I Just Hadn't Met You Yet

***********present time****************

**Sheridan's cottage**

Sheridan woke up feeling dazed and her head pounded with the worst pain she could remember. She stretched and emitted a gasp when her leg brushed against bare skin and she realized it wasn't her other leg. She racked her brain, trying to recall the night before, but her memory failed her. Could it be possible? She'd finally connected with Luis and now she couldn't even remember it? She drew a deep breath and rolled over to face the man beside her and the breath rushed back out with a whoosh of shock. The face on the pillow beside her belonged to Hank, not Luis! Sheridan flew from the bed with lightening speed and fled to the bathroom. She stared at her pale, stricken face in the mirror, feeling the bile rise in the back of her throat. Her eyes stared back at her, accusing and filled with self-loathing. "How could you?" her voice quivered as she spoke to her reflection. "No matter how much alcohol you had...this is still unforgivable!" She fingered the flannel night-gown she was wearing...that was odd...she couldn't imagine putting something like that on after a night of ... uggghhh! A vision of Hank touching her sent a shudder of disgust through her. Then she sighed. There was no denying that the man was in her bed, no matter how much the idea repulsed her. She just wished she could remember...she knew up to a point of course...the day hadn't been going well...

************flashback to yesterday***************

**the wharf**

Sheridan stood on the wharf, staring down into the dark, cold water. The image of Luis, standing in that very spot using his cell phone, playing through her mind yet again. Talking about getting back at the crane's by using her...calling her a spoiled princess.... A tear dripped from her face and fell down into the water. It had happened weeks ago and she still wasn't over it... wasn't over him. She couldn't seem to help herself. As badly as he'd hurt her she couldn't stop her feelings... she loved him anyway. She couldn't stop herself from loving him, but she could stop him from hurting her again and she intended to do just that. She'd already decided to leave Harmony and go back to Paris, all she had to do was set her plans in motion. Not that she would stop thinking about Luis in Paris... she wasn't naive enough to believe that. Still, she wouldn't have to run the risk of bumping into him somewhere. She heard footsteps approaching and wiped her eyes. "Sheridan." She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and silently cursing her misfortune. She turned from the water to face him, forcing her voice to be void of emotion. "Hello Luis."

********back to the present*********

**Lopez-Fitzgerald house**

Luis was in the backyard chopping wood. The neatly stacked pile of logs would last through until the end of next winter, but he didn't stop. The hard labour kept his body busy, if not his mind. Lately all he could think of was Sheridan. If only he knew why she was so mad maybe he could fix things between them. Everything had been going so well for a while. She was so different than he'd expected and he'd really begun to believe there was a chance for them. Then...boom... he's getting smacked and she won't even talk to him. Yesterday, when he'd seen her standing on the wharf, he'd almost walked away but something had stopped him. She looked so beautiful, staring out at the water...yet there was a sadness there too. She'd looked so alone...he hadn't been able to walk away...

***********flashback to yesterday***********

**the wharf**

She turned around after he spoke, "Hello Luis." Luis saw the dampness in her eyes and he knew she'd been crying. Her eyes were soft and vulnerable, but her voice was hard and cold. "What do you want?" "Nothing...well, I thought maybe we could talk?" Luis said, not able to believe how strong his feelings were for her. Even though she'd smacked him and blown him off all he wanted to do was haul her into his arms and kiss her senseless. She paused before replying, "There is nothing to talk about Luis." That brief hesitation was what made Luis determined to get some answers. "Yes, there is Sheridan. Tell me what I did wrong? How can I fix it if I don't even know what I did?" Her eyes flashed with something - anger or hurt - he wasn't sure which. "You can't fix it Luis! What you did was unforgivable... please, just leave me alone!" She moved to step by him, but he reached out and took hold of her arm. "Sheridan, stop running away!" He felt a familiar tingle...the same one he always felt where he touched her... and the urge to pull her to him was almost overwhelming...

****************back to the present**************

**Sheridan's cottage**

Sheridan felt so ....... dirty was the word that came to her mind. She went into her bedroom, averting her eyes from Hank lying in the rumpled bed. She gathered some clothes and headed back to the bathroom where she turned on the shower as hot as she could stand. She stood under the spray and scrubbed herself with a sponge as her mind drifted back to the wharf...

