If you love the hit show Survivor then you will love this fic! The characters of Passions are stranded on a desert island and YOU get to decided who gets voted off!! That's right, you!! All you have to do is E-Mail Rose21 and tell her who you think should be voted off! Voting is allowed until the next episode is posted!
Author's Note: This is a combination of Passions, the television show Survivors and a Choose Your Own Adventure novel. To be more specific, this fanfic requires audience participation so sit back, relax, and participate.
Julian looked down at his rolled up pants and sandy feet. How had he gotten to this god-forsaken island, anyway? Oh, yes, not he remembered� those damnable fanfic writers had written him there! �Well, they�ll get their just reward!' Julian thought with a smirk. �I�ll have NBC sue them for stealing me! Ha! Stupid, obsessed, creative people!� Julian sulked, 'Putting me here with all of these�these� PLEBIANS! Ah, well, at least the delectable morsel Theresa is here. Maybe I can get her alone behind one of these palm trees.� Julian�s reverie was broken by the ringing of his cell phone.
�Oh father! Thank goodness you�ve called! You have to get me off this island!�
�Shut up, Julian! And stop thinking those nasty thoughts about the housekeepers very under aged daughter!�
�But how did you ��
�Forget it, Julian! Just concentrate on not getting voted off that island. You have to be there to keep Luis and Sheridan apart!�
�But father!�
�No buts, Julian! Just do it! And don�t screw this up like you have everything else!�
�Yes, father.� Julian hung up his cell phone and was tucking it in his jacket pocket when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
�Julian Crane! What the HELL are you doing here?� TC�s voice cut into Julian and he spun around feeling meek and looking guilty.
�TC, what a pleasant surprise! Is your lovely wife here as well?�
�You keep away from my wife, Julian! You know� I�m going to kick your butt in every competition we have here and then I�m going to eat you when I get hungry! After all, you are just one big rat!�
Julian looked at him in horror and disgust. 'Oh my God! I have to get out off this island!' Julian looked behind him at the never ending blue water. �I would swim for it if I didn�t think I�d get a cramp and sink faster than a Mercedes in a pool!�
***
Ivy sensed Julian�s discomfort like a hound stalking a fox and she smiled � well, the corners of her mouth turned UP, anyway. �Oh yes, this is going to be perfect.� Ivy spoke to herself. �I detest this heat and sand and the salt water does nothing for my hair, but I at least have a better wardrobe then Grace The Coconut Bikini Princess. But I don�t plan on having her around long anyways. I�m going to try and get her ass voted off ASAP.� Ivy looked down to where Grace was on her hands and knees searching for edible fruit amongst thee wild fauna. Ivy looked down at her hand-held-completely-insulated-catalog-ordered-from-the-Paris-store-plum-colored cooler and pulled out a California role and a small bottle of Perrier. �Oh yes, this is going to work out just perfectly.�
***
Across the island, Luis and Miguel were helping Theresa and Pilar set up a shelter but Miguel wasn�t around for too long -- he had to make sure Charity was alright, of course. Soon it was just Luis and even sooner he was down to just his shorts, sweating, and straining to build a safe place for his family.
Sheridan watched, unnoticed, from the shade of a palm tree. She fantasized about running her hands over his hard, smooth, wet body and kissing him until the pounding sun seemed cool compared to the heat of his own blood.
To stop the unwanted images from overwhelming her, she strode forward to confront the source of her problems. �You know, you�re doing that all wrong.�
Luis didn�t turn around so Sheridan didn�t see the grin that lit Luis� face for an instant. �Is that right? Well, what do you know about surviving on a desert island?�
�Maybe not much, Gilligan, but I know quite a bit about architecture and one big gust of wind is going to blow that house of straw down.�
Luis finally turned to face Sheridan and saw that she looked cool as a cucumber. Luis wondered how anyone could look that good in this heat. �Uh huh. Well, Ginger, what do you propose I do?�
�You can call me The Professor. And I would stabilize the arch of the entrance with a cross-hatch lift weight and I would also make the roof Williams style instead of Petersons.� Luis blinked and Sheridan exaggerated a sigh. �Put that log there and make the roof slanted, not flat. First rain and that roof is going to leak.�
Luis looked from Sheridan to the roof and back at Sheridan. �If you want to make suggestions, it better be with more than just your mouth. C�mon and help, then.� Sheridan laughed and started to walk away. �What? You scared to put your grand ideas into action because you know you�re wrong?� Sheridan spun around, fire replacing the laughter. She looked him in the eye and Luis stared at her, completely caught up in her determination. Sheridan picked up one end of a heavy log and dragged it to the doorway where she propped it up and started binding it with cord. Luis watched for a moment and then turned, wordlessly, to help her.
***
Tabitha looked at Kay and Simone and chuckled as she saw what the troublemaker was up to. As soon as Kay saw Charity coming, she pulled a string and a coconut dropped right in front of Charity. She gasped in delight and bent down to pick it up. It broke open in her hands and a long spider crawled out onto Charity�s arm. Kay was fixated with horror, not that she was surprised because she had, after all, put it there, but because she expected Charity to scream and try to get it off but instead Charity just stared at it, unmoving and enthralled by the poisonous creature crawling up her arm. Almost in slow motion she saw it sink it�s fangs into her white, soft flesh. Kay gasped involuntarily but it was the spider that dropped to the ground, dead. And Tabitha just smiled.
The boat cast off hauling the first to go. Hank took one last look at the island and silently cursed the fickle fans who didn�t deem him worthy of Sheridan. Standing at the shore, waving goodbye, were the Bennetts, Sheridan, and of course his �good buddy� Luis who looked a little too pleased to see him go. And was that Julian Crane looking wistfully at the boat? Hank scowled as the island grew further away. How did Julian manage to keep from being voted off?
Julian wondered the same thing as he watched the boat disappear. �Hmmm. I must be more popular than I thought. It must be charm with the ladies.� Out of the corner of his eye he saw Luis�s hand resting lightly on Sheridan�s back but before he could comment Chad came running down the beach.
�Yo! Everyone, we�re supposed to gather at the campfire for our first competition!�
Everyone sat around the campfire as Tabitha and Timmy took center stage. And if anyone thought it was odd that Tabitha brought her doll to a deserted island, no one said anything, although it did cross a few minds that Timmy would make good firewood in a pinch. �Ahem. Well, I�m sure we�re all sorry to see Hank go but, oh well, lets move on. Today each of the teams will be competing for some clean drinking water.�
Tabitha pulled out a bottle of Evian and took a long drink. Everyone watched thirstily as she capped it and tucked it away for later. �Each team will select one member to swim out 500 yards and dive to get the water on the bottom. There is a buoy marking the location. The first team to get it and bring it back wins.� Charity raised her hand.
�Tabitha? I don�t mean to be dense-�
Kay rolled her eyes. �Too late!�
�-but what are the teams?�
Tabitha glanced at Timmy and groaned. �Each family is a team you twit- I mean sweetheart.�
Chad looked crestfallen and Ethan quickly said, �You can be on our team Chad.�
Tabitha stopped him. �Sorry Ethan. Chad is a Russell.� At everyone�s startled looks she hastily corrected herself. �What I meant to say is that Chad will be on the Russell team while he is on the island.�
Whitney and Simone smiled and Eve looked pained.
The families conferred and chose the person they thought would do the best. Tabitha called for the selected people to step to the �Start� line. Gwen, Theresa and Eve went forward. Everyone waited for the fourth person but no one from the Bennett family moved. Sam poked Charity.
�That�s you Charity.�
Charity smiled her thanks. �Right.�
Kay groaned loud enough for everyone to hear. �We are so gonna lose!�
Tabitha grinned wickedly and told them to strip down to their swimsuits.
Eve looked at the other competitors. �I should warn you, I�m a great swimmer.�
Gwen just smiled superiorly. �Maybe in your heyday. I was the club swim champ 3 years in a row.�
Theresa didn�t say anything but she smiled when Luis called, �Oh yeah? Well, Theresa learned how to swim in the ocean instead of a big fancy swimming pool so she�s got an advantage over all of you!�
They lined up and Tabitha counted off.
�On your marks�get set�GO!� And they were off.
Everyone rushed to the finish line and started cheering for their favorites. Ethan caught himself about to cheer for Theresa but checked himself just in time. Sheridan and Luis were the loudest, each cheering for their team and trying to outdo the other. Julian was too busy ogling Eve to cheer for anyone, and with an apologetic look at Luis, Miguel was cheering for both Charity and Theresa.
By the time they reached the water Charity had taken the lead. She flew into the water and promptly began to flail her arms. She dragged herself out of the water and trudged back up the beach. At the questioning looks of her teammates she confessed, �I guess I forgot I don�t know how to swim.� Kay rolled her eyes and flopped onto the sand.
Meanwhile, Eve, Theresa, and Gwen didn�t even pause as they rushed into the waves. Gwen quickly took the lead but Theresa pushed past her. As she neared the buoy she heard Sheridan shout, �Ethan! Are you OK?� Theresa stopped swimming and looked frantically for Ethan. He was fine and looked surprised. Luis was outraged.
�Sheridan! How dare you trick Theresa like that! You know she�d want to help if anyone was in trouble!� Sheridan, knowing about the feelings that had been developing between Theresa and Ethan, merely shrugged.
Meanwhile, Eve and Gwen had left Theresa behind. Gwen reached the bottled water first and began to haul it to shore. Eve followed and just as Gwen was about to reach the �Finish� line Eve tackled her from behind, picked up the water and crossed the �Finish� line. Gwen looked shocked. Eve bent down and looked her straight in the eye. �I�ll do anything for my family.�
It was tough to decide who to take off since there was a virtual tie between Grace and Gwen. But there was one more vote for Grace than Gwen when I started writing, so� I also truly enjoyed the posts about Grace being useless without her Easy Bake Oven. So true, unfortunately. But keep voting, because there are still plenty of people who need to get the boot!
Grace waved from the boat that was transporting her back to the mainland. Back to Harmony. She had been voted off, sent back to her oven to make casseroles and tomato soup cake. Grace smiled to herself, those viewers sure knew good tasting food when they saw it! It was better this way anyways, Grace thought to herself. Sam could watch the girls and she could take some time for herself. And Ivy, generous soul that she was, had assured her that Sam would be well taken care of. Grace didn�t know how she knew, but she had a strange feeling Ivy was right�
Sam stood on the beach and watched Grace disappear over the horizon. A light sheen of sweat covered his body that had very little to do with the heat. He was nervous. Very, very nervous.
**CONFESSIONAL�SAM**
�Look, OK, I had a relationship with Mrs. Crane�Ivy�once. But it was a long time ago! I swear I love my wife. I keep saying so! Over and over and over and over and over and over again. But Ivy, she�s like a dog � no she IS a dog � and I�m her boner, I mean BONE and she�s got me in her teeth and she just keeps yanking and yanking. Oh, my God! I have got to get off this island! You see, Grace doesn�t know anything about me and Ivy. I couldn�t tell her!� A force, more powerful than Sam had ever experienced � the force of viewers� supreme all-knowledge � forced the truth out of him. �OK! I didn�t want to tell her. I don�t know� Ivy just does something to me. She frustrates me and challenges me and the harder I push her away, the more she gets under my skin. Jeez, I sound like Luis. OH NO! I HAVE to get off this place!� Sam was perspiring heavily now.
Ivy stood watching� and smiling. He had no idea what was in store for him�
Kay stood and watched Eve pour a glass of delicious, cool, fresh water for everyone in her family. That was so low (!!!) what Dr. Russell had done, Kay thought with admiration. She had a bit of a cruel streak in her; Kay recognized it because she had one of her own. Kay�s eyes turned towards the bane of her existence � Charity StandBitch.
**CONFESSIONAL --KAY**
�She forgot how to swim?! That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard! I wish she would forget how to breathe! Do us all a favor. Seriously, how could Miguel ever choose that loony tart over me? I will never understand men! There are two reasons to like someone, right? Brains and beauty. And Queen of Amnesiaville has neither. She does nothing but whine and proclaim doom on all of us ALL the time. Ugh. Well, I have an idea��
Kay walked towards Charity and Miguel, where they were sitting and talking to Simone and Jessica. �C�mon, Charity.� Kay grabbed her hand and unceremoniously dragged her towards the water. �I�ll teach you how to swim.�
�Kay, I don�t know� You�re not a lifeguard and you aren�t trained in swim instruction.�
�My dad was and he taught me everything he knows.� Kay pushed Charity towards the water and the strangest thing happened.
The wave that was about to crash onto the shore suddenly went out again and no waves followed. Suddenly, the sea was deadly calm, in fact, everything was. Even the air around them seemed to go utterly still. Everyone felt it and they all gathered on the beach to where Kay was still trying to drag Charity into the water. But the tide seemed to be going out at the same pace as Kay and Charity were moving forward.
It was almost as if the sea was trying to avoid touching them.
Kay turned back towards the beach finally. �Forget it. The tide must be going out.� Immediately, it seemed as if nature gave a huge sigh of relief and everything came back alive. But Kay spun around and tricked the ocean by shoving Charity as hard as she could. Caught by surprise, Charity stumbled, off balance, and fell into the water.
