Disclaimer: Sheridan Crane, Pilar, Miguel and Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald and Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald are not mine (although I do wish I could have Luis...). They belong to NBC. I promise to take real good care of them and give them back as soon as I'm done with them.
Author's note: This story is loosely based on a TV movie starring Mimi Rodgers called "The Christmas List". If any of the producers of that movie is reading this story, it wouldn't be worth it to sue, I don't have anything. As for feedback as always, it is more than welcome, just write roni78@yahoo.
It was a couple of days before Christmas, and Sheridan was just coming back from the youth center. Things have been improving between her and Luis since they came back from Santa-Fe and she actually looked forward to going to work there every day.
She was sitting in the living room in her cottage, and was watching TV. As usual, like every year around Christmas, all the shows and all the movies on TV had a Christmas theme. And since she had nothing else to do, she sat there in her pajamas and watched one of those movies. She couldn't believe it but she actually wanted to do what the woman in the movie did. She wanted to be like a kid and make a Christmas presents list for Santa Claus. It wouldn't be like when she was young, because then she never did something like that. She was away in boarding school all the time, and by the time that she got home everything was already set for the holiday and all the presents were bought.
"I can't believe that I'm actually going to do it" She thought to herself as she went to get a piece of paper and a pen. On second thought, she was always a romantic and she always liked a romantic movie. When she thought about it, everything worked for the best for the woman in the movie so she decided that it would hurt to try. She started writing:
Sheridan's Christmas List:
Red roses
A romantic dinner
A family Christmas
Someone to love me
Sheridan looked at her list. It was mostly simple things that she could certainly afford herself, but all of those things would mean nothing without someone to share it with. And this was what Sheridan really wanted, the last thing on her list, someone to love her and to share her life with. She stood up and went to her bedroom. Just before she climbed
into her bed she put the list inside an old poetry book that she always loved. As she closed her eyes to fall asleep she thought, "I can't believe that I wrote that list, but even though I know that nothing from it will come true it did make me feel better. And with that thought on her mind she fell asleep.
The next morning Sheridan had to be in the youth center. Ever since she and Luis came back from Santa-Fe she actually looked forward to spending that time with him. She went through the doors and walked straight to the office. As usual, Luis was sitting there with his coffee and his paper. As she stood at the door and watched him she remembered the time that she tried to hide the paper from him after Theresa's little adventure with Ethan at the ballet. She stood there for a couple of minutes without him noticing her. He was so focused on the paper.
"LUIS!" She said out loud. And than she started laughing when she saw him jumping off of his chair. To her, the look of surprise that was on his face was priceless. "You think this is funny?" Luis asked with a smile. It wasn't the first time that they played tricks or surprised each other since they came back to work together. He actually liked how they acted around each other now. "Just wait," He said, half threatening, but still smiling. "So..." Sheridan said, a little more seriously. "I see that there is not much to do around here today." She was pointing at the paper and the cup of coffee that sat on his table.
"Actually, there is a lot of work to be done." He replied. "I was just waiting for you so we can divide it between us." "OK." She nodded. "Lets get to work."
They worked all day long, even through lunch. They had to clean up practically the whole center, after the mess that the kids left there over the weekend. They had to organize all
the sports equipment, since none of the kids bothered to put back what they used. After they finished all that they decided to decorate the center a little bit for Christmas, to get the kids some of the holiday spirit. When they both looked at the watch again, it was already close to 7 o'clock.
"Are you hungry?" Luis asked Sheridan. "I didn't realize how hungry I was until you asked." She replied. "How about if I go and get us something to eat while you finish putting the last of the decorations up?" "Sounds good to me." He suddenly had an idea.
Sheridan nodded and went to get her coat and purse. After she was driving for about five minutes she remembered that she forgot to ask Luis what he wanted for dinner. "Oh well." She thought. "Everybody likes Chinese food." She smiled and drove to her favorite restaurant to get some take away.
When she got back to the youth center the place was dark. She went through the front door and into the gym and found Luis in the middle of the room surrounded by candles. "What happened?" She asked. "The power went off." He answered and came to help her with the take away bags. "What did you bring? I'm starving." "I hope you like Chinese." She answered with a smile.
They set the food on a blanket in the middle of the gym and started eating. They talked about almost every topic that they could think of. Luis told her stories about Christmas in his family, with and without his father. Sheridan was amazed that he opened up to her like this, that he was willing to share the memories of his father with her after what they found out in Santa-Fe. She than told him about the trip that she made to Spain, knowing that he always wanted to go there.
