Two small candles twinkled in the darkened room as Sheridan and Luis neared their children while Ben started filming the first birthday of his granddaughters, leaving the rolling camera resting on a tripod. Pilar and Katherine had insisted that the twins had a massive first birthday with streamers, decorations and games including every member of their family that lived in Harmony. Sheridan had reluctantly agreed and the two very eager grandmothers (Abuela and Nana respectively) started to plan the party at Pilar’s restaurant. So on May 25th, the first birthday of Sheridan and Luis’ daughters, the Lopez-Fitzgeralds, Bennetts and Cranes all gathered together to celebrate. It looked as if the entire town had crammed into the restaurant with various gifts for the two girls.

“Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you,” the family sang loudly, the twins clapping as their parents came towards them with two mini chocolate cakes, one for each child to dig into. Julian seemed to sing the loudest as he pulled his beloved wife Ivy to his side. Everyone watched intently as the twins, blue eyes sparkling in the candlelight, eyed the delicious cakes made with special care by their Abuela. Both cakes had giant Ks on them: Katelyn’s was pink and Kathryn’s purple. Little rosebuds circled the letters and the candle was at the very center point inside a rose that was placed where the points of the letter met.

Sheridan’s eyes connected with Luis’ as they placed the trays on the highchair in front of the girls on the last line of the song. Both girls, with the help of their big brother, blew out the two candles and little puffs of white smoke filled the air. The family applauded as the lights were turned back up. Katelyn and Katherine didn’t need to be told what to do as they dug their chubby little hands into the cake and then mashed it into each other’s faces and hair. Colin reached a hand up and took a handful of his own, shoving it into his mouth before his siblings could notice. He wasn’t foolish; chocolate cake was his favorite sweet especially if it was made by Pilar. Everyone laughed as pictures were snapped of the girls enjoying their very first birthday cakes.

Martin wrapped his arms gently around his wife, pulling her against him. In the ten months since Martin and Katherine had returned to Harmony, both had managed to settle in beautifully. For friends and family alike, it was as if Martin had never really left Harmony. They met for pizza or coffee, conversed as if he had been in town the entire time and celebrated the joys and triumphs in their lives. Over Christmas, Katherine, Ben, Martin and Pilar were married (or remarried as the case may be) in a double ceremony at St. Margaret Mary’s. Father Lonigan was pleased to be part of their unions and the brides looked beautiful in their cream colored gowns. Finally, everything was the way it should have been years before and the families were complete. Paloma had even transferred into Harmony High and lived with her parents and older brother once again. The only family member noticeably missing was Antonio, though no one spoke his name. Luis still harbored resentment, especially after learning about Antonio’s true paternity. Sheridan feared the moment Antonio decided to return to Harmony.

Katherine smiled at her husband as their hands linked; they laughed when little Katie offered a chocolate covered hand to her Nana and Poppy. Both pretending to munch on the chocolate confectionary that covered their grandchild’s hand, though neither was going to actually eat it. The gooey, slobbered mush didn’t promise to be very appetizing, which was why Pilar had prepared a cake for the adults as well. Katie giggled and then started to lick her right hand clean. One thing could definitely be said for her: she was a choc-aholic.

Sheridan’s eyes shifted from her mother and father to Hank and Misty, her half-brother and sister-in-law. Hank and Misty had decided not to do the large church wedding and had eloped in Vegas one weekend in February, which Sheridan envied. The stress of the wedding was one of the hardest parts of the big church wedding. They decided to tell everyone by taking the Bennetts, including Sheridan, out to dinner and just casually dropping it into the conversation. Casually being “Hey everyone, while you are enjoying your wine and food, Misty and I have something to announce. We got married by Elvis this weekend and have decided to have another baby in about nine months.” Misty and Ashley both looked very happy to be part of a real family and Ashley, which was now Sheridan’s half-sister and her niece, enjoyed living with so much family around. Misty was now three months pregnant and praying that this one was a boy, though she was afraid it would be a lot like Hank.