Everything grew still and suddenly there was a crack of lightning and thunder lit the sky from storm clouds that hadn�t been there an instant ago. The wind almost blew Kay over as she began running towards the beach, not even bothering to see if Charity had followed. She was possessed by a fear. Before she was half-way to the beach, the rain poured down, blinding her. Charity jogged past her and straight into Miguel�s arms. When Kay got to the beach, Simone grabbed her hand and yelled into her ear, �It must be a typhoon!� Kay could barely hear her but it didn�t matter, she couldn�t respond even if she wanted to; she was too cold. Everyone started running to their shelter.
But the Crane�s didn�t have a shelter. They had been too busy meddling. Luis knew it and grabbed Sheridan�s hand while Theresa did the same to Ethan. No grabbed Gwen�s hand, so she was forced to fend for herself. Julian found her hiding in a small cave under the waterfall. They were protected and they huddled together�for warmth. Ivy had to grab both of Sam�s hands but he hadn�t let go, and she supposed that was something anyway.
As they all got to someplace protected, Sheridan looked at Luis and Chad looked at Whitney. As Ethan brushed a tendril of wet hair from Theresa�s forehead and Sam extracted his hands from Ivy�s where there fingers had become entangled, very few people wanted to leave that island. But they all knew one of them was about to vanish�
�Me? The fans voted me off the island? But I�m so sweet! I don�t want to steal anyone�s man, I�m not mean, I have no dark past, and I wear beautiful flower wreaths!�
Kay rolled her eyes as Jessica patted Charity on the shoulder.
�Perhaps that�s the problem. How will they ever get you off the island in the middle of this typhoon?�
Just at that moment Miguel burst into the Bennett hut followed by Tabitha and Timmy.
�Oh Charity! I just heard! This has got to be some big mistake.�
Tabitha looked at Miguel like he was crazy. �This is no mistake, Miguel. Charity has to leave. Now.�
�But the weather is terrible! My lovely Charity can�t leave now! She�ll be killed!�
Tabitha and Kay quickly hid their grins.
Tabitha said sternly, �I know it�s dangerous but those are the rules.�
Everyone looked on as Charity lifted her chin and said bravely, �It�s all right. I�ll be fine.�
She marched out of the hut and stared into the distant sea. The wind lashed and the rain pounded down. She raised her arms to the sky and to everyone�s amazement the storm suddenly stopped. Kay turned to Simone.
�Oh, so now she thinks she�s Moses. She just gets creepier every day.�
The boat arrived and Charity stepped on. It was obvious that there was about to be a romantic scene between Miguel and Charity do everyone quickly rushed forward and pushed the boat off amid their chorus of �Good bye Charity!�
As soon as she had disappeared from sight the storm started again. Everyone looked at each other but thought it best to leave it as a weird coincidence.
Tabitha started toward the Lopez-Fitzgerald hut and called out, �Come on people! Time for our next competition! Jessica ran to get the Russells and everyone crowded into the LoFitz place. Noticeably absent were Gwen and Julian but no one knew where they had gone and no one volunteered to go out and look. Tabitha explained that they would play the perfect rainy day game, Twister. �The last person standing wins a gourmet meal for their team.�
Ivy rubbed her palms together. �Now that is something worth competing for.�
Tabitha smiled at the anticipation in everyone�s eyes. The teams huddled while Tabitha set up the game.
Meanwhile�
Julian and Gwen were huddled together for warmth in the cave. �Um, Julian, is that your hand on my thigh?�
Julian grinned into the darkness. �I don�t know. Is this your thigh?� he squeezed gently and Gwen let out a small shriek.
�Yes!�
�Ahh�and what a lovely thigh it is.�
Gwen grimaced. �Julian, someday you will be the grandfather of my children so just back off!"
Julian just stroked her thigh and scooted closer. �Oh Gwen! You know you want me.� Gwen sighed. Why did this always happen when she was alone with Julian?
Sheridan, Luis, Simone, and Jessica stepped on a green dot. Tabitha looked at who was playing and put the spinner down. As long as she was stuck on this forsaken island she was going to enjoy herself. �Right hand yellow.�
She looked on gleefully as Sheridan and Luis reached for the same yellow dot. They touched and snatched their hands back as if they were burned. Luis accidentally knocked Jessica over in the process.
Jessica landed on her butt and Kay burst out laughing. �Whoo hoo! That was funny! It was worth losing the food to see that!� Jessica stood up, waving away Luis�s apologies. Sheridan looked at Luis and snorted.
�Resorting to bullying little girls to get your way?� Luis blushed and Sheridan grinned.
Tabitha kept calling out directions until Simone had to concede defeat.
She walked back to her team, avoiding the accusing glares of T.C., Eve, and Whitney. Chad put his arm around her shoulder. �It�s allright Simone. I�ve never been a fan of gourmet food. Snails is not my idea of good cookin�.�
Soon, everyone�s attention was on Sheridan and Luis as they twisted their bodies around one another, carefully avoiding touching each other.
Tabitha kept calling out spots that would make it increasing difficult.
Finally Theresa called out, �Luis! Wrap your arm around Sheridan�s waist to keep from falling!�
Sheridan gasped as his arm circled her waist and pulled her back against his chest. His hips rested comfortably against her and for a moment they both had trouble breathing.
T.C. looked around him. �Is it me or is it getting warm in here?�
Tabitha called, �Left leg blue!� and Sheridan knew that there was no way she could keep from falling so she tried to stand up. This pushed her backside into Luis�s pelvis.
Luis was caught off guard and he began to be affected by her motions. Dismayed, he tried to get out of her way, but he lost his footing and began to fall. Unfortunately, he was still holding onto Sheridan. Instinctively, he twisted his body as he went down, breaking Sheridan�s fall. They lay there a moment, panting. There was complete silence as everyone waited to see what the pair would do.
Sheridan looked down into Luis�s eyes. Luis reached up and tenderly brushed the hair out of her eyes. He lifted his head and everyone held their breath in anticipation as his lips grew closer to hers.
The door burst open and Gwen and Julian rushed in.
�Whew! That was some storm! Thank goodness it�s over!� Gwen paused as everyone turned to glare at her.
�Oops. Did I interrupt something?�
Tabitha sighed. Luis and Sheridan scrambled to their feet to the frustration of everyone but Julian.
Ivy, her eyes always on the prize, asked, �So? Who won?� Tabitha raised her eyebrows. �Well, technically, Luis fell first so I guess Sheridan�s team won.�
The Cranes looked triumphant except for Sheridan who knew Luis had once again saved her.
TC had been voted off. He knew it. But still, he slithered on his belly through the wet sand. He willed himself to blend into the night, to be invisible. �Feel the darkness, BE the darkness� TC chanted to himself. He refused to leave his family on the island alone. They needed him, he�d desperately told Tabitha. But that old bitch didn�t care. He was so busy thinking about Julian one-upping him once again by remaining on the island that it took him a moment to hear the chopper quickly approaching. All of the stealth was for nothing when a spotlight was directed on him and Tabitha�s voice came over the helicopter�s megaphone. �OK. Mr. Russell. The game�s up. We�ve found you and we�re going to haul your Green Barrett butt up here.� A door of the helicopter opened and a rope was thrown down. A woman, dressed in black shimmied down to strap a harness on him. They, very indelicately, hauled him up and he was a little scared to see Tabitha captaining the chopper with her doll in the co-pilot�s seat. He had his own helmet, but TC thought they had overdone it with the camouflage jump suit. The helicopter went up and TC went with it. Back to Harmony and back to his shed. Tabitha promised to return promptly and no one had any doubt she and her little doll Timmy would, too.
So, the Crane�s had won a gourmet meal, and let me tell you, no one was overly pleased about it� other than the Cranes themselves, of course. I mean, didn�t the Cranes get enough gourmet meals as it was when they were in their own Fantasy Land, otherwise known as the Crane estate? The question was, who was going to prepare it? Why, the losers, of course!
Chad, Whitney, Simone and Eve all went in search of firewood while Pilar went with Sam and Jessica went to where the crates of food were kept to pick out the necessary ingredients. Miguel and Kay were designated clean-up crew and Theresa and Luis were nominated head chefs for the great event.
The firewood detail split up and looked for dry kindling. There was some decent sized driftwood that Chad and Whitney volunteered to collect while Eve and Simone went deeper into the island jungle for moss and twigs. After a while, Chad got tired of hauling logs and of Whitney�s silent treatment so he sat down on a piece Whitney was trying to pick up.
�Hey! What are you doing, Chad? We�re supposed to be taking these back to the others can start cooking!� Whitney folded her arms and stood in front of Chad.
�Hey, don�t get your bathing suit all in a twist, awright? Now, c�mere.� Chad grabbed Whitney�s hand, which she made a half-hearted attempt to get back, and hauled her down next to him. �Will you look at �dat?� he said wonderingly. �Isn�t that the most beautiful sunset you have seen? Now, that is where art comes from. Beauty like that�s inside your soul and it just comes pouring out into music.� Whitney looked at Chad�s face and saw his passion and she wanted so much to feel some of that herself. Not even tennis could make her feel that way. Only one person could, and he was sitting right there beside her. His face glowed in the sunset and before she even realized what she was doing, she had reached up to gently touch his cheek. Slowly, Chad turned his head to look at her and Whitney didn�t move her hand.
A shadow suddenly blocked their view of the burning disk as it was slowly extinguished and Whitney turned and looked up to the face of her mother. Eve grabbed Whitney�s free hand and hauled her off down the beach. Chad sighed wearily and took his time following.
Meanwhile, Pilar had gotten a few minutes alone with Sam as Jessica searched for a suitable bathroom. �Sam, Ivy�s not going to stop �till she�s gotten you. You know that, right?�
�Pilar, there�s nothing to worry about. Sure, Ivy�s persistent, but I love Grace.�
�Oh, please, Sam. Save it for someone who doesn�t know you better. There are a lot of unresolved feelings between you two and I have a feeling they are going to be resolved between the covers of a sleeping bag.
**CONFESSIONAL--PILAR**
�People say I don�t smile and I need to get a life of my own. Well, let�s recap the life I DO have and then you tell me what I have to smile about. OK. My employer is after a married man whose son she bore without his knowledge. She�s been protecting this secret for over twenty years and she�s finally going to tell him because she can�t get him in bed any other way. I, on the other hand, haven�t been gratified in even longer and I have no possibilities in the near future. Unless you count Julian, but he�s much more interested in my 18 year-old DAUGHTER. Who by the way, is in love with a billionaire who�s engaged to another billionaire. And even if he DID have feelings for Theresa, it would come at the cost of our entire family and probably Luis� life because he would probably KILL himself. But he�s too busy falling in love and botching it up to even notice everyone�s been lying to him for months about his sister. And my other son�do I even HAVE another son? I never see him!!! But he makes the ugliest wreathes and gives them to girls too dumb to know how dorky they are. My husband has disappeared and my other children are MIA. Oh yeah, and I wear the ugliest uniform of any maid EVER. You would think that the Crane�s could spend $50 out of their billions to buy me a different color outfit than barf green. So, if I never smile, I have good reason.�
�Sam, I�m only going to tell you once. Do it to Ivy. The woman is in some serious need of some good loving, trust me, I know it when I see it. I�ll help you with Ivy.�
�But Pilar�� Right then, Jessica returned and the conversation was over.
OK, I know Pilar would never have said that, but work with me here, people!
The cooking got started well but Ethan and Sheridan couldn�t just sit back and watch so Ethan offered to help and Sheridan nodded her willingness too. Luis rolled his eyes and pretended that this was just another burden but secretly he was pleased. Theresa could barely contain her excitement. Luis noted that they needed more water and he told Sheridan to grab two buckets and head to the supply faucet, but darkness was falling and so Luis had to go with her as Ethan�s hands were covered in flour.
Theresa and Ethan were left alone by the fire and Theresa was teaching him how to knead dough. She gently put her hands over his and pushed them down into the soft, moist substance. She kneaded his hands softly with hers and her back was pressed against his stomach. Ethan could smell her shampoo and her skin smelled like honey. Cooking bread in the moonlight with a fire flickering over their hands while their feet were buried in the cool sand made Ethan happier than he had ever been. Theresa looked back at him and Ethan bent to kiss her. Just then, Gwen strode into the firelight followed closely by Julian.
When Gwen saw what was happening she screeched in fury and ran at Theresa. Gwen had fierce determination and a mean streak in her but Theresa was fighting for love and she knew how to fight dirty. The two women were clawing at one another and Gwen managed to put a good scrape on Theresa�s cheek but not before Theresa had grabbed a handful of Gwen�s hair. Gwen kicked Theresa�s legs and Theresa grabbed Gwen as she went down. They rolled around in the sand as Theresa elbowed Gwen in the stomach. Everyone was watching now except Luis and Sheridan, who hadn�t returned yet, and Julian was taking bets. Only Ethan, Pilar, and Eve bet on Gwen. Gwen bit down hard with her horse teeth and Theresa yowled in pain but she set her jaw and punched a solid right hook to knock Gwen out. Theresa was still railing on her when Luis came back and dumped his bucket of cold water on them. Julian paid everyone their winnings and Luis and Sheridan were left to make dinner.
