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| Chapter Twenty-One | |||
| The Latin Sensation ... Let the Games Begin (Men First) | |||
| Max and Shawn were watching as Belle and Liz sat down at the table directly in front of the stage. | |||
| "Are you ready for this?" Shawn asked Max as they backed away from the curtain. | |||
| "As ready as I can be. But, I will do this for Liz because I owe it to her and she deserves it." Max responded as he saw Theresa heading over to him. | |||
| "Hey guys, we're going to start things in a few minutes so get ready." She moved to the side of the stage. | |||
| *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* | |||
| Everyone was seated around the table but two chairs were empty. Max and Shawn had yet to show their faces. | |||
| "I thought you said that Shawn and Max were going to be here waiting for us. We haven't seen them once since we got here." Belle told Philip. | |||
| "Well, that's not my fault they were supposed to be here. Maybe they just had to do something. Look, Belle, I'm sure they'll be here shortly." Philip answered. | |||
| "Are you sure? Because if they don't get here soon, I'm going to-" Belle was unable to complete her statement as Theresa walked out onto the stage. | |||
| "Look Theresa's about to start, Shawn will be here shortly. Believe me he wouldn't miss this for the world. You just need to relax." Brady said as he reached across and patted her hand with a claming touch. Secretly hoping that nothing went wrong. | |||
| *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* | |||
| Theresa stood in the center of the stage with a long green floral print gown on and her hair up in an elegant bun with the ends flipped out. | |||
| "Good evening and welcome to the Latin Sensation Showcase Spectacular, whew what a mouth full," the audience laughed as she smiled brilliantly. "I am honored to be your hostess for tonight's event. As you know this is a charity event benefiting the Pediatric Cancer Center and all the funds from tonight's show as well as donations that have been made will go towards the new Pediatric Wing of the Boston Colonial Hospital that will specialize in cancer patients." The audience applauded along with Theresa. "We have been taking your generous donations and will continue to do so throughout the night. Please place your donations in the envelopes and then into the gold dishes in the center of your tables. They will be collected during the two intermissions that we will have tonight. Now, we have many performances to get to with several people performing including some of the hospital staff. All leading up to the Amateur Latin Dance Competition at the end. So before I introduce our first act of the night, I'd like to thank everyone who helped get this production off the ground. It was a very hard and tedious job to do and I couldn't have done it without help. So I'd especially like to thank Mrs. Maria Guerin from the Twilight PR Firm for helping. She worked with me through all of the stages we had to go through to get here. She did and excellent job with the PR work as well. So let's give her a round of applause." Theresa led the audience in a round of applause for Maria. | |||
| Maria sat in her seat blushing from all the applause as Michael gave her a kiss on the cheek. | |||
| "Okay, now let's get the show on the road, we have a lot to get through. Our first performance will be by our very own Dr. Maxwell Evans." Theresa left the stage as the curtain opened with Max in the front of the stage and Shawn off in the background. | |||
| Liz and Belle looked up at the stage in shock to see their husbands, respectively, up there. | |||
| *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* | |||
| Max took a deep breath and looked out at Liz's shocked face as she watched him. He glanced over at Shawn and upon his nod he started to speak. | |||
| "My first exposure to children with cancer occurred when I was seventeen and my boss, at the time, had a daughter who was sick. I never realized how devastating that illness could be on both the child and parent. But, after spending some time with her, I realized that was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I wanted to be a doctor to help save those children who are suffering with this everywhere in the world today. So I thought a great way to show how much I believe in this cause would be to perform tonight." Max looked out into the audience. "Helping people became my desire, my passion, my destiny." He made eye contact with Liz directly. | |||
| "What I am about to perform is for my other passion and my true destiny." He paused dramatically. "My wife, Liz. Earlier this week we had a stupid fight over something that happened years ago. I just wouldn't let it go. And when I finally realized what I did wrong. It was too late; the damage had already been done. I thought about what I could do to make it up to her. So I'm going to do two things. First, I will admit that I was wrong. I never should have questioned you on anything that you did. You made the only decision that you could make with those options open. I trust you completely and I love you more than you'll ever know." Max moved to center of the stage and cued Shawn. | |||
