Chapter 1: The Temptation
*Ivy*
"Go to hell, Julian. You think you can get away with anything. I'm tired of
you destroying the lives of people I care about." I say as I argue with my
husband in the living room.
"Shut up, Ivy! I will destroy the lives of anyone that I want to."
"Well I'm not going to sit around and do nothing about it." I try to walk
out of the room, but Julian grabs me by the wrists.
"I've warned you to stay out of things."
"Let go of me. You're hurting me." Julian doesn't listen. He just grips my
wrists harder. I pull away from him and he backhands me and I fly backwards.
I land on the coffee table and I can feel the glass shatter underneath me.
*Ethan*
I walk downstairs and hear my parents arguing. I go into the living room
just in time to see my father hit my mother and watch her fall on the coffee
table. I rush over to her side.
"What the hell are you doing, Father!?" I ask as I stand up.
"You're Mother tripped. She'll be fine."
"Tripped?! I saw you hit her." I accuse and then help my Mother up off the
ground. "I'm taking you to the hospital.""No, Ethan. I'm fine."
"You're not fine. The side of your face is welting and you have cuts all
over your arms."
"I am fine." Pilar walks into the room and runs over towards me and my Mother.
"Mrs. Crane, are you alright?""I'm fine, Pilar."
"Do you want to press charges against him?" I ask."No."
"How dare you do this to her!"
"Stay out of this, Ethan. I don't have time to talk. I have a business trip
to go on." My Father says as he leaves."Are you sure you're alright?"
"I'm fine, honey. Didn't you say you were going to breakfast with Sheridan?"
"Yes, but I don't want to leave you alone. I'll call her and cancel."
"I'll stay with your Mother, Ethan." Pilar volunteers.
"Ok. Thanks, Pilar. I'll be back in a little while." I say as I kiss my
Mother on the head and leave for the Book Cafe.
*Sam*
I can't stop thinking about her. Her jasmine perfume still lingers around
all of my senses. I can still taste her on my lips. I can feel her soft
skin under my delicate touch. "You have to stop this, Sam! You are a
married man. You love Grace and your family. Ivy is in the past." I say,
trying to convince myself. I need to get out of this house. I walk out the
door and get into my car. I decide to drive to the Book Cafe. When I walk
inside, I notice Sheridan Crane sitting at a table by herself and her nephew,
Ethan Crane, walking towards her. I sit at a table near them and read the
newspaper sitting there.
*Luis*
God, she is so beautiful. I don't know how much longer I can fight these
feelings for her.
"Hey, Luis. What were you thinking about?" Theresa asks as she comes into
the kitchen."Nothing."
"Yeah right. You were thinking about someone? Could it be Sheridan Crane?"
"Sheridan Crane? That's crazy, Theresa! I don't have time to talk about
this. I have to go down to the Youth Center." I leave the house before she
can make anymore accusations and drive to the Youth Center.
*Sheridan*
"Good morning, Ethan." I say as he sits down at the table."Hey."
"Ethan, what's wrong? You look upset." I notice the distraught look on his
face."It's my parents.""What happened?""I don't know if I should say anything."
"Come on, you can trust me. I won't tell a soul."
"Ok. I walked into the living room ealier and I saw my father hit my mother."
"He what?!" I ask, completely surprised. "Julian's never hit her. Is she
okay?"
"She said that she was fine, but I'm not so sure. She landed on the coffee
table and she has a lot of cuts on her arms.""Did you take her to the hospital?"
"She refused to go. Pilar said she'd stay with her."
"What about your father? Is Ivy going to press charges against him?"
"She said no. I can't stand seeing her this way. She looked scared, Sheridan."
"Maybe I could talk to her and convince her to press charges." I suggest.
"That would be great! Thank you, Sheridan."
"You're welcome, Ethan. Anyways, it's getting late. I have to head over to
the Youth Center. After I'm finished there, I'll go over and talk to your
Mother.""Thanks, Sheridan. Bye."
*Theresa*
After Luis leaves, I decide to go to the Book Cafe to get something to eat.
I walk inside and see Sheridan leave and Ethan sitting at a table by himself.
He notices me and motions for me to come over. I approach the table.