When it was done, Sheridan shared hers with the Lo-Fitzes and Ivy shared hers with the Bennetts to try and gain points with Sam. Ethan gave his to Chad because he was too busy taking care of Theresa to eat and Gwen gave hers to the Russells because a couple of her teeth had been knocked loose and she COULDN�T eat. And Julian� well, Julian was famished after his night playing Father-in-Law with Gwen.
After dinner, Kay and Miguel headed down to the ocean to wash the dishes and Kay knew this was the moment to make her move. And what a move she had planned!
The people still left on the island to be voted off are: Eve, Whitney, Simone, Chad, Tabitha, Timmy, Gwen, Ethan, Ivy, Julian, Sheridan, Luis, Pilar, Theresa, Miguel, Kay, Jessica, Sam. Someone�s got to go�Someone�s got to go�.
Kay and Miguel stood at the edge of the ocean. They had just finished cleaning the dishes and Miguel began to collect them to carry back to the hut. Kay decided this was the perfect time to implement her plan.
�Since we�re here and we don�t have to be back for awhile, how �bout we go for a quick swim?�
They grinned at each other and after taking off their shoes and socks they dove in.
They swam out to where the waves were gentle. They floated on their backs next to each other. They stared up at the stars and after a moment Kay spoke.
�Hey, Miguel, remember at camp that one time when we snuck out to get ice cream��
Miguel laughed. �Yeah, and as soon as we walked into the store we got caught by a counselor.�
Kay smiled at the memory. �Well, he was sitting right there. We were so lucky we didn�t get thrown out.�
They reminisced like that, gently swaying against each other until Miguel finally suggested they go back.
�I�ll race you� Kay challenged.
They started swimming back, Miguel reaching the shore first. He looked back but his triumphant grin faded when he saw Kay struggling in the water. He rushed in to help her and Kay pretended to gasp for air.
Miguel lifted her out of the water and gently laid her down on the sand. �Kay? Are you all right?�
Kay slowly opened her eyes and gasped out �Oh Miguel! You saved my life!� She put her arms around his neck. �Thank you so so much!� She took his face in her hands and kissed him on the lips.
�NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!�
The cry broke into the night and Kay and Miguel broke apart. Miguel looked toward the hut. �That sounded like Gwen!�
Miguel helped Kay to her feet and they started to jog up the beach, the dishes forgotten.
�I�m not leaving, Ethan. I won�t do it. This skank rigged the votes, I know she did.� Ethan tried to stop Gwen�s tirade but she went on, heedless to anyone but herself. �Theresa wants me gone so she can have you all to yourself.� She grinned, now toothless, at Luis. �Betcha didn�t know that, did you officer? You need to control that hussy sister of yours.�
Luis stepped forward but before he could say anything Pilar cut in.
�That is enough, Gwen. You know why you were voted off.�
Gwen narrowed her eyes. �Mr. Ed?! Bugs Bunny?! That is outrageous! I resemble neither of them. Everyone is just jealous because I am considered one of the most beautiful women in the world.�
Tabitha rolled her eyes. �Right. Well, say your goodbyes Miss America, because your ride has arrived.�
Timmy snickered as Gwen turned to glare at Tabitha, the effect ruined by her black eye.
�Fine! I�m leaving but if Theresa touches one hair on Ethan�s head I�ll come back for her.�
Everyone, including Ethan, breathed a sigh of relief as she stormed out of the hut to get on the boat home.
Julian turned a speculative eye on Eve and he licked his lips. Eve saw him looking and quickly called out to Ivy. �Ivy! I think Julian needs you.�
Ivy waved a hand dismissively and scraped her nails down Sam�s arm. �What Julian needs I won�t give him. Perhaps you could help him.�
Eve gasped but no one picked up on Ivy�s double meaning.
Miguel and Kay walked in and Tabitha looked at the faces around her. Everyone was strung out from anger and sexual tension.
�Why don�t we all get some rest. Tomorrow is a long day and you�re going to need all your energy.�
Everyone nodded their heads and started to say goodnight.
Julian approached Eve. �So, how about me staying with you tonight? Now that T.C. is gone you�ll need a man to�protect you.� Eve gagged.
�Not on your life Julian! Sleep outside for all I care.� Julian shrugged, unconcerned. He�d find his way into Eve�s bed tonight one way or another.
Chad turned to Whitney. �Maybe we can catch the sunset tomorrow.�
�Yeah, maybe. If one of us isn�t voted off.� She yawned and Chad took her hand.
�Come on. We need to go to bed if we�re gonna win anything tomorrow.�
Simone watched them leave holding hands and vowed then and there that she�d be the one holding Chad�s hand by the time this was all over.
Miguel looked at Kay but didn�t know quite what to say. �Uh�Kay�about that kiss��
Kay sighed. �I know. I felt it too.�
Just then, Sam called to Jessica and Kay. Miguel left for his hut thinking about what he should do.
Sam removed Ivy�s hand from his arm. �Come on girls! We should hit the sack.�
Jessica and Kay hurried over in time to hear Ivy say, �Oh, but Sam! I have nowhere to sleep!�
Jessica smiled sweetly. �You can stay with us, Mrs. Crane. Now that mom is gone there is more than enough space in our hut for you, right dad?�
Sam winced but couldn�t refuse without bringing attention to himself.
Ethan started to apologize for Gwen�s behavior but Theresa cut him off.
�Stay with me tonight, Ethan.�
At Luis�s narrowed gaze she quickly stammered, �I mean with us. In our shelter. There is plenty of room and I know Sheridan would be welcome too. Right, Luis?�
Luis looked at Sheridan who was concentrating on pushing the sand around with her bare toes.
�I guess so. She�d probably find a way to weasel her way into our hut anyway so why not spare us some time.�
Sheridan�s eyes snapped up but softened when she saw he was teasing her.
Pilar took Sheridan and Theresa�s hands. �Come on, chicas. Lets go get ready for bed.�
The two men watched with regret as they walked away.
Tabitha noted the wistful looks and grinned evilly. �Ah, Timmy. This is going to be one hot night in Paradise.�
Timmy sighed. �Timmy misses Charity.�
Tabitha raised her eyebrows. �Hah! Nobody else does. Not even Miguel. Whoo. Kay has got him right where she wants him. And as for everyone else, well, I think tonight is going to be pretty interesting.�
This vote was pretty close between Jessica and Gwen but Gwen just barely surpassed Jessica. The Mr. Ed Bugs Bunny comment was made in reference to one of the voters. PLEASE keep voting! We love to try and guess who is going to be voted off next. We�re usually wrong. Well, here is who�s left: Pilar, Miguel, Luis, Theresa, Sam, Jessica, Kay, Ivy, Julian, Ethan, Sheridan, Simone, Eve, Chad, Whitney, Tabitha, and Timmy.
Tabitha walked into the camp area and confronted the next big loser to be kicked off the island. �C�mon, dearie, gather your belongings. You�ve lost the popularity contest. Apparently the consensus is that you need to get a man of your own, you�re a hypocrite for telling Kay she�s too interfering, and your clothes are way too loud. They�ve been deemed a danger to other people�s vision and they've put your sanity into question.� Tabitha pulled Simone�s arm none-too-gently, hauling her to her feet and pushing her towards her hut. �Now, move it. People want you gone, and they want you gone NOW!� Simone looked at Tabitha, scandalized by her brutality. She�d always seemed so nice� Tabitha read her mind, �Yeah, yeah. I�m cruel and mean and nobody loves you, wah, wah, wah. Save it for your priest, someone who has to listen to your pathetic drivel.� Tabitha crossed her arms and waited for Simone to gather her things.
Whitney and Chad helped and when it was time to go, everyone stood on the beach and wished her well. Of course, no one REALLY cared except her family and Kay, and even they were a little grateful she was leaving so they could focus on more important things. Right before Simone got on the boat she hugged Chad one last time and as he pulled away she pulled him down to her and kissed him, hard. Chad was too shocked to respond or to pull away and it only ended when Simone saw her mother finally come to her senses and step forward. Simone leaped onto the boat and was finally gone. When Chad turned, looking for Whitney, to explain to her, she had disappeared.
The moon was full and the night was clear after the storm. Only a soft breeze blew, comforting and soothing like the waves crashing against the shore. When everyone went back to their beds, only Miguel stayed on the beach looking out to where Charity had been taken off the island� and to where he and Kay had kissed that night. He couldn�t stop thinking about it. How it had felt� He knew it was her behind him, it had to be. And when Kay sat down beside him and took his hand, he wasn�t surprised. �It�s OK,� she said softly, looking at him. �You don�t have to feel guilty.� Miguel pulled his hand away and stared silently at the water. �Hey, if you want me to apologize for kissing you, you can forget it!� Kay said, close to tears. Damn it! She would not cry, she was tougher than that! �I won�t say I�m sorry for something I�ve been waiting my whole life to do.� There--she had said it.
Finally Miguel turned to face her. �You don�t understand, Kay. I don�t feel guilty about the kiss. I feel guilty about NOT feeling guilty.�
Kay stared at him wordlessly for a few moments, finally turning her face away from him. �I�ve been your best friend for years, Miguel, your partner in this life. We had fun, we shared everything and then Charity came along and all of a sudden you were gone.� Kay hugged her knees to her chest, �It hurt.�
Miguel couldn�t bear to look at her face anymore so he started sifting sand through his fingers. �I�m sorry, Kay. I didn�t know.�
�Yeah, well, what are you going to do now, Miguel? Are you going to tell Charity about what we did?� Kay held her breath, waiting.
Miguel looked up at Kay�s profile next to him, her chin lifted in proud defiance that anything he said or did could hurt her. Behind them, a shadow moved and Jessica took a step forward out of the darkness and would have interrupted them if a strong hand on her shoulder hadn�t stopped her. Jessica whirled around and looked up into the determined face of Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald. �No, I don�t think so, Jessica. Not when my brother�s happiness is at stake.�
�But��
One look from Luis and Jessica know her protests were in vain. Quietly they stood and watched Miguel as he turned Kay to face him. He looked into her eyes and saw the girl who had been his best friend since before he could remember, the girl that had beaten him at pin ball more times than he could count, and the woman who had kissed him just a few hours ago and which he hadn�t stopped thinking about since. He kissed her gently, hesitantly, questioning, but when it felt like he was coming home he deepened the kiss. Surprising himself by the surge of emotions that ran through him, he pulled away and quickly stood up. �I�I don�t know what I�m going to do!� Miguel stammered as he quickly walked away. Kay turned back to the waves and sat, stunned, her mind whirling and when Jessica turned to ask Luis what he thought, she realized that he had melted back into the shadows and disappeared.
When Ivy had seen Jessica slip out of the hut to follow her sister, she had recognized her chance and seized it. Easing noiselessly into the hut, Ivy knelt next to Sam�s sleeping bag. Gently stroking his cheek, she whispered his name. Sighing, he turned towards her and smiled in his sleep. �Ivy�� Her heart lifted when she realized that he was dreaming about her. Well, why not make those dreams come true? Sam opened his eyes and smiled a\up at her thinking how beautiful she was, the love of his life. He reached up and pulled her down to lie next to him but when he realized what he was doing, he sat up and stammered, �Oh my God! What am I doing?! I can�t do this! What about� what�s her name?!�
�Grace?� Ivy helped out, bored already, but amused nonetheless.
�Right! Grace! I can�t believe I forgot her name! Where are my girls? What have you done to them?�
�Nothing,� Ivy said, getting up. �They�re out there, somewhere. Frolicking in the moonlight.� Ivy brushed sand off her pajamas and when Sam ordered her out, she went unresisting and, to Sam�s surprise, smiling. Because she knew what he wasn�t even willing to admit to himself yet�he was weakening faster than even she thought possible. �The man doth protest too much, me thinks.� Ivy said quietly to herself, teeth gleaming white in the dark.
Ivy wasn�t the only one making moves. Julian was too. With Eve. Haunted by what she had seen Simone do with Chad, Eve had trouble falling asleep. Finally getting up and hiking to the water supply to get a drink, she bent over the spout to get a sip. Julian sat up from where he had passed out earlier and pinched her bottom. Eve yelped and straightened in surprise. She turned to see Julian grinning up at her. She was about to storm away when he held the bottle of spirits up to her. �Care for a stronger drink than water, Eve?�
Eve narrowed her eyes and was preparing a proper retort when she thought better of it and shrugged her shoulders. �Why not? I need it.�
�Yes,� Julian said, passing her the bottle when she sat down next to him. �Quite a little slut you�ve raised there.� Eve almost choked on the burning alcohol but finally shrugged her shoulders again. It was probably true, and she was suddenly too tired to deny it. Too tired to deny a lot of things. Like the way her skin burned when Julian touched her, like he was doing now. �Like mother, like daughter, huh, Eve?� But Eve was tired of chit chat.
She threw the bottle over her shoulder and ignored Julian�s cry of protest, �Hey, that�s good liquor!� She threw herself on top of him and ravaged him with her mouth. �Oh, Julian, shut up and take me! I�m tired of playing the nice, dutiful, mother. I�m no Donna Reed. No Claire Huxtable. I�m Eve Russell and I miss being baaaaaaaaaad. Now, let�s play doctor!� That was all Julian needed to hear and that night they were wilder than even the wildest animals on that island.
The morning shone bright and clear.