Slowly, Sheridan’s eyes came back around the room to her daughters, who were wearing their cake quite well. She smirked as Luis’ arms encircled her waist from behind and she rested back against his chest. Kathryn and Katelyn were her little blessings, her tiny angels, and she wouldn’t have traded a single moment with them for anything. As she looked at them, she realized just how big they had gotten in the last year and how amazing they were doing. Even the doctors couldn’t believe the fact that Katie and Kathy were developmentally on target for premature babies. In fact, they weren’t just developing at their “adjusted age” of ten months; they were actually at the normal development rate of their “actual age” which was one year. Both had gotten their first teeth just days apart at six months (which had been hell for everyone), began crawling at seven months (which really annoyed Colin since they enjoyed his toys), walking at eleven months (breaking two vases and a picture frame at the mansion) and said their first words just two days before their birthday. Of course, Katelyn’s first word was “Dada,” which wasn’t a huge surprise considering she was a Daddy’s girl. But Kathryn’s had actually been two words: “Love Mama.” Sheridan had never been more proud in her entire life except now neither twin ever stopped babbling. Both were well ahead of what the doctors expected which proved they had a lot of their parents inside of those tiny bodies.

Of course, over the months the twins had had their share of colds, crying and gone through about a million diapers. They had also spit up on Luis’ good suit before he and Sheridan left for the policeman’s ball, which was only fair after the many baths Sheridan had gotten. There were a few health scares after immunizing the twins and Colin had managed to come down with the chicken pox, which had immediately spread to the babies. It had been a year of pleasures and trials, but well worth every minute. Closing her eyes, Sheridan couldn’t help but remember her little bundles of joy so many months before…

Sheridan finished dressing the twins on what would be their very first Halloween. Against the advice of both sets of grandparents, Sheridan had decided to make a theme out of the family Halloween costumes. Colin and the twins would have costumes that fit together in some way and if should could convince her husband to dress up, so would they. Of course, the supply of costumes for the average five-month-old was slim. Most parents went with the peas in a pod or the little pumpkin costumes. She had even considered doing a flower and a bumblebee, but she had even seen that costume before. Stubborn as she was, Sheridan wanted her three children to be different from all the others and had spent months finding the perfect costumes.

“Don’t you look adorable?” Sheridan asked her daughter, not really expecting an answer. Lifting her up slightly, the little red wig slid to the side and Sheridan used one hand to prop up her daughter and one to fix the wig. She placed Katherine into the side-by-side stroller and looked at bother girls. “Picture perfect.”

Had the twins been able to voice an opinion, it could be said that they would have told their mother they hated this idea. Sheridan had decided to dress the twins as Raggedy Ann and Andy, completing the ensemble with little mop wigs and painted on noses. The blue and white polka dotted costumes were adorable to the adults but even little Colin thought his sisters looked dorky. Neither girl looked too concern with the entire Halloween thing anyway; after all, they were only five-months-old and had never even tasted candy. But Sheridan intended to take the twins and Colin to the Youth Center’s party and definitely wanted to win first prize. That’s why she and Luis had even managed to get corresponding toy costumes.

“I cannot believe you selected this,” Luis complained, walking out of the bathroom in his costume. “I want to know why you made me Mr. Potato Head, complete with removable facial features.”

Sheridan giggled, removing his ear and moving it onto his shoulder. The best part of the entire costume was the fact that the eyes, nose, mouth and ears could be relocated all over the costume; the wonders of Velcro. “Because we are all toys. The twins are rag dolls, I’m a Teddy bear,” she fixed her ears and smiled brightly, “and you, my very handsome husband, are Mr. Potato Head. It was either that or you became the horse for the toy soldier.”

“Wonderful, I was either a giant edible root or a jack a…”

“Mama! When are we leaving?” Colin whined, running into the room in his costume. Colin had decided that he wanted to have a cool toy costume as well and considering his mother’s vetoing of Superman, a fireman and Buzz LightYear, he settled for what he could get: a toy soldier, much like the ones in ‘The Nutcracker.’ Of course, while his friends were being cool superheroes, he was dressed as a dork but it was all in the name of candy.