Every once in a while they would catch the other one staring. However, it didn't feel awkward, it felt nice. They both felt completely at ease with the other. And when Sheridan commented on that Luis just looked at her and agreed. When they were finished with their food they both stated to clean up. As Luis went to throw the remains of their dinner away, he passed by the stereo system. And when he came back to where Sheridan was standing there was soft music playing in the background. "May I have this dance Miss Crane?" He asked with a smile and held out his hand to her. "I'd love to officer." She answered with a smile and put her hand in his.
And when he held her close to him, and they both started to move slowly to the music, they suddenly felt it. They felt the electricity and the attraction between them. And as Luis stared down into Sheridan's eyes, both of their smiles faded, as did the rest of the room. It was just them, floating, hardly moving. They were just standing there looking into each other's eyes. And when the music stopped they didn't even notice it. For them, the music was still playing. Her hands were on his chest and his were hugging her waist. They were completely lost in each other. Slowly they began to close the gap between their faces. And just when their lips were about to meet the lights went on, and they were both snapped back to reality. They became aware of how close they were and almost instantly they parted.
"I'm sorry." Luis said, not looking straight at Sheridan. "For what?" She asked him. "You didn't do anything wrong." But she too wasn't able to look straight at him. "I think that I better go home now."
She turned around and took her coat and her purse. She started to walk outside, but as she walked through the door she suddenly stopped, and looked at Luis who was still standing at the middle of the gym. "I had a really nice time tonight, Luis." She said softly.
Luis lifted his eyes from the floor and looked at her. They held that look for a couple of seconds until Sheridan turned around and stepped outside. She walked to her car, unlocked the door and got inside. She sat there for a couple of minutes trying to understand what just happened between her and Luis. It seemed that something had changed between them. They were still friends, but now there was something more than that. And when she finally started the car and drove home, all she could think of was being in Luis' arms, and that that dinner was the most romantic dinner she ever had.
Luis stood in the gym for a couple more minutes until he could get himself together. He couldn't believe that something so simple like dancing with Sheridan would affect him like that, but it did. He could still fell her in his arms, feel her hands on his chest. He could even remember how her eyes felt when she was looking at him just before she left. And when he finally left the gym and stepped outside the youth center to lock up he saw her car drive away. He looked at her driving away and whispered, "Good night Sheridan."
The next morning Luis woke up with a smile. He hadn't had this feeling in a long time. He felt like the whole world was smiling at him and that today is defiantly going to be a good day. He knew that he had to be in the police station for a couple of hours, but in the afternoon he promised to be at the youth center. And that meant that he is going to see Sheridan. He was a little bit surprised at how much he was looking forward to that, but that feeling also made him feel good. He was in a hurry to leave the house and get to the station, thinking that as soon as he will finish his duties there he will be able to go to the center.
He managed to finish all his duties early, and it seemed like his good mood rubbed off him on Chief Bennett, because he let him go to the youth center half an hour early. As Luis was leaving the police station he had an idea. He had to make one stop on his way to the youth center.
Sheridan didn't wake up until 10a.m. She didn't have to be at the youth center until 1p.m. She felt so full of energy so she decided to go for a run on the beach before work. As she ran on the beach, looking at the beautiful colors of the ocean, she remembered the time that she met Luis while he was jogging. She returned to her cottage with a smile and went straight to the shower. She didn't want to ruin the day by being late for work.
When she got to the youth center, at exactly 1 o'clock, she went straight to the office to find Luis and see what he wanted her to do today. She opened the door to the office and what she saw there took her breath away. On her desk, the one that she used to do all the office work, was a single red rose. She picked it up and smelled it, leaning it against her cheek.
At about the same time Luis came into the room. She was with her back to the door, so he just leaned against the frame and watched her for a couple of seconds. It made him feel good that she appreciated the flower so much, but at the same time it also made him nervous. He knew that he started to like her in the past weeks since Santa-Fe, but he still saw her as a Crane. Of course, she was nothing like the others in her family, but she still belonged to that family. And that scared him a little bit, that she will never be satisfied with a simple life, with the kind of life that he was able to give her. He quietly turned around and left the room before she noticed him.
They spent the rest of the day apart. The only time they saw each other was when Luis instructed Sheridan about what was needed to be done. Sheridan was surprised by his behavior. 'I thought that after what happened yesterday, and the flower that he left for me today, that something would be different.' She thought to herself while putting away the sports equipment at the end of the day. 'I guess that something has changed since then, Or that there wasn't anything there in the first place.' When she thought about that, all the good mood that she woke up with that morning, and even the upbeat spirit that she managed to keep up during the afternoon, had gone away. She left the youth center without saying another word to Luis. All she wanted to do was get home and drown her sorrow in a box of vanilla-fudge ice cream.
