Of Porcupines
& Sprinklers
By Twig
Part 1
Rated PG-13
Summary: Sheridan and Luis have a date. But does all go as planned? Of
course
not!
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters on Passions. If they were mine,
Luis
and Sheridan would already be married. However, they do not belong to
me,
they belong to NBC and the creators of the show. I am merely using them
for
my own enjoyment. So please, don't sue me.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Crane Cottage
Harmony, New England
Officer Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald stood outside of Sheridan Crane's
cozy
cottage, nestled away in the Crane Estate. Flashing blue and red lights
briefly illuminated the shadowy area, casting an unearthly glow on the
surroundings.
He closed his eyes as Sam Bennett and several other
officers
wheeled a body covered with a white sheet out on a stretcher. Moments
later,
another body was wheeled out. They were placed in the ambulance, but
there
was no need for the boxlike vehicle to roar down the street, sirens
screaming. Its occupants were long dead.
With a heavy sigh, he turned towards one of the police cruisers.
Sheridan was sitting in the back with the door open, watching the
unfolding
scene wide-eyed.
A heavy blanket was draped over her shoulders. He
walked
slowly over to her, and she looked up at him, her face wary.
"You all right?"
She nodded slowly, "I'm fine."
He smirked at her, "Aren't you getting a little too used to that view?"
He
gestured to the interior of the police car.
"You would think something like that was funny."
He shrugged, "You're out of danger Sheridan. Roger and Pierre won't be
able
to hurt you anymore."
"I know. It's just going to take me a little while to get over it,
that's
all."
Luis leaned over and pulled the blanket tighter around her. She smiled
faintly. "Thanks."
"It's my job."
"You already finished your job. You killed Roger and Pierre when they
tried
to come after me. Now, surprisingly enough, you're just being nice."
"You might be shocked to hear this, but I'm actually a nice guy. You
just
bring out the worst in me."
Sheridan snorted, "Please. You've always been this way."
"You're not exactly the most pleasant person on the face of the
planet."
"Only because I can't stand being around you."
Luis shrugged, "The feeling's mutual."
"Good to know."
Sam walked over, leaning against the cruiser. "Sheridan, we're gonna
take you
down to the station so you can give a statement, all right?"
"Fine."
Sam turned to Luis, who was scowling at Sheridan, "Do you mind meeting
us
down there?"
Luis shrugged, "Fine."
Shaking his head, Sam climbed into the front seat and drove away, blue
and
red lights flashing. Sheridan peered out the back window, inadvertently
flashing back to being arrested MANY times by Luis. She sighed,
glancing back
to see him still standing in front of the cabin, watching as the car
sped
away.
<<<~~~>>>
Harmony Police Station
"And then Luis pushed me out of the way and shot Roger and
Pierre,"
Sheridan finished recounting the story. Sam nodded, taking notes.
Finally he
stood up.
"Thank you Miss Crane. That'll be all."
She nodded and stood up, marching out of the small office. "Oh, Chief
Bennett, can I use the phone? I need to call Ethan and see if he'll
pick me
up."
Sam blinked, "Yeah, there's one right outside the door."
"Thanks."
As she stepped out of the office, she crashed right into Luis, who
was
about to walk inside.
"Sorry," Sheridan muttered, stepping to the side.
"You just can't seem to avoid crashing into me, can you?" Luis was
grinning
at her.
"You just can't seem to stay out of my way," she retorted.
"So where are you going?"
She shrugged, "I'm going to use the phone and see if Ethan will come
get me."
"It's no problem," Luis said nonchalantly, "I'll drive you home."
"I wouldn't want to have to make you spend more time with me than you
have
to. I'm sure you have other things to do."
"I said it was no problem."
"Fine," she shrugged, "I just want to get home."
"Come on," he took her arm and led her towards the front door.
Outside in the warm night air, Sheridan took a deep breath.
"Thank god I don't have to worry any more."
"Like you ever worried to begin with," Luis scoffed, "I did all the
worrying
for you."
"My life was in danger! You have the nerve to suggest I wasn't
concerned
about it?"
"You wouldn't know it by the way you acted."
"Listen, just because you have this macho notion that you needed to
rescue me
from every situation I found myself in-"
"If I didn't rescue you, who would?"
"I would have taken care of myself!"
Luis threw his arms in the air, "Sheridan, I think we've had this
argument
one too many times. Can I just drive you home without bringing this up
again?"
"You started it."
"And now I'm ending it. Come on."
Sighing, she climbed into the car next to him. He started it and drove
off,
shaking his head.
<<<~~~>>>
Crane Cottage
"I can't believe my house is an official crime scene." Sheridan
stood,
arms crossed, in front of her cabin, which was still swarming with
police
activity.
"Why is it so unbelievable? Two people died here."
"Why couldn't you have shot them outside? My rug will be ruined!"
"It never ceases to amaze me how all of you Cranes focus only on money.
