Sheridan woke to something climbing into their bed and settling between herself and Luis. She groaned, knowing that Luis had forgotten to lock the door before they fell asleep. Would they never get to make love in the morning again? "Colin, what are you doing up, kiddo?"

"Nofin," he snuggled up to Sheridan. "I miss you ‘gain." He didn’t want to tell her about the dreams he was having of an older man coming to his house and yelling at him. Telling him he was a no good troublemaker like his parents.

Sheridan took him into her arms and rubbed his back. "Okay," she sighed and glanced at the clock: three AM. Her son had some lousy timing sometimes, but she was powerless to deny him anything. She looked at him, his big brown eyes staring at her filled with love and wonder. "What’s wrong, darling?" she caressed his cheek.

"Mommy, why you nice to me?" he asked, looking into her eyes. "Why Daddy nice to me?" He was confused. When Misty wasn’t abusing him, she was allowing her boyfriends to do so. He had never known love from either parent, but somehow, he was clinging to Sheridan. Maybe it had been the fact that all he had hope for was maternal love or maybe it was that Sheridan just seemed to be connected to him just like she was his father, but Colin found himself needing her more than anyone in his life.

Sheridan pulled the boy slightly closer and kissed his forehead, earning a "Yuck" from her son. She smiled slightly, her eyes drooping from the need of sleep and replied, "Because we love you, Colin. We’re your Mom and Dad and we will always love and take care of you no matter what."

"Weally?" he whispered, getting tired again himself.

"Really," Sheridan tapped his nose. "Now, go back to sleep, baby."

"Not a baby…" he complained, his protest weak.

"Ok, Kiddo," she sighed. She felt Luis’ hand slip on top of hers, which rested on Colin’s belly. She glanced up at him and he smiled. He had been awake and witnessed how she was with Colin. She never ceased to amaze him, always surprising him when he thought he had her pegged.

"Love you," he mouthed, caressing her hand.

"Love you too," she mouthed back. Glancing at her son, she noticed he was again asleep. Linking her fingers with Luis’, she closed her eyes to let sleep claim her as well.

"Daddy?" his voice was whispered next to Luis’ ear so he wouldn’t wake his mother. "Daddy, I hungwy."

Luis groaned and rolled away from the little voice in his ear. He was dreaming about Sheridan and wasn’t ready to leave the land of dreams just yet. They were on their honeymoon, enjoying their time alone. Waking meant work, meeting with Misty and coming home to Sheridan who was going nuts starting to plan the wedding again. In his dreams, everything was calm and he could do whatever he wanted with Sheridan.

"Daddy…pwease," Colin sniffled. He had been awake for nearly a half an hour and was getting very hungry. His tiny stomach rumbled and he was close to tears.

"Colin?" Sheridan groggily whispered from his other side. "What’s wrong, honey?"

"Mommy, I hungwy," a tear rolled down his cheek. "Daddy no wake up."

Sheridan wiped her eyes and looked over at the clock. It was almost eight; they must have forgotten to set the alarm. Shaking her fiance gently, Sheridan tried to wake him. "Luis, come on, we’ll be late for Church."

"Sleeping," Luis grumbled, pulling a pillow over his head.

"Luis!" Sheridan sat up and shook him. "Come on, we have to get to Mass. We promised Mama."

Luis groaned and pulled the pillow away from his face. "Why?" he whined.

Colin giggled. His father was acting like a child. "Daddy, cause Nana said so," he reminded his father.

Luis rubbed his eyes and smiled. In the middle of his bed, between himself and his fiancee, Colin stood. His hands were on his hips and he was giving Luis a typical Sheridan look. Luis laughed. His son was amazing. Pulling Colin down, he started tickling him.

"DADDY!" Colin cried, laughing and kicking.

Sheridan laughed. She loved this side of Luis (was there a *bad* side of Luis?). He was as in love with Colin as she was. Sheridan watched for a moment or two and then pulled on her bathrobe. "All right, Luis. He’s hungry and you forgot to set the alarm. So get moving or we’ll be late today and Mama won’t let us live it down," Sheridan saved Colin from the assault of tickles and carried him into the kitchen.