| Liz sat watching Max on the stage, in awe. He forgave her, better yet, he trusts her. As she thought about all those things her eyes began to fill with tears. She looked down at her hands in her lap. And then she heard it, I Shall Believe* she froze. ~Liz, look at me. ~ She heard Max's voice in her head and looked up at him. ~Come to the stage, ~ she got up and moved to the stage. Once she got there she felt something lift her up onto the stage. Max stood on the darken stage holding a hand out for her to take. | |||
| And lay your hands over me... | |||
| Liz placed her hand in Max's and a greenish glow covered the couple as they danced to the song. | |||
| *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* | |||
| The audience sat in wonderment as they saw the woman they assumed was Liz levitated off the ground and go onto the stage. Then, as the couple's hands met, a beautiful greenish glow covered them and lit the darken stage. What a way to start off the show! | |||
| *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* | |||
| It seems like every time I try to make it right | |||
| It all comes down on me | |||
| lease say honestly you won't give up on me | |||
| And I shall believe | |||
| And I shall believe... | |||
| Liz and Max moved across the stage together in a symphony of synchronized movements. He led her across the stage covering the entire area. | |||
| Open the door | |||
| And show me your face tonight | |||
| I know its true | |||
| No one heals me like you | |||
| And you hold the key... | |||
| As Max glided across the stage with Liz, he leaned down to her ear and whispered to her, "I'm sorry Liz. I don't ever want you to feel like what happened was your fault. Obviously, if my future self came to you then he trusted you, just as I have always trusted you more than anyone else. I trust you and I will always love you." | |||
| Liz felt teas slid down her face, Max reached up and wiped them away. Then he twirled her around. ~This time I won't disappear. I will never leave you again. ~ | |||
| Never again | |||
| Would I turn away from you | |||
| I'm so heavy tonight | |||
| But your love is alright | |||
| And I do believe... | |||
| As Liz returned to face Max she looked deeply into his brown eyes and suddenly saw a glimpse of her future to come. She saw an older version of Max with long brown hair and a sexy gray streak; he was standing next to a teenager who resembled Gabriel. Another child stood next to Gabe with brown hair, he looked about two or three years younger. She saw two small children running towards Max, one boy and one girl they were laughing as someone else was chasing them, it looked liked an older woman. She was laughing too. But, just as quickly as the image came to her it disappeared. She was snapped back to the present with Max standing in front of her. He pulled her closer to him, only to lean her down as the song ended. | |||
| Please say honestly | |||
| You won't give up on me | |||
| And I shall believe | |||
| I shall believe | |||
| And I shall believe... | |||
| As Max eased Liz back into an upright position; he brought his mouth down for a kiss. The audience began to applaud as the curtain closed on the kissing couple. | |||
| *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* | |||
| Shawn had moved to the table sometime during Max and Liz's dance. No one had noticed his presence until the performance was over and he was sitting next to Belle because they were all captivated by what they were watching. | |||
| "You look beautiful," he told her as Belle looked over at him in surprise. | |||
| "When did you get here Shawn?" She asked as he placed his arm on her shoulders. | |||
| "I came when Max and Liz were dancing. Did you like the performance I helped--," he was interrupted by Belle. | |||
| "Really, what did you do?" | |||
| "I played the music." | |||
| Belle heard his response and looked around at the other women at the table. "So let me get this straight. You let me be brought here by my brother so you could play the music?" She asked. Shawn nodded. "You left me alone to play the music?" Again Shawn nodded in response. | |||
| "Belle, I thought it was sweet. I mean look, Max and Liz are back together." Mimi gestured to the couple getting recognition from other people as they walked to the table. | |||
| Belle said nothing as Max and Liz took their seats at the table together side by side. She saw how radiantly happy Liz looked as Max whispered something in her ear. She decided that since it made Liz happy she'd let Shawn's absence go. Besides, they were going to get him back later. She smiled, "Max, that was a very sweet thing you did. Not to mention a lovely performance considering that it was unrehearsed." | |||
| "Thank you," Max said taking his eyes away from his wife to respond. "But, believe me, that was not the only performance worth watching. I heard from Theresa that there will be a lot of surprises tonight." | |||
| "I just bet that there will be. I can't wait." Chloe said sharing a secret smile with the other women around the table as the next performance began. | |||
| *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* | |||
| The first intermission had just begun. The dedications had begun to come so people started to move out onto the dance floor. All of the couples were on the dance floor except for Chloe, Philip, Belle, Shawn, and Michael because Maria had gone off to help Theresa with something for the next transition. Michael had sat there for a while, but then he decided to go check on his children, and he left the table to call the sitter. | |||
