I Don't Want To See You Go

*This Story Takes Place while Luis and Sheridan are still in college*

Chapter 1:

Sheridan stared out of the window of the Crane jet. Her arms were crossed and she was fuming. She was racked with all different emotions--anger, guilt, regret. Julian walked into the room with a smug look on his face and went over to Sheridan. “All ready, sister dear?" he asked, taking a sip of brandy. She stood up and glared into his eyes coldly. "You let me off this plane right now Julian. You can't just force me to move to Paris against my will!" she yelled. "You're right; I can't. But Father can. You know you brought this all upon yourself Sheridan. If you had just listened to us…" "I wouldn't listen to two cruel, twisted people like you and Father. And plus, I didn't do anything wrong!"

"Oh please, of course you did! Your little fling with a guy from the other side of the tracks ring a bell?" "Don't talk about him that way Julian! It's not a fling, Luis loves me, and I love him!" "Love..." Julian sneered. "Yes, I'm sure that Lopez-Fitzgerald really loves you. It's more like you money he loves…" "That is not true! Luis loves me for me, and not for how much I have in my checkbook!" "Yes, I know Sheridan, of course he loves you," Julian said sarcastically. "Is that why he's not speaking to you?" A look of sadness washed over Sheridan's face. "We had a little fight, big deal! People who love each other have fights. That doesn't mean he loves me any less.

Not like you would know anything about love!" Sheridan said, yelling her last words. "Oh Sheridan, you're getting yourself all worked up over nothing." "Nothing? Is that what you call forcing me to move to Paris? That isn't nothing, its kidnapping!" "Oh stop being so melodramatic. You're going so you might as well enjoy it!" Julian said, storming off to find more liquor. Sheridan sighed and slumped back into her chair. She wanted to cry but then Julian would know he had one this round. She reached under her seat and pulled out her laptop. She clicked on the mail icon and took a big breath before writing.

Dear Luis,
By the time you read this I will be living in Paris. I couldn't stand it any longer and I told our family about us. My Father is sending me to Paris for good. I am so sorry that the last time we spoke to each other it was a fight. I wish I could take back all the things that were said, because I can't stand the way we left things off. I love you more than anything and I don't know how I will be able to live without you. All I need you to know is that I do love you and I hope that one day you can forgive me.

With all my heart,
Sheridan

She had tears running down her cheeks as she typed these words. She knew her Father would never allow her to see Luis again. 'At least they are doing something to me and not Luis. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if he was hurt because of me. I know what my family is capable of, and I pray this is all they are going to do…' she thought grimly. She clicked send then buried her face in her hands crying.

To Be Continued…

Chapter 2:

**Martin never left, and Pilar doesn't work for the Cranes. The Cranes put up much more of a believable front that they are a happy family. **

Luis opened the door to his apartment and threw his backpack, gym bag and lacrosse stick on the floor. He went into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. He started down the hall when he bumped into Hank. "Hey, I thought I heard someone here. Come on, let's go!" Hank said excitedly. "Go where?" Luis asked. "Beth is throwing this kick ass party tonight and we have to go!" "Nah, you go ahead. I'm too tired to do anything." "No, buddy, you have to come! You know she has the hots for you! And maybe this will get your mind off Sheridan." Luis cringed at the thought of Beth after him.

"Look, I just had a four hour practice where Coach was biting my head off because I was completely off today, and I just got home from the library after studying for 2 ½ hours. All I want to do now is take a cold shower and go to bed." "That's so boring! I hate when you and Sheridan fight, you're always in a bad mood." "Thanks for being so caring," Luis said sarcastically. Hank shrugged and dashed out the door. Luis sighed and made his way to his room; he knew Hank was right. Every time he and Sheridan fought, which wasn't often but when they did it wasn't a pretty sight, he was miserable until they made up again. He was like that today. He hadn't heard from Sheridan in three days and it was killing him inside. He threw off his clothes and jumped in the shower.

**Luis' flashback, 3 days ago**

"Luis, I told you. I have to go," Sheridan said, looking in the mirror and fastening her earring. Luis was sitting on the bed with his arms crossed. "But I don't want you to!" he whined. Sheridan turned to face him. "But you know I have to." "No, no you don't have to. You don't have to go on blind dates just because your father set them up for you." "Is Mr. Lopez- Fitzgerald jealous?" she joked. She saw the anger in his eyes and stopped. She went over to the bed. "Yes, I do have to go. If I don't then my father will be suspicious of why and…" "And what? He'll find out you have a boyfriend? What would be so bad about that Sheridan?" he said, getting off of the bed.

Sheridan sighed. "Luis, we've been through this a million times. My father cannot know about us, he would go insane." "Why? Because I'm not one of those rich society guys? I really don't think he would care that much as long as he knew how much I love you." Sheridan turned away from Luis and bit her bottom lip. 'I wish I could tell you just how horrible my family is Luis, but you wouldn't like it. You wouldn't understand how bad it is. You wouldn't love me if you knew the family that I come from.' "I know my father Luis. He wouldn't allow it, no matter how much you love me." "Now that's hard to believe Sheridan. Do you really think he would stand in your happiness?" Sheridan almost laughed out loud. She turned back to Luis, annoyed.

"Luis, look, I love you, but you have to believe me here. Just leave it alone." "No Sheridan, I will not leave it alone! You're absolutely right, I am jealous. You're going out with rich, successful guys every week when you should be here with me. I'm fed up with it!" Luis yelled. Sheridan was taken aback by his tone, but only for a moment. "God Luis, why can't you just understand this is something I have to do? You're acting like a child!" she yelled back, walking past him and into the living room.

Luis stomped after her. "I'm acting like a child? Oh please, you're the one acting like a little girl who can't stand up to daddy!" Sheridan glared at him for a minute then snatched her purse off the table. "Call me when you grow up Luis," she said, storming out the front door. "Well don't be expecting that call anytime soon then!" he yelled back. He stomped back into his room and slammed the door, with no one to hear him.