Pilar, used to being up before dawn for work, was the first to awaken. She watched Theresa, Miguel, Ethan, and Sheridan sleep. Finally- some peace and quiet. But where was Luis? She quietly slipped out of the hut and found Luis sleeping out in the open. �Luis? Hijo, what are you doing out here?�
Luis avoided Pilar�s questioning gaze, looking instead over her shoulder at the still silent hut. �I thought it was a little crowded in there and I couldn�t sleep.�
Pilar knew her son, and knew what was bothering him. �It�s Sheridan, isn�t it? What exactly is going on between you two?�
�NOTHING! We don�t even like each other, mama.� Just then Sheridan stepped out of the hut and stretched her arms up to the sky.
Pilar looked between Luis staring at Sheridan, and Sheridan looking around for Luis. �Uh huh. Whatever you say, Luis.�
Soon more people started appearing outside. Tabitha and Timmy appeared and told everyone to get ready for the next competition. Eve and Julian stumbled out of the bushes looking disheveled but satisfied. Ivy grimaced and Whitney looked shocked but Eve just shrugged.
�For all his faults, Julian is still the best lay I�ve ever had.� Even Tabitha looked disgusted and Timmy downright sick, but the competition was about to start and everyone gathered in their teams.
Suddenly Sam shouted, �Hey! Where�s Jessica? Has anyone seen her? She could be dead!�
Tabitha laughed. �Get a grip Chief Bennett. That worthless girl was voted out. She was hauled off the island in the middle of the night so she wouldn�t cause any more trouble.�
Sam looked relieved. �Good. I mean�not good that she was voted off, good that-�
Tabitha cut him off. �I think we all know what you�re trying to say.� She looked at what was left of the Bennett team and snorted. �My, you are an unpopular group of people.� At Sam and Kay�s angry looks she hurried on. �Yes, well, we could all use a good laugh, so for the next competition each team will have to come up with an amusing costume and model it. As Timmy and I are the costume experts we will judge which one is the best. The winning team gets the luxury of a bath (or shower), shampoo, soap, and all the hair gel, lotion, perfume, and cosmetics your hearts desire.�
Everyone but Chad looked excited. �What�s the big deal man? The ocean is fine with me.�
Whitney grabbed the front of his shirt in her fist. �You will help us, Chad Harris, because I have never wanted to do anything so badly in my life as to soak in a tub for an hour right now.�
Eve pried Whitney�s fingers loose as Tabitha explained they would meet back in an hour to see the results.
An hour later everyone sat around the campfire except for Sam, Ivy, Chad, and Luis. Tabitha and Timmy looked regal sitting on chairs fashioned out of logs.
Tabitha called for the first contestant to come out.
Eve and Whitney watched admiringly as Chad came out and stood in the middle of the circle. They had made him into a hula dancer, fashioning a skirt out of straw and a crown of leaves. He did a few hula moves and everyone laughed except for Whitney who was too busy staring at his chest.
Tabitha looked bored. �Hmm. Quite nice but pretty unoriginal I�m afraid. Next!�
No one came forward. Tabitha looked at the Cranes. �I believe it is your turn.�
Ethan sighed and called out, �Come on mother!�
Ivy�s voice came from inside the Bennett hut. �No! I don�t want to! You�re all going to make fun of me!�
Ethan grinned. �Do you want that bath or not?�
Ivy opened the door and everyone stared in amazement as she came out in what appeared to be a maid costume. There was an apron fashioned out of palm leaves and a crown of shells in the form of a maid�s cap. She had a tray of berries teetering precariously in one hand and a feather duster made with bird feathers and a stick in the other.
Pilar started laughing so hard that she fell off her seat and soon Eve joined in.
Tabitha nodded her head. �Amusing.�
Ivy tore off the apron and cap and sat down. �Shut up Eve!�
Next came Sam who was dressed like a mermaid. His hair was long pieces of kelp; he had coconuts for boobs and a tight wrap around skirt for his tail. Miguel, Ethan, and Chad whistled as he made his way to the center of the circle but Tabitha looked like she was trying not to scream and Kay could have sworn she heard the creepy doll gasp.
Remembering her own disastrous stint as a mermaid Tabitha and wanting to forget it, she quickly called for the last person to step out.
Luis came out and stood in the middle of the circle. He had put barrettes in his hair and put on women�s makeup using the dyes of flowers. He was wearing a short skirt of Theresa�s , a hot pink tank top (with oranges tucked inside a bra), and was teetering on heels. He turned toward Sheridan and put his hands on his hips. In a shrill, feminine voice he said, �My life is not in danger, Luis! I can take care of myself! So what if you saved my life a thousand times- you are still just a big jerk trying to run my life!�
He then proceeded to run around the circle flapping his arms and yelling �Oh Luis! Save me! Save me! I�m being kidnapped- again � and shot at and Oh! I just broke a nail!�
Everyone watched as Sheridan�s face grew pink and then red as she blushed furiously. Ethan started to laugh and Sheridan glared at him. Theresa joined in and Chad and Whitney until finally everyone was clapping and laughing. Luis grinned triumphantly and Tabitha announced the Lopez- Fitzgeralds as the winners.
Sheridan got up to escape the laughter but Luis caught her arm. �Hey, it was just a joke. Theresa and mama really wanted that bath.�
�Yeah, well, you all earned it. You look ridiculous in that outfit.� But there was a smile in her voice when she said it.
�That�s the idea. Come on, we can join Theresa and Ethan for a walk. I�ll even share my beauty tips with you.�
Sheridan laughed and as he went to change clothes she wondered how she could be laughing with a man who had just humiliated her in front of practically the entire town.
Eve didn�t even look back. She didn�t smile or wave � what was the point? Whitney was an ungrateful snob who was obviously going to do what she wanted no matter what she said. Sam was an idiot who got whatever he deserved, Ivy was a cold-hearted wench � but Eve could appreciate that, and Julian� well� he was an� interesting lay, but not one she had any intention of repeating any time soon. Everyone knew about what they�d done but she didn�t care. What were they going to do � tell TC? Eve shrugged her shoulders, he was a mean-tempered guy anyways. It would be a relief to be out from under his domineering rule. It would free her up to exact some pay-back. Thinking of Ivy, Eve glanced back and sneered at her. �You have your fun now, Ivy. Because when you get back, you�re going DOWN!� Ivy shivered when she saw the look on Eve�s face and Sam absently put his arm around her shoulders. Ivy looked up at him but he was frowning at Eve as she boarded the boat without looking back again.
Everyone sighed of relief when she was gone � something had snapped in Eve and only Tabitha, who truly recognized and appreciated evil, was sorry to see her go. Everyone looked around and took account that their numbers were dwindling even while the island seemed smaller than ever. Only Julian was missing. He was standing some distance away, his back turned to the rest of them, talking on his cell phone. No one could hear what he was saying and no one really cared.
Everyone walked back towards camp but Pilar decided to take a walk. As she walked past Julian, whose back was still turned and didn�t hear her coming, she overheard him saying, �OK, Father. I�ll work on it. But I don�t think there�s anything to worry about. Now that Sheridan thinks Luis betrayed her, she�ll never let him get close. The imposter I hired to look and sound like Luis played on all of her insecurities.� Suddenly, the phone was snatched from his hand and turned off. Julian whirled around to look into the FURIOUS face of Pilar.
Meanwhile�
Sheridan had gone back up to the camp with everyone else. The heat was starting to get oppressive so Sheridan decided to make the most of it and got into her two-piece, grabbed a towel and headed down to the beach to soak up some rays. She wasn�t the only one with that idea and she met all the teens already spreading their towels out. Ethan and Theresa were in the water splashing around and laughing. Sheridan watched them wistfully; she knew what she wanted and she knew just as well that she couldn�t, and never would, have it. At the familiar twisting of her heart, Sheridan bent down and laid her towel down a little distance away from everyone else. At that moment she felt so alone and to cover that feeling up, she opened her bottle of lotion and began applying it to her body.
Luis stood at the edge of the trees and looked down at the beach where everyone was laughing and having a good time. But he didn�t see anything except Sheridan� massaging that oil onto her stomach and neck� onto that toned body� Luis noticed that she�d missed her back and he stood there, undecided on whether to help her out. She couldn�t do her own back, he realized. It was something she needed a friend� or lover to help her out with. Luis smiled grimly to himself, he was neither of those and he knew it. He turned and started walking away. On the other hand, if she got burned she could risk skin cancer and he couldn�t live with himself if that happened to her� or anyone, he quickly added to himself. Besides, he would never hear the end of her complaining if she was uncomfortable that night. Without breaking stride he turned right back around and went to her.
Kay watched all of this with silent amusement. She was Luis standing there watching Sheridan with a look of desire so blatant it was almost embarrassing and she saw his struggle with what to do about it. �He is so much like his brother!� Kay thought to herself and her heart lifted when she saw him abruptly stop talking to himself and turn back towards Sheridan. Kay thought that was a good sign for her and Miguel.
Farther along the beach�
Julian looked at Pilar and began stammering an explanation. �Pilar! I didn�t hear you� You don�t understand� I can explain� It�s not what you think�� Julian began backing away from the rage he saw in Pilar�s eyes.
But Pilar wasn�t letting him get away with anything so easily. �You bastard! Eres un perro sucio y tu papa ��
�Hey, no fair using Spanish, Pilar� Julian whined. But Pilar was done with words. She launched herself at Julian and laid a solid kick on his left kneecap. Julian went down with a shout but Pilar wasn�t done. She hauled him to his feet and held him there by the collar of his shirt.
�You have made Sheridan miserable for her entire life, you�ve destroyed my son by taking Sheridan away from his, and you�ve taken my husband away from me and his family. You are the lowest form of existence! You�ve hit on my teenage daughter!� At Julian�s surprise, Pilar snorted derisively. �What? You thought I didn�t know? I�m the laughing stock of the entire Crane household staff.� Pilar lashed out with a well-placed judo jab to Julian�s right eye. �Oh yes, my husband taught me self defense. And now I�m finally defending my family against you and your father. Sheridan will never again live with the lies that you have made her life and if I have anything to say about it, neither will Ethan.�
Julian tried once more, �Pilar! Remember your place! You are my servant�� But Pilar stopped the insulting flow of words with a knee to the crotch. Julian grunted and dropped like a stone. Pilar stood over him and brushed off her hands. She turned and walked away; she had to tell Sheridan and Luis what she had overheard. She never saw Julian rise and come towards her. She screamed when he grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder.
Back in paradise�
Sheridan looked up in surprise when she felt the suntan lotion bottle grabbed from her hand. When she saw it was Luis she tried to read the expression in his eyes, but he quickly averted his face and squirted some lotion onto his palms. He turned Sheridan roughly away from him and began brusquely rubbing the lotion on her back. �I didn�t want you getting burned� he said gruffly. Sheridan was confused by his strange demeanor and she tensed against his abrupt manner. Luis felt it and slowed his hands down, he wanted more than anything to have her feel at ease with him � for her to trust him. Sheridan felt his hesitation and turned to face him. She took his hands in hers and looked into his eyes. What she saw there moved her more than any words could. Longing. Confusion. Helplessness. She knew those feelings well.
�Luis, what is it?� she asked gently.
�Sheridan, I � �was all he had managed to choke out when they heard Pilar�s scream.
They ran, along with everyone else, to where they thought they had heard Pilar�s voice come from. They saw Julian with Pilar slung over his shoulder, kicking and screaming, and trying to get away. Before even Luis could act, Sheridan was running towards Julian and she tackled them both to the ground. �What the hell do you think you�re doing, Julian?! Let her go!� Julian flung out his arm and caught Sheridan across the face. Luis saw Sheridan�s cut lip and he was more angry than he had ever been before in his entire life. He didn�t even think, he just threw himself into the fray. Sam couldn�t believe what he was seeing and he ran forward to try and pull Luis off Julian before he ruined his entire career. Ivy saw Luis fighting Sam and went to help out her man. She threw Pilar off Sam�s back and Ethan couldn�t let his mother get hurt so he helped Sam with Luis. Miguel hated to see his brother being overpowered so he tackled Sam by the waist and was immediately in the middle of the pile. Not to be outdone by any man, Kay helped Sheridan out with Julian and no one could stop those two from kicking his ass. But that didn�t mean Theresa couldn�t try. Whitney saw Theresa jump into what was turning out to be an all-inclusive brawl and she hitched up her shorts. When she started swinging that tennis arm people started ducking. She went after Miguel but only Chad could compete with Pilar in her rage. Tabitha saw her opportunity to finally crush the Cranes and set her sights on Ethan. Hair flying and curses streaming, she dragged poor Timmy with her.
From the midst of flying fists, sharp nails, and hard kicks, a cell phone rang.
Immediately everyone paused their fighting to see if it was theirs. Panting and bleeding the remaining survivors looked at each other. Finally, they turned their attention to Julian, who was lying on his stomach in the sand. He fumbled around and located his telephone. Brushing it off he put it to his ear. "Hello?"
"Julian! You idiot! You have been voted off the island! Now there is no way to keep Sheridan and Luis apart and Ivy will be able to run amok. You have completely f**ked up this time."
Julian rolled his eyes and muttered, "Oh, who cares?"
"WHAT? Don't give me any lip Julian!"
But Julian was no longer listening. He was invisioning a comfortable bed, some real food, and the sweet taste of alchahol. He hung up the phone and rushed to the water's edge.