"Hey, Theresa. Sheridan had to leave, so would you like to join me for
breakfast?"
"Sure, Ethan. I'd love to." I sit down at the spot where Sheridan had vacated.
To Be Continued...
Chapter 2: Two Close
*Sam*
I sit at the table, still trying to contain my rage after what I just
overheard. Ethan had to have misinterpreted something. There's no way
Julian could have hit Ivy. Could he? After I see Sheridan leave and Theresa
go up to Ethan's table, I decide to leave. I have to go check on Ivy. If
Julian did hit her, that bastard is going to pay. I get into my car and
drive to the Crane Mansion.
*Theresa*
"Ethan, are you okay? You look a little upset?" I ask him after I sit down
and notice the distant look on his face.
"I'm okay, Theresa. It's just my parents.""Anything I can help you with?"
"No, thanks. There's nothing that can be done."
"Well, if you change your mind, just let me know and I'll help you."
"I know that I can always count on you. You're a very special girl,
Theresa." Ethan smiles at me and I blush.
"Thank you, Ethan, but I'm not all that special."
"Yes you are, Theresa. You're beautiful, smart, nice. What more could a guy
want?"
*Sheridan*
I walk into the Youth Center and go into Luis's office. He isn't there yet,
so I sit in his chair and wait for him to come in. I impatiently wait and
wait. "Where is he?" I say to myself.
"Right here, Sheridan." I look up and see Hank walk through the door. He's
a nice guy, but there's something about him that makes my blood boil.
"Hi, Hank. Actually, I was looking for Luis. Have you seen him?"
"Nope. I was, ah, wondering if you'd like to go out tonight. So what do you
say?"
"I would love to, Hank, but I can't. I, ummmmm, have to do my laundry and I,
ah, don't have any clean clothes." 'That was a stupid excuse, Sheridan. You
can be more creative.'"Well, you can wear what you're wearing---"
"No!" I say, quickly cutting him off. "I mean, ah, I'd prefer to wear
something else that's more appropriate for a date. Wow, look at the time. I
gotta go." I quickly leave the office before he can say another word. On my
way out, I'm not paying attention to where I'm going and I bump into someone,
sending us both on the ground.
*Ethan*
'That was real smoothe, Ethan.' I have to be more careful about what I say,
but I can't help it. There's just something about Theresa. I may be engaged
to Gwen, but I can't stop thinking about Theresa. She's so beautiful and
amazing.
"Earth to Ethan." I look up at Theresa, who is waving her hand in front of
my face. "Where were you? You seemed like you were a million miles away."
"I was just thinking about someone special." 'There I go again!'
"Who might that special someone be?"
*Ivy*
I lie on the couch in the living room with a cold cloth on my head. The left
side of my face where Julian hit me is still throbbing.
"Are you feeling better, Mrs. Crane?" Pilar asks and I look up at her.
"I'll be fine as long as I can get rid of this headache." As I close my eyes
and try to fall asleep, the doorbell rings. Pilar goes to the door to get it.
"Mrs. Crane, Sam is at the door." I quickly sit up and look at her.
"Sam's here? But why, Pilar?!""He said he needed to see you."
"He can't see me like this, Pilar. I don't want him or anyone else knowing
about Julian hitting me."
"He's very insistent. He may be suspicious if you don't see him."
"Fine, I'll be right there. I'll just tell him I ran into a door." I stand
up and start to walk out of the living room when Pilar stops me.
"Wait, Mrs. Crane. What about the cuts on your arms?"
"I almost forgot. Could you do me a favor?""Sure. What is it?"
"Go to the coat closet and get a jacket out of there." Pilar gives me a
weird look but then nods and walks out of the room. She comes back a few
seconds later with a jacket and I quickly put it on and head for the door.
"Sam. What did you need to see me about?" I ask him as I turn my head in a
way that he can't see the left side of my face.
"Can I come in?" Sam asks as he tries to push his way past me.
"No. I'm not feeling too well and I was just about to go lie down. Maybe we
should talk about this some other time."
"If you were going to lie down, then why are you wearing a jacket." 'Damnit!'
"I, ah, I was cold."
"What are you hiding from me, Ivy? And why aren't you looking at me?"