**End Flashback**

Luis turned off the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. He dried off, threw a pair of boxers on, and fell onto his bed. He hugged his pillow tightly. 'I wish I knew what you were thinking right now Sheridan.'

~*~ In Paris ~*~

Sheridan looked out the window and sighed. Her face as red and her eyes puffy from crying. 'I wish you were here Luis…but you don't want to be here with me…' she thought sadly.

To Be Continued…

Chapter 3:

Luis rolled out of bed groggily. As he walked into the kitchen he could hear Hank snoring through his door. He poured himself a glass of orange juice and sat down. 'I'll go apologize to Sheridan today. I have to; I can't stand being apart.' He went back in his room and threw on a white tank and some khaki shorts. 'Right after work I'll find her and tell her how sorry I am and then I'll take her in my arms and hold her and kiss her…' He snapped out of it and headed towards the Book Café. He hated working on the days that Beth was working. It was usually just them. Its not like he didn't like her, she was a good friend, but he just couldn't put up with her today. He arrived at the Café and peered through the window. It was almost completely empty, except for Beth sitting at the counter working on her laptop. He sighed and walked in. He saw the excitement in Beth's eyes when she saw it was Luis.

"Luis!" she exclaimed. Luis slowly made his way over to the counter. "Um…hey Beth. How you doing?" "I'm great. How 'bout you? I missed you at my party last night." "Oh. Yeah, well I had a long practice and I had been studying; I just really needed some sleep." "Well why don't you come over tonight to make up for it? We could have a lot of fun," Beth said as she batted her eyelashes. Luis had to suppress a laugh from how obvious she was. "I'm busy, sorry," he said quickly. 'I have better things to do, like make up with Sheridan. Hell, a tooth scraping would be better than going over her house and being alone with her.'

"Oh." Beth paused a moment and Luis could tell she was thinking of something to talk to him about. He grabbed a rag and started to wipe down all the tables. Beth got up and followed him. "I'm just working on my midterm paper for Mr. Vecchiarelli. His exam is going to be pretty bad, why don't we study for it together? You could come over…" "No. I mean, Vecc let me get exempt from his midterm. With honors and all…" Luis said, avoiding eye contact with Beth. 'Why won't she just leave it alone?'

"Well maybe you could just help me study for it…" "Beth, I like you as a friend, and only a friend. I'm in love with Sheridan; you know that. So please, just stop." Luis could see the pain flash across Beth's eyes, but she kept smiling. "I know you think you're in love with Sheridan now, but I know better. Remember all the good times we had in high school?" "That was two years ago Beth." "We were so good together. Everyone thought that we were going to get married and have kids and a life together…"

"I didn't, and that's why we broke up. I don't love you anymore Beth. Sheridan is the one I want to marry and Sheridan is the one I want be the mother of my children, not you. Why can't you understand that?" he yelled harshly. Beth's bottom lip started to quiver and Luis could tell she was going to cry. "Beth," he said quieter. "I'm sorry, but you had to know. You shouldn't be led on by thinking we had a future together…" "I understand," she said sadly.

"Look, let's just change the subject. Can I use your laptop? I need to check my mail." Beth nodded her head softly. Luis headed towards the counter but kept talking to Beth. "So Vecc's midterm is gonna be tough? Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do fine." He signed on and was on the verge of ecstatic when he saw an email from Sheridan. Beth wiped down one of the tables gloomily. Luis hated that he had hurt her feelings, but she had to know. He clicked on Sheridan's mail and smiled as it came up on the screen. His smile quickly faded as he read the words. 'Sheridan's gone?'

To Be Continued...

Chapter 4:

'Sheridan's gone?' Luis thought as he stared at the screen. 'This can't be right...' "It's got to be some kind of mistake or something..." "What's got be a mistake?" Beth asked as she walked back up to the counter. "This ... this email Sheridan sent to me ... it says that she told her father about us and that he's is sending her back to Paris for good..." "Oh ... that's terrible Luis," Beth said sympathetically as she put her hand on his back. 'Oh yeah, just terrible ... now I'll have Luis all to myself, just like it should be...' Luis buried his face in his hands and shook his head.

"Why did this have to happen ... why?" he muttered through his hands. "You did say that you two had been fighting lately...maybe it's for the best Luis..." Luis' head jerked up and when he looked at Beth his eyes were filled with rage. "What?" Beth pulled back a little. "Well, its good that this happened now...and this way is best..." she stammered. Luis jumped out of his chair, throwing it to the ground. "How can you say that?" he screamed. "How the hell is losing the woman of my dreams, the woman I love and cherish for the BEST?" "Well," she started. "I don't love you, I love Sheridan! Why can't you get that through your thick head? I thought you were my friend!"

"I am your friend," she cried. "No, you aren't! If you were my friend you would've been happy for me when I fell in love with Sheridan, and you WOULDN'T say it was for the best if I lost her!" "But..." "No, I don't want to hear it," he yelled as he grabbed his jacket and headed for the door. "Where are you going Luis?" she whimpered. "To get Sheridan back," he said as he ran out the door.

Luis rang the doorbell of the huge mansion and rubbed his hands together nervously. The door opened and a maid stepped out. "Hello, may I help you?" "Umm, yes. Is Ethan at home?" The maid eyed Luis up and down. "And whom shall I say is calling?" "Could you just tell him that Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald needs to talk to him, it's an emergency."

"Yes...one moment please..." The maid looked at Luis once more before closing the door. He started to pace on the step after a minute. The door opened and a young man walked outside. Ethan knew it who it was from his pictures. He had never met Luis before, but Sheridan spoke of him all the time and told him if he ever needed anything he could talk to him. Luis looked up from his walk and looked at Ethan nervously. Sheridan had always said he was a good guy and that he wasn't like the rest of their family, but Luis was still anxious.