When she got home she nearly bumped into Pilar, who was standing near the door to her cottage. "Oh, hi Pilar." She said with a smile. However, it seemed that even that couldn't hide the bad mood she was in. "Hello Sheridan." Pilar answered with a concerned look in her eyes. "Are you alright?" She asked her. "I'm fine. Just a long day at the youth center. I'm a little tired." Sheridan answered. "Were you waiting for me?" She asked Pilar. "Yes, actually. I wanted to invite you to Christmas dinner tomorrow, and later to go to mass with us." Pilar said with a smile. "I know that Ivy is planning a dinner party and I don't want you to be alone on your first Christmas back home."
"I don't know Pilar." Sheridan answered. "Things haven't been really good between Luis and me, and I don't want to spoil the holiday to anyone" From what I know things have been a lot better lately between you and Luis, and I'm sure that he wouldn't mind if you came." Pilar said as she patted Sheridan arm affectionately. "I'll see you tomorrow at 8 o'clock?"
"Ok." Sheridan answered with a smile, realizing that she won't be able to win this argument if she started one. "I'll bring something for desert." "Just bring yourself." Pilar said as she gave Sheridan a kiss on the cheek before she turned to walk away.
Sheridan watched the older woman until she disappeared. She walked inside her cottage with a smile. Somehow the thought of spending the evening with the Lopez-Fitzgerald's sounded good to her. It even gave her an excuse to be near Luis for a couple of hours outside the youth center. 'Somehow Pilar always knows how to make me feel better' She thought to herself as she went to change her clothes and to find that box of ice cream in the fridge.
"You did what?" Luis was almost yelling at his mother, before he caught himself. "I invited Sheridan to spend Christmas Eve with us." His mother answered calmly. "She is coming over for dinner and at midnight she'll come with us to mass." "Why did you invite her?" Luis asked a little calmer. "Doesn't she have her own family?"
"Her brother is having a dinner party tomorrow night. She would have been all alone, and I couldn't let that happen." Pilar answered him. "Now I don't want to hear any comments about it any more, and I want you to promise me that you'll be nice to her, it is Christmas." And with that statement, she left her son standing in the kitchen. At that moment, as much as he wanted to take the role of the head of the family, she let him know that he still had his mother, and that she would always have the last word with him.
Luis stood at the counter, thinking. 'How am I going to go through an entire evening with Sheridan?' Was the first question that came to his mind. It was hard enough on him to see her at the youth center every day, knowing that he never stood a chance with her. 'Well, at least it's another chance to be around her.' He thought as he turned the light off in the kitchen and went to his room. 'I just hope that I'll be able to take it'
THE NEXT EVENING
Sheridan stood in front of the Lopez-Fitzgerald's front door for five minutes now. She still hadn't decided if she was going to knock on the door or turn back and walk away. 'What am I going to do?' She thought, as her fingers gripped the box she was holding in her hand. 'I don't know if I can handle being around Luis all evening.' She finally decided to leave, and later call Pilar and apologize. Just as she was going to turn back and walk to her car, she heard the door open.
"Sheridan." Theresa was standing at the door. "I thought that I heard someone out here. Come in." She gave Sheridan a warm smile and moved aside so that Sheridan could walk through the door. 'Well, it's time to face the music.' Sheridan thought as she walked through the door to the Lopez-Fitzgerald's home, smiling warmly at Theresa. "Hi Theresa, merry Christmas." She said to the young girl at the door.
The rest of the evening went peacefully by. Sheridan was amazed as to how at ease she was with Pilar's family. They had decorated the Christmas tree together, hanging stockings over the fireplace. They even made a stocking for Sheridan, insisting that she take it home and hang it over her fireplace. After that they all sat to the table to eat the dinner that Pilar had been working on. There was never a silent moment during that time, and they never let Sheridan be left out of the conversation, even for a moment.