“Right now,” Sheridan pulled on her bear paws and pushed the carriage out the door.

They had trick-or-treated for nearly four hours before Colin decided that four pillowcases of candy was more than enough. He quit and they then headed to the Youth Center where the entire family was elected most coordinated costumes of the year. The twins also won cutest costume of the year, but most of the outfits had been covered in drool. Colin had taken second prize in boy’s costumes, losing to Buzz LightYear and Superman. He was not too pleased and made Sheridan swear she would never make him wear a costume matching his sisters’ again.

Two months later, Sheridan and Luis celebrated their one year anniversary, the weddings of their mothers and fathers and of course, the twins’ first Christmas. It had been quite entertaining to attempt to get two very cranky toddlers onto Santa’s lap without the tantrums and screaming associated with younger children and visits to dear old Saint Nick. Colin had climbed right onto the man’s lap, pulled a list from his pocket and began to read it from number one right down to numbed one-hundred-eleven (most of the list was in alphabetical order thanks to the help of his dear Uncle Hank and Ashley.) Santa then snapped a quick picture and held the twins, who wanted none of the jolly, fat Christmas icon. Katie even vomited on an elf and Kathy had tugged on Santa’s hat so hard his wig fell off. It had been very difficult for Sheridan and Luis to explain the concept that Santa was actually still at the North Pole while faux department store Santa was visiting with the children and talking to Santa on a daily bases to update lists. Colin asked if Santa had email so he could verify it. That was the moment Sheridan realized her son knew more about technology than she did.

They had done another family portrait to send with the Christmas cards and Sheridan was very excited to not be pregnant that year. Of course, the twins had been teething, which made them even crankier than normal. Colin had made funny faces for the first several poses and only after Sheridan had a crying fit did the rest of the family seem to settle down. This meant that the twins were smiling in the picture and Colin was being as behaved as he could manage, but Sheridan was puffy. It was at that very second she realized there was no such thing as a perfect family or a perfect family portrait. She considered not doing one again the following year.

On Christmas morning, Colin had opened his presents and started in on the twins’, since they were busy with the boxes and paper from the first things they had opened. Sheridan and Luis had to laugh at the bows that Colin had stuck on his sisters’ heads. What surprised both of them the most was the fact that Colin had used his Christmas list as a checklist as well, crossing off whatever he had received from Santa. At the end of the day, he whined because numbers twelve, eighty and one-ten had not been sent by Santa to any of the houses they had visited; it didn’t matter that he had received one hundred and eight presents. He even started writing a letter of complaint until Luis explained that Santa needed to have enough for everyone in the world and Colin could put the rest on his birthday list. Colin insisted he couldn’t wait until July to receive the final three, but added them anyway.

“What are you thinking about?” Luis asked, enjoying the sight of his daughters finally attempting to eat the cake as opposed to throwing it. It had taken them long enough to realize the stuff was edible, considering they loved cake.

“Halloween and Christmas,” Sheridan smiled. “The twins have come a long way over the last year, Luis. I can’t believe that this time twelve months ago Dr. Hamilton was promising that our little girls were going to survive and yet many of the doctors didn’t give them much hope. It seems like a dream in some ways, you know? I barely remember the NICU now.”

“I came very close to losing all three of you,” Luis kissed the top of her head, thinking about how easily his family could have disappeared. Sheridan and the twins had come close to losing their lives that night, especially when Sheridan started hemorrhaging. Then there had been the weeks of seeing the twins in NICU instead of at home. It had been so very trying. “That stupid tape nearly ruined our lives. I honestly don’t know what I would have done if…”

“No ifs,” Sheridan told him. “We promised we’d never wonder what if ever again. A year ago we both thought it was quite possible that I had murdered your father, Luis, but now he’s with us again and everyone is finally a family. Even Julian has become more of a brother than he has been in twenty something years. The ifs are over, we can’t change them.”