"Umm... hi. You probably don't know who I am..." "Luis! It's good to finally meet you," Ethan said, grabbing Luis' hand and shaking it. Luis gladly shook it back, a little relieved. "You too Ethan." "So what are you doing here?" Luis furrowed his brow a little. "I'm here to find Sheridan." "Find Sheridan?" Ethan asked, confused. "Yeah... don't you know where she is?" "Father told me that she was going traveling for a while, and that he didn't know when she was coming back. Why, she didn't tell you?" "She didn't go traveling Ethan," Luis sighed. "Well at least she didn't on her own free will."

"What are you talking about?" Luis rubbed his forehead with his hand and let out a defeated sigh. "She told your grandfather and father about us..." "Oh... is that why father has been so upset these last few days..." "No Ethan, you don't understand. They blew up about it. They... they sent her back to Paris, for good. She's not coming back...." Ethan stared at Luis for a minute. "What? That can't be true..." "Well it is." "How did you find all this out?" "She sent me an email telling me everything..." "But... but my father said she left days ago." Luis flopped down on the step. "Yeah, I know. Well we had a fight three days ago... a big one. I just thought she was avoiding me... it always takes us days to make up after we fight because we're both too damn stubborn and proud..." Luis said chuckling sadly. Both men looked up when the door opened.

"Ethan honey, can I speak with you for... oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know we had company..." Ivy said as she stepped outside. "Hello, I'm Ethan's mother, and you are...?" she asked, extending her hand. Luis stood up and shook her hand, looking to Ethan for help. "Mother, this is Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald." Ivy paused for a moment. "Sheridan's Luis?" Both Ethan and Luis froze. "You... you know who I am?" Luis stuttered. Ivy nodded slowly. "I'm guessing you're here to find out where Sheridan is, aren't you?" "What's going on Mother? How do you know Luis? Where's Aunt Sheridan?" Ivy looked back into the mansion and closed the door. "We shouldn't talk here, you're father could see us. Let's go down to Sheridan's cottage and I'll tell you what happened," Ivy said.

Ivy closed the door behind her after they entered the cottage. Luis looked around Sheridan's cottage. He had never been there because someone could've seen him. He breathed in deeply and could smell Sheridan's perfume. He saw an old picture of him and Sheridan up on the mantle. He smiled when he remembered when it was taken.

~*~Flashback~*~

Luis waited for Sheridan to come through the doors of the Seascape. He had wanted to pick her up at her house like a proper gentleman would, but she had convinced him to meet her there. He hated it; he had wanted to get a limo and start off the prom right, but no. 'It's all right...' he thought. 'As long as I'm here with her it doesn't matter...' He took a sip of his water and almost choked when he saw Sheridan come in. 'She's gorgeous. Gorgeous doesn't even begin to describe her... she's perfect' he thought. She had on a deep red strapless ball gown with pale blue lining. Her lips were as dark as her dress and her eyes were shining. She smiled when she made eye contact with Luis. She strode over to him and almost giggled when she saw the look on his face. His mouth was slightly open and she could tell he was speechless.

"You like?" she asked innocently as she twirled around. "You look like absolutely perfect, like an angel..." he said, still admiring her. She blushed a little. "Thank you Luis... you don't look too bad yourself..." He had on a jet-black tuxedo, which matched his dark complexion perfectly, and he had a red rose sticking out of his breast pocket. Luis smiled as he reached behind him and pulled out a small clear box. He pulled out a red rose corsage and slipped it onto Sheridan's wrist. He gave her a small kiss on the cheek. "I mean it, you look beautiful." Sheridan smiled again. "Well... shall we?" Luis asked as he held his arm out. Sheridan gladly held onto it. "We shall." They entered the dance hall and were astonished at what they saw. Candles were lit everywhere and it was beautifully decorated for a romance filled evening.

"Wow, this place looks great!" Luis said. "Didn't you already come in here?" Sheridan asked. "Nope; I wanted to wait for you so we could walk in together." Sheridan smiled and kissed his temple. "You're so sweet." They walked over to a group of their friends. Sheridan didn't move from Luis' side all night, and that's just how he wanted it. They danced to almost every song; Sheridan would wrap her arms around his neck and rest her head on his shoulder. He would put his hands on her hips and they would just sway to the music together. It was perfect for both of them. The night was coming to a close and the king and queen were about to be announced. Neither one cared if they won or not, the night was all ready wonderful.

"And the king and queen of the Harmony High Prom are......... Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald and Sheridan Crane!" Everyone clapped as they made their way up to the stage, hand in hand. Luis put Sheridan's crown on for her and kissed her softly. He took the microphone and looked out into the crowd. "Wow... this is great. Well, I just want to thank everybody who voted for us." He turned to Sheridan. "And I would like to tell my beautiful date that… I love her with all of my heart and soul, and always will…" Sheridan smiled at him with tears in her eyes. She whispered, "I love you too Luis" before he pulled her into a passionate kiss.

~*~End flashback~*~

'That was the first time we said I love you to each other' he thought sadly. He felt a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, are you all right?" Ethan asked. Luis set the picture back and the mantle and cleared his throat. "Yeah, I'm fine… so Mrs. Crane, what do you know about what happened? Is Sheridan really in Paris?" "Yes, I'm afraid so. This is what happened," she said, sitting down on the sofa. Luis and Ethan sat down also. "Sheridan had a date with a young man three nights ago…" "Yeah, I know… that's what our fight was about…" "She really didn't want to go; she was very upset when she came home. I think the boy had kissed her, or at least tried to, and she was disturbed by it…"

"And I wasn't here… I can't believe this… he didn't hurt her did he? I swear to God if someone did something to…" Luis said angrily. "No, no, she was fine. I think she was just fed up with having to go on the date in the first place. Well she came in crying and needed to talk to someone, so we sat down and she told me about you and your fight and her date…" Ivy said. She paused for a moment and looked away. "What happened next?" Ethan asked.

"Well… it seems Julian was listening outside the door the entire time. He had called Alistair and told him what he had discovered. Julian came in, grabbed Sheridan and dragged her out." Luis' eyes widened wen he heard this but he didn't say anything. "He left with her and wouldn't let me follow. He came back an hour later and told me that she wouldn't be a problem anymore. They sent her back to Paris so she wouldn't be able to see you anymore," Ivy said softly. "So she's really gone… she's not coming back…" Luis said, mostly to himself.