| Belle and Chloe were having a conversation about Jan and Jason. "So you never did tell me about Kevin. What's he doing now?" Chloe asked. | |||
| "Oh, that's right, I didn't get a chance to tell you. I saw him the other day at the hospital and he told me that Jan and Jason are getting a divorce." | |||
| "Are you serious? I though that they were going to try to keep their marriage together for Tracey's sake." Chloe responded thinking about the couple's one-year-old child. | |||
| "Well, they were until Jason found out that Tracey might not be his child. She could be Kevin's daughter." Belle said and saw Chloe's shocked face. | |||
| "You're kidding right?" Belle shook her head. "Well, I thought that they were seeing each other. Jason is getting what he deserves after all that he's put her through. I guess, I will be seeing Tracey and Jan when I get back to work." Chloe responded. | |||
| "I can't believe that you two are sitting gossiping, especially, you Chloe. I never thought I would see the day when you were gossiping." Philip said as he leaned down next to her. | |||
| "It's not gossiping. It's simply keeping up with important news. But, if someone would have asked to me to dance I wouldn't be sitting here talking." Chloe hinted as Philip held his hand out. | |||
| "Well, of course, by all means let's dance." Chloe stood and they moved out onto the dance floor. Leaving Belle and Shawn sitting there. | |||
| "Do you want to dance?" Shawn asked as Belle sat watching everyone else dance. | |||
| "Gee, I don't know, Brady. Could we, anything would be better than sitting here twiddling my thumbs. That would be alright." Belle answered as she got out of her seat with Shawn's assistance. They moved onto the dance floor as they started to dance, the deejay came on. | |||
| "This next song goes out to Belle from Shawn. He says that I know I haven't said this lately, but I love you very much and couldn't be any happier that you are about to have my child. This song is for you because I've always been dreaming about you." Dreaming of You* came on. | |||
| Late at night when all the world is sleeping | |||
| I stay up late and think of you and I wish on a star | |||
| That somewhere you are thinking of me too... | |||
| "You did this... for me?" Belle asked. | |||
| "Of course, I did. I would never forget this song. I still remember the exact time I heard this. It was when you told me that you were pregnant." Shawn said knowing that was the wrong answer as he eased into a slower dance step and leaded Belle towards to the other side of the dance floor. | |||
| "Shawn, that's not when this song played. That was My Girl. I can't believe that you forgot." Belle's eyes went from teary to questioningly angry. Shawn had them directly in the middle of the dance floor; Belle's body was as close as he could get her to him. | |||
| Wonder if you ever see me and I wonder if you | |||
| Know I'm there (Am I there) | |||
| If you looked in my eyes would you see what's inside | |||
| Would you even care... | |||
| Belle danced with Shawn her hands were around his neck, and she had placed her head on his shoulder wondering how he couldn't remember why this song was so special. They moved in fluid easy steps, she leaned on him. Shawn reached up and took her arms for around his neck to turn her around. As he turned Belle he moved so that her back was to his chest. He leaned down to her ear. | |||
| I just wanna hold you close but so far | |||
| All I have are dreams of you | |||
| So I wait for the day and the courage to say | |||
| How much I love you... | |||
| "We were at the club celebrating your first fashion show and that was also the first night that I told you I wanted to get married. It's where I told you that I wanted you to be the mother of my children. In my heart, it's where I proposed to you. It was there when I was watching as everyone else congratulated you that I knew you were my soul mate. It's when I knew that I couldn't live without having you in my life. So how does that sound?" Shawn moved to stand in front of her. "This song made me realize that I didn't have to dream of you anymore because being with you could be my reality." Shawn began to move at a slow pace once again until Belle looked at him with tears in her eyes. | |||
| I'll be dreaming of you tonight | |||
| Til tomorrow I'll be holding you tight | |||
| And there's nowhere in the world I'd rather be | |||
| Than here in my room dreaming about you and me... | |||
| "Oh Shawn, that's ... that's so ..." she couldn't think of any words to say to him as she hugged him. " I thought you forgot." | |||
| "You are the light of my life. And everything that I do, I do it for you because you mean so much to me." He finished easing Belle away form him, tilting her chin up to give her a gentle kiss on the lips. | |||
| Late at night when all the world is sleeping | |||
| I stay up and think of you | |||
| And I still can't believe that | |||
| You came up to me and said | |||
| I love you | |||
| I love you too... | |||
| When Shawn lifted his mouth from Belle's, he wiped her tears away. "Are you okay?" He asked. | |||