*Luis*
As I'm walking into the Youth Center, I turn the corner and I'm knocked down
on the floor. I look up, only to be staring into the beautiful eyes of
Sheridan Crane. Neither of us make any attempt to move. We just stay
completely still. I can feel every curve of her perfect body tightly pressed
against me and it's making me crazy.
"Luis, I, ah, I'm sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going." She moves to
get off, but for some reason, I pull her into a passionate kiss.
To Be Continued...
Chapter 3: Spoken Feelings
*Sheridan*
I can't believe that Luis and I are kissing. It's even more perfect than I
had imagined. I break away, still lying on top of him, and look into his eyes.
"Luis?""Yes, Sheridan."
"Would you like to come over tonight so we can talk?" I ask as I smile at him.
"I would love to, Sheridan." He smiles back at me and we get up off the
ground. Luis leaves and I go back to my cottage to prepare for Luis to come
over.
*Ethan*
I really need to stop saying things like that. I look into her eyes and
can't hold it back."I was thinking about you, Theresa." 'Doh!'"What?"
"I, ah, I have to go, Theresa. I can't see you ever again." I get up from
the table and leave Theresa. I walk out of the Book Cafe and then get into
my car. I drive towards the park to think things out. I feel horrible about
leaving Theresa like that, but my feelings are confusing me.
*Ivy*
"Hiding from you? I'm not hiding anything from you, Sam." I lie as I
continue to turn my face away from him.
"Don't lie to me, Ivy. I know what you're hiding, too." He puts his hand on
my face and gently pulls it towards him. "Oh my God! Julian did this to you!"
"No, Sam. I, ah, just ran into a door. Julian would never hit me." Sam
pushes past me and pulls me into the living room. "Ouch!" As he's pulling
me, he touches the cuts on my arms that are hidden by my jacket. He pulls my
jacket off of me.
"You did not run into a door, Ivy! A door can't do this to you. I'll kill
Julian for doing this to you." I am completely shocked, yet flattered, by
Sam's protectiveness over me.
"Listen to me, Sam. He did do this to me but it was an accident. If you
confront him, it will only make things worse. Please don't do anything or
say anything. If you ever cared about me you would just keep your mouth shut."
"I love you, I mean loved you. That's why I'm doing this." For a moment, my
heart lifts as he says that he loves me. It breaks when he corrects himself
and says 'loved'.
*Theresa*
I sit in the Book Cafe and begin to cry. Ethan never wants to see me again
and I didn't do anything wrong. I leave and walk through the streets of
Harmony. Every little thing reminds me of Ethan and that only makes things
worse. I see my best friend, Whitney Russell, walking towards me.
"Theresa? What's the matter, honey?"
"Ethan said he never wanted to see me again. I didn't even say anything." I
cry harder and Whitney hugs me."It's ok."
"I need to be alone, Whit." She nods her approval and I walk towards the
park. I sit on a bench and burry my face in my hands. My thoughts are
interrupted when someone taps me on the shoulder.
*Luis*
After Sheridan leaves, I go into my office and close things up. I leave and
go home to get ready to go to Sheridan's house. Tonight has to be perfect.
I'm going to tell her how I feel about her. I take a quick shower and shave.
I get dressed and put on some cologne and look in mirror one last time. I
get my car keys and drive to Sheridan's Cottage.
*Sam*
I noticed the way Ivy looked when I said 'love'. To be honest, I don't know
what I feel anymore. I just know that Julian better not lay another hand on
her or he'll have to answer to me and there will be HELL to pay.
"I'm begging you, Sam. Don't do anything about this. Just let it go."
"I'm not going to let him hurt you again! Why do you put up with it?"
"He's never hit me before, I swear. He just got angry with me. It was my
own fault, Sam.""No it wasn't. No one deserves to be hit, least of all you."
"Why least of all me?" Maybe I really do still love her. There's just
something about her that is so different from Grace. I love Grace, but I
don't think I'm in love with her. I don't feel the same 'passion' for her
that I feel for Ivy. Even thought Ivy and I haven't made love in years, I
can still remember everything about our wild nights together. She is the
most amazing woman I've ever known. Maybe it's time to be honest with her
and myself."The truth is, I love you."
To Be Continued...