"I'm sorry Luis," Ethan said quietly. Ivy and Ethan looked at Luis sympathetically for a moment, and then he jumped up. "No! I'm not going to let this happen. I'm not just going to sit back and let them take the woman I love away from me. There's no way in hell that they are going to get away with doing this to Sheridan," he screamed. "Well… there's nothing you can do about it… she's already gone…" "I'm going to Paris to get her; I have to. I don't know how; I'll get the money together somehow, but I have to see her." "Don't be silly Luis; you can take the Crane jet. You can leave as soon as you want to…" Ivy said. "I… I can't Mrs. Crane, I can't take handouts from you…"

"It's not a handout Luis. I know you love Sheridan very much, and I know that she loves you. I can't stand what my husband has done to her; so please take it…" Luis looked at Ivy for a minute, then at Ethan. He hardly knew these people, and they wanted to give him a free ride to Paris. But it was for Sheridan, and he would do anything for her. "All right… I'm gonna run home and pack; I can be ready in 30 minutes…" "Good. I'll call and make sure the plane is fueled and ready for takeoff." "Thank you so much Mrs. Crane; you don't what this means to me, and Sheridan." Ivy smiled as Luis headed towards the door. He turned back and took the picture off the mantle, staring at it for a moment before running out the door.

To Be Continued...

Chapter 5:

Luis looked out the window of the jet anxiously. He really had no idea as to what was going on; everything had happened so quickly. One minute he's thinking about how he can't wait to make up with Sheridan, and the next he's on his way to France on a private jet. He had driven home as fast as he could and started throwing things in a suitcase. He didn't even know how long he was going to stay in Paris, so he had just thrown as many things as he could together. There was one special item that he made sure to include in his bag. Ivy had gone through Julian's desk and found the name of the hotel that Sheridan was staying in.

Ethan had wanted to go with Luis, but she said that it would look too suspicious. The pilot and flight attendant had been asked not to tell anyone that Luis was going to see Sheridan, and they had agreed, knowing that one: it would make Sheridan happy and two: it would make Julian very Unhappy. Luis got up and paced the floor of the jet, overly excited to get to France... well more like to get to Sheridan. 'I still can't believe that her own family would do something like this to her. Destroy her happiness so the family name wouldn't be tarnished. It's disgusting. God if I hadn't fought with her about this she wouldn't have told them. I should've just trusted her to know what was best, but NO, I had to yell at her about it. Why couldn't I just believe her that it was the right thing too not to tell them?' A voice snapped him from his thoughts. "Excuse me… sir?" the flight attendant asked.

"Huh? Oh… yes?" "I asked if you would like anything to drink." "Oh… no thanks; I'm fine. How long until we land?" "It should be about 30 more minutes or so." "Okay, thanks," Luis said, looking back out the window. "I don't mean to pry sir, but are you all right? You look distraught." "Please; call me Luis, and I'll be better once we get to Paris and I can see Sheridan." The stewardess smiled. "Can I ask you something?" "Of course Luis," she said, sitting down in the seat next to him. "Has Sheridan's family always been this cruel to her?" "Well… I've only worked for the Cranes for a year, but from what I've seen I would have to say yes."

"How? How can could they do this to their own flesh and blood?" Luis snapped. "Why? Does this come as a surprise to you?" "Of course it comes as a surprise to me; I knew they wouldn't be all too ecstatic about us, but I didn't think they would be upset enough to ship her off to Paris." "You have to remember these are the Cranes we're talking about here. If they feel they're being threatened, they are going to react." "Well they better realize that if they ever try something like this again to hurt Sheridan, none of them will live to forget it, and that's not a threat, it's a promise," Luis said as pounded his fist against the wall.

"You should remember this is a very powerful family you're dealing with here… I'd be careful if I were you," she said, getting up from her seat. "We should be landing in a few minutes." "Yeah, thanks," Luis sighed. "Think about what I said," she whispered before leaving the room. Luis buckled his seatbelt and put his head in his hands. 'Oh what am I going to do? If they find out I came here, they could do something worse to Sheridan than just sending her away. They wouldn't hurt her though, would they? I don't know… I never thought they would… but who knows what lengths they'll go to to protect themselves.' Luis' head jerked up as the plane touched down on the ground.

It slowed and finally stopped. Luis jumped up and grabbed his bag. A soon as the stewardess unlocked the door he was out of the plane. All that mattered to him now was finding Sheridan. He went through the small airport terminal and didn't even glance at all the new sights surrounding him. He got outside and looked around for a taxi. He saw one and hoped that they spoke English. "Um... hi, excuse me, but do you speak English?" "Hey there, yes I do. Where do you need to go?" the driver asked. Luis took a small slip of paper out of his pocket and looked at it. "The, umm… Vaudrie de Caragnal Hotel please…"

"All right," the man said as he started to drive away. Luis sighed and stared out the window. 'I hope she meant what she said… God I hope she forgives me for what I've done… I never meant for any of this to happen. I just wanted everyone to know how much I love her, how much I want to be with her every second of every day…' "Woman troubles?" Luis snapped out of his thoughts and looked up. "Huh, what?" "I said woman troubles?" Luis sighed. "Oh, yeah, woman troubles. That would be it." "Yeah, you have that lost love look on your face." "Well it's not going to be there for long. I'm going to get her back; that's where I'm going now in fact." "And let me guess, she's perfect?"

"She's better than perfect. She's wonderful. She's so beautiful and talented and smart and loving…" Luis said with a dreamy look on his face. The cabbie smiled and pulled into the driveway of the hotel. "Well kid, here ya go," he said. Luis handed him some money and started the get out of the car. "And good luck with your girl." "Thanks." Luis smiled at him and started into the hotel. He was amazed when he got inside. It had high ballroom ceilings with large marble pillars. Stone angels adorned every corner. People in classy gowns and suits walked past him, studying him with their eyes. He suddenly felt self-conscience and quickly walked up to the front desk.