***************flashback to yesterday**********

**the wharf**

"Sheridan, stop running away!" His hand on her arm was almost like being struck by lightning. She wanted so much to press herself closer and feel his arms around her... then she remembered that he'd been using her and she came to her senses. "Let go of me!" She snatched her arm away and stepped back a few paces. "And I am not running away!" "That's funny, I heard you were going back to Europe. You always said you were going to make Harmony your home." Luis's eyes bore into hers, making her feel as though he could see her soul. Sheridan glanced away, then raised her chin, giving him the haughty look that he'd always insisted was a Crane trademark. "You give yourself entirely too much credit Luis! I would have to give a damn about you for our failed relationship to drive me away!" The words made her heart ache and her stomach feel queasy, but she forced herself to continue. "I already told you, you were just a fling...someone to amuse me while I was in Harmony." If she didn't know better she would swear she saw pain in his eyes. But he didn't care about her...the phone call had proven that. She willed herself not to cry and delivered a final line, "And now I'm going back to Paris and I don't need you anymore. There are plenty of men in Paris to keep me occupied...goodbye Luis." She walked away, her head held high, while inside she was dying, her heart shattering into a million pieces.

********back to the present*******

**Lopez-Fitzgerald house**

Luis split the last piece of wood and added the halves to the woodpile. Despite the fact that he was hot and tired he wasn't ready to quit, but there was no more wood to split. He noticed the basketball over by the picnic table, scooped it up and began doing lay-ups. He wished Miguel was around to play some one-on-one. Maybe a bit of aggressive play would take his mind off Sheridan...

*************flashback to yesterday*********

**the wharf**

"There are plenty of men in Paris to keep me occupied...goodbye Luis." He watched her walk away, her icy words seeming to hang in the air. He tried to harden his heart and tell himself that he didn't care. He tried to tell himself that his eyes were damp and itchy because the breeze was kicking up dust. "Who are you kidding?" he asked himself. "You're nuts about her and this is killing you..." He slammed his fist down on the wharf railing. "Damn!" He knew there had to be more to this than Sheridan was saying... he'd seen the way she used to look at him, especially when she thought he couldn't see her. She hadn't been using him and she was running away, no matter how much she denied it. He'd bet his badge on it. He stared off in the direction she'd gone for a moment before shaking his head and walking toward his jeep. He had to do some work at the youth center.

*********back to present*********

**Sheridan's cottage**

The shower wasn't helping. No matter how hard she scrubbed and how hot the water was she still felt dirty...and horrible. Nothing would wash away the nausea she felt at the thought of sleeping with Hank...nothing. She turned off the water and stepped out of the shower stall. As she was drying herself with a huge fluffy towel her thoughts drifted again...

**********flashback to last night*******

**downtown Harmony**

Walking away from Luis was one of the hardest things she'd ever done. She forced herself to keep walking and not look back. She didn't trust herself to be able to look at him and continue to walk away. She wasn't paying any attention to where she was going...just aimlessly moving along the streets of Harmony. She really was going to miss this town, and all the people in it. Suddenly she found herself outside the pool hall. She recalled the night she'd come here with Luis and smiled wistfully. It was that night she'd really began to believe they could have a future together... She turned to walk away when a large hand grabbed her arm. "Sheridan?" She spun around, her face breaking into a smile, "Mac! Hello." "Are you here to give me a rematch?" he grinned heartily. She remembered promising him another game when she'd beaten him at darts the night Luis had brought her here. "Are you sure you're up to being beaten again Mac?" He laughed, "Come on, I feel lucky tonight!" He held the door opened, and after a moments hesitation she smiled, "Alright, you're on!" Three games, three wins and several beers later Sheridan sat on a stool at the bar, watching Mac beat some guy who'd challenged him. She knew she'd consumed too much alcohol already, because the ache in her chest was easing, but she didn't care. She ordered another beer, and just as she was taking the first sip she saw the door swing open and Hank came in. He spotted her immediately and made a beeline for the bar. "Hey, Sheridan! Waiting for me hun? Well, here I am!" Usually his high opinion of himself grated on Sheridan's nerves, but with a few beers in her she hardly noticed. He settled on the stool next to her and proceeded to try and match the drinks she'd already had. It wasn't long after that when she saw Luis walk in the door...

**********back to present*********

**Lopez-Fitzgerald house**

Luis continued pounding the basketball around. He was missing more shots than not because the more he thought about Sheridan and last night the angrier he became...