Luis waited for a few minutes before he got out of bed. Looking in the mirror, he wondered what Misty was going to say. For Sheridan’s sake, he had been hiding his feelings about their current situation. He had planned on becoming a father after the wedding; after witnessing Sheridan carry their child for nine months. Now he had a four-year-old with the woman and it changed everything. It wasn’t that Luis didn’t love Colin, but his landing into their laps definitely changed everything. Frankly, he wasn’t sure what his feelings to the boy were and he knew that Colin was sensing that. He couldn’t help it, the mother of the child couldn’t remember even carrying him!

Going into the bathroom, he decided to shower before he joined Sheridan and Colin in the kitchen. He needed some time to himself to think.

In the kitchen, Sheridan was making breakfast: scrambled eggs, bacon and toast. Colin sat on the counter watching her. She quickly moved back and forth, checking the toast and cooking the bacon. He grinned. His mother was really good to him.

"Mommy?"

"Yea, kiddo," Sheridan removed a piece of cooked bacon from the pan.

"I wuv you," he smiled his father’s smile causing Sheridan to halt in her steps.

"I love you too," she smiled at him and offered him a piece of bacon. He quickly stuffed it in his mouth.

"Mmm," he chomped loudly.

Sheridan laughed and returned to cooking, her back to the door. "You are just like your Daddy."

"Weally?" Colin asked. "How?"

"Well, you look just like him and you act just like him…"

"Nana say I act wike you too," Colin replied. From time to time he spent the day with Pilar when she was away from the restaurant. She would often comment that a certain look or behavior was something one of his parents did at his age. Colin loved hearing stories from Sheridan and Luis’ childhood. His Nana had told him that Sheridan was a very sad little girl sometimes and Colin knew how she felt.

"You act like me too," Sheridan agreed and ruffled his hair. "Remember how to turn on the radio?" she motioned to it behind him.

Colin nodded. "Yup."

"Why don’t you switch it on so we can listen to it?" Sheridan finished removing the bacon from the pan.

Colin hit the switch and groaned when a commercial came on. Like his mother and father, he enjoyed music but hated the commercials. Sighing, he hoped that something would start soon. Looking over at the kitchen door, he noticed his dad. He was going to call out to him, but Luis placed a finger over his lips for Colin to stay quiet.

Slowly moving towards the stove, Luis was prepared to surprise his fiancee. He neared her and noticed she chuckled.

"I know you’re there, Luis, so you might as well admit it," she turned and faced him.

"Da…"

She covered his lips with a finger. "Little ears."

"Sorry." He kissed her lips lightly.

"Yuck! Kissy!" Colin rolled his eyes.

Sheridan laughed. Turning back to the stove, she started making the eggs while Luis removed the toast from the toaster and set the table. Sheridan served them as the first chords of her favorite song began. It was a song that was appropriate considering her nickname. She grinned at her fiancee and he pulled her close, kissing her again and spinning her to start a dance to the music.

"You’re my angel," he told her in a whisper.

He remembered telling her that before, months ago when the imposter had shot him. Luis had told her that her love saved him; that he had heard her beg him to come back because she needed and loved him. He called her his angel for the first time that day and it stuck. She would forever be his angel; his saving grace.

"And I ways will be, Luis. I’ll always be your angel…here to support you for life." She leaned into him until he spun her and brought her back into his arms laughing. Their breakfast was cooling on the table, but in his arms, Sheridan forgot about time. She loved him and the answers they found today could be bitter pills to swallow. Sheridan wasn’t afraid of losing him, but afraid of how this could weaken their relationship.

Colin watched his mom and dad dance, but dug into his plate of waiting eggs. He was hungry. They could dance, but he was eating. After all, they did have to see Nana at the brick church today.

"I was lost without you," she whispered, her hands behind his head and his around her waist. "I had the entire world and nothing made me happy until I crashed into your life," she grinned. So they hadn’t had the best meeting a couple could ever have; they were happy together and that’s all that mattered. The things she gave up weren’t worth one day with Luis and Colin. Her world was finally falling into place.

"We’ll weather it all together, won’t we angel?" he asked, not wanting to release her even if it meant eating cold eggs. The feel of his fiancee in his arms was one he would treasure for life. Nothing would ever change his feelings for her. Together they would solve the mystery behind Colin’s birth and then share the rest of their lives watching him become a fine man…together. He didn’t care if it was her family behind the lost years with their son. They had him now and they would never let him go.

"Definitely," she promised, hoping there was truth in the declaration. She still feared finding out about Colin’s birth, wondering how she could have forgotten. Her only hope was their meeting with Misty today.

"I love you too, Luis, more than anything in this world," she kissed him.