"Hello sir, may I help you?" "I hope so. I'm looking for Miss Sheridan Crane's room." "You're looking for Miss Crane? Why?" the man asked suspiciously, looking Luis up and down. "Well I'm her… friend, from the states. I need to talk to her, it's very important," Luis said, a little confused by the man's actions. "Well I'm sorry sir but Miss Crane is not staying in our hotel." "What? Yes she is; her nephew and sister-in-law told me she was here." "Well they were mistaken sir," he said simply. "Oh… well, um, thank you anyway," Luis said disappointedly. He walked away from the desk and towards the door. He was about to leave when a woman in a maid's uniform stopped him.

"Excuse me monsieur, you are looking for Mademoiselle Crane?" "Yes, yes I am. Do you know where she is?" Luis asked hopefully. "You are a friend of Miss Sheridan?" "Yes, I have to know where she is." "You promise that you are a friend?" "Yes of course, please, just tell me where she is!" "She upstairs, in Suite 21." "She is? Thank you, thank you so much," Luis said excitedly as he ran to the elevator. He rode it up to the top floor and tore through the hall. He stopped suddenly as he stared at the door to Suite 21.

To Be Continued...

Chapter 6:

Luis stopped in front of the door that led to Suite 21. He set his bag down on the floor and stared at the door. He looked down at himself. He smoothed down his shirt and ran his hand through his hair. He took a big breath before softly knocking on the door. He waited a minute before knocking harder. He ran his hands though his hair again and looked around. The maid that had told him where Sheridan was came around the corner with a handful of towels.

"Hey, excuse me, miss?" he asked, going up to her. "Oh, si monsieur?" "That's Mademoiselle Crane's room right?" Luis as he pointed towards the door. "Si," she replied "Well do you know if she's in there? Because no one answered…" "She should be. She hasn't really left her room since she arrived here," she said quietly, somewhat sad. "Oh. I wonder why she's not answering the door…" Luis said, worried. The maid went over to Sheridan's door and knocked lightly. She opened the door slightly. She saw Sheridan standing on the balcony, staring out at the city. "Excuse me, Miss Sheridan…I have brought your towels for you…" she whispered. Luis went up behind the maid.

"Thank you Marie…you may just leave them on the table…" he heard Sheridan say, barely audible. Her voice cracked mid-sentence and Luis' heart broke when he realized she had been crying. Luis took the towels from Marie and she nodded, leaving the room. He crept in and quietly closed the door behind him. He put the towels on the table and made his way over to Sheridan. She had a distant, upset look on her face. Her cheeks were red, and her eyes were puffy from crying. Luis just stared at her, thinking she was still as beautiful as ever. He watched as she climbed onto the railing, one foot and then the other. She climbed even higher onto the bar, and Luis saw her let go and lean forward. He ran up behind her and grabbed her by the wrist.

"What the hell are you doing?" he yelled. She swung around and stared at him with tears running down her face. "Lu…Luis…? Is it actually you?" she asked shakily. Luis pulled her down from the railing and into his arms. She immediately started to cry, burying her face in his chest. He held her close, running his hand up and down her back. "Shhh… Shhh… Sheridan it's all right… please baby, stop crying…" he said as he scooped her up in his arms and brought her inside. He sat down on the couch with her in his lap. She clutched onto him as if her life depended on it. "I… never… thought… I… would see… you again…" she said in between sobs. "I know… I know… I'm here now, that's all that matters… please Sherri… calm down…" "But how? How did you get here? How did you know where I was?" Sheridan asked him frantically.

"I went to talk to Ethan after I got your message. You're right, he's a good guy," Luis said. Sheridan smiled a little. "Well I told him what happened and his mother found us talking. She knew who I was." "Yes… I told her. I came back from that date… and I just… just needed someone to talk to…" "Yeah, she told me what had happened. That guy, your date, he didn't hurt you did he?" Luis said, with a scared look in his eyes. Sheridan saw this and touched his cheek. "No, no of course not. I just couldn't stand it anymore… pretending… going out with these men because of my father… I just…" Sheridan said, getting upset. "I know, I know. I didn't help you any, getting on your case about it. I should've just trusted that you knew what was best; I should've listened to you."

"No Luis, you were wonderful… I know how hard it must've been for you, me going out with other guys. I promise nothing happened… I couldn't think of anyone else except for you when I was out with them. I didn't want to go; I swear." "I know you didn't Sherri. It's all right; none of it matters anymore. We'll figure this out somehow." "But how? I won't pretend anymore; I can't." "I don't know. We'll figure it all out later. You need to rest; you look tired." "I know; I've been crying non-stop since I got here. I haven't even left my room," she said sadly. "Yeah… that's what the maid said. She's the one that told me where you were." "I'm so glad she did; I missed you so much," she said quietly. Luis leaned in and gave her a soft, gentle kiss. "I missed you too. I love you so much," he whispered. "I love you too Luis," she said quietly as she placed another soft kiss on his lips. "I'm going to go take a warm shower."

"Okay." "You're going to be here when I get out, right?" she asked softly. Luis took her hand and kissed it gently. "Of course. I'm never leaving your side again; I'll be right here." Sheridan smiled and went into the bathroom. Luis got up and went over to the balcony. He stared out over the city of Paris. 'What are we going to do?' he thought hopelessly. ~*~20 minutes later~*~ Sheridan stepped out of the bathroom wearing her gray silk robe and matching nightgown. She saw Luis fast asleep on the couch and smiled to herself. She sat down next to him and leaned in, kissing his temple. His eyes opened and he smiled when he saw her.

"You sure know how to wake a guy up," he said weakly. "I think I'm jet-lagged." "Well let's go to bed then. We'll figure everything out tomorrow." She took his hand and led him to her bedroom. She lay down on the bed and turned off the lights. He stripped down to his boxers and crawled in next to her. She snuggled up to him and he wrapped his arms around her protectively. "I love you Luis," Sheridan said quietly as she closed her eyes and yawned. "I love you too Sherry," Luis whispered as he kissed her temple lightly.