“I think what I like best is the fact that you and Sam are siblings,” Luis chuckled. “He’s a wonderful man, Sheridan, and I am honored to be able to call him brother-in-law. Of course, he might be the father-in-law to Miguel soon,” he motioned to his little brother, who was dancing very happily with Kay. The two of them had the support of being best friends behind their relationship.

“So many weddings,” she shook her head. “I’m happy about Theresa and Ethan as well,” she looked over at her nephew and sister-in-law. “Finally expecting their first child. Mama seems very proud. She’s been begging your sister to have a child.”

“She is, though I think Colin and the twins will always be her favorites. She’s a little afraid that Theresa will have a bunch of daydreaming fairytale believing children that stalk their future husbands and wives.” Silently, Luis added, “And that might not be so far fetched.”

Sheridan laughed. “Your mother would never think something so negative about her children and grandchildren. She seems to tolerate your sister’s psychotic tendencies without much complaint. Besides, Theresa did get Ethan.”

“You don’t have to tell me that,” Luis argued, disliking the fact that his mother supported Theresa the way she did. “Who do you think bought her all those stupid magazines with the money we could have used on bills? That was the monthly argument, I swear. My mother hit me with a newspaper the day I made Theresa get a job to keep her Ethan article addiction going.”

This time Sheridan snorted with laughter as she thought of Theresa working to maintain her article collection. She had heard all the stories about Theresa and her part time job fiascoes. “You know, it’s sad but Theresa still clips those articles.”

“I know,” he groaned.

“Oh! Our wedding song!” Katherine cried out as the first few slow strains of the next song came overhead. Ben grumbled something under his breath as his wife dragged him out to the center of the dance floor. Every time she heard the song she insisted that they dance to it, even if there wasn’t a dance floor. Chad cranked up the volume so everyone could enjoy the beautiful song that seemed to stand for so much to everyone in the room.

Pilar gave Martin a very serious pout and he resigned himself to the fact he would have to dance with his wife. He seemed to wish they could have played a tango instead of this, but no such luck. He didn’t consider himself a very good dancer, despite the fact that his wife never complained. Several other couples followed behind and Sheridan turned in her husband’s arms.

“What do you say? Since Julian and Ivy are playing with the twins and Colin seems to be staying out of trouble right now, why don’t we go get some dancing in of our own? You can show me your best moves.”

“I thought I did when I broke open the piñata in one swing,” he wiggled his brows playfully, trying his best to be seductive. He had acquired his father-in-law’s dislike of this song.

Sheridan laughed, remembering Luis from earlier in the party. He had been teased by Hank that he couldn’t break the piñata in one hit like he had back at Pilar’s birthday four years prior. Of course, that was a challenge to Luis and he never passed one up. When he had actually succeeded in breaking the piñata first try, thus making Colin cry because he didn’t get a chance, Sheridan had rewarded him with the same kiss he had received all those years ago: this time without the sexual harassment suit to go with it.

“Come on, tiger, let’s go dance,” she tugged on his sleeve and he followed her out onto the floor. She rested in his arms and they swayed gently to the slower version of a wonderful Celine Dion song. Occasionally their lips would meet in tender kisses.

Pilar looked at her husband and ran her fingers gently through his hair. She had spent nearly seventeen long years without her husband and had prayed every night that he would return. No longer did two candles burn in the kitchen window lighting the way back to the house. Now, only one remained as she prayed that God would grant her one more miracle and return her oldest son: Antonio. With her family complete she could finally enjoy the peaceful existence she had waited so long for.

She remembered how over the years people had told her to be strong for her children and how even she had passed that request onto Luis. For so many years she had struggled through by holding onto her faith in her husband and finally he had returned. She felt guilty that she expected Luis to be so strong for the family and knew that it had made him the man he was today. Looking over at Luis and Sheridan, she smiled. Even though he had been forced to endure so much at such an early age, he was still a wonderful man and loved very much by his wife.