"What's wrong, Mr. Crane?" Pilar called after him.
He turned and met several questioning gazes. "Wrong? Why, nothing, Pilar. I'm next! Oh happy day!" He turned back to watch for the boat. Pilar touched her bruised ribs and said a prayer for small miracles. She walked down to the water to wash off the blood from a cut on her leg and Julian called to her, "But if you say one word to Sheridan or Luis I'll make sure the lives of all the Lopez-Fitzgeralds are ruined for good."
Pilar sighed, knowing Julian would do as he said. Luckily no one had heard his threat and she had no choice but to follow his orders.
Several yards away Chad found Whitney nusrsing a black eye and what looked like claw marks on her face. "Whitney, are you OK?"
Whitney grimaced with pain as she laughed. "I think Tabitha got me. I had no idea she had nails like that."
Chad frowned and put his arm around her. "Yeah, well, if it makes you feel any better I think I stepped on that doll of hers. Hard."
Tabitha was on her hands and knees looking for some sign of Timmy in the sand. "Timmy? Where are you?"
A pile of sand moved and Tabitha yanked Timmy out by his pants. "Careful Princess. Timmy isn't feeling too good."
Tabitha shook him off and Timmy groaned. Clutching his stomach he gasped, "Let Timmy down!"
Tabitha set him down and pushed her hair back. Her scalp was still raw from the fist full Ivy had pulled out. Damn that Crane bi**h."
Ivy ran a hand down Sam's bloody arm. "Theresa sure can fight. That girl is ferocious." Ivy looked appreciatively towards where Theresa was swabbing Ethan's bloody nose. "She does have spunk. I like that about her."
Sam couldn't suppress a shiver when Ivy's fingers trailed thoughtlessly down his bare chest. Ivy felt his reaction and smiled.
"Now that Julian is gone we can finally be with each other." Sam took a step back, breaking contact.
"No, Ivy. Just because Grace isn't here and Julian isn't watching, doesn't mean I'll sleep with you."
Ivy raised her eyebrows skeptically. "Sure you will. Because you want me, Sam, and you can't deny it any longer."
Sam turned his back to her unable to face her bewitching eyes. Ivy came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his middle.
And he let her. Sam hoped Luis had more control over his reactions to Sheridan than he did with his for Ivy.
Luis took Sheridan's chin in his hand and forced her to look at him. They were kneeling in the sand facing each other. "Let me look Sheridan."
Sheridan couldn't answer him. All her attention was focused on the heat of his touch.
He let go and she breathed a sigh of relief. Until she saw he was taking off his shirt.
"Wh...what are you doing?"
Luis took the edge of his shirt and licked it. He then wiped the traces of blood from her mouth. Her lips were wet from his mouth and the knowledge made her dizzy. She tried to stand up in order to escape it but she almost collapsed.
She would have if Luis hadn't caught her. "Woah. Are you OK? You and Kay took a piece out of Julian but you took some licks yourself."
"My foot. I hurt it."
Luis looked down and saw the first signs of a big ugly bruise forming. Without a word he swung her up into his arms and carried her into the hut. He gently laid her down on his bed and when she tried to get up he put his hand on her shoulder.
"You need to rest. You didn't look too steady out there."
Sheridan couldn't very well tell him that it was because he had been touching her so she laid back. The scent of him filled her and lulled her into the comfort of sleep.
Luis sat accross from her and watched her sleep. he finally let himself think about the anger he had felt when he saw Julian hit her, and the protectiveness he had felt when he had seen her enter the fight.
And he wondered what he would do to show Sheridan that she could trust him.
Bye bye Julian! People who are left: Pilar, Theresa, Miguel, Luis, Tabitha, Timmy, Chad, Whitney, Sam, Kay, Sheridan, Ivy, and Ethan. Who do you think should be next?
The night was clear but people�s hearts were not. The fight had set people against one another, families against families�and everyone knew a line had been crossed that there was no returning from. Everyone waited tensely for word of who had been cast off the island. Even Tabitha was unsure this time. She sensed a great debate had taken place�some darkness where cattiness had gotten the better of some people and Tabitha smiled with delight. �Oh, Tim Tim! And this is only the beginning! More people are going to have to go and it�s going to get harder and harder to choose! I have a feeling this is going to get a bit unpredictable soon!� Everyone kept their distance from Tabitha, and from one another. No one wanted to be voted off, but just in case they were�each of them chose to face it alone.
That was why, when Tabitha approached Pilar, she was alone. �The boat is waiting for you, dear.� Tabitha said gently as she took Pilar�s arm and guided her from the log where she had been sitting and contemplating the fire.
�I can�t go yet, Tabitha. I must speak with Theresa first.�
�Tsk, tsk, Pilar. You know the rules. Now, it�s time to go.�
But Pilar wasn�t budging. Yanking her arm out of Tabitha�s grasp, she glared at the old witch. Timmy shrank back at the look on Pilar�s face, but Tabitha just smiled.
�You�ve made up your mind, have you? Well, it�s about time, I must say! Well, alright then, you may speak with her. But be quick about it, we haven�t got much time.� Tabitha bent down and whispered instructions to Timmy who ran off. But Pilar didn�t have time to wonder what that was all about�she had to speak with Theresa at once.
Tabitha summoned Theresa from where she was writing in her journal. When she walked to the campfire and saw her mother sitting there, she breathed a sigh of relief. At least she wouldn�t be the one leaving� yet. Pilar heard her and turned around, pulling Theresa towards her. �Listen, hija, I have some things I need to tell you. And they are very important, so listen carefully.� She bent close and whispered in Theresa�s ear.
Theresa�s eyes got wider and wider, and a couple of times she glanced at Tabitha, who could only wonder what Pilar was telling her daughter. Theresa didn�t have time to ask Pilar any questions as Tabitha hauled her away almost before she was finished telling Theresa what she needed to. But Theresa had gotten it all and she knew what she had to do. When she saw Kay standing in the shadows holding Timmy, she motioned Kay inside the circle of light the campfire was casting.
�Kay, I�ve never gotten to know you very well. But I see the way you are with my brother and I like the way you fight for him because you think he�s worth it. We have a lot in common and I think you�ll know what we have to do with the information I�m about to tell you.� Kay know that life on the island was about to get very interesting and she nodded intently at Theresa, ready for what was about to come.
After Theresa left, Kay nodded appreciatively to herself. That was some potent pieces of information Pilar had passed along�all three pieces of it. Kay mulled over the imposter thing. How devious, how clever and how WRONG it all was. Everyone knew Luis and Sheridan belonged together and Theresa had been right to tell Kay about Julian and Alistair�s dastardly scheme to keep them apart. They both had a vested interest in putting that pair together. Kay needed Miguel to see what true love really looked like�if he saw Sheridan and Luis together, he would know that love required sparks and passion and romance as well as friendship and mutual respect. He would see that what he had with Charity wasn�t love, it was� well, it was stupid and gross was what it was. Kay would show him what love was REALLY supposed to be. But first she needed help to implement her and Theresa�s plan.
Ivy�s cell phone rang, startling her. She picked it up only to hear her father-in-law�s voice on the other end. Ivy sighed wearily, listening in amused silence, finally answering with a coy smile on her lips, �Yes, I understand perfectly, Alistair.�
Ivy crept into the Lopez-Fitzgerald hut where Sheridan was still sleeping on Luis� mat. Luis had fallen asleep watching her and in his sleep he had reached out to grasp her hand. Sheridan had woken up at his touch, but she hadn�t pulled away and she went back to her dreams, wondering what that unconscious gesture meant. Ivy shook Luis awake, �Hey, Luis! We need to talk. Now that Julian�s gone off the island, we need to discuss what he said to you and the arrangement you had with him regarding Sheridan.� Looking quickly at Sheridan to make sure she was still sleeping soundly, he hushed Ivy and dragged her outside the hut.
�What do you think you�re doing, Ivy? Sheridan can�t know anything about that.� But Sheridan hadn�t been sleeping when Ivy woke Luis up and as soon as Luis had taken Ivy outside, she opened her eyes, wondering what the hell that was all about. She followed them outside, careful not to make any noise and heard the entire exchange. She immediately flashed back to the night on the wharf where she�d overheard Luis say he was using her. Sheridan stayed in the shadows listening to them talk and growing more horrified every moment. Ivy was expecting Sheridan and smiled when she was her lurking where she didn�t think she would be noticed. Smiling slightly, she gave her full attention to Luis, not giving away Sheridan�s secret position.
�Luis, look, now that Julian�s off the island, it�s my responsibility to make sure that you keep your word regarding your arrangement with Julian.�
�And part of that arrangement is that Sheridan never know about it.� Luis turned away from Ivy so Sheridan couldn�t see his face, but she was glad. She didn�t know if she could bear to see the truth in his eyes. �Look, being paid to be near her is one thing, but if I�m not getting any money for it, I just stand being close to her.�
Sheridan didn�t wait to hear any more. She turned and stumbled away in the darkness, blinded more by her tears than by the lack of light.
Luis continued, �If I�m not protecting her as part of my job, I just CAN�T be near to her. It�s too hard wanting her so much and knowing that she doesn�t feel the same way.� Luis turned back to look at Ivy and the anguish in his eyes exposed his soul to her.
She said gently, �It�s OK, Luis. I know you don�t believe me, but I do understand. I came here to tell you that you can be with her. I won�t stop you�� She stared at him for a moment and nodded her head once, she�d been right. As she walked back to her hut she finished quietly, �In fact, I�ll even help you.� She knew she had done what she had needed to, now it was up to Kay and Theresa.
The next morning dawned clear and hot. Tabitha gathered everyone together for the next challenge. Luis noticed Sheridan looked pale and unrested. When he�d gone back to his hut, finally, at daybreak, she�d been gone and this was the first time he�d seen her since. Kay, Theresa, and Ivy were watching the two of them closely. �Alright, the challenge is to swim out to that sandbar out there, open the chest and get a bag of gold coins and bring it back. Whoever gets their bag back first wins a big bag of tootsie rolls.� After a week on the island people�s mouths were watering just at the idea of such a treat.
Everyone broke into their teams and Sheridan was chosen to compete at Ivy�s insistence. At Theresa�s, Luis reluctantly agreed to represent their family. Whitney went for the Russells and Kay lined up for the Bennetts. As soon as Tabitha had blown the whistle, they all started swimming towards the sandbar. Almost immediately, from an imperceptible signal from Kay, Whitey cried �Cramp!� and headed back towards the shore. And halfway there, Kay seemed to lose her sense of direction and began swimming parallel to the shoreline. It was just Sheridan and Luis left. Sheridan reached the chest first and pushed the heavy lid aside. Grabbing a bag of coins she started hauling it across the sandbar, back towards the water. She looked behind her and saw Luis hot on her trail. As he ran up alongside her, she reached out and pulled the string at the mouth of his bag and all his coins spilled out. Cursing, he bent down at the edge of the water and began scooping the coins back in the bag. He was shocked and disappointed at how low she�d stooped. Sheridan didn�t even turn around when she heard him shout in pain, thinking it was just a trick to get back at her. She only glanced back when she was a little way out and confident in her victory.
What she saw almost made her heart stop. Luis was lying half-in, half-out of the water, not moving. Sheridan couldn�t even tell if he was breathing but she did notice that his foot was an unusual color of blue. Sheridan dropped her bag of coins and hauled butt back to the sandbar. As soon as she got there, she knew immediately what had happened. She�d seen it once before when she was vacationing in the Caribbean. He�d stepped on a poisonous Blowfish and at this very moment the deadly venom was coursing through his blood stream.
Sheridan grabbed him under the armpits and hauled him to dry land. She grabbed a sharp shell and sliced his foot open. Like she would have done for a snakebite, she sucked blood out of the open wound and spit it out. She did this for a minute until the color of his foot returned to normal. Sheridan sat, exhausted, next to his still unmoving body. �You had better not die on me. I don�t care if you are just using me. I don�t know what I would do without you.�
Sheridan�s tears fell silently onto Luis� cheek and he opened his eyes. �You don�t, huh?� He sat up and Sheridan grabbed him in a fierce hug, right before getting up and walking quickly away from him. Luis was baffled. Limping painfully after her, he put his hand on her shoulder and feeling her sobbing soundlessly beneath his fingertips, he turned her towards him. �Hey, what�s going on? Why are you crying? I�m fine.�
�I don�t care if you are using me, Luis. You�re still the best man I know. It�s my fault you don�t care about me, no one ever has. I�m just�. unlovable.� She choked on the word, unable to go on. Luis stared at her, speechless.
�He didn�t use you. Julian hired an imposter. That was who you heard on the docks.� Sheridan and Luis turned to see everyone standing a little distance away. They�d started swimming when they saw that Luis was hurt. Ivy stepped forward. �Did you hear what I said, Sheridan? It�wasn�t�Luis.� Theresa saw the shock on Sheridan�s face and the confusion on Luis�. She would have done anything for a distraction so they could have a moment to collect themselves and when Tabitha spoke, she got it.