To Be Continued...

Chapter 7:

Sheridan's eyes opened slightly and took a minute to adjust to the sunlight. She felt two strong arms wrapped around her body and look up to see Luis asleep. He was snoring lightly, the way that always made Sheridan giggle. She eased out of his grip and sat down next to him. He groaned a little, then grabbed onto a pillow and buried his face in it. She smiled and leaned down, giving him a quick kiss on the temple. She stood up and went into the living room and over to the phone. 'I should call Ethan to thank him' she thought as she dialed the number to Ethan's room. It rang twice and then he picked up.

"Hello?" "Hi, Ethan. It's Sheridan." "Sheridan! Hey, how are you doing? Did you get your surprise?" Ethan exclaimed. "Yes. Luis is here now. He got here last night and I just wanted to call you and tell you what a great nephew you are for helping him find me." "I know how much you two love each other Sheridan; I'm just glad I could help. But what are you going to do now? Luis can't just stay there forever."

"I know Ethan, I know," Sheridan sighed. "We're going to figure everything out today. I don't know how we're going to handle this." "I'm sure you will though. You're both very strong people, I'm sure you'll be fine." "I just wanted you to know how much this meant to me." "I know Sheridan. I just want you to come home as soon as possible; I miss you." "I don't know if I can Ethan. I don't know how we can get past Julian and Alistair. We'll find a way though; I'm sure of it."

~*~Luis' Dream~*~

Luis slowly walked towards Sheridan. Her face was stained with tears and she was staring out over the city. She climbed onto the railing, higher and higher. She reached the top rail and let go. Luis tried to run to her but he was frozen to the ground. He tried to scream but no sound came out. He watched in horror as she leaned forward on fell off the balcony.

~*~Back to reality~*~

"SHERIDAN!" Luis screamed at the top of his lungs. He shot up in the bed, gasping for breaths of air. Drops of sweat laced his forehead and chest. Sheridan came running into the room. "Luis, what is it? What's wrong?" she said as she sat on the edge of the bed. Luis grabbed her and pulled her body into his arms. He held her tightly, afraid to let go. Sheridan wrapped her arms around his neck. "Luis tell me what happened," she said. "I… I didn't get there in time and you… you jumped" Luis said, still taking quick, short breaths. "What, what are you talking about?" Luis pulled away and took Sheridan's face in his hands. "What were you doing yesterday?" "Yesterday?" Sheridan asked nervously.

"When I got here what were you doing? You know what I'm talking about" Luis said sternly. Sheridan looked at him with tear-filled eyes. Luis pulled her back into her arms as she started to cry again. "Sheridan how…why? Why would you" Luis couldn't even finish as tears started to fill his own eyes. "Don't ever do that again Sheridan, ever. You scared me so much I don't know what I would do if I ever lost you.

"I'm so sorry I didn't know what I was doing I never thought I would see you again" Sheridan cried; her face buried in his chest. "I love you" "I love you too baby, more than anything. That's why nothing can ever happen to you." Sheridan pulled away a little bit and looked into his eyes. "I'm sorry I scared you I" "Shhh it's all right let's not talk about it anymore just forget it," Luis said. Sheridan leaned in and gave Luis a soft kiss. "Now I know why I love you so much" Sheridan said as she smiled. Luis grinned at her and kissed her fingertips. "So what should we do today?" "We have to decide how to handle this thing. I don't know if your father will"

"Luis, no, please" Sheridan said, cutting him off. "Not now. We can discuss that tonight, or tomorrow. This is your first time in Paris, let me show you everything." "Sherri... I can't just stay here forever" "I know, not forever. I promise we'll talk about it tomorrow. Please?" Sheridan said, pleading with her eyes. Luis tried not to look at her but couldn't resist. "All right all right" he said chuckling. "But that's not fair, you know I can't argue with that look."

"Yeah, I know. That's why I used it," she said, giggling. "Oh you're going to get it now missy" Luis said, flipping Sheridan over on her back. She squirmed to get away from him but he had her pinned down. "Nope you're not getting away that easily," he said as he started to tickle her all over. She burst out laughing and struggled to get away but was laughing too hard. "No! Luis, stop! Come on stop!" "Nope, not going to stop!" "Why? Come on come on Luis!" she yelled happily, tears streaming down her face. "Say 'Luis a hottie'!" Sheridan kept laughing. "Okay Luis is a hottie now let me up" "Nope say 'Luis is the sexiest man alive" Luis said grinning, still tickling her.

"Luis is the sexiest man alive! Now let go of me!" Luis chuckled and stopped tickling Sheridan. She stood up and playfully smacked him on the arm. "So what should we do today?" "No, I'm mad at you now" Sheridan said, with fake anger. She turned to face the window so Luis wouldn't see her smiling. "Awww My poor baby" Luis said, getting off the bed and standing behind her. He rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Will you ever forgive me?" he said quietly, placing kisses on her neck in between words. She giggled and kissed his temple. "I think I might be able to" "Good." Sheridan turned around in Luis' arms. "I think we should go get dressed so I can take you on a tour of Paris." "That sounds absolutely wonderful. I think I'm going to hop in the shower first," he said as he leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Okay honey."

~*~20 minutes later~*~

Luis came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. His hair and chest were dripping wet and he stopped when he saw Sheridan. She was standing in front of her closet in her bra and a long floral skirt. There were a few shirts on the floor and she was sorting through more in the closet. He smiled to himself and walked over to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she giggled.

"Out of the shower I see" "Yup. I thought you would be dressed by now." "I can't decide what to wear," she pouted. "You'll look beautiful in anything Sheridan." "You're so sweet," she said. "But I want to look really special today." "Every time I see you, you look special to me" Sheridan turned and smiled at him. "I love you so much Luis." She looked at him and realized all he had on was a towel. He grinned at her. He hugged her and kissed her neck. "I love you too Sheridan." She smiled and put her hands on Luis' wet back.