“I love you, my beautiful Spanish rose,” Martin kissed her sweetly, adding a few Eskimo kisses as he caressed her cheek.

“I love you too, Martin,” she rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Life was finally the way she had dreamed and it was as if her husband had never disappeared. Her world was finally complete.

Sheridan looked at her husband and smiled slightly. Everyone in the world had thought Sheridan Crane, the American princess, had everything when in fact she had nothing. Her entire world had been nothing but an illusion. Alistair had never really been a father, not that he was biologically related to her anyway. Until recently, she was sure Julian didn’t even know the definition of brother, forget how to be one. Her money could never give her the happiness she desired and her family was just a façade. Everyone was playing a role in some wonderful theatric event and no one really cared about anyone else. They would good at putting on airs but knew nothing about actually loving someone. She struggled along on her own and the only thing that kept her going was the dream of a man whose face she never saw…

The same man she would later marry…

Luis.

And then she was given the most wonderful gifts of all: her children. Now she really did have it all and no one could take it away from her. The world could finally envy Sheridan and she finally felt that she had something to envy: Luis and her children’s love

“I was waiting for you,” she whispered into his ear, placing a kiss on his neck. She buried her head against his skin and inhaled his cologne. “I had nothing until I found you.”

“Ditto,” Luis tightened his hold around Sheridan and noticed Beth standing alone. Her boyfriend had changed his mind and left Beth, taking a job in Arizona where he would be heading a new branch of a company. Beth had been heartbroken but she had mended things with Sheridan and now they were the best of friends again. Luis still sometimes wondered about what might have been had he married Beth straight from high school, but every time he tried to imagine it, he saw Sheridan. It was Sheridan he was destined to be with and only Sheridan.

Katherine looked into Ben’s eyes as they danced to their wedding song, arms wrapped around each other. For them it had been the start of a whole new life, one they should have had many years before but had lost because of Alistair. They had been denied the right to be together, to raise the daughter they had created out of a love that had been so wonderful and true. A love that had happened so many years ago because they were both in need…

She ran through the streets of Harmony, heading for Lighthouse Park and away from the cruel beast that she was married to. Her eye was black and blue from the beating she had taken and her dress was torn from his viciousness. He had blamed her of flirting with his business partner, though she had done no such thing. Julian had watched from the hallway as blow after blow struck her face and stomach.

Falling into the bench at the park, she collapsed in a fit of sobs. Vaguely through her pain she was able to hear the sound of someone else crying: a man. Looking around for a place to hide, she ended up looking right into his face. The soft blue eyes and the gentle half-smile had made her feel safe and warm. She recognized him from the policeman’s balls and from all the Crane dealings with the station. He was Ben Bennett, police chief.

“Katherine?” he whispered, nearing her. Ben had been infatuated with Katherine since the moment her first met her, but his love of Maggie, his wife, had kept him from ever crossing that line. But Maggie was gone now after giving birth to his second son: Hank.

“Hello Ben,” she tried to hide her face.

“What happened?” he settled beside her, turning her face towards his.

“It was nothing,” she tried to look away, but his hand held firm. She shivered. “Alistair thought I was trying to have an affair with his partner and decided to punish me.”

“That bastard,” he growled angrily. “He has no right…”

“Please, don’t.” She shook her head. “Why were you crying, Ben?” she was truly concerned for him. Ever since she first saw him at the mansion one evening, she felt herself attracted to his good looks. His beautiful blue eyes, his chiseled features and the thick brown hair combined with his strength made him handsome inside and out.

“Maggie passed away tonight,” he looked out towards the ocean. “Our little Hank was born and she was bleeding so heavy. The doctors couldn’t save her.”

“I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I know you loved her.”

“I did…I do,” he looked at her. The pain inside him didn’t make him blind to his feelings and when Katherine slowly leaned in to kiss him, he didn’t pull away. There in the park they loved each other for the very first time and every night they would meet unless Katherine couldn’t get away. To them, it was magical.