| "I'm fine I just can't believe how sweet you are." Belle stopped crying to look up at Shawn and smiled as he grimaced. | |||
| "Belle, I am not sweet. How many times do we have to go through this?" Shawn said as Belle began to laugh at him as they glided across the floor. | |||
| *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* | |||
| Kay and Miguel had been in their own little world since he apologized earlier that week. However, they were quickly beginning to realize that the world did not revolve only them. | |||
| "Miguel, did you know anything about what's happening tonight?" Kay asked not actually expecting a real answer. | |||
| "What do you mean, Kay?" Miguel asked her attempting to sound as if he knew nothing. But, sadly he failed. | |||
| "Oh, so you do know something. Alright, tell me what you know. We both know that you can't keep a secret from me. I know you when are trying to avoid something. So just tell me." Kay placed her hands in his hair as they hooked together around his neck. She knew that the doing that was his weak spot. If he had a real secret he would spill it then. | |||
| "Seriously, Kay, I have no idea what you are talking about. I don't think that anything is going on. I mean besides, Max's performance. We don't have anything else planned." Miguel knew he was weakening. Give her a couple of minutes and she'd have everything out of him, the entire plan. | |||
| "Really, that's interesting. I seem to recall that Shawn had a special song played for Belle and now--," she was interrupted from speaking as the deejay said something in the background. | |||
| "Okay, folks I have one last dedication to make before the show reconvenes. This is from Miguel to Kay; he says that he's been to Hell and back with you. And even though, you've both made mistakes in the past, none of that matters now. Because, love is a crazy thing, it doesn't discriminate with anyone." Love Is Such A Crazy Thing* came on. | |||
| I never thought I'd find someone | |||
| But you came along and made me see | |||
| That you were the only one for me | |||
| Boy, I love you constantly... | |||
| Kay had froze and stopped talking the exact moment that the Deejay had mentioned Miguel's name. Now she was just following Miguel's movements not saying anything. "I can't believe I've finally found a way to render you speechless." Miguel said jokingly. | |||
| "I can't believe that you did this. How did you know?" Kay was shocked, she though that Simone was the only one who knew that this was the song she was listening to when she realized that she loved Miguel as more than just a friend. | |||
| You are my love, my only love | |||
| Baby, my heart belongs to you | |||
| Be with me, don't play with me | |||
| If you want love just let me know... | |||
| Kay was still rendered a little speechless as she awaited Miguel's answer. This song was her pain and pleasure. How did he know about it? | |||
| "Kay, you don't think that you're the only one who ever had secrets did you? This song is special to my heart because of you." | |||
| "What do you mean?" Kay asked as Miguel moved them to a darken corner of the dance floor. | |||
| "This is where you realized that you loved me, really you loved me. That's why I choose this song because it made you realize your true feelings for me. And that shows how much you have always cared for me. Even after all the things you have done, in the past, I have forgiven you and will always forgive you because love is a crazy thing." Miguel told Kay as he stopped dancing to pull her into a hug. | |||
| Love, love is such a crazy thing | |||
| Never understood the way I was supposed to feel | |||
| Is this love for real?... | |||
| "Our love is for real, for always. Never let me make you doubt that again. Even though, I already got your forgiveness, I want you to realize that nothing could take you away from me or how far we've come. I love you." Kay said nothing as she listened to both Miguel and the song. | |||
| Love, love is such a crazy thing | |||
| Never understood the way I was supposed to feel | |||
| Is this love for real? (Love for real) | |||
| I've dreamed of someone like you before | |||
| But I never thought I'd get the chance | |||
| To romance someone as sweet as you | |||
| I hope you feel the same as I do... | |||
| "Thank you, Miguel. You've made all my dreams come true. I know that you love me because I love you too. You didn't have to do any of this. But I am happy that you did because it makes tonight even more special." Kay said before she brought Miguel's head down to meet hers in a kiss. | |||
| You are my love, my only love | |||
| Baby, my heart belongs to you | |||
| Be with me, don't play with me | |||
| If you want love just let me know | |||
| Love, love is such a crazy thing | |||
| Never understood the way I was supposed to feel | |||
| Is this love for real?... | |||
| *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* | |||
| After the song ended, everyone returned to their seats to watch the second half of the show. The women waited with a lot of patience, knowing that they were going to get a chance to show their talents later. | |||
| On to Chapter Twenty-Two | |||
| Menu | |||
| * Song Credits: Sheryl Crow - I Shall Believe, Selena - Dreaming of You, Pink - Love is Such a Crazy Thing | |||