. He almost groaned at her touch. He started to place kisses down her neck. She swallowed and raked her nails down his bare skin. "Sheridan I want you so much" he whispered as he continued kissing down her neck. He slid one of her bra straps down and kissed where it had been. She moaned softly and brought his face up to meet hers. She pulled him into a fiery kiss and before she knew it he had picked her up and laid her on the bed. He laid himself on top of her and started trailing kisses down her neck, shoulders, and stopping on her chest.

"Luis… I… wait… we can't" Luis pulled back and looked at her. He paused for a moment then sighed. "I'm sorry… I know you don't want to… I shouldn't have started" "Luis" she said softly, placing her index finger on his lips. "I mean we can't right now… I have plans for us for today… and for tonight" she whispered seductively. Luis grinned at her.

"You're so wonderful Sheridan." Luis gave her one last quick kiss then got up. While they were getting dressed they couldn't help themselves from stealing glances at each other and smiling. Luis put on a black fitted, ribbed sweater and some tight black jeans. He went into the living room while Sheridan finished getting dressed and called Hank. "Yeah?" "Hey buddy, it's Luis." "Hey Luis, where are you dude? I had a party here; hope you don't mind. It wasn't too wild; don't worry. Let's just say I didn't wake up alone" Hank gloated.

"Yeah, that's great, no one cares. Listen, I'm going to be out of town for awhile so don't screw up the dorm." "Out of town? Where are you; how long?" "Umm I'm in Paris, and I don't know for how long." "Paris? What the hell are you doing in Paris?" "Look, it's just a long story. Sheridan's father found out about us and sent her here, so I followed her." "You went there for Sheridan? Jeez dude, you need to drop that girl. She's a hottie but way too much trouble." "Oh what do you know about women Hank? Nothing. Look, if it's not too much trouble try to get all my work for me from my classes. I'm probably going to be gone for awhile." "How long?" "I told you; I don't know. A few days, a few weeks. However long it takes to figure this mess out."

"You're going to miss all that work just for some chick?" "She's not just some chick Hank; I love her and will do anything to be with her." "How can you love her she doesn't even put out" Hank muttered. "All right whatever. I'm hanging up now; you're being an ass. Just don't burn the dorm down," Luis said, hanging up the phone. He sighed angrily and turned around to see Sheridan standing in the doorway. She took his breath away every time he saw her. She had on a short, light blue, floral skirt and a pink, fitted, long sleeve tee. "You're gorgeous" She smiled shyly and went up to him.

"Thank you. You look pretty good yourself. I'm going to have to keep my eye on you" Luis chuckled. "Me? Look at you. All the guys are going to see how beautiful you are and try to steal you away from me" "Well they can try all they want, but I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying right here with you." "Good," he said, giving her a quick kiss. "Come on; I can't wait to show you everything. I know you're going to love it" "I'm sure I'll love my guide." She smiled again and took his hand. "You're too sweet you know that? Just too sweet." He grinned and squeezed her hand. She picked up her purse and they left her room.

To Be Continued...

Chapter 8:

Luis intertwined his fingers with Sheridan's and brought her hand up to his mouth, giving it a soft kiss. She smiled at him and he couldn't contain his smile as he saw her ice blue eyes sparkle. They strolled the street together; Sheridan pointing to every other thing and explaining the history behind it. Luis couldn't even concentrate; all he could do was focus on Sheridan. She was so energetic and full of life; he hadn't seen her like this in awhile and it was warming his heart to see it now. He knew how happy she was and he was hoping that he could make her happier tonight. A grin spread across his face as he remembered how seductive she had been in their hotel room. He had wanted her so badly hell, he had always wanted her; ever since the day they had met.

~*~Flashback~*~

Hank was almost falling out of the chair laughing, and Luis was just chuckling at what an idiot his best friend was. Beth was sitting next to him and was hanging on Luis' every word. There was still 10 minutes until the first warning bell, and Luis got up to take a walk around the halls before class started. 'Damn it feels good to be a senior its about time' he thought to himself, laughing inwardly at the four-foot freshmen running around frantically to get to class. He saw a group of girls that were looking at him and he waved at them, which sent them all into a giggling fit. He chuckled again and kept walking down the crowded halls until he rounded a corner and smashed into another person.

"Damn you should watch where you're going" he said, rubbing his head and looking up to meet a pair of icy blue eyes looking into his. "Me? Well you shouldn't have been racing around the corner like that!" she said, glaring at him. She bent down and started to pick up the spilled contents of her purse, pushing her blond hair behind her ears. He gazed at her for a moment, taken over by her beauty. Her full red pouting lips and crystal eyes were mind numbing, and he felt like he couldn't move. She had on knee- high leather boots with a short black miniskirt and a tight cranberry sweater that definitely showed off her curves.

He tried to say something but his breath was caught in his throat. He wanted to speak, but he was just dumbfounded by how incredibly gorgeous she was. "Well aren't you even going to help me here?" she said, looking up and staring at Luis. She inhaled quickly when she saw him. His cheshire grin was astounding and he was definitely one of the hottest guys she had ever seen. His dark complexion matched his gorgeous body perfectly. She could see his well-formed abs and chest through his tight black ribbed turtleneck.

He didn't say anything and just kept watching her with his deep, milky brown eyes. She gazed at him for a second, then finally tore herself away and picked up the rest of her things from the ground. He realized what she said and snapped out of it, but saw she had already gotten all her things. "Well maybe if you knew where you were going then you wouldn't have run into me!" he shouted back. "I can't believe your nerve!" She yelled. "Me? What about you? You don't own these halls!" "Oh, like you do?" "I don't have time for this right now; it was great meeting you," Sheridan said sarcastically, turning and walking away.