Chapter 4: Giving In To Love
*Luis*
I walk up to Sheridan's door and impatiently knock on it. After a few
moments, it opens and I am shocked at the beautiful figure before me.
Sheridan is wearing an amazing simple, tight-fitted black dress that almost
reaches her knees. I look at her up and down and then stare into her eyes.
When I finally find my voice, all I can get out is "Wow."
"I take it you like what you see." Sheridan says as she blushes.
"Yes I do. You look absolutely gorgeus." I say as I kiss her on the cheek.
She pulls away and then looks into my eyes.
"So do you, Luis. Would you like to come in?" I smile and then follow her
inside. "Why don't we go sit on the couch. Would you like some wine?" She
asks as she leads me to the couch.
"Yes, but I'll get it." I go into her kitchen and see the wine sitting on
the counter. I pour to glasses and then bring them back into the living room.
"Here you go." I say as I hand her a glass.
"Thank you, Luis." She begins as I sit on the couch next to her. "The
reason I asked you over here is because I wanted to talk about what's been
going on between us. I, ah, I'm.......in love with you."
*Theresa*
I look up and see Ethan standing there. I try to hide my tears as best as I
can, but he's already seen them."Ethan, what are you doing here?"
"Are you okay, Theresa? You look like you've been crying." 'Okay? Of
course I'm NOT okay! You just said you never wanted to see me again.'
"Of course I'm okay. Why wouldn't I be?" I ask as I put my head down to
avoid his eyes.
"I can tell that you're lying to me, Theresa. Tell me the truth. What is
wrong?" I look back into Ethan's eyes and I can tell that he genuinely cares
about me.
"I'm in love with you and you said that you never wanted to see me again!
That's what's wrong with me!" I can't believe I just told him the truth. I
decide not to wait around for his response. I turn my back to him and take
off in the other direction.
*Ivy*
I am completely shocked at what Sam just said. I just stare at him.
"You love me?" I ask as I finally break the silence.
"Yes, Ivy, I love you. The truth is, I have always loved you. I never
stopped. I was only lying to myself and to you." I just want to wrap my
arms around him and tell him how much I love him. Just then, I remember that
Julian is away on business. Maybe this is my oppurtunity to tell Sam how I
feel about him.
"I love you, too, Sam." I walk up towards him. As I'm about to wrap my arms
around him, he pulls me into a deep, passionate kiss.
*Ethan*
I see Theresa run off and I know in my heart that I can't let her go. I
realize that I am in love with her. I run after her and grab her arm.
"Don't go, Theresa." She turns around and I can see the tears flowing in her
eyes. "Please don't cry."
"Leave me alone, Ethan. I know you could never want me. Maybe it's best
that we don't see each other again.""You're wrong, Theresa. I love you."
"What? Did I just hear you correctly?"
"Yes, Theresa. I LOVE you! I love Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald!" I shout at
the top of my lungs. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
"I love you, too, Ethan Crane." I kiss Theresa and at that moment, I know
that I made the right decision.
*Sheridan*
I can't believe I just told Luis the truth. He's just staring at me with his
mouth wide open. Maybe he doesn't feel the same way. I start to stand up,
but he pulls me back down.
"I love you, too, Sheridan." Luis says as he pulls me into a passionate
kiss. After I pull away, I look into his eyes."You do?"
"Yes. I've loved you from the moment I first saw you. Even though we didn't
get along, I still felt it in my heart. I was just too arrogant to say
anything or act upon my feelings."
"Oh, Luis. I feel the exact same way. I just knew that I loved you and that
you were the man of my dreams. Can you promise me something, Luis?""Anything."
"Promise me that whatever happens, whether my father and brother try to tear
us apart or Hank tried to come between us, we won't let them. We'll stand by
each other's side and fight for our love."
"I promise you, Sheridan Crane, that we will always be together. We will
stay by each other's sides forever."
*Sam*
I kiss Ivy with all the passion that I've been keeping inside of me. I have
wanted to do this for so long. After we break our kiss, I look into her eyes
and touch her cheek."I want us to be together forever, Ivy." I say.
"So do I, Sam. I have wanted that for so long. What about Julian and Grace?"
"I don't know, but we'll figure everything out. As long as we're together,
everything will be alright."
THE END
