have I told you just how wonderful you are?” Ivy asked, pushing the back seat to Sam’s car forward and helping Luis out. He tapped his foot impatiently, waiting to see if Sheridan would follow.

“No,” Luis replied smiling. “But I don’t mind knowing.”

Sam laughed, helping his kid brother out of the car and lifting Sheridan from the center of the back seat. Luis frowned when he saw his girl in Sam’s arms again but realized she was still pretty much asleep. Hank rolled his eyes.

“Looks like everyone is hitting on you today, Ivy,” Sam winked. He led them up the front porch of the house, stopping just outside to open the door. Hank grew impatient at all the idle chatter; he wanted cookies and he wanted them now.

Sheridan moaned in his arms, shifting her squinted blue eyes around in the bright outdoor light. “Where am I?” she mumbled, wiping the sleep from her eyes. “Where’s Luis?”

“Right here, mi amor. We’re at Sam’s house for cookies and milk,” he waved up to Sheridan, trying to keep her calm. “Mrs. Bennett makes the best cookies!”

“I’m not allowed to have cookies before dinner,” Sheridan yawned, hugging Sam tightly. “It’s against the rules.”

“I think we’ll make an exception just this once,” he told her, pushing open the door. He was surprised when the sound of his mother’s sobbing filled the air around him. He almost dropped Sheridan but she clutched him tighter and he was reminded of her presence and held her closer.

“I don’t understand, Ben,” Margaret cried, her hands fluttering in the air around her. “How could this be possible? What the will says must be a lie! She has to be mistaken! It must be some kind of cruel joke!”

“Maggie please,” Ben sighed, holding his head in the palms of his hands. When the phone had rung minutes ago, he hadn’t expected the world as he knew it to collapse around him. Katherine Crane had died; he had read as much in the morning paper. The woman had been weak after Sheridan and grew weaker every day that she spent in the horrible Crane mansion. It was obvious that Alistair had sucked the life right out of her body, his evil and cruelty zapping her spirit. He, Ben, had loved her once, many years ago when he first met her at a Policeman’s ball. It was around the same time that he met his own wife, Maggie, but he knew the moment he saw the newest Mrs. Crane that his heart would never fully belong to his bride. Katherine had won him over with her laughter and years later, after his second son had been born, Ben had met the beautiful Mrs. Crane again. The had comforted each other in the direst of times and became the closest of companions until she suddenly stopped meeting him at their secret place.

“Please? Please?” she repeated unbelievingly. “Ben, are you saying that this is true? Are you going to sit there and just tell me our marriage has been a lie for the last four years?”

“Maggie,” he looked up sorrowfully, his eyes were rimmed with red from the tears he had shed. She had a right to know the truth, but it should have come at another time, under other circumstances. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. She and I…”

“Oh my God,” she gasped, stepping back appalled. She never should have believed it had he not told her himself. For the rest of her life she would have denied that her husband had been wicked enough to break his wedding vows to her. Dizzy with the revelation, Maggie grabbed hold of the Victorian style chair and brushed her tears away.

“Mom? Dad? What’s going on?” Sam inquired, stepping inside. He felt the cold hand of Terror, a fallen angel, grip his shoulder as the blood drained from the face at the sight of his mother’s tears. It took a lot make his parents argue and even more to make his father cry. The chance that something was destroying the love he had hoped to model his own after shook him to the core.

Hope stepped up beside Ivy and the children, watching as Wrath’s grip tightened on Margaret. The other angels waited around the room, the tension so thick they couldn’t breathe. Fate clutched her orb, watching her evil sister glow from the news of what was to come. Everyone waited on baited breath for the scene to play out, the angels fighting for control of the humans within. Fate knew that the fallen angels had a strong footing and that Maggie was almost completely controlled by Wrath.

“What’s going on?” Maggie scoffed. “What’s going on is your father’s dirty secrets have finally come out! Oh yes, the perfect Chief of Police Benjamin Bennett has made a fatal flaw, one that has Alistair Crane seeing red!”

“Mommy?” Hank looked afraid, clinging to Sam’s leg. He had never seen his mother looking so angry before, not even the time he set the kitchen on fire because he was playing with the stove. His terror filled eyes beseeched his mother to calm down, but she could not look into his innocent, young face.

“Hank, take Luis to your room to play, please,” Ben told his son without looking at him. When Sam went to put Sheridan on her feet, he stopped him. “She’s to stay here,” he walked closer, gently lifting the tiny girl from Sam’s arms.

“Daddy?” Hank stepped closer, trying to bring the attention off the tiny blond.

“Go, Hank,” Sam shot him a look that left no room for argument.

The boy didn’t hesitate in dragging his best friend up the stairs to the second floor. They practically ran up the staircase and into his room, trying not to anger anyone one bit more. Once his door was shut, Sam moved closer to his mother. “Mom, you all right?”

“No, Samuel! I’m not all right!” she growled, crossing her arms and watching her husband carefully. “Nothing will ever be all right again!”

“Would someone tell me what’s going on?” Sam screamed. Sheridan clutched Ben tightly, tears filling her eyes as she hid her face in his neck.