**********flashback to yesterday******

**the pool hall**

After trying to work at the youth center for a couple hours he gave up trying to concentrate. He locked up the building and was about to head home when he changed his mind. He turned the jeep around and drove to the pool hall instead. A couple beers, a few games of pool with his buddies and he'd be feeling better in no time. He opened the door and stepped inside, only to see Sheridan smiling and talking with Hank. It felt like someone had sucker punched him in the gut. He would've left, but just then she turned and saw him. He wouldn't give her the satisfaction of thinking she drove him away. He spotted Beth over by the jukebox, and after getting himself a beer he went over to stand by her. "Hey Beth" "Luis" Beth smiled at him. She always seemed so happy to see him... he almost wished he could care about her the same way. It would be such an easy relationship... as opposed to the impossible one with Sheridan. "Pick something good for dancing," he told Beth. "Why? Are you asking?" She batted her eyelashes so obviously that he wanted to laugh. "Yeah, I'm asking." He waited while she deposited her money and chose the songs, then he pulled her into his arms and they began to dance. He saw Sheridan say something to Hank and they moved away from the bar and began to dance too. Beth was a good dancer, and dancing with her wasn't unpleasant, but it wasn't like dancing with Sheridan. When he danced with Sheridan it was almost like they were one person, especially when they tangoed...

*****back to the present********

**Sheridan's cottage**

Sheridan dressed in her oldest jeans and a red sweater and wandered to the kitchen. She didn't know what to do with herself. Hank was still sleeping and she hoped he stayed that way for a while. She wasn't ready to deal with him. She still had a pounding headache and she needed time to think. She downed some aspirin and turned the radio on softly while she started to make coffee. A familiar song came on... it was playing last night...

**********flashback to yesterday*********

**the pool hall**

She pulled Hank onto the dance floor as soon as she'd seen Luis pull Beth into his arms. She allowed Hank to hold her close, all the while envying Beth and hating her at the same time. She saw Luis looking at her, saw something that almost looked like pain... but that couldn't be because he was just a heartless user. After the song ended Hank urged her back to the bar and ordered more beer. Sheridan was about to refuse the drink, she'd really had more than enough, but then she saw the way Beth was hanging all over Luis, and he seemed to be enjoying it. She closed her eyes a moment and willed the pain and jealousy to recede. Then she reached for the beer. "Cheers!" Hank grinned, clanking the mugs together, sloshing beer all over Sheridan's hand. "Cheers," she replied, still watching Luis, and downed half the mug.

*********back to present********

**Sheridan's cottage**

Sheridan sipped the coffee, wishing the aspirins would take effect on her pounding head. After that beer things started to get a little fuzzy... she did recall more beer, an argument and a cab ride.... but all these things were filled with gaps and she had no idea what happened after the cab ride. She slammed the coffee mug down on the counter and vowed to herself never to get drunk again. Her bottom lip trembled and she captured it between her teeth. "Don't you dare cry Sheridan!" she ordered herself. "You will not cry over this and that's final!" She picked up her coffee again and walked into the living room where she stood by the window. The sky was dark and it was pouring... the weather matched her mood precisely. "I'm going to pack my bags and leave for Paris today!" she said firmly. "And once there, i'll forget all about Luis.. and i'll definitely forget last night...that is, if I ever remember what happened."

**the Lopez-fitzgerald house**

Luis finally gave up shooting hoops and went back inside. The house was silent... Miguel was already gone to see Charity, as usual, and Theresa and Mama were still asleep. He went into his bathroom and prepared to take a shower. He stood under the warm spray and tried to plan his day, but he couldn't seem to get last night or Sheridan out of his mind...

************flashback to yesterday**********

**the pool hall**

Luis was wishing he'd just gone home after leaving the youth center. He was trying to fend off Beth's advances but it wasn't easy. She'd obviously had way too much to drink and she was all over him. Judging by the way Hank and Sheridan were behaving Beth wasn't the only one who was wasted. They were over by the jukebox, Hank was practically holding Sheridan up. She was struggling to retain her balance...or was she? Maybe she was struggling to get away from Hank? Luis stepped closer to the pair and he heard Sheridan say "Please don't Hank. I don't want to..." Luis saw her try to push him away, but she was obviously too drunk and off balance to resist him. "Hank!" Luis tapped his buddy on the shoulder, "Let her go." "Worry about your own woman Luis, Sheridan is mine!" Luis pulled Sheridan away from him. "I said let her go!" Hank stuck his face right in Luis's and Luis felt an ache in his gut at the thought of getting into a fight with his buddy... but he would if it meant protecting Sheridan. "You lost Luis! I won the girl this time. Sheridan is my woman! Get lost!" Hank tried to shove Luis out of the way, but Luis was stronger. "No, Hank. I'm gonna take Sheridan home now. Come on Sheridan." Sheridan went willingly halfway across the room, then her face suddenly hardened and she dug in her heels. She yanked her arm away from him and said loudly, "NO! I won't go with you occifer....officer." She giggled then. "Hank will take me home... right Hank?" she asked as she stood unsteadily, wobbling slightly. "Right!" Hank said firmly. "I'll get us a cab." Luis hated the thought of Hank taking Sheridan home, but at least they wouldn't be driving.... Beth came up and pressed herself up against him, making him even more disgusted. With Beth, Hank, Sheridan, but especially himself. How could he have let himself feel this way over any woman, never mind a Crane? He sighed and rubbed his jaw with frustration. "Come on Beth. I'll drive you home"