�Julian. I should have known. He�s evil, that one. Always keeping nasty little secrets. Like that fact that he and Eve are Chad�s true parents.�
�Secrets, Tabitha?� Theresa turned towards her. Everyone�s attention shifted to the new drama. At a nod from Kay, Theresa knew that the time was ripe. �You�re one to talk. How about the fact that you�re Whitney�s mother? You and TC are her parents, not Eve and TC.�
The people still left to be voted off are: Ivy, Sheridan, Ethan, Theresa, Luis, Sam, Kay, Miguel, Chad, Whitney, Tabitha, Timmy.
I decided that Miguel should be the next one off the island. At the beginning we said that we would take the person off with the most votes or the best reason, and I think that an email that we received was too funny to ignore. The email is as follows: For the last time, MIGUEL needs to go! Even though he finally realized that he�s in love with Kay, he�s still GAY!!! Kill him off for the love of God! For the record let me say that I have absolutely nothing against gay people. In fact I have many gay friends and what follows is not me making fun of gay people it is me making fun of Miguel. This was not meant to be offensive.
Tabitha looked at the people left on the island and smiled in satisfaction.
Theresa was trying to comfort a devastated Whitney, Chad was trying to get information from an utterly confused Ethan, Sheridan was kicking herself for all those wasted months she had been fighting with Luis, and Sam and Ivy were looking helplessly on.
Tabitha crooked her finger at Miguel and beckoned him over. �Miguel, you�ve been selected to leave the island.�
Miguel looked stunned. �But I didn�t get the most votes! You did, Tabitha.�
�Well yes, dear, but I�m afraid the fans are tired of watching you live your life in denial.�
Miguel threw his hands up in exasperation. �Denial? What are you talking about?�
�Why, that you�re gay, of course.�
Miguel just looked at her.
Tabitha looked meaningfully at his Speedo and Miguel blushed.
�I�ve always worn�I mean, from the time I was a child��
Tabitha looked unconvinced. �Right. And the wreathe of flowers you made? What was that- an arts and crafts project?� Miguel bit his lip. Tabitha continued. �You are very sensitive, kind, handsome, well dressed, polite, generous, loving, and you know how to cook.�
�Oh my God! I�m gay!� Miguel said in wonder.
Tabitha nodded and he gave her a quick hug. �I�ve got to tell everyone before I leave!�
He rushed off while Tabitha brushed off where he had touched her.
Kay, Luis, and Theresa were lined up facing Miguel. Kay touched his arm. �What is it, Miguel? Are you OK?�
Miguel took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. �I�m gay.� He waited for their reactions.
Theresa and Luis just looked at him while Kay looked angry. She scanned the beach. �Dammit! Who told you?!�
Miguel stared at them. �You guys knew?�
�Of course we did, Miguel. Everyone did. We were wondering how long it would take you to realize it,� Luis told him calmly. �Now, if you�ll excuse me, I have to find Sheridan.� He left with Theresa following, leaving Kay alone with Miguel.
�I�ve been kicked off the island, Kay. I have to leave now.� Kay sighed, disappointed that she hadn�t had the time to bring him over to the �other team.�
At her sad look Miguel tried to comfort her. �It�s for the best, really. I need to break up with Charity and, to tell you the truth, Chad was starting to look pretty good.�
Kay closed her eyes and wondered what she had done to deserve this.
Sam watched Kay�s face from a distance away and saw as her hopes were dashed.
Spontaneously, he grabbed Ivy�s hand and pulled her into the seclusion of some trees.
�Sam? What�s going on?�
He pulled her into his arms and began to kiss her hungrily. After a minute of this Ivy pulled a little away and breathlessly asked, �Why now?�
Sam gestured to the beach behind them. �Don�t you see? With just a few words their entire world has changed forever. I guess I just realized how precious time is.�
Ivy pulled him close again. �Oh, who cares! Kiss me again, Sam. And don�t ever stop.�
Sam willingly complied.
Tabitha and Timmy watched from behind a tree.
Timmy brought the binoculars to his eyes. �Jeez! Get a room! That is really gross.�
Tabitha grabbed the binoculars and took a peek for herself. �Hmm. I bet he won�t be so eager when he finds out Ivy�s been holding out on him.�
Timmy looked confused. �It doesn�t look like she�s �holding out� to Timmy.�
Tabitha rolled her eyes. �No, you fool. Holding out on telling him that Ethan is his son. But he�ll find out soon. That is, if I have anything to say about it.�
Timmy smirked at Tabitha�s wicked planning.
Meanwhile�.
�For the last time Chad- I had no idea about us being half brothers! I mean, who would have guessed Eve Russell would turn out to be such a slut!�
Chad took a step forward. �Hey, that�s my moms you�re talkin� about.�
Ethan put up his hands in surrender. �Sorry man. Look, I knew my father get around but I had no idea��
Chad shrugged. �Great. Now I have no way to talk to them until I get off this whack island.�
He looked around and saw Whitney talking to Theresa.
Chad walked over and touched Whitney on the shoulder. They looked at each other without saying anything. Then they both began to laugh uncontrollably.
After a few minutes they lay gasping on the ground. �Tabitha and my father? Yuck!�
�Dr. Russell and Julian Crane? That is one disturbing image.� Whitney stared up at the clouds. �I guess we have a lot to talk about when we get home. Boy, do they have a ton of explaining to do!�
Chad reached for her hand. �Yeah. But can I make a suggestion? How �bout we just enjoy the island �till then. There ain�t nothin� we can do �till we see �em and I�d just as soon not think about it �till then.�
Whitney squeezed his hand.
Chad pulled Whitney to her feet. �Come on. Let�s see what the evening entertainment is gonna be.�
A continuing thanks to those who vote! We wouldn�t be able to do this without you! People who are left: Pilar, Theresa, Luis, Sheridan, Ivy, Ethan, Sam, Kay, Chad, Whitney, Tabitha, Timmy.
Now that Miguel was gone, it seemed Kay�s time was next. She said good-by to her new friend and ally, Theresa, and they both know that they were going to team up again soon. Right before Kay stepped on the boat, she turned and whispered something to Sheridan that made her blush furiously. Luis watched in amusement, dying to know what Kay could have said to provoke that kind of reaction. Since Theresa�s revelation the other day, Sheridan had kept her distance and Luis tried to respect that but it was getting increasingly difficult. Luis wrenched his suddenly hot gaze from Sheridan to watch Kay sail away. There was an awkward pause as everyone stood around after the boat left. Luis caught Sheridan looking at him and he took a step forward. But she turned on her heel and walked away, sending his heart and hope plummeting. Luis turned and stalked off in the opposite direction. Ethan and Theresa watched this with amusement and compassion. Theresa took charge, as usual. �OK, Ethan, you go after Luis and I�ll go after Sheridan.�
Ethan looked at Theresa incredulously. �You want me to go after Luis?! He doesn�t even like me! I�m a Crane, remember?�
�Look, just go after him. I know he�s my brother and Sheridan usually talks to you, but I think Sheridan could use a good woman-to-woman talk and Luis is about to burst, he�d talk to a fish if he thought it was listening. Now go!� When Theresa got that look in her eye, Ethan knew he didn�t have much of a choice. So he went to find Luis against his better judgment and Theresa left to find Sheridan.
Whitney and Chad looked on. �They�re all such drama queens,� Whitney said, rolling her eyes.
Chad nodded his head, �Everything has to be such a big deal. I mean, did you see either of us wigging when we found out our parents weren�t who we thought they were? No. We took it with style.�
Whitney smiled to herself. �Yeah, and speaking of parents, where is good old mom anyways? She�s supposed to be providing this evenings entertainment.�
Chad looked at her in amazement�she�d always seemed so uptight but she was actually taking this with a sense of humor. Like so many things about Whitney, this surprised him. But he wasn�t fooled, he knew that se was trying to use laughter to cover her hurt and anger. �C�mon Whitney, let�s go see if we can�t find her.� He thought it was high time Tabitha and Whitney came face-to-face.
CONFESSIONAL--TABITHA
�OK, you people. You think it�s so gross that I could be with TC. Why? I�m an intelligent, funny, virile woman.� To prove her point, Tabitha ran her hands down her body and swung her hips in a sexy farce of a dance. �Oh yeah, it was more than a couple of years and wrinkles ago but I was ripe for the plucking. And TC sure was nimble with his fingers� You think TC is a good father but he�s a bad boy! Bad! That temper of his is wicked! He has no control over it and his heart is evil. Sure, he cares about his kids � but you can see for yourselves the way he plays favorites. The way he drives Whitney to do something just because he no longer can. The way he lets his fists fly whenever he gets an excuse. He married Evil Eve, after all. We bad ones just attract one another, what can I say? When I found out I was pregnant I was devastated. Carry a child? For nine months? Inside me? And then deliver it? I give pain, I don�t want it! So, I gave her to TC when she was born. I knew she had a good heart as soon as I saw her, no matter how many Grimm�s Fairy Tales I told her while I was carrying her to term. She definitely has a cold streak in her, but underneath it all she has a good heart, damn it. I don�t know how it happened, but it did. And I certainly want no part of it.�
Timmy couldn�t bear to see his princess look so sad. �Oh, Tabitha, Timmy loves you!�
Tabitha looked over in exasperation. �Oh please, you love Charity too�it doesn�t say much for your taste, you know.�
Timmy shrugged and muttered to himself, �Hey, losers can�t be choosers.�
�What? What did you say?� Timmy tried to sneak away, but Tabitha caught him by the back of his collar. �Oh, no you don�t. I heard that!�
Just then, Whitney came out of the bushes with Chad. �So did I.� Tabitha spun around to face a very angry Whitney. �I heard it all. And now you�re going to hear exactly what I have to say.�
The people still left to be thrown off are: Theresa, Ethan, Luis, Sheridan, Chad, Whitney, Sam, Ivy, Tabitha, and Timmy.
I have to rate this PG13 because there is a part that is kind of gory. They tell scary stories. Just thought I�d warn you�now on to the next part of the story�.
Theresa caught up with Sheridan and stepped into her path. �Sheridan, what�s going on? Why are you running away from Luis?�
Sheridan tried to step around her but Theresa wouldn�t let her. Finally Sheridan gave up. �Look, I�m just doing what I have to in order to protect myself. Eventually Luis would have realized the only great thing about me is my bank account. He�d leave just like the other guys I�ve known. Well, I�m just doing it first.�
Theresa tried to tell Sheridan she was talking crazy but Sheridan just shook her head.
�Theresa, I know you�re trying to help- but don�t. You wouldn�t like it if I interfered with you and Ethan.�
Sheridan finally managed to get around Theresa and took off at a brisk jog.
Theresa watched her go wishing she could say the words for her brother.
Ethan was having the same problem with Luis.
�I know you care about my aunt! It�s written all over your face. Every time you�re around her the temperature rises about 10 degrees. We all feel it.�
Luis looked toward where Sheridan and Theresa had disappeared. �Yeah well, she sure doesn�t act like she feels anything for me.�
Ethan looked at Luis disbelievingly. �She just scared! She�s never met a guy who likes her�for her.�
Luis shook his head and frowned. �I don�t think that�s it. She obviously doesn�t want anything to do with me.�
Ethan implored him to try to talk to her again but Luis just sighed.
�It�s hard to talk to someone who walks the opposite direction every time I try.�
Tabitha cocked her head to the side as if listening for something and held her hand up for silence.
Whitney stopped talking and after a few moments Tabitha nodded. �It�s decided. Because the fans are too wishy washy to vote anyone part of �a couple� off the island I�m to be next.�
Whitney looked around at the deserted beach. �How do you know?�
Tabitha looked at Whitney as if she were crazy. �They just told me.�
Whitney�s eyes widened. �Are you insane? There�s no one here! Are you telling me you hear voices?�
Tabitha half smiled. �Of course. The voices of the fans. I always know what they�re thinking.�
Whitney turned around, looking to see if anyone else was witnessing this. �Tabitha, you�re crazy! I should never have believed you when you said you were my mother.�
Tabitha shrugged. �I know it�s hard to believe. Sometimes I think it is all a big nightmare. But, sadly, it�s true. Now if you turned out to be more like Kay�well, perhaps I�d feel differently.�
Whitney was so outraged she just stared at Tabitha. Finally, she found her voice.
�Now you listen to me you old, wrinkly, washed up witch! You are nothing but a hag trying to feel important by meddling in other peoples lives. You�re so pathetic you have to carry Timmy around wherever you go because you have no friends and no real people to love you! You are a cold, soulless, b***h who has lived alone and will die alone with no one left to mourn her!�
Tabitha looked surprised and she laughed. �Perhaps there is a bit of me in you.�
Then she lifted her hands into the air and was gone.
Whitney blinked and looked around her but there was only Timmy looking lost without his princess.
�Great. Now Timmy has to run the show! There was supposed to be entertainment tonight but I don�t know what to do. What does Timmy feel like�I know!�
He put his fingers to his lips and whistled.
Soon everyone had gathered and Luis had started a fire.
They all sat around it while Timmy explained his idea. �Tonight we�re going to have a scary story contest. The team who comes up with the scariest story wins a mattress. Sam, you can join the Russell team.�
Everyone settled down to hear the stories.
Theresa told a story about a young woman�s unrequited love and how it drove her to suicide. The young woman came back to haunt the man she had loved but when he fell in love with someone else she murdered his whole family.