“Sam,” Ivy touched his arm. “You’re scaring Sheridan.”

“Oh, yes, let’s worry about the bastard child,” Maggie grumbled angrily.

“Mom!” Sam gasped.

“Tell them, Ben!” she insisted. “Tell your son what kind of father he has!”

Ben sighed looked down. “Katherine Crane is dead, Sam. She passed away last night and left explicit instructions that her will was to be read immediately for the sake of her daughter, Sheridan.”

“Her precious child,” Maggie quoted the lawyer that phoned them earlier. “The only child worth dying for.”

“Maggie,” he ceased her ranting with a heated stare. “Sheridan is only a child, don’t take this out on her,” he demanded.

“Whatever,” the woman replied, sinking onto the couch.

“Why would the Crane lawyer bother calling you, Mr. Bennett? How could her death affect this family anyway? You didn’t know Mrs. Crane, did you?” Ivy questioned cautiously, afraid that they would grow annoyed with her questions. She couldn’t figure out how anything in the Crane family could possibly destroy a marriage she had seen so strong just hours before.

“Oh he did!” Maggie responded. “He knew her quite intimately!”

“Hush Maggie!” he insisted. “The reason the Crane lawyer called was because the will had been opened and read. Alistair had been adamant he be the only one present when it was done and as soon as he read it, he left the room. The will left detailed orders as to the care of Sheridan, the only person that Katherine had to worry about after her death. In her will was a full confession of all her past transgressions.”

“What kind of transgressions, Dad?” Sam queried, wondering if he really wanted to know what was coming. He could almost see the will in his mind, the black inked words reading that Sheridan belonged to someone else, that the Cranes were losing their heiress. He could almost hear Katherine begging the lawyer not to betray her until she was buried beneath the cold hard ground where Sheridan could no longer be hurt.

“Our brief romance,” Ben closed his eyes sadly. “Katherine and I met four years ago when your mother and I were going through a bit of a rough spot. After Hank we tried for another baby, hoping we’d have a daughter, Sam. Things went wrong and I needed someone to confide in. Katherine and I, we had met many times before because of the Crane involvement with the police force and Katherine was often sent in Alistair’s place. She and I were in love, Sam, just like you and Ivy.”

“No,” Sam shook his head. “No, you can’t be saying what I think you are.”

“Sam, Katherine and I had an affair. It didn’t last long. Alistair found out and insisted she stop being seen with the locals, but it was long enough to produce the one thing both she and I longed for: a child. A daughter…Sheridan. She is my daughter, Sam; your sister.”

“NO!” he shouted, knocking the pictures from the top of the mantle, the glass shattering as it hit the floor. “NO! How could you?” he growled, storming over to his father and getting in his face. “You bastard!” his fingers itched to grab him and slam him into the plaster behind him. How could his father hurt his mother this way? How could he ruin their lives?

Sheridan shivered, cowering in Ben’s arms. “No! No please don’t hurt me! Please Mr. Sam!” she shrieked in fear, her hands covering her tiny head.

Ivy grabbed Sam’s arm, pulling him away from his father. “Stop it, Sam! You’re frightening her!”

Sam took a deep breath, looking into the fear-filled blue eyes of his half-sister. He wanted to be angry, wanted to punch his father and curse this little girl, but he couldn’t. Sheridan didn’t ask to be born out of an affair. She didn’t ask for her other father to be an abusive money-hungry fiend that didn’t care for anyone but himself. She was only three and all she wanted was to be loved. “I’d never hurt you, Sheridan,” he whispered, caressing her cheek. Ivy’s love had removed him from the control of the fallen ones.

“What else did the will say, Mr. Bennett? What kind of care did it seek for Sheridan?” Ivy went over to her mother-in-law and sat beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. The woman was broken and shook her head, silently whimpering into her handkerchief.

“Katherine requested that custody of Sheridan be given to her real father, myself, and my wife. She wanted Sheridan raised as part of a real family where she could be safe and behave like a real child. She wanted her to have siblings that would love her and friends that would watch after her. Katherine knew that we were friends with the Lopez-Fitzgeralds and knew that Pilar was going to be a wonderful maid to you one day, should you have been married to Julian. She trusted her and Martin and knew that as their friends Sheridan would have plenty of people to care for her.”

“I want no part of that child!” Margaret looked at Ivy, begging her to understand. “I cannot have that reminder of my husband infidelity with me always!”

“She’s my half-sister,” Sam turned to his mother. “Under any other circumstances I would agree with you, but I cannot have her going back to that damn mansion where they’ll ruin her. Ivy told me about Sheridan’s life there, how cold and lonely it is. I won’t let them kill her spirit.”

Maggie began to speak but Sheridan’s sniffle interrupted her. “Daddy killed Mommy,” she cried into Ben’s neck. “He kicked her in the belly. I saw it. He hates me. Please don’t send me back to him, please,” she pleaded.

Maggie could take it no longer and left the room, shutting the swinging door to the kitchen behind her. Ben held his daughter close, reveling in the feel of her tiny body in his arms. He had always wanted a daughter and to know he had one made him feel complete. “No one is going to take you away from me, Sheridan dear.” He carried her over to a chair and sat her in it, kneeling at her feet. “I have something to tell you, little one.”