*******back to the present*****

**Sheridan's cottage**

Sheridan's headache was receding finally, and as it left snips of last night were coming back to her. She'd wanted to let Luis 'save' her and take her home, but she just couldn't, after what he's said about her on the wharf... Then when she'd seen him leave with Beth, his arm around her while she hung on him with a death grip... well it had almost made her sick. Even now the thought turned her stomach. The thought of Luis being with Beth the way she'd been with Hank...she didn't know what was worse. She drained the last of her coffee and took a ragged breath. She'd have to wake Hank up and get rid of him. As awkward as it would be she wanted him out of her home ... and out of her life for that matter. In fact, she wanted to just put the whole eight months out of her mind and forget about Harmony all together. As that's what she'd do as soon as she got to Paris. She went into the bedroom and stood, looking at the man in her bed...if only it were someone else laying there...but NO, she couldn't have Luis there either because he was just another user. One more loser to add to her ever growing list of mistakes. She'd thought he was different, but as usual her judgement was terribly off. Maybe Julian was right, she was better off alone. She stepped closer and shook the bed with her foot. "Hank, wake up!" He sat up and smiled. "Good morning Gorgeous! So, was last night good for you?" Sheridan rolled her eyes and scowled. "I don't even remember last night... you were just as drunk, how is it that you do?" Hank grinned lecherously. "I could never forget a night with you Sheridan. I've been thinking about it since the day we met." Sheridan felt the bile rise in her throat again and turned away, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. "Hank, last night was a mistake." "A mistake? Hell, no. Last night was pure Heaven! I can't believe you don't remember." Hank rose to get out of bed and Sheridan was relieved that he was wearing his boxers. "Hank, I don't remember and I'm glad I don't. Just imagining it is bad enough." To her dismay tears began to roll down her face and her voice cracked as she said, "Just go Hank, go and don't come back." Hank came to stand in front of her. "Sleeping with me is that awful? Why?" "Because," Sheridan sobbed, "I don't love you! I love...never mind, just leave!" She was sobbing so hard that she couldn't stand there anymore. She sank onto the bed and dropped her face into her hands. Hank stood there a minute then Sheridan could hear him gathering his clothes up. Moments later she heard the front door close and the cottage was silent, except for her sniffles. She went into the bathroom and washed her face, staring into the mirror at the pathetic woman who stared back. "I can't leave this place too soon! In fact, i'm going to leave on the next plane." She made reservations and packed her bags in record time. Then she headed to the mansion to say goodbye to her family.

**the Crane Mansion**

Ivy entered the living room just in time to hear Julian say to Sheridan, "Well, Sheridan, going back to Paris is really for the best you know." Sheridan looked so sad that Ivy felt terrible for her. "I know Julian. It's really the only sensible choice." "Oh Sheridan, are you sure?" Ivy asked. "Are you sure there is no chance that you and Luis could work this out?" "I don't know Ivy, so much has happened..." Sheridan began to say, but Julian interrupted, "Of course she's sure Ivy. Luis is a loser, just like all the rest of the men Sheridan has dated. She needs to forget about men! With her track record she's destined to be alone anyway." "JULIAN!" Ivy was appalled "That is cruel and uncalled for!" "It's alright Ivy. He's right. Perhaps he's a little forward with his opinion but that doesn't make it any less true. I'm going to say goodbye to Ethan and then I'm leaving for the airport." Sheridan left the room and Ivy gave Julian her most scathing look. "What? Don't give me that holier than thou look Ivy. Excuse me, I have business to attend to." Ivy stood by the door of his office and moments later she heard him gloating to his father on the phone about how he'd successfully disposed of the Sheridan and Luis problem. Ivy shook her head in disgust as Julian chuckled with delight. Then she decided to take action.

