Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with nor do I own the show Passions, James E. Reily, or the any of the characters in the show. I am merely an obsessed Shuis fan who loves to write fan fiction about the best characters on the show. So don’t sue me! Just sit back and enjoy the story!
Rating: PG-13
And now the story:
This short, sweet story is a continuation of the way I think things should have turned out between Shuis on Wednesday, October 9, 2002 and Thursday, October 10, 2002. (This fanfic mixes things from both episodes and then finishes with the ending I would have liked to see!)
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Chapter 1:
“This is by far the happiest day of my life,” Anotonio Lopez-Firtzgerald said to his bride-to-be. “I love you so much Sheridan and I can’t tell you how happy I am that we are going to be married today…I’m so glad that you decided to elope with me. Isn’t this great!”
“Yeah..” Sheridan said, nervously glancing at Luis who looked about ready to kill his brother with his own two bare hands.
Suddenly, the minister walked back into the room. “Is the happy couple ready to tie the knot?” he asked them.
“I don’t know about my beautiful bride but I’m ready to marry the most wonderful woman on Earth. So how about it Sheridan? Are you ready?”
“Yes,” Sheridan answered. “Ready as I’ll ever be,” she mumbled under her breath.
“Wait!” Luis yelled.
Antonio sighed. “What is it now Luis? Don’t tell me you’re going to tell me again not to marry Sheridan because the family isn’t here,” Antonio said.
“Actually, I was going to say that,” Luis countered. “This isn’t right! You can’t do this now…Please, I’m begging you.” Luis’ warm brown eyes met Sheridan’s icy cool blue ones; she could evidently see the pain in their depths.
She was torn; should she tell Antonio the truth to please Luis and risk Antonio’s life or, should she marry Antonio and end up breaking Luis’ heart, as well as her own heart? Sheridan had never been so confused and so unsure of what to do in her whole life. She desperately just wanted to run into Luis’ arms and lose herself in him, to forget about this whole mess and everyone else for that matter. He was the man she was engaged to, the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. It just wasn’t fair…life wasn’t fair.
The sound of Luis’ voice brought Sheridan back to reality.
“I can’t let this happen!” Luis exclaimed. “That’s it! I’m telling you the truth Antonio! The whole truth!”
“Luis don’t!” Beth intervened. She took Luis aside and tried to reason with him, telling him that he had to let Antonio and Sheridan get married to save Antonio’s life, (and also to allow her to win him back).
“You can’t tell him anything Luis! He could die, here and now if you put your own desires ahead of his,” Beth argued. “Remember what doctor Russell said: Keep him calm. Nothing can be said that would upset Antonio in any way.”
“That’s right Luis,” Liz said as she approached the two of them. “This is Antonio’s life we’re talking about! You can’t do anything to jeopardize that.”
“Look, I know the consequences okay! I just, I can’t bear to see the woman I love and my brother together for another minute!” Luis said. “I Love Sheridan with all of my heart and this is killing me!”
“None of us have any doubt of that Luis,” Beth said gently. “But you need to be strong for your brother. Let him live in peace for the short time he has left.”
Luis cursed under his breath and looked at Sheridan who looked beautiful in a floor-length deep green dress. He watched her as she nervously fiddled with the bouquet of flowers she had been given while Antonio went to go get her a glass of water. Her features were somber; she looked like she was attending her own funeral; Luis felt like he was at his own funeral too.
How he had let things develop this far he didn’t know. All he did know was that he could never let this happen. Sheridan was a part of him and she always would be.
Suddenly, her tear-filled eyes met his and he could see how painful this whole episode was for her as well. The obvious look of love and the incredible longing for him that Luis could see in her eyes only made him more determined to make her his again. That was it! This escapade could not go on any longer! Not while he had breath in his body!
Just then, Antonio walked back in the room and the spell between Sheridan and Luis was broken; the magic was still there, just temporarily in hiding.
“So are you ready to get married now Sheridan?” Antonio said, handing Sheridan the glass of water.
“Ye-Yes,” Sheridan said, drinking to try and stop herself from shaking. She was in so much pain right now that she could not think rationally. ‘Why am I doing this,’ she asked herself. ‘I can’t go through with this’ Sheridan thought. She started panicking as she walked towards Antonio at the altar. She closed her eyes for a moment and saw her eyes the way it could have been, with Luis.
She saw their beautiful children, years of blissful marriage, and eternal happiness. Smiling regretfully at what could have been, she pushed what could have been wonderful memories out of her mind. She wiped the tears that had begun to course down her cheeks, lifted her chin, and smiled radiantly, determined to appear like a blissfully happy bride. What else could she do anyway?