Sheridan was sitting at her place at the table, near Theresa, across from Luis and Miguel and with Pilar to her right. She was looking at everybody as they were eating the warm apple pie and Ice cream that she brought for desert. Suddenly, her thoughts drifted to the Christmas list that she wrote to herself a couple of nights before. 'Now that I think about it,' She thought to herself, 'almost everything on that list had come true.' She stared at her plate, playing with her piece of pie. 'Everything except for the most important thing.' She sighed silently, 'I still haven't found someone to love me'
Through out the evening Luis was a little more quiet that the usual. He spent most of the time looking at Sheridan, thinking about how different she acted now than the first time he met her. 'It's like she opened up.' He thought to himself, trying not to let her see him staring at her. 'This is a totally different Sheridan than the one who started the community service at the youth center.' And now, he was sitting across from her at the table, watching her staring at her plate and playing with her desert. Suddenly, she looked up at him, and this time he couldn't get himself to turn away from her. There was something in her eyes that caught his gaze and didn't let him go. They just set there, staring into each other for a couple of seconds. But to them, time stood still, and there was no one else in the room besides them.
Sheridan was the first to break the contact. She turned away from Luis, smiled at Pilar, and said, "I'll get the dishes Pilar, you just stay here and relax." She got up from the table, started to pick up all the dirty plates, and went into the kitchen. It took her a moment to get herself together after what happened with Luis at the dinner table. 'Did I imagine that, or was there something in his eyes?' She thought to herself. 'It was the same thing that I saw in his eyes that night at the youth center.' She started to clean the dishes in the sink, still deep in thought. 'Could this be true? Could Luis have feelings for me other than hatred?'
She was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't notice Luis walking into the kitchen. He leaned on the wall next to the door and watched her for a few minutes as she washed the dishes. He realized something a few minutes ago when he was staring into her eyes at the table. 'I've fallen in love with her.' He thought in amazement. And that thought scared him at first. But than, he remembered the way she felt in his hands when they where dancing together that night at the youth center. He thought about how he didn't want to say goodbye to her after they got back from Santa-Fe. And than he knew that as much as he was scared to admit that he loved her, he was much more scared to not admit that and loose her forever. He couldn't make that mistake.
She almost jumped out of her skin when he first spoke.
"Mama and the kids are going to the church now." He said to her with a smile. "I told them that I'll help you clean everything here and that we'll meet them there a little bit later." He was walking towards her as he was talking, and was now standing besides her, helping her dry the dishes she was washing. "Thank you." She said to him with a shy smile, not looking straight at him. They finished cleaning the dishes and the kitchen in silence. They both glanced at each other from time to time, without the other one noticing.
They were going through the living room, about to leave the house to go to church, when Luis stopped Sheridan. They were standing at the entrance to the living room, close to each other. Sheridan turned to face Luis, and they were suddenly very aware of how close they were standing. Luis was almost whispering when he finally spoke, looking straight into Sheridan's eyes. "I just wanted to tell you that it was nice having you here tonight, Sheridan."
Sheridan was speechless. The closeness of his body and the intensity of his eyes left no rational thought in her mind, and made her go weak in the knees. She had to hold on to something to keep from falling down, so she reached out and hold on to Luis. Without thinking, and without breaking the eye contact, they got closer to each other. Sheridan's hands were climbing up Luis' chest, and finally connected behind his neck, pulling him closer to her. Luis' hands were circling her waist, hugging her close to his body. And when their lips finally met it was like everything around them disappeared, and they were floating.
It was a sweet kiss, gentle. The kind of kiss that tells you exactly what the other person is feeling. And what that kiss told Sheridan and Luis is that there was more between them than just attraction or affection. That there was love. When the kiss ended they were still holding on to each other. Sheridan buried her face in Luis' chest, and he tightened his hug around her.
"I wanted to do that since that night at the youth center." She whispered to him. She thought that there was no way that she could feel more whole, and happy, and safe than at that exact moment. But than she heard Luis say the words that she has been waiting to hear from someone for her whole life, and it took her by surprise. "I love you, Sheridan." He whispered in her ear, as he stroked her hair, making her lift her face and look at him. And when she looked in his eyes she finally understood what was it that she saw there all this time, it was love.
She paused for a minute, just looking in his eyes. Luis started to think that he made a mistake by telling her the way he feels. He hadn't planned to do that, he didn't even know that it was love that he felt for her, but after spending the whole evening with her he knew that he couldn't deny it anymore. He fell in love with Sheridan Crane. And just when he was about to pull back and apologize, he saw the tear roll from her eye, and he heard her say it.
"I love you too, Luis." And when the words left her mouth she knew that she had felt this way for a long time. She just didn't admit it to herself. But now there was nothing left to be afraid of, he loved her too. And when they leaned against each other to kiss again, there was a smile on both of their lips. When they finally left the house to join Luis' family at the church, they were holding hands. And on their way to the church, Sheridan told Luis about the only time she ever wrote a Christmas list, and how everything on that list had come true.
THE END