"Ewww…that’s gwoss!" Colin made a gagging noise. As much as he loved his mom and dad and loved knowing that they were happy together, he didn’t want to watch them kiss more. It was gross watching them make out. He scrunched up his nose and dug back into his breakfast.

"Sorry," Sheridan laughed. Turning to face her son, she noticed that he was stuffing eggs in his mouth, barely pausing to take a breath. "Good?" she teased.

He nodded, stopping only momentarily from eating his eggs.

"Thirsty?" Luis asked, getting the orange juice out for his son and placing it down in front of Colin.

Colin nodded again, stopping his eating to gulp down some juice. "Fanks."

Sheridan giggled and sat beside her son, digging into her own plate of eggs. It was times like this that she loved best. Times when she could sit with her fiance and son and just enjoy the fact that they were a family. It was also times like this that made her wonder how she could wait until December to marry Luis.

While they ate, Colin watched his parents. He noticed that they just watched each other like they were the only ones in the room. He loved that about them; the way they would enjoy each other’s company even when they were together all the time. They didn’t need to talk to each other and they almost never yelled, making up right away when they did argue. Sighing, Colin was glad to be with Sheridan and Luis and know that they were going to keep him forever.

Parking the car in the lot beside the church, Luis sighed. He hadn’t wanted to leave home, knowing that after mass they were supposed to meet with Misty at the Book Cafe to talk about Colin. It frightened him that she was so willing to come clean so suddenly. In his gut, he knew that she would help him discover the truth behind Sheridan’s pregnancy and lapse of memory. He wanted nothing more than to have this settled, but finding out the truth worried him, especially if it had something to do with the Cranes.

Opening his car door, he went around to Sheridan’s side and helped her out, smiling as she placed her hand in his. "How we made it on time I’ll never know," she giggled.

"Yea," he replied, helping Colin from his booster seat in the back of the SUV. "I can’t believe we’re even a few minutes early," he motioned to the people scattered around the church talking in the summer sun. Placing Colin on his feet, Luis slipped an arm around Sheridan and they started walking for the front door of the church.

"NANA!" Colin screamed, running over to his grandmother and jumping into her open arms.

"Neito," Pilar swept the small boy into her arms. "Good morning to you."

"Ditto," he used his mother’s favorite phrase and laughed, his smile brighter than the sunlight.

"Doesn’t he just look so happy?" Eve Russell commented as she joined the Lopez-Fitzgerald family outside.

"I vewy happy," Colin hugged his grandmother tight. "Nana learning me Spanish…"

"Learning you?" Eve asked, realizing it had been a long time since she had a child in the house.

"Teaching him," Sheridan corrected, tapping her son’s nose. "He hasn’t quite mastered the difference between the two yet. He will someday."

"In the mean time, we’ll be here to translate," Luis laughed.

"So what has your Nana taught you?" Eve asked Colin, watching his eyes become bright.

"Abuela means gwandma," he grinned. "And neito is me," he pointed to himself.

"We’re working on family members right now. He is my neito and Sheirdan’s…"

"Hijo," Colin grinned.

"Very good," Pilar smiled. "In no time he will be speaking Spanish like his Papa."

"Daddy knows Spanish?" Colin asked.

"Hey, you can’t be Nana’s son and not know Spanish," Luis ruffled his son’s hair. The church bell brought their conversation to a close as they headed inside for the start of mass.

After mass, Luis attempted to delay the inevitable by chatting with Sam and Grace after mass. He didn’t want to get to the Book Cafe and see Misty; Luis had been avoiding her at all costs since he had taken Colin in. Now, they were depending on the woman that had ruined their lives to help them piece their past back together. She had too much power for his liking; Luis hated being out of control. The longer Luis attempted to stall, the more insistent Sheridan became that they go meet Misty. Grace had attempted to calm her down, telling her that Misty would still be there in ten minutes. Still, Sheridan insisted and they left Grace and Sam to meet Misty.

Entering the Book Cafe, Sheridan felt Colin grab her leg. Looking down at him, she noticed his eyes fixed on a table in the back. Glancing to the table, she noticed Misty playing with a spoon in her coffee. She was lost in her own little world, not even paying attention to the people around her. Colin’s sad brown eyes looked up at Sheridan and he looked terrified that they would be confronting the woman.

"You’re not going back to her, kiddo," Sheridan patted his head. "Beth is going to let you sit with her at the counter."