You
could have been the one wheeled out of here in a body bag. But you're
more
worried about the rug!" Luis exclaimed, exasperated.
"Yeah, well, rug or no rug, they aren't going to let me in there."
"You're right, they're not."
"Why didn't you tell me that before we drove all the way over here?!"
Luis shot her a sly grin, and then walked over to the officer standing
by the
door. After a moment, the officer approached her. "Miss Crane, you can
go in
and pick up a few things if you need to."
Surprised, she turned to look for Luis, but he was nowhere in sight.
"Uh,
thanks."
She followed the officer into the cottage.
Luis was standing in front of two chalk outlines on the
bloodstained
rug, right in front of the couch they had sat and argued on so many
times.
Shooting him a grateful look, Sheridan made her way into the bedroom,
gathering an armload of clothes and stuffing them in a bag. As she
started to
head back into the hallway, she paused and returned into the room,
opening
one of her drawers and removing a photograph. It was a picture of her
and
Luis, taken so long ago when they had first met. They were dancing the
tango
at the Lopez-Fitzgerald house, at Pilar's birthday party.
Several weeks
after
that event, Pilar had slipped the photo into Sheridan's hand with a
smirk.
"I have a feeling you'd be pleased with this," she'd said, and winked
knowingly at Sheridan. Despite the younger woman's protests, she had
secretly
adored the shot of her and Luis looking deep into each other's eyes,
keeping
it on her dresser. Until, of course, Luis had inhabited her cottage,
forcing
her to hide the picture away where he would never see it. Yet she
couldn't
bear to leave it behind.
Sheridan stuffed the picture into her bag with the rest of her
things,
exiting the room to find Luis packing up his things in a bag as well.
"What are you doing?" she asked in a small voice.
"You don't need me staying here anymore," he explained, "So I'm packing
up my
stuff to take home."
"Oh," she laughed to cover up her disappointment, "Right. Of course you
are."
He looked at her curiously, "Something wrong?"
"Why would anything be wrong?"
"I have no idea."
"Nothing's wrong," she said quickly, shouldering the bag, "Do you think
you
could drive me over to the mansion? I'll just stay in one of the guest
rooms."
"Sure."
Taking her bag off of her shoulder and slinging it over his own, Luis
led her
out of the cabin and back to the police car.
<<<~~~>>>
Crane Mansion
Sheridan trotted up the steps to the mansion, Luis right behind
her.
Before she could even ring the bell, the door was flung open to reveal
Julian, who glared out at her and Luis.
"Sheridan," he said, feigning joy, "You're all right!"
"No thanks to you," she snapped, "Can you let me have one of the guest
rooms
tonight?"
"But of course," Julian said, with an exaggerated grin, "My house is
your
house." He took a swig of brandy out of a crystal glass. "Ah, Officer
Lopez-Fitzgerald. Thank you for looking out for my sister."
Luis did his best to mask his innate dislike for the other man, "Just
doing
my job."
Sheridan took her bag from Luis and shoved it into Julian's arms, "If
you
don't mind carrying this up for me?"
"Of course I don't mind Sheridan," Julian chuckled sarcastically, "I
don't
mind at all."
He vanished into the house.
Sheridan turned to face Luis, "Luis, I.. I just wanted to thank you for
doing
what you did. I know living with me hasn't been easy for either of us,
but you did save my life. And I'm grateful for it."
"Sheridan Crane, actually thanking someone? I'm shocked!"
"Don't be so smug!"
Luis smiled, "Look on the bright side. Now that this is over, we never
have
to see each other again."
"Thank god. I'm counting the seconds until you leave."
"Fine."
"FINE!"
Luis turned and stomped down the steps, before turning to face
Sheridan, who
was still standing in the doorway.
"You wanna go get something to eat tomorrow night?"
"Sure," she said quickly, smiling.
"Pick you up at seven?"
"Great."
Luis nodded, then turned and glanced back at her, "Is it all right if
you
don't tell Julian?"
"I won't tell him."
Luis nodded and continued walking. She watched him as he headed down
the
path, until he was long out of her sight. When she finally turned back
to the
door, Julian was leaning against the house with his arms crossed.
"Tell me what?"
Sheridan coughed, "Uh, Luis just didn't want you to know how damaged,
uh, the
rugs in the cabin were from the blood. He figured you'd be upset."
"THE RUGS ARE DAMAGED?! Do you have any idea how much those things
COST?!
Father had them installed he won't be pleased "
"I'm having them torn up and replaced next week," Sheridan informed
him.
"NO!" Julian said a bit too quickly, "Um I'll do it. No need for you
to
trouble yourself over it. Why don't you head up to bed?"
Sheridan shrugged and disappeared into the house. Julian stood
outside
for a moment longer, taking another sip of brandy.
"No one can know what's hidden under that rug," he whispered to
himself,
finally turning and heading back into the mansion.