Tonight as they danced, he felt that same love and magic flood him again and knew that an angel was touching him and that this woman loved him more than life itself. Nothing would ever come between them again and they would finally be a part of their daughter’s life. They had grandchildren to enjoy and spoil and friends that cared about them. Best of all, Alistair Crane and his tainted empire was gone and no one would ever rebuild it to be the crime driven enterprise it had once been. Ethan was in control and he was an honorable man.

Ivy watched as Julian made silly faces, causing his two messy nieces to grab what was left of the cake and fling it at his head. For one-year-olds those kids had magnificent aims and landed globs of chocolate cake on the top of his head, both of his cheeks and right in the nose. Julian didn’t even seem fazed as he continued to make faces at the now laughing twins and even little Colin seemed interested in the tomfoolery. She took a glance at Sam, who was looking very disinterested in something Grace was telling him. Never would she have believed that the same man she had been forced to marry over twenty-five years before would take her pain away. Julian had managed to become her whole world and was very deserving of being called her husband. It was almost as if the rain really had washed away all her tears and that the sun had broken through into her darkened world. Sam was her past and she knew that Julian was her forever. Besides, she really couldn’t remember what she saw in Sam besides his looks.

Looking around the room, Ivy realized that the dawn of a new age was upon them. No longer would the world and Harmony fear the mighty Cranes because the Cranes as they were known were demolished. Now, they would find themselves to be looking up to a family that was no different than their own. Ivy would have to say they were even…normal, for lack of a better word. They were hardly traditional and very unique in ways, but they fused together to make one unit that was filled with love. Finally, the Cranes could be proud. She only felt guilty that her son would never know the truth about his paternity and it would be kept a secret, much like Sheridan’s once was.

“Aunt Ivy?” Colin climbed into his aunt’s lap and looked into her blue eyes. He could tell that she was finally looking away from his Uncle Sam, who had once just been Mr. Sam. That was very confusing to him, but he didn’t say so. He’d call them mud if it would make them happy and they’d still give him presents.

“Yes, sweetheart?” Ivy focused her attention on the mini-Luis in her lap.

Colin made a face. He was really getting tired of those names. What part of baby-ish didn’t the adults understand? “Is Uncle Julian drunk again?” he asked quite seriously.

Ivy smirked, trying her hardest not to laugh. At one time she would have thought the same thing about her husband, because he was never much for family and children. Now, it was like life was one big party and he was the clown. “What makes you ask that, Colin?”

“Because he’s acting like a dork,” the child rolled his big brown eyes. “Look at the faces his making, Aunt Ivy. It’s ‘barrassing!”

“Oh I know. He’s a big dork,” she smirked.

Julian scowled at his beloved wife and shot her a look that clearly said she was going to pay for her little comment. He turned back to the twins and said “Women,” earning an extra handful of cake in the eye. He had to wonder if the twins could understand what he was saying. “Can’t live with them, can’t live without their bodies,” he huffed, wiping the food off his face.

Colin hopped off of his Aunt’s lap after successfully causing mischief. He had become Denis the Menace over the last several months and Sheridan was finding it more and more challenging to deal with his latest ways to cause trouble. So far the dead goldfish in the bubble bath was nothing compared to dying a Ashley’s hair with hair color he had found at Theresa’s (of course, the color was purple), giving a girl in his class ink filled candy that stained her teeth blue and, of course, shaving snowball in the middle of the living room because the dog was feeling ‘too warm’. Though, Luis’ favorite complaint to date was from Colin’s kindergarten teacher at the school where Sheridan worked. She had very politely called Luis at the station, though she ended up crying, only to tell him that Colin was shooting rubber bands at her behind every time she turned to write or erase the board. Luis had tried to punish his son, but he had seen the teacher’s backside and even he had to admit with a target as large as hers it was far too tempting not to do it. Then again, the red and white print dress looked like a bull’s-eye.

“Mama! I want to dance with you!” Colin insisted, squeezing himself between his parents and successfully separating them. “Please,” he gave her puppy dog eyes.