Chad told a story about a man who picked up a hitchhiker. The hitchhiker�s bag was dripping blood and when the man asked why the hitchhiker opened it. Inside was the head of an old woman. The hitchhiker then proceeded to do the same to the man, dumped his body by the side of the road, and drove off in his car.
When it came to Ethan�s turn he simply said, �I�m supposed to marry Gwen.�
Everyone shuddered and his team was declared the winners.
Sheridan stretched out on the mattress, relieved she was the first to be able to sleep on it. She chose to lie under the stars instead of the crowded Lopez-Fitzgerald hut.
She listened to the soothing sound of the waves and thought about Luis.
She closed her eyes and remembered the way his lips had felt against hers, the way his arms had felt holding her close to his heart, and she smiled wistfully.
How could he ever forgive her for the cruel things she had done to him?
She didn�t hear Luis come up beside her or see him standing above her.
Silent tears slid from beneath her lashes and only when he uttered a small groan and dropped to his knees to brush her tears away did she open her eyes.
This is going to get tough! Please keep voting! People left on the island: Theresa, Luis, Timmy, Sheridan, Ivy, Ethan, Sam, Chad, and Whitney.
Sheridan looked up to see Luis kneeling next to her. Unbeckoned tears fell silently and Sheridan sighed gently as Luis brushed them away with his fingertips. If only he were really here, Sheridan thought, her heart breaking in two�if only he could love her like she loved him. More crystal drops glittered in the moonlight as they fell from her closed lashes. Only when she felt the pad of his thumb, wet with her own salty tears brush across her bottom lip did she realize that this time she wasn�t dreaming him.
He really was there.
The realization made her heart miss a couple of beats but when it finally started again, her eyes flew open and she stared at him, the moon behind him bathing him in a pale white light that, as he looked down at her, gave Sheridan the distinct impression that she was being watched by an angel. But when he slipped his hand behind her neck and began massaging it, all thoughts of angels or anything pure quickly disappeared. Gasping at rush of emotions she felt suddenly, she jumped up from the mattress, startling Luis. She started to run away when suddenly she stopped, recalling the conversation she�d had with Theresa earlier, and turned around. She was about to say something when Theresa showed up.
�Well, it�s my turn to go.� She kissed Luis gently on the cheek. �I don�t mind, really. I have plenty of things to do in Harmony. First on my agenda is a little chitchat with Gwen.� Luis looked confused but Theresa had turned to look at Sheridan. �You�ll tell him about me and Ethan, won�t you? He doesn�t listen to anyone but you. You know that, right?� Sheridan was looking over Theresa�s shoulder into Luis� eyes. She nodded, not knowing why or how she was going to do it but knowing that she owed Theresa at least that. Not that she believed for a second that Luis would listen to her but she would try.
�And Sheridan?�
Sheridan tore her gaze from Luis and gave her full attention to Theresa. �You and my brother need to talk. Whatever it is, just say it. And then there will be plenty of time for� well, action.� Sheridan blushed and once again Luis was left wondering. Theresa winked and Sheridan smiled in response and with a final lift of her hand, she was gone.
***
Whitney gave a sigh of relief. It had almost been her; she knew it. And it just made her realize how precious time was. She sought out Chad who was listening to his one cassette tape he�d managed to bring to the island. She stood watching him for a few moments before sitting next to him. Chad was a little surprised to see her, but he smiled in welcome. Whitney relaxed a little and asked about what he was listening to. But Chad didn�t want to talk about music. He wanted to get closer to Whitney� a lot closer. A move that Whitney wasn�t so sure she was ready for. So, when Chad started to inch forward Whitney inched backwards and asked more questions about the song. Chad sighed and turned it up.
�It�s Linda Ronstadt and the song is called �It Feels Like Home�.� Whitney listed to the lyrics and looked at Chad for further explanation. �It�s a song about feeling lovely and then someone coming along to change that. Being with them feels like being home, like being with that person is where they belong.�
Whitney knew what Linda was saying�she realized suddenly that she wasn�t just listening to the words anymore�she was feeling them. She understood them and it was because of the man next to her. She closed her eyes and began humming the song. When she felt it enter her body she began to sing it. She didn�t even notice when Chad turned the music off so he could listen to her voice fill the starry night. She didn�t feel anything except the weight of the words in the back of her throat and the truth of the song on her heart.
***
Sam heard it too and as he took Ivy in his arms he knew that he would forever feel at home right there, with her. Ivy brushed her hand against his jaw and gently slid his shirt from his shoulders, caressing his chest, knowing that speaking was unnecessary. They had both hurt each other and not even time could heal the wounds. Only they could to that for one another. Only their union could erase the emptiness they had carried around for too long. But as Sam eased his hand into her blouse, Ivy groaned and gently pulled away. Sam was almost wild with desire and he looked incredulously at Ivy, not understanding what she was doing.
�Sam, wait.�
Ivy realized that things had changed. Things would never be the same again but she couldn�t make love to this man who was the other half of her soul with such a big secret between them. It would be as much a betrayal to her and the love she felt for him as it would be to Sam himself.
�I have something I need to tell you, Sam.�
***
After Theresa left, Luis took a step forward, towards Sheridan. And just as deliberately Sheridan had taken a step backwards. Luis was frustrated beyond reason at Sheridan�s obvious determination to keep physical distance between them. Not knowing what else he could do, Luis stood there in the moonlight staring across the sand at Sheridan.
Sheridan measured her words carefully. �Luis�� she almost didn�t go on�it was too hard, there was too much to lose, but Sheridan remembered Theresa�s advice �Just say it�, and before she could take it back she had said it. �Luis, this is too hard. I feel too much. When I thought you had said those things on the wharf, it broke my heart, it destroyed my confidence. But it wasn�t you� and I didn�t know� I couldn�t tell� Don�t you see?� Sheridan pleaded with Luis and the anguish she was feeling swam in her eyes, choked her voice, made her hands shake. Luis tried to go to her, to reassure her, put his arms around her and quiet her doubts with kisses but before he could move a step Sheridan put up her hand, stopping him. �I hurt you. I was mean and stubborn and selfish. I was punishing you because I didn�t know� I didn�t know� I couldn�t tell it wasn�t you. Everyone I�m close to ends up getting hurt because I don�t know how to love properly.�
Luis expected her to turn away and cry silently like he now knew she�d been doing for a long time but instead her head lifted proudly, in defiance of Fate and Destiny. �I know I�ll never be loved. Not like I want to be. But that doesn�t stop me from loving other people.� Sheridan looked at him with infinite sadness, loneliness a never ending depth in her eyes. �No one can stop me from loving you, Luis.�
Luis hadn�t realized that he�d been walking towards her but now he stopped right in front of her. �But you can�t tell me you love me Luis. Can you?� In spite of herself, hope showed in Sheridan�s eyes. Time stopped for Luis as he listened as Whitney�s voice drifted down the beach.
Something in your eyes makes me want to lose myself
Makes me want to lose myself
In your arms
There�s something in your voice makes my heart beat fast
Hope this feeling lasts
The rest of my life
If you knew how lonely my life has been
And how long I�ve felt so low
If you knew how I wanted someone to come along
And change my life the way you�ve done
Feels like home to me
Feels like home to me
Feels like I�m all the way back to where I come from
Feels like home to me
Feels like home to me
Feels like I�m all the way back where I belong
A window breaks down a long dark street
And a siren wails in the night
But I�m alright cause I have you here with me
And I can almost see through the dark there�s light
If you knew how much this moment means to me
And how long I�ve waited for your touch
If you knew how happy you are making me
I�ve never thought I�d love anyone so much
Feels like home to me
Feels like home to me
Feels like I�m all the way back where I come from
Feels like home to me
Feels like home to me
Feels like I�m all the way back where I belong
Feels like I�m all the way back to where I belong
Luis stared at Sheridan, listening with his heart. Finally, as the last whisper of Whitney�s voice drifted away and silence engulfed them, trapping Sheridan in the shroud of her unanswered question, Luis spoke.
�No, Sheridan. I can�t.�
The people still left to be booted are: Sam, Ivy, Timmy, Ethan, Chad, Whitney, Luis, and Sheridan.
Just a reminder to everyone: the prize for winning is that they get to ask one question of whoever they want and are guaranteed one full truthful answer.
Sheridan stared at Luis, his words resonating in her head over and over. She couldn�t stop hearing his voice. �No, Sheridan. I can�t.' I can�t say I love you. She stood, devastated to her core but not too surprised. After all, wasn�t this what she had been saying all along? Of course, he didn�t love her, no one could. She listened to the silence of the night, the waves crashing on the shore, her own rasping breath filling her ears. The beauty of the night was gone for Sheridan, as all beauty would forever be muted because her heart would always be only half filled with her unrequited love. Her vision blurred and Luis became a swimming figure as her eyes filled with unshed tears. She closed her eyes and the tears fell silently, soaked up by the sand, unnoticed and unremembered by the vastness of the beach. Sheridan wished with her entire heart, soul, and being to be anywhere else and because of the infinite courage she showed in confronting Luis and baring her soul and the truth to him, this writer obliged her wish.
Luis watched her disappear with his heart in his throat. He grabbed for her hand but she faded right before his eyes. �No!� Luis gasped at the ripping pain in his chest. �Sheridan!� he called out to the night, the empty, lonely darkness that threatened to suffocate Luis with its sudden silence. �Oh, God. No. She can�t be gone! I didn�t get to explain! Instead, I�ve just hurt her.� Luis stared up at the cold, distant stars that covered the sky and inhaled deeply. He almost believed he could smell her perfume. But when he looked at where she had been, Sheridan was still gone. A sound like a strangled moan escaped from Luis� throat, anguish making him break out into a thin sheen of sweat.
Suddenly, an outraged Ethan stepped out from the shadows. �You bastard!� Ethan stepped closer to Luis, fists clenched at his sides. �You hurt my Aunt Sheridan more than anyone else ever has� or could.� Luis was desperate for Sheridan to come back but he knew that that wasn�t going to happen so instead he turned to face Ethan.
�Shut up, Ethan. You don�t even know what you�re talking about.� Ethan stared at Luis and then came closer, menacingly.
�I know exactly what I�m talking about and I have to tell you what a fool you are. She�s the most caring, loving, beautiful, intelligent, sensitive woman you�ll ever meet. And you just threw her away like yesterdays garbage!�
Luis had had enough. �Ethan, I know you�re not giving ME a lecture about taste in women. Your fianc� could run in the Kentucky Derby and the woman you�re in love with is your ex-STALKER!� Ethan reached out, outraged, and slapped Luis.
Luis stared incredulously at Ethan. �You slapped me!� He punched Ethan in the jaw, hard. Ethan reeled back, stunned, and then burst into tears.
Just then, Ivy and Sam burst from the edge of the trees running to comfort Ethan. Sam gathered Ethan into a giant hug (yes, he now knows the truth about Ethan�s parentage) and Ivy turned on Luis in sudden, blood freezing, anger. �How dare you hurt my family like this! After all the effort we went through to get you two together! How could you be so selfish, so stupid!�
�No, Ivy, you don�t understand!� Luis took a step back from Ivy. Those nails of hers could be classified as dangerous weapons. Luis reminded himself that if he got back to Harmony alive, he would have to check his Harmony PD rule book about that one. �Now, step back, Mrs. Crane, I don�t want to have to hurt you.�
Ivy snickered. �Oh, please, Luis. You can�t defeat me. I come prepared.� Suddenly, Luis heard a gentle cough behind him and he whirled around to see Theresa standing demurely examining her nails. A profound sense of relief flooded through Luis.
�Oh, thank God. Theresa, tell these people,� Luis gestured to the newfound family behind him, �Tell them to stop attacking me. They don�t understand.� Theresa didn�t answer. �Theresa! Tell them!� Luis sounded desperate�everyone was against him.
�I�m sorry Luis. I can�t do that. I got a call about doing a guest appearance, a return to the island for one episode and I agreed, thinking that by now you�d be with Sheridan and I could spend a day relaxing in the sun with Ethan.� She waggled her fingers over Luis� shoulder at Ethan, smiling brightly. But then she turned back to Luis and the smile was gone. �But you aren�t with Sheridan. You turned her away. What the hell were you thinking?�
Luis struggled to comprehend the woman standing in front of him. Where had his sweet sister gone? The way of a lovelorn stalker he supposed. �You don�t understand, Theresa. I can explain.�
�Explain, Luis? Pienso que no. I heard you just as clearly as Sheridan did. �No means no�. And you said �NO�. Sorry, I don�t want to hear any of your lame ass excuses. And speaking of asses, I�m here to kick yours.� Suddenly Ivy was standing next to Theresa. He looked from one to the other, comprehension dawning in his eyes. �Yes, that�s right, Luis.� Theresa said as Ivy whipped out her nail file to do some last minute sharpening. �We�re going to tag-team wrestle you. I�ve been practicing on Gwen back in Harmony. They�ve even given me a name. I�m called the Fate Freak.�
�And I�m the Ice Queen.�
Luis didn�t even have time to decide to be afraid before they had transformed themselves into their leotards and capes. They checked each others makeup one last time and then Theresa launched herself at her brother.