“What?” she pouted.

“Did you know that you are my daughter? That I’m your real daddy?”

“You are?” she asked excitedly. “Not that mean man in the big house?”

“No, not the mean man in the big house,” Ben smiled slightly. “You are going to live here with your brothers, Sam and Hank, and you’ll go to school with Luis and Hank. How does that sound?”

“Wonderful,” Sheridan sighed happily, not realizing just what Ben was telling her. “I should tell Luis!” she ran upstairs, disappearing from sight quickly. Ben just watched thinking about how his life would never be the same again.

“What are we going to do, Dad?” Sam asked. “Mom isn’t real happy about this and I refuse to see Sheridan turned into the calculating, conniving Crane that the others are.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Ben promised. “All I know for sure is that little girl is not going back to that mansion. Alistair will kill her if she does, just like he killed Katherine.” He stood up and walked into the kitchen, ready to face off against his wife.

Ivy touched her husband’s shoulder and he turned to face her. Putting his arms around her, Sam sighed and looked into her eyes. “Well it looks as if Julian and I share more than our love for you now, Ivy. We share a sister,” he shook his head. “I want to hate her, Ivy, really I do, but I can’t blame that kid for their mistake. She deserves to be with people that can really love her, people like my parents.”

“Don’t Sam. Sheridan is just a baby. She needs you now more than ever. She lost her mother and is being tossed into a family that has just had their world torn to shreds. She needs support, not hate. Besides, with Hank around she’ll need a hero.”

Sam smiled, thinking about Luis. “Babe, I think Luis has that job,” he rested his forehead against Ivy. “I love you.”

“And I you. Now you go on and help your parents. I’ll go check on the brats.”

“Thanks,” he kissed her gently and left her alone in the living room to join his parents.

Ivy closed her eyes. “Dear Lord, send us your help. You’ve changed my life and protected me, now help to keep this family from total destruction.” With her prayer complete, she went upstairs to find the children.

Fate watched the room clear, most of the angels going into the kitchen for the battle brewing inside. She closed her eyes, pained by what was happening to this poor unsuspecting family. Changing history had its price, she had been warned of that, but even she made mistakes. By helping Ivy win the love of Sam, she sent Katherine to an early grave, which meant she was never able to change the will so it wouldn’t contain Sheridan’s paternity. Everything from Sam and Ivy’s wedding on would be completely different from the life Ivy seemed to be remembering somewhere in the depths of her soul and no one could stop it. The Bennetts might never overcome this obstacle and Fate had no one but herself to blame.

“Not playing the game, are you Fate? If you think staying in here will protect the Bennetts from their destruction, then you’re wrong. The Bennetts will suffer immensely.”

“Shut up, Hate,” Fate’s eyes filled with tears. “This is all my fault.”

“I know and it adds that much more joy to my life to know that you were the reason this pain filled the household. Sheridan and Ivy were better off before you interfered. At least then Sheridan had the man she loved and Ivy stood a chance of winning Sam over. Now Sam’s whole life is changed and Ivy knows nothing about raising a family. How will she ever deal with the children they are to have?”

“I said shut up, Hate.”

Hate shook her head, walking towards the stairs. “Time for me to play around with the little ones. Just wait until Hank finds out about his new little sister,” her eyes glowed red. “He’s going to love being a big brother if he thought that torching those stupid dolls was fun. Wait until he learns just how great cutting her hair when she’s asleep can be!”

Fate grabbed her sister and shoved her into the wall. “Listen to me, Hate. If you lay one finger on any of those children I will kick your sorry, fallen angel ass from here to eternity, understood? I’ve let you get away with lots of damage in the past, but I refuse to let you hurt Sheridan or Ivy!”

Hate quivered in her sister’s arms, actually afraid of her venom. Never before had her by the book sister taken such a tone with her or seemed so menacing before. “A job is a job, sister dear. You of all people should know that.”

“And I won’t have any trouble making sure you’re in locked away from ever working again. I have friends, Hate, you don’t want to toy with me. Those children are the only thing worth saving in this situation and I won’t let you do damage to that little girl.”

“Me neithers,” WT appeared behind her friend, a bright gold rubber band aimed at the center of Hate’s forehead. “Don’t mess with the best, witch!”

Fate closed her eyes. She was in so much trouble if Hope ever heard those words from WT’s mouth again. Releasing her sister, she lifted WT. “I thought you were napping, kiddo.”

“Yea well, my friend was in trouble and I don’t ‘preciate people messing with my friends,” WT held the band taught. “Now what was she saying about Sheridan and Hank? Cause I could have sworn it was worth a rubber band in the forehead.”

“Nothing,” Hate remembered the rubber bands from the other day and shoved her sister away. There was no way she was letting that little brat hit her with another of those blasted things. “This isn’t over,” she vaporized, leaving the pair alone.

“Sometimes,” Fate patted WT’s head, “I am really thankful that you are around. Why don’t you go check on Sheridan? She’s upstairs and she’s going to need your help.”

“Otay,” she ran upstairs.

Fate sighed. “Give me strength. I’ll need it to see them through.”