"And hewp wif the monies?" Colin asked, loving when Beth let him hand people their change while his mother perused the magazines for wedding ideas.

"Maybe, come on, I’ll take you to Beth while Daddy heads over to see Misty," Sheridan lifted the boy and headed over to the counter.

"Hey, Sheridan," Beth smiled. "Hey, Colin, what’s up, dude?"

"Nofin, Bef," Colin grinned. "Mommy says I stay wif you so she can see Misty."

"Yea, kiddo, you can come sit with me. I think I have a brownie with your name on it," Beth winked.

"Mommy?" Colin wanted to dig into the chocolaty treat.

"Go on, kiddo," she put him down and watched as he ran around the counter to Beth. "Don’t eat the whole thing, you’ll get sick."

"Kay, Mommy," Colin climbed into a chair behind the counter and bit into the giant chocolate square that Beth placed before him. The two women laughed.

"Thanks for doing this, Beth," Sheridan said to her friend, glancing at her fiance who was making his way to Misty’s table.

"No problem, Sheri," Beth patted her friend’s hand. "Anything to help you two get to the bottom of this mess. Besides, Colin and I are buddies, right kid?"

"Mhmm?" he agreed, his mouth full and his face covered in chocolate.

"I better get you some milk to go with that," Beth laughed, digging out a small container of milk for Colin. Sheridan shook her head; they were quite a pair. She never would have thought that she and Beth would be good friends and that her life would be so wonderful. She feared what she would hear when she joined Luis and Misty, but she headed over to the table out of curiosity.

Luis slid into the booth across from Misty and stilled her hand. She sighed and looked up into his eyes, her own filled with tears. He couldn’t understand this woman. Every time he found a reason to hate her, she found something to redeem herself. Not that there would ever be a reconciliation, but he appreciated her help at this dire time.

"What’s wrong?" he asked, deciding she had something to say.

"I was contacted by the Crane lawyers that warned me that I shouldn’t be looking into my daughter’s whereabouts. It seems as if I stand a fair chance of never seeing her again should I press too hard. I want my child back; I miss having her, Luis. She was four when he took her away," Misty sniffled and wiped her cheek as a stray tear began to course down it. "That bastard took my little girl away and now I don’t even have Colin in my life…"

"If you brought me here under thinking that I would let you take Colin away from us you’re dead wrong, Misty. He’s our son biologically and I won’t let anyone take him away again. Sheridan and I have the right to raise our son…" Luis’ anger began to get the better of him and he prepared to leave her sitting there. He’d rather never known the truth than let her take Colin away again.

"I don’t want your kid, Luis," Misty sniffled, looking into his eyes. "I wanted my daughter back and I waited too long to try and find her. I won’t let that happen to you and Sheridan. I know things, Luis, lots of things," Misty shook her head. "I can’t tell you everything, but I can help you find people that can."

"Like who?" he asked.

"Julian Crane, for one," Misty threw the spoon down on the table. "He knows a lot more than people give him credit for. So does Ethan…he’s inherited files of things that would make your hair turn gray. You don’t know half of the files in the Crane family vault…"

"How do you know about these things?" Luis questioned, wondering who her sources were.

"I know because I’ve been on the Crane payroll for five years, Luis. I’ve been in the vault. My daughter’s father was a Crane, Luis. Ashley was Alistair’s own child…Ashley would have been Sheridan’s little sister."

"What?" Sheridan gasped.

Misty sighed. "Sit and I’ll tell you what I can."

Sheridan slid into the booth beside Luis and felt his arm come around her. She knew right away what Misty was going to tell them wouldn’t be good news.

"I was back in Harmony five years ago because I had been working for the Cranes. I was Big Al’s private secretary, which meant a lot more than answering phones. His ‘girls’ didn’t question what he wanted from him and, the more willing you were to sleep with him, the better the pay. I found him intriguing. He was so debonair at times and it seemed as if he had taken a real liking to me, bringing me to his private home in his own secret compound. He moved me in with him, presenting me with gifts and things all the time. Alistair told me secrets; let me in on personal things that I should have never found out. He told me I was his partner in crime, something his wife Katherine had never been. I thought perhaps he had cared for me."

"What does this…" Luis began to interrupt.

"Let her talk, Luis," Sheridan bumped him in the ribs.