<<<~~~>>>
Lopez-Fitzgerald House
Pilar Lopez-Fitzgerald watched through the window as her son
approached
the house; home for the first time in weeks.
"Theresa! Miguel!" she called up the stairs, "Luis is home!"
Luis's younger siblings hurried down the stairs to greet him as he
walked
through the front door.
"You're home!" Theresa said happily, hugging him.
"Is everything okay?" Miguel asked, eyeing Luis worriedly.
"Yeah, everything's fine," Luis responded, "The two men after Sheridan
are
dead."
"Dios mio!" Pilar exclaimed, "Did you kill them hijo?"
Luis nodded somberly, "Yeah, I had to. They almost got to Sheridan."
At that point, Theresa's eyes went wide and starry. She was no longer
listening to her brother recount his tale, but was now lost in her own
thoughts. Had Whitney been there, she would have surely recognized the
expression on her friend's face and rolled her eyes appropriately.
"Well," she said brightly, "I'm glad everything's okay Luis. I'm gonna
go
call Whitney now. Call me when dinner's ready!"
She sprinted up the stairs, thoughts of Ethan running rampant through
her
head.
Miguel feigned a yawn, "Well the Bennetts invited me over for
dinner
tonight. See you later!" He sprinted out the door before anyone could
protest.
"I'm going to start cooking," Pilar informed her son, bustling off into
the
kitchen. Luis, left alone, flopped on the couch.
"Now what am I supposed to do?" he muttered to himself, missing
Sheridan
despite his professed dislike for her. At least he had someone to talk
to
when she was around.
After several more moments of pure boredom, he headed into the kitchen
to see
if his mother needed any help. Despite his fine-tuned culinary skills,
his
mother shooed him away, telling him that he deserved a break after
working so
long and hard to keep Sheridan safe.
Luis returned to the living room and sat down on the couch yet
again.
"I don't need a break," he mumbled to himself, "What I need is someone
to
talk to!"
Theresa hurried down the stairs.
"Theresa!" Luis said, pleased, "Come talk to me."
Theresa shook her head, "Sorry Luis, I'm going over Whitney's. We have
some
important things to discuss. See you tomorrow!"
She hurried out the door, tossing a "Bye Mama!" in Pilar's direction,
and
leaving Luis by himself once more.
Switching on the TV, Luis flipped absently through the channels,
looking for something to amuse himself with. Channel after channel of
boring
comedies and unsuspenseful dramas stared him down relentlessly. And the
sappy
love stories only made him think of Sheridan, but he couldn't figure
out why
for the life of him. As the delicious odors of dinner wafted from the
kitchen
to where he was sitting, Luis wondered what Sheridan was doing
<<<~~~>>>
Crane Mansion
Sheridan and Ethan sat on the couch in the parlor.
"I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am that everything turned
out all
right," Ethan said to her. "I guess Luis was a good choice for your
bodyguard
after all."
Sheridan shrugged, "I suppose."
"You're not still holding a grudge against him, are you?" Ethan asked
her
disbelievingly, "He saved your life!"
"Anyone could have done that," Sheridan scoffed.
Ethan shook his head, "You're being stubborn."
"Of course I am. When am I not?"
"That's my point."
Sheridan eyed him curiously, "I thought you didn't even like Luis."
"I'm willing to change my opinion. Especially since I'm convinced
you're
still pining away for him."
Sheridan harumphed, "I'm not *pining* for Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald. And
would
you please keep your voice down? I don't want Julian to hear."
"Better?" Ethan whispered.
Sheridan simply sighed.
Ethan stood up and stretched, "Well, if you insist-"
"You're pining for Theresa."
Ethan coughed, "What?"
"You heard me."
"I'm hoping I heard you wrong."
Sheridan blinked innocently, "Say what you want. Anyhow, Luis and I
don't
even get along. I don't see how you can think-"
"I see you two together!"
Sheridan heaved a long-suffering sigh, "Ethan, can you keep a secret?
Under
no circumstances let your father find out about this."
Ethan shrugged, "Sure."
"Luis and I are going out tomorrow night."
Ethan smirked, "I thought you didn't get along."
"We don't. But he asked me to dinner, and-"
"And you accepted. Now there's a start."
Sheridan glared at him, "Isn't it past your bedtime?"
"Ha ha."
She yawned, "I'm going to try and get some sleep Ethan. See you in the
morning."
Ethan nodded and stood up, "Oh and by the way, my father put your bag
in the
guest room. Interesting photo you left sticking out."
She gaped at him, as he smirked and walked away, dodging easily to
avoid the
decorative pillow she hurled at him.
Then Sheridan stood, stretched, and headed up the stairs to her
temporary room. Despite everything she denied, her mind was most
definitely
on Luis.
To Part 2
Story Wrote by TWIG Thanks so much for sharing your story with us.
You can write TWIG at [email protected]
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