Sheridan tried to avoid Luis’ stare as she walked down the aisle towards Antonio; she knew if she looked at him it would only make things harder for everyone. She met Antonio at the altar and he gently took her hand, placing it on his.
Luis stood behind them, angry and in more pain than he ever thought one was capable of feeling. He waited silently, masking his emotions and waiting until the moment when the priest would ask if anyone had just cause why the bride and groom should not be married.
“So, if there is anyone here who has just cause why these two should not be wed, let him speak now or forever hold his peace.”
“I object!” Luis said.
Sheridan turned around. Her eyes met his with a look that said, ‘Please Luis, I have to do this.’ Luis only stared back at her with love and he even thought he detected a small smile forming on her lips.
“What the hell is going on here Luis?!” Antonio asked angrily. “Why are you objecting to me and Sheridan getting married?”
“Why?...Because I love her, that’s why.”
At that moment, six expressions of shock were heard all at once. Liz, Beth, the minister, his wife, Antonio, and Sheridan were all staring at him, open-mouthed.
“What?!” Antonio exclaimed. “What did you say?!”
“I said,” Luis emphasized. “I…Love…Sheridan.”
The anger that overtook Antonio’s features was apparent. His eyes were staring intensely at his brother with anger and hatred and his jaw muscles were clenching. Luis thought he could even see Antonio clenching his fists as well. Beth and Liz were nervously awaiting Antonio’s reaction and Sheridan was staring in disbelief at the words that had just come from Luis’s mouth.
“If this is some kind of joke”…Antonio said in a dangerous tone, “It isn’t the least bit funny.”
“It’s no joke, I assure you,” Luis replied. “Sheridan and I are in love. In fact, we’re engaged to be married.”
Sheridan raised her hand to her mouth in complete and total shock and Antonio looked mad enough to kill his brother.
“No….NO!” Antonio cried. He turned to Sheridan who looked about as innocent as someone on death row, about to be executed.
“Tell me this isn’t true Sheridan,” Antonio said in a tense voice; he was obviously fighting for control. “Well…Tell me dammit!”
“Antonio I-I-” Sheridan couldn’t seem to get the words out. “Okay..” she said. “It’s true. Luis and I were involved before I even met you and we were in love and engaged to be married. We were tragically separated last year and that’s when you somehow found me.”
“Okay…” Antonio was shaking with rage now. “And now? Do you still love him? Do you still love my brother?”
“Yes,” Sherdian replied in a small voice.
“And are you engaged to him again?” Antonio questioned her, barely keeping the anger of his voice.
“Yes, I am.”
Antonio looked so hurt, so incredibly angry as he tried to think of what to do or say. But before he could, he doubled over in pain and collapsed on the floor, unconscious.
“Antonio!” Sheridan cried, bending down next to him on the floor.
“Call an ambulance,” Liz informed the minister. “Now! He needs help, right away!”
Luis had never felt so guilty in all of his life. He had killed his brother, or at least gotten him well on the way there. How could he ever forgive himself for what he had done. He deserved to be the one lying on the floor. He looked at Sheridan, who was kneeling over Antonio, crying for him and for what the truth had done to him. Liz ran to Antonio’s side and Beth went to go call Pilar. Sheridan got up and walked over to Luis.
“Why did you do that?” Sheridan said, in the midst of crying.
“What choice did I have Sheridan?” Luis asked. “Trust me, the last thing I wanted to do was hurt my brother and yes, now I feel like dirt, but I couldn’t let him marry you. I’m sorry…that was asking too much of me.”
“Well now Antonio is dying!” Sheridan cried. “How could you do that to your own brother! No wonder you feel like dirt! And you know what, I feel just as low as you do right now because I told him the truth. I should have just lied and said that you just made that up so we would wait to have a church wedding at home!” Sheridan sobbed and wrapped her arms around herself.
“No Sheridan!” Luis yelled. “That’s not the answer! How much longer do you think we really could have gone on lying? He needed to hear the truth and we needed to get it off our chests. Besides we don’t know that he will die for sure. Maybe it will turn out that he will be okay!”
“Look at him Luis!...Just look at him. Does he look okay to you because he certainly doesn’t look okay to me!”
They were suddenly interrupted by several doctors that had arrived with the ambulance.
“We need to get him to the hospital right away,” one of the doctors said.
“I’ve got my car…let’s follow behind them,” Sheridan said.
“Okay,” Liz agreed.
Liz and Sheridan left in her car and Beth offered to take Luis to the hospital in her car.
Well, he had done it, he had revealed the truth to his brother. Now the only question was, would his brother survive and be able to forgive him. And more importantly, would Sheridan ever be able to forgive him for revealing the truth and hurting Antonio. What ever happened, Luis had a feeling that things were going to get a lot worse before they got better…
To Be Continued…