Misty continued. "It wasn’t long before I realized that he really didn’t love anyone but himself. He treated Julian like crap and mistreated Sheridan because in his mind she was behind Katherine’s death. Katherine might not have been his partner in crime, but deep down he really did seem to love her. I wanted out of his control, but there wasn’t a way out and I found myself being trapped with him. That’s when I realized I was pregnant. This was almost six years ago and Alistair seemed actually happy. I think he was hoping for a son. He wanted another heir for the empire. Someone he could mold into the perfect heir to replace Julian, but he didn’t get it. Nine months later I gave birth to Ashley Marie Crane. Alistair insisted that I raise her as a Crane. She might not be a son, but perhaps he could break her spirit like he tried with Sheridan and have the robot he needed to run the Empire. I didn’t want him to do that, but I still couldn’t find a way out. I guess I didn’t really try."

Sheridan and Luis watched as Misty wiped a tear away and stared into her coffee as if it had the answers. They felt terrible for the woman.

"Anyway," Misty refused to stop. "When Ashley was a year old, she and I were sent to Julian with a message that Sheridan was planning on going to Boston for a weekend of shopping. He wanted Julian to make sure that Sheridan didn’t meet anyone and ruin the Crane name again. Julian told me to leave Ashley with Ivy and the household staff and to follow Sheridan to Boston. As I left that day, I ran into Luis. He and I chatted a while about the past and then decided that it had been over for a long time. I found out that he was going to Boston too. I knew that this could be trouble, but what were the chances you two would meet?" She laughed. "So I followed you, Sheridan, I watched your every move and watched as you went home with Luis. I didn’t care, I missed my Ashley and when I returned to the Crane compound, I told Alistair that you had met a man and slept with him. He thanked me for being such a willing assistant and offered me my freedom. He gave me a home in Boston, a monthly payment to support Ashley and myself and never asked another favor…until Colin."

Sheridan held her breath when Misty mentioned her son. She couldn’t believe that she was going to finally find out the piece she didn’t remember.

"Don’t get your hope up," Misty sighed. "All I know is that you became pregnant with Luis’ child, which angered your father who found out that Luis was the man you slept with. He knew I had a past with Luis and asked why I didn’t know that you had left the party with him. I told him that I couldn’t see the man’s face and apologized for not realizing it was him. He forgave me and dropped in to see Ashley three times within the next four months. I couldn’t figure out then, but he was trying to decide what kind of mother I was. He now had the heir he was looking for, all he needed was a mother for the baby; one that would raise the child to be what he needed. He asked if I would be willing to do one other favor for him. I felt indebted to him and said I would be more than willing to help out my baby’s father. He told me that you were pregnant with a boy and that you were currently in Paris happily preparing for her child’s arrival. He said that he would see me in four or five months and call in the favor. I didn’t think twice about the timing and returned to my life for a while."

"What happened then, Misty?" Luis asked, trying to keep the story flowing.

"That July he returned with a two week old baby boy that looked so much like you that I knew immediately he had taken Sheridan’s baby. I wanted to refuse whatever it was he was going to ask of me…I wanted to tell him that there was no way I could ruin Sheridan’s life like that. He told me that Sheridan didn’t even know the baby was missing and that if I loved Ash, I wouldn’t refuse. I couldn’t let him hurt my daughter so I told him that I would do whatever he asked and never tell a soul. He told me I was raising your son to be the future inheritor of the Crane corporation and all that came with the Crane name. So, from them on I was Colin’s mother."

"But why didn’t I know Colin was missing?" Sheridan asked.

"Your father didn’t tell me. He mentioned something about medications and doctors, but told me not to worry. Colin was healthy and didn’t need to know his real mother."

"So, what happened to Ashley?" Luis questioned.

"When she turned four, Alistair showed up at our door. Colin was just a few months short of turning three and he told me that he wanted to put Ashley in boarding school when she turned six. I told him I wouldn’t let him take her away. I loved her and nothing was going to separate us. He insisted that I allow him to place her in a school now so that she would become a proper lady, something I wasn’t. I told him to leave, but he hit me and I fell to the floor, my head hitting the nightstand. When I woke, Colin was sobbing in his playpen and Ashley was gone. It’s been two years and I haven’t seen her since. She turned six."

"How do you expect us to help?" Sheridan wondered.

"Julian knows where Ash is and he knows why Sheridan can’t remember the past. I know he does! If you want answers, talking to Julian is definitely the way to go. He will know why there is a nine month gap in Sheridan’s memory."