'I can't believe him, what an ego!' she thought. 'He sure is sexy though…' Luis watched as she stomped away, grinning to himself. 'What a body… she sure has a mouth on her though' He watched her for another minute as she turned into one of the offices in the hall, and then headed back to his class. ~*~End of Flashback~*~

Sheridan looked over to see Luis watching her, smiling widely. "What?" she asked, smiling. "Nothing," Luis said innocently, grinning more. "Come on Luis, what are you thinking about?" "Nothing just how incredibly sexy you are," he said, leaning over and kissing Sheridan's neck. She smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder. "So where are we going next?" "Hmmm you know what I would really really love to do? I don't know if you would want to though" Sheridan said excitedly. Luis raised his eyebrow and looked at her. "And what is that?" he asked cautiously. "Go to dinner, then go dancing." "That sounds great why wouldn't I want to?" "Because it's formal, and that means a tuxedo for you" "Ugh" Luis groaned. "You know I hate wearing those things" "I know, but you look so sexy in them. And didn't you say we could do anything I wanted?" Sheridan asked, batting her eyelashes and sticking out her bottom lip.

Luis looked at her wearily, then sighed. "I promise we'll do something you want later" she said, turning her smile seductive. Luis chuckled and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Now how can I turn that down?" he said, kissing her temple softly. "You can't," Sheridan answered, nudging his side. He pulled her closer and chuckled again as they walked back towards the hotel.

~*~One hour later~*~

"You almost ready Sheridan?" Luis asked through the bathroom door. "Yeah sweetie, just give me a few more minutes," she called out. Luis sighed and went back into the living room. He stopped at the mirror and straightened his tie a little. 'I look like an idiot but Sheridan likes it. Tonight's the big night… god I hope she says yes of course she's going to say yes Luis, she loves you. But still what if she doesn't he thought to himself. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the bathroom door open. He turned and froze when he saw Sheridan standing in front of him.

She took a few steps towards him and held out her arms. "Well?" she asked, somewhat nervously. Luis moved his eyes up and down her slender figure. Her tight midnight blue dress showed off every inch of her body. It went down to her ankles and had a long slit on either side that reached her thighs. It had a low square neck and the straps connected at the back of her neck. The back was very low cut and Luis grinned when he saw the small rose tattoo on the small of her back. Luis took her hand and twirled her around. "Is it too much?"

"No" Luis said, pulling her close. "It's perfect," he whispered as he kissed her neck. "Just like you." Sheridan smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "Really? You like it?" "Of course baby, you always manage to take my breath away. I especially love the back" he said, running his hand down her spine. "I knew you would" Sheridan said, giggling.

~*~Flashback~*~

"I'm sorry sweetie, he's right," Luis said, taking a swig of his drink. "No he's not!" Sheridan yelled, trying her best not to smile. "You know I am Sheridan," Hank said. "You would never get a tattoo!" "I love you and Hank is hardly right, but you are way too scared of needles to get a tattoo honey, and it's the truth," Luis said chuckling. "I can't believe you; you're supposed to be on my side!" she shouted, nudging him in the stomach. "Hey," he said simply, shrugging helplessly. Sheridan shook her head; looking from Luis to Hank, then back to Luis. "Fine," she said, standing up and getting out of Luis' arms. "Hey, I thought we were going to watch a movie? Come on" Luis said, tugging on her arm. "No movie for me thanks," Sheridan said, grabbing her purse.

"Come on honey, don't pout" "Who said I'm pouting?" Sheridan asked, turning back around so Luis could see her mischievous grin. He looked at her for a minute then raised his eyebrows. "Then what are you doing?" "Nothing," Sheridan said innocently. "Well nothing you didn't dare me to do" "Woah dare? No one dared you; Hank, tell her it wasn't a dare!" Luis said, standing up. He knew that word just ignited something in Sheridan that made her have to be right. Hank just stared at them with a goofy grin on his face. "Sounds like a dare to me Luis," Sheridan said, heading outside. "See what you've done?" Luis said to Hank. Both of them quickly followed Sheridan out side to see her waiting in her silver convertible.

"Are you guys coming or what?" she asked, tipping her sunglasses down. "You don't have to do this Sheri," Luis said, getting in next to her as Hank jumped in the backseat. "You don't think I'll do this is what you mean, right?" she said as she started driving. "No, now that you've gotten it in your head I'm positive you'll do it, but I'm saying you don't have to." "I still don't she'll do it," Hank yelled over the wind from the backseat. "Don't you think you've done enough Hank?" Luis yelled back. He turned to Sheridan to see her smiling brightly and he shook his head. They arrived at the tattoo parlor a few minutes later and Sheridan went right in, followed by Luis and Hank.

"What should I get?" Sheridan asked; looking around at the walls covered with tiny intricate designs. "I don't know baby" Luis said, grinning. 'I can't believe she's going to do this' "How about this?" she asked, pointing to a small butterfly. Luis wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. "That's nice I guess" "Come on Luis, help me out here." "I really don't know Sheridan, why are you asking me?" Luis asked chuckling. "Because I want you to like it" Sheridan whined playfully. "Okay, okay," Luis said, grinning. "How about that?" he said, pointing towards a small red rose on the wall. "Ooh, I like that" Sheridan said, taking a step forward to look at it. "I love it! Do you think I should get it?" she asked, turning around to smile excitedly at Luis. He chuckled a little and kissed her softly. He had said yes and that was that.

~*~End Flashback~*~

Luis pulled Sheridan close and nuzzled her neck softly. "I don't think I'll be able to keep my hands off you tonight," he whispered in her ear. "Who said you have to?" she whispered back, kissing him softly. "As good as that sounds" Luis said, pulling back a little and touching Sheridan's cheek gently, "I have other plans for us…" "I can't wait and did I mention how incredibly sexy you are in that tuxedo?" she asked seductively, running her hands down his chest. "I'm going to have to keep my eye on you, all the women will be after you" "Well that doesn't matter, because my eyes are going to be on you the entire night," he said quietly, leaning in and kissing her softly. She smiled and he picked up her long blue wrap and draped it around her shoulders. She picked up her small purse and they headed out for an unforgettable night.

To Be Continued...