**the Lopez-Fitzgerald house**

Luis was trying to concentrate on the newspaper when a knock at the door interrupted him. He opened it, surprised to see who stood there. "Ivy?" "Hello Luis. May I come in?" He nodded, stepping back and allowing her to pass through. "I won't stay long. I just need to set things right. Sheridan is on her way to the airport as we speak." Luis's heart tightened in pain. "So what?" he forced himself to say. "So, I know why she's leaving, why she's so angry with you." Ivy said quietly. You do?" Luis narrowed his eyes and glared at her. "Yes. This is why." Ivy reached into her bag and thrust a hairy rubber mass at him. Luis took it and was shocked to see his own face staring back when he unfolded it. "What the hell is this?" "Julian had it made. He had someone impersonate you. Sheridan overheard the impersonator on a phone call saying unforgivable things." Suddenly, everything fell into place and Luis panicked. She was leaving! "Go after her Luis. She needs you." Ivy urged him. "I will. I'm going! Thank you Ivy!" Luis flew from the house, his heart pounding, his only thought of Sheridan and getting to the airport before her flight left.

**Harmony Airport**

Sheridan sat in a chair, staring out the wall of windows at the planes that were arriving and departing, wondering which one was hers. Which one would take her away from the place she's thought she could finally be happy. Despite her cavalier attitude when she'd said goodbye to Ethan and Pilar she was really devastated. She felt him standing behind her, knowing it was him without turning around. "Sheridan, we need to talk." Sheridan felt a flash of pain, knowing she couldn't rehash the same arguments again, especially not today. "No Luis. There is nothing to talk about." "Yeah there is. Let's start with this." He came around in front of her and dropped something in her lap. She saw a hairy object and let out a squeak of surprise. Then she looked closer, seeing that it was a mask. A mask of Luis. "Where did you get this?" "Ivy. Julian had it made. It wasn't me Sheridan." Luis sat down beside her and looked into her eyes. "It wasn't me on the wharf that night Sheridan." She looked at his eyes, so clear and honest...so full of...could that be love? "It wasn't you... oh Luis..." she remembered slapping him and saying hurtful things to cover her own pain. "Luis," she reached out, cupping his face with her hand, "I'm so sorry... for hitting you and..." She started to cry, tears rolling down her face. Luis thought his heart would crack, seeing her cry was killing him. "Sheridan, don't. It's okay." He pulled her close to him, holding her gently and letting her cry into his neck. "It's not important anymore. What matters is that we found out the truth before it was too late." Suddenly, she pulled back, shaking her head. "No, it is too late..." "It's not too late Sheridan. You can cancel your flight..." She was still shaking her head and Luis didn't understand. "It's not the flight Luis. I did something... something unforgivable." "Whatever it is we can deal with it. It can't be that bad." Luis was a bit scared, her face was filled with despair. "It is... last night... oh Luis... last night I slept with Hank!" Sheridan saw the shock and pain on Luis's face and wished she could die. Hurting him like this was more than she could bear. "No you didn't Sheridan." Hanks voice startled them both and they turned to see him behind them. "Don't lie Hank. I told him the truth." Sheridan just wanted it to be over and the last person she wanted to see was Hank. "I'm telling the truth now, I was lying before," Hank had the decency to look embarrassed. "We didn't sleep together... I thought if you thought we had, maybe you'd want to really get together with me. I can see that it's not gonna happen. You love Luis." The last part came out with a slightly contemptuous tone. "I can't believe you'd let me think.... oh, thank God!" Sheridan felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off her and for the first time since she'd awakened that morning she didn't feel nauseous. "You Bastard!" Luis got up from his seat and slowly advanced on his ex best friend. "You let her think she slept with you, knowing that it was the last thing in the world she would do?" Hank stepped back nervously, "Hey, take it easy buddy..." "I'm not your buddy anymore Hank!" Luis's voice was tight with restrained fury. "I don't want to see you anywhere near me or my family or Sheridan ever again. Get away from me!" Hank left, his head hanging, and Luis turned back to Sheridan, who'd stood by, hoping Luis wouldn't actually kill Hank. Luis moved to her, taking her into his arms. She clung to him tightly, holding him like she never intended to let him go. Luis closed his eyes, loving the way she snuggled so close, inhaling the sweet clean scent of her. "Sheridan, please don't go back to Paris." She pulled back and looked happily into his eyes, her own glistening with tear of happiness. "I'm not leaving." "Good. I want you here, in my arms forever." "Oh, Luis, that's exactly where I want to be." She tilted her face up and he leaned in to kiss her gently. The gentle kiss turned deeper and their arms tightened around each other until they were pressed so close together that even air couldn't pass between them. "I love you Sheridan." "I love you too Luis. I've been loving you my whole life...I just hadn't met you yet."

THE END