Sheridan sighed and leaned against Luis. She had come to the Book Cafe expecting Misty to tell them why Sheridan couldn’t remember being pregnant or giving birth to Colin. Now all she had was more questions. Who had redone the nursery Misty had mentioned that she had prepared? What doctors and medicine? Why ask Misty to raise the child in Boston where he had no control of her? Why take Ashley away from her mother?

"Did Ash know who her father was?" Sheridan suddenly asked.

"Yea," Misty looked down at the coffee again. "I hadn’t planned on telling her, she looked a lot like you as a baby though," Misty smiled slightly. "Tight blond curls and big blue eyes. She was so beautiful. When Alistair saw her, he said she reminded him of you. He finally demanded that I tell her he was her dad. I guess she must have known because she called him Dada one day when he showed up."

"Did he visit often?" Luis wanted to know.

"Not usually," Misty replied. "He didn’t seem to care. He only came when he needed something from me, otherwise he had someone else pop in to check on Ashley’s progress."

"So what do we do now?" Sheridan asked Luis.

"We go see Julian and find out what he knows before he disappears without a trace…"

"Do you think he’ll tell us anything?"

"He will with Misty at our side," he looked at the redhead. "We’ll help you find Ashley if you help us find out what Sheridan can’t remember."

"Deal," she nodded. "I just want my little girl back. I would love for her to know her big sister…"

Sheridan smiled at the thought of having a baby sister. "I’d love that too," she agreed. The trio stopped to get Colin before leaving the Cafe and heading for the Crane mansion.

"Mr. Crane will see you in his library," Linda, the head maid replacing Pilar replied as the foursome entered the foyer. "He is expecting you," she motioned to the stairwell.

Sheridan shuddered. It had been months since she stepped foot on the Crane compound, forget actually entering the mansion. Grabbing Luis’ hand, she sought the warmth she had grown very accustomed to. She felt Colin sneak his little hand into her own, as if he knew her discomfort.

"Ready?" Luis asked, motioning to the marble stairs.

"As ready as I’ll ever be," Sheridan sighed. The four headed up the stairs and right to Julian’s library. Knocking, Sheridan prayed that Julian might not really be home.

"Come in, sister dear," Julian called from his desk. He watched as she opened the door and walked in, followed by Luis, Misty and Colin. "I see you found out about him."

Sheridan gasped. "You knew?"

"So did Ethan," Julian replied. "Only Ethan didn’t know everything, just that there was a child out there with the Crane name. I think he assumed it was Ashley when he discovered a file about her in the archives."

"How could you not tell me?" Sheridan asked, a tear rolling down her cheek. "How could you keep my son from me?"

"Sheridan?" Ivy asked from the doorway.

"Ivy, could you take Colin here to Ethan’s old room?" Julian asked, his voice filled with emotion. He and his wife had been on better terms since Alistair’s death and Julian seemed to have changed completely.

"Sure," she smiled at the boy. "Come on, Aunt Ivy will show you Ethan’s playroom." Colin just glanced at his mother, waiting for a nod. When he received it, he followed her from the room.

"I didn’t tell you because Father would have killed us both, Sheridan. He would have rid himself of anyone that interrupted his plan to make Colin the heir to the empire."

"But he was my son!" Sheridan screamed.

"Look, I’m the one that brought Misty back when father died. I’m the one that told her to bring Colin back and turn him over."

"Except she didn’t do that!" Sheridan wanted to hit him. "She made it seem like it was *her* son…she made me lose *my* baby!"

Julian sighed. "I know. I’m sorry that happened. I don’t know why it did," Julian glared at Misty. "But I do know why you can’t remember having him and I do have an idea where to find Ashley."

"Where?" Misty jumped from the seat she had taken and walked to the desk. "Where?"

"First things first," he dug out the files on the respective children. "Their Crane files, all members of the family have files."

Julian dug out some papers from Colin’s. "Father put the records for you in with Colin’s, Sheridan. He didn’t want to separate your treatment after birth from Colin’s birth records."

Grabbing the papers, she looked them over. "He had me recommitted for excessive depression!?"

Julian nodded. "They loaded you with drugs and convinced you that the baby was a hallucination. After a while, you gave it up and they released you. Father had your home cleared of any baby items so that you would never remember having him. I guess your affair with Luis in Boston was buried along with the memories of the pregnancy."

Sheridan looked saddened. "Is there no way to bring back the memories?"