Sheridan swept her son into her arms and held him close, loving the feel of him in her arms. “You do, do you?” she ruffled his hair slightly. “Colin, do you know something?”

“I know lots, Mama,” he paused for a moment. “Which something do I know?”

Sheridan laughed. “You, my darling, are my strength. I love you because you have helped me and Papa in ways you will never know.”

Colin, who was not very good at sappy compliments, rolled his eyes again and groaned. His mom was such a…well, Mom! “Mama, I thought we talked about this stuff. You promised.”

Sheridan laughed again at her son. “I know,” she looked at her husband and he winked at her. Luis was her heart, her soul and the reason she woke up every morning. He had made the darkness bright and filled her painful memories with ones of joy. It was because of him she survived every day.

“Do you think we’ll be as happy as Sheridan and Luis one day?” Kay asked Miguel as they gave up dancing and went to get a drink. They both looked over at where Sheridan danced, if that is what it could be called, with Colin and Luis attempted to clean up his daughters so he could get a chance to dance with them.

Miguel nodded, smiling at his beloved Kay. “It may have taken me a very long time to realize it, Kay, but I’ve loved you for the better part of my life. One day we’re going to be just as happy as my brother and his wife and I think that day has already started.”

Kay smiled. “I’m not Charity.”

“And I love you more for it,” Miguel teased, handing her a glass of iced tea. “You are my angel, Kay Bennett, and I can’t wait until one day we have a family like Luis and Sheridan.”

Kay looked down at her sparkling engagement ring and thought that the chances of their having a happy little family grew closer and closer all the time. Finally, she and Miguel were going to have a real relationship and it was going to start with the new day that everyone was here to celebrate. His proposal hadn’t been much, a few fumbled words on her birthday when he had taken her out to dinner, but it was everything to her. He was everything to her.

Sheridan and Colin joined Luis and the girls as the rest of the family began to enjoy the third cake Pilar had prepared for the guests. She kissed her husband deeply and then pulled away to look into his eyes. All she could see there was the love he had for her and the promise that tomorrow would always be a better day as long as they had each other.

Lifting Kathy into her arms, Sheridan felt as if all the pieces of the puzzle had finally been put together. Everything was finally picture perfect and she had finally found the life she had dreamed about for so many years. “I love you, Luis.”

“I love you too, Sherry angel, always and forever,” he kissed. “Our day has come,” he lifted Katie and they carried the twins over to another table where they attempt to complete the cleaning process, which involved removing fudge from dresses, faces and hands. Then they would open the girls’ presents and finish the party before they went home and tucked the tired toddlers into bed.

From a distant corner of the restaurant, he stood in shadows watching as the couples danced while Sheridan and Luis attempted to clean up the now sticky twins. His eyes danced with mischief and excitement over the prospect of finally introducing himself back into their world. He had been gone for so long, away from this town and the people. No one would have thought he would ever return but he had and now he was going to bide his time before making his presence known in the lives of those around him. He knew their secrets and one day the entire town would learn of the betrayals that each person had kept hidden.

With a wicked laugh, the man stepped back into the shadow. “A new day might have dawned,” he told them, feeling only the slightest twinge of guilt and sadness for not being part of the celebration. “But from the ashes of the old day rise the phoenix and like that bird I too shall rise again.”

He disappeared into the night, keeping hidden from them until the time was right for him to step out of the ashes and into the world where he would be king.

THE END

Disclaimer: This story in is in no way meant to infringe upon the rights belonging to , NBC, or any entity thereof. All rights to Passions and any related content, including characters used, belong to "Outpost Farms Production Inc", James E. Reilly, and NBC.
All songs are copyrighted to their particular singers who are mentioned at the end of the song. The author in no way intends to infringe upon the rights of the artists.
This story is the property of the author. Copyright 2002. Nothing may be reprinted in whole or in part without the written permission of the author.
If I Know Me- Copyright © 2002 - All Rights Reserved