Julian nodded. "I’ve spoken to some doctors in Boston. They recommend hypnosis to see if the dreams were erased by drugs or merely suppressed."

Luis joined her and slid his arms around her waist. "We’ll see if Eve can help."

Sheridan nodded. "What about Ashley?"

"I’m still working on finding which school Father had her sent to, but the last one was a boarding school in England…the same one Nicholette was sent to."

"You mean…"

Julian nodded. "She’s somewhere in Europe."

"What about the threat I received from the Crane lawyers?" Misty asked.

Julian shrugged. "I didn’t send them, if that’s what you’re asking. I want my sister returned to her mother before she turns into my children," he looked saddened. "Sheridan was able to escape damage from the Cranes, but I don’t know if the same can be said for Ashley if we don’t bring her home soon."

"So what do we do?" Sheridan repeated an earlier question.

Luis turned to her. "We see Eve about filling in that gap in your memory and then we hunt down that little girl until the entire world is searched."

Sheridan looked into his eyes and realized he meant it. He was going to help her find her baby sister, a little girl Sheridan hadn’t known existed. "I love you."

"Ditto," he whispered and gave her a light kiss. "We’re going to get to the bottom of this, Sheridan. I promise. Alistair Crane will not hide the truth from us for long…"

That night, Sheridan watched Colin sleep from the doorway to his room. She couldn’t believe that her father had been cruel enough to place her back in the institution just to keep her son from her. Was he really so cruel that he didn’t care about her as long as he found the heir he didn’t have in Julian? Sighing, she realized that her father was a monster. It reminded her of the secrets on the card.

"You may not have killed, but ruined the life of one you should love…a missing boy will return and ruin your relationship…You do know what happened to Martin…"

She hadn’t realized then, but what her father knew about each person would ruin lives all over Harmony. She wondered what they all meant. Was Colin the boy that would ruin her relationship? What did she know about Martin? Were her dreams true? She didn’t want to worry about that now; she had done too much worrying in her life. Closing Colin’s door slightly, Sheridan walked down the hall to her own room where Luis sat reading through Colin and Ashley’s files.

"Find anything useful?" she queried, changing into her nightgown while he continued to scan the files.

"Nothing so far, but I’m sure I can find some more on the systems in the office. Alistair took damn good notes on everyone. Look at this, he has the date that Ashley lost her first tooth," he shook his head.

"Quite detailed," Sheridan sighed. "Why do you think he did this Luis? What was the purpose of taking Ashley away? Why not just send Colin to a boarding school?"

Luis shrugged. "Maybe he thought Colin was too young to go just yet. Maybe he had plans to send both away once they were almost school age. Colin just happened to be ready to send after your father passed away."

"But it still doesn’t make sense. Ashley was only four, most school won’t take children until they are school ready…"

"Alistair had a lot of clout, remember?"

Sheridan slid beneath the sheets. "I know, if he wanted her in a school, he would find a way to get her into one. I just don’t understand why not Colin?"

"You were still in Europe…"

"What?" Sheridan asked.

"When Ashley was sent to England, you were still in Paris with Jean-Luc. I bet your father didn’t want to send Colin overseas if you were there. He was probably looking into American boarding schools when the Jean-Luc fiasco happened and you returned to Harmony. Colin was just turning three then."

"So?"

"So? He had to wait a year before he could take Colin like he did Ashley, by then, you were back in Paris after our battle. He was too busy keeping us apart. Don’t you see, Sheridan? He died before he had a chance to send Colin away. You’re yo-yo actions kept him from hiding Colin from us like he did Ashley from her mother."

Sheridan sank down into the bed, her head pounding from this information. "I don’t know whether to be happy we have our son, or sad to know that I had a baby sister in England."

"Don’t worry about it, sweetheart," Luis kissed her forehead and placed the files on his nightstand. "I will get to the bottom of this and we’ll have your sister in our wedding as well as our son. We’ll be a real family like we were meant to be."

Sheridan nodded and rolled over, her back to Luis. Closing her eyes, she wished that Luis was telling the truth. All she wanted was a family and she hoped that they could be together on the most important day of her life. With her eyes closed, she said a silent prayer that they be reunited and then she cursed her father for being the bastard he was and breaking apart families that truly belonged together. ‘Tomorrow,’ she thought, ‘Tomorrow we’ll see Eve and finally know what Alistair Crane has been hiding from the world for the last six years.’

Chapter Eight