She landed a few solid kicks and had him in a headlock when Theresa tried to tag Ivy to take her place, but her hand was too greasy from all the gel in Luis� hair and her grip slipped just enough to let Luis slip out of her grasp. He got a few good tugs on the loose strands of hair that always seemed to be getting in Theresa�s eyes but he got distracted when he realized that his hand was coated with her eye makeup. As he was trying to wipe it off on his pants, Theresa got away and tagged Ivy. She unleashed the lethal blades in her favorite move��The Rake Down and Kiss� she had perfected with Sam. Luis was so startled by the kiss he didn�t even realize she had drawn blood. But as soon as she drew back, he felt his back burn and he knew. He reared back in sudden pain and threw her away from him. �I can�t decide which Batman character you are! Poison Ivy or Cat Woman!� Ivy rolled her eyes. �Oh, Sheridan really got herself a witty one here.� Luis was on his knees in the sand, a beaten man, when Whitney and Chad interrupted. They took one look at Luis and came to a decision. Whitney helped him up, leading him down the beach while Chad broke up the rowdy crowd.
Whitney saw that Luis wasn�t even thinking about the fight or his wounds. He had something else on his mind and it didn�t take a genius to figure out what it was. �She had to leave, Luis. You hurt her too much. She got the courage up to tell you her heart and you dropped it. It�s no wonder it shattered.� She said it kindly, but her words cut him more deeply than Ivy�s claws ever could.
�You don�t understand, Whitney. No one does. I didn�t get to finish, I didn�t get to explain. I was going to say��
�Hey! Wait! Those words are for Sheridan�s ears only.�
Luis sighed, not even feeling her clean his cuts. �And now she�ll never hear me say them. She�s gone from me forever.�
�Not true,� Whitney reminded him. �If you win, you get to ask one person a question, which means you get to talk to one person one last time.� Hope sprang eternal in Luis� breast. �Of course, you have to stay on the island to win and right now I�m betting you�re not exactly a fan favorite.� Luis nodded, his mind already working on how he could entrench himself on the island�
The people left on the island are: Whitney, Chad, Timmy, Sam, Ivy, Ethan, and Luis.
When Ethan heard he was the next to go he was glad.
Theresa was waiting for him and Sheridan needed him.
He gave Ivy a hug goodbye and shook Chad�s hand.
With a last glare at Luis, Ethan was gone.
Timmy came out of the trees in a bathing suit and sunglasses. He held out a bottle suntan lotion to Ivy. She looked at it disdainfully but when he turned his back to her she took the bottle.
�I hate that you�re the one in charge!� Squirting the lotion onto her palms she spread it on his back as quickly as she could. When she finished Timmy snapped his fingers at Whitney.
She looked at him blankly and Timmy gestured impatiently at his towel. Whitney sighed and gently laid his towel out on the sand.
Timmy stretched out luxuriously. �Gather around everyone. Time for our next competition.�
Chad looked at the weary faces around him and hesitantly stepped forward.
�Um, Timmy, I don�t think any of us are up to that right now.� Timmy slid the sunglasses down his nose and looked up at Chad.
�Not even for the chance to travel in time?�
Everyone just stared.
�Wha�how?� Sam asked.
Timmy flicked his wrist in a sign of dismissal.
�Please! You people live in Harmony, land of witches, angels that come to life, demons in the basement, and pendants that cause people to become evil. Are you telling me that you think time travel is so far fetched?�
Sam considered that. �I guess not.�
Luis pushed Sam aside and asked eagerly, �Time travel? You mean we can go back and fix a past mistake?�
Timmy looked at him closely. �No, Luis. You have to make it right by yourself.�
He beckoned everyone closer and addressed the group. �What I mean is you can go anywhere in time and watch any one event you didn�t get to see or would like to see again.�
The group looked disappointed and Timmy raised his eyebrows. �Sam, are you letting me you don�t want to see the birth of Ethan? Ivy, you don�t want to relive the last night with Sam? Whitney, you don�t want to see what is in that shed? Chad, you don�t want to see why your mom gave you up for adoption? Luis, you don�t want to see what really happened to your father that night?�
The group thought about that. Then they turned to Timmy.
�What�s the competition?� Chad asked.
�A sand building contest. Now it is every man (or woman) for themselves. Whoever builds the nicest thing with the sand gets to time travel just this once.�
They went to work.
When they finished Timmy walked around with everyone following to admire each other�s work.
Chad had built a tiered heart tower with the outline of two people on the top (looking a lot like Whitney and Chad) holding hands.
Whitney smiled when she saw it, glad he was thinking of her.
Ivy had made a hole big enough for her to stand in.
Timmy wrinkled his nose. �What is that?�
Ivy glared at him. �It is symbolic art. It symbolizes the hole I�ve had in my heart since Sam left.�
The entire group groaned and Timmy quickly moved down the beach.
Sam�s creation was nothing more than a sandcastle. They all looked at him.
Sam shrugged. �I�m not very creative.�
Timmy rolled his eyes. �No wonder Ethan is�the way he is.�
They all walked further down the beach.
Luis had made an exact replica of Sheridan�s face looking as it had the last time he had seen her.
Chad sighed. �Yo, that is so sad.�
Whitney nodded her head in agreement and the group left Luis there, lost in his memories to see what Whitney had done.
Everyone ooohed and ahhhhed at what lay before them.
Whitney had created an entire Wimbledon scene. There were two women playing tennis, a crowd of onlookers, and an actual tennis ball sailing over the net.
Sam touched the ball. �Where did you get this?�
�It washed up on shore and I thought it was the perfect touch.�
�It was. I pronounce you the winner.�
Whitney smiled graciously and thanked Timmy.
�I want to see what is in my father�s shed.�
Timmy nodded and Whitney was gone.
In a few minutes she was back. �You�ll never believe what was in the shed!�
People who can still be voted off: Ivy, Sam, Chad, Whitney, Luis, Timmy. And feel free to make suggestions about what you think should be in the shed�.
"Barbie dolls? Your pops has barbie dolls in the shed?!" Chad laughed.
Whitney held up one of the dolls. "Chuckle it up, Chad. Here's you!"
Chad abruptly stopped laughing.
In Whitney's hand was a barbie doll that looked remarkably like Chad Harris. The doll even had on a Hawaiian shirt, baggy pants, and a necklace. Chad grabbed the doll and started to inspect it.
Ivy sneered. "T.C. plays with his dollies in the shed. Sounds just about right for someone who would sleep with Tabitha."
Whitney turned to look at her. "Oh, there's one of you too, Ivy. And lets just say it isn't exactly...anatomically correct." Ivy gasped.
"That's right," Whitney continued, "There is a doll for everyone in Harmony. He goes into the shed to play barbies."
Sam looked puzzled. "What does he do with them? Does he dress them up and have them drive around a fake Harmony?"
Whitney looked embarrassed and avoided looking at Sam. "Actully, what I saw was your barbie and my dad's barbie in the bath...together."
Sam still looked puzzled and no one decided to explain it to him.
Timmy tapped Chad on the kneecap.
"Hey, hoodlum, you're boat is here."
Chad looked down at Timmy and refrained from kicking the snotty doll.
Whitney took Chad's hand and they walked to where the boat was waiting.
"I guess this is goodbye. At least for a little while." Chad looked at their joined hands.
Whitney noticed where he was looking and smiled.
"It just isn't going to be the same without you here."
Chad looked hopeful. "Really? I'll miss you too."
Whitney decided not to point out that she hadn't said she'd miss him. Instead, she gave him a quick kiss on the lips. Chad looked surprised and Whitney blushed.
Chad stepped onto the boat and turned to face her. "Maybe, after all this hoopla is over, we can go out sometime. If you're not to scared of your moms."
Whitney beamed with pleasure. "I'd really like that. And which 'moms' are you referring to?"
They smiled at each other and then the boat disappeared.
Sam and Ivy lay on the beach sunbathing, Luis was swimming and trying to clear his mind, and Timmy was sleeping. Whitney was about to join Sam and Ivy but saw that they were looking intense about whatever they weretalking about. So, she went to find Luis and keep that lonley man company.
Sam was trying to explain to Ivy that an affair wasn't enough for him.
"I want more! Grace is good at baking, cleaning, and organizing, but she is no sparkler in bed. Besides you and I love each other and should be toghether."
Ivy rolled her eyes. "But Sam, you're not rich! I'm high maintenance, and lets face it, you don't have the cash to service me."
"Are you telling me that what we are doing now is enough for you?"
"Yup."
Sam huffed. "So, you don't love me."
Ivy put a hand on his arm. "Of course I do. But I'm selfish. I want it all: love, power, money, my son. An affair will have to be enough."
Sam began to think. "What if we got rid of Julian and Alistair? Then could we be together?"
Ivy smiled. "You'd do that just to be with me? My, how times have changed."
"Ivy, for what you do to me I'd do just about anything."
Ivy thought for a moment. "I don't see why it couldn't work. But how? Alistair seems to know everything!"
Sam grinned sneakily. "Yeah, but you'd be surprised at the resources and friends a police chief has. I bet we could come up with a plan."
Ivy glanced around to make sure no one was listening. "I already have one..."
People who are left...Luis, Ivy, Sam, Timmy, and Whitney. Just a few more episodes until we see who gets to ask the "final question."
Whitney sat down next to Luis on the beach. "What is it about you Lopez-Fitzgeralds and your complete incompetence with love?"
Luis turned to look at her and frowned warningly.
Whitney continued, oblivious to his signal. "Miguel just now figured out he was gay, Theresa falls in love with an unavailable man, and you deny having feelings for the only woman who is perfect for you, breaking her heart in the process."
Anger flared in Luis's eyes. "Hey, Whitney, I think I hear your half brother Timmy calling."
Whitney jumped to her feet. "Why you...you...meanie!"
She tossed her hair and turned on her heel. "Don't worry, Luis. Sheridan will find some other more worthy man to live happily ever after with. Maybe it'll even be your best buddy Hank. I mean, who knows what they've been doing since she left the island."
She walked away and didn't see the look of pain that crossed Luis's face.
Her words tore like a jagged knife through Luis's heart and he rubbed a hand over his chest.
"So, what's the plan, Ivy?"
Ivy looked at her lover and lowered her voice to a near whisper.
"Ethan called me and told me he was next in line to be heir. I'm sure that is making Julian insane with rage. All we have to do is kill Alistair and set it up so it looks like Julian did it. He'll go to jail and rot there while I- I mean Ethan- takes over."
Sam nodded. "I guess it could work."
Ivy considered a moment. "There's one problem. I don't know where Alistair is."
Sam smiled. "I'll take care of that. I'll put out a few calls. A man like Alistair Crane wouldn't go unnoticed. But, Ivy, what if the Crane power keeps Julian out of jail?"
Ivy smirked. "Then we tell T.C. that Julian and Eve had an affair and Chad is their son. Then T.C. beats Julian to death."
Sam gasped in dismay. "But T.C. is my friend! I don't want him to go to jail!"
Ivy looked away and rolled her eyes. "It's only a last resort, sweetie."
Sam looked relieved and they bent their heads together to work out the details.
Luis was looking for Whitney to apologize when he met up with Timmy.
"Hi, Timmy. Have you seen Whitney anywhere? We got into an argument and-"
"She's gone. Her butt got booted. Man, it was a landslide! Seems like she generates no fan interest without Chad." Timmy giggled.
Luis sighed. "Truth be told, I wanted her advice on how to fix my problem with Sheridan."
Timmy smiled up at Luis. "Don't worry. Timmy has your back." At Luis's skeptical look Timmy added, "The ladies love me! I have to beat them off with a twig! I have the perfect solution..."
Luis sat down to listen.
YIKES. We are losing people fast here! Keep those votes rolling! People who are left: Ivy, Sam, Timmy, Luis.
Sam blew a kiss to Ivy and waved good-bye.
Ivy watched him leave. When he was out of sight she smiled. "Finally," she thought to herself, "he is hot but, oh my goodness, could he be any more boring?" She shrugged and turned away.
At least he would take care of Alistair and Julian for her. With any luck it would all be over by the time she returned to Harmony.
As she walked back toward the hut she wondered how long she would have to wait before convincing Sam that an affair really was best.
Timmy stretched out next to Luis, ready to offer advice on how to proceed with the 'Sheridan Incident'.
"Now, most guys would go with flowers, wine, soft music, moonlight...you know, the works."
Luis nodded his understanding and Timmy looked at him to make sure he was paying attention. "That is a mistake. No man should appear needy. You need to show Sheridan some tough love. You know, remind her who's boss."
Luis looked doubtful. "Umm...I don't think she's the whips and chains type, Timmy. And I'm not really into all that kinky-"
"Not that kind of tough love! I meant, you should tell her that what you say goes! Love blah blah blah. Tell her you only want her for her luscious body and if she wants to involve feelings that is her problem."
Luis started to interrupt Timmy but Timmy plowed on.
"Trust me, Luis. She'll love it. Women like to be told what to do!"
Luis sighed. "Not Sheridan. Besides, I don't know where you got those ideas from but I have never known them to be true."
Timmy looked crushed. "But I read it!"
Luis chuckled. "Where? In Julian Crane's diary?"
Timmy looked away guiltily. "Well, he gets a lot of chicks."
"Yeah, but have you noticed it's usually when he dresses up in weird costumes?"
Timmy thought about all the weird costumes he had worn in the past year and sighed. "I know. How come it doesn't work for me?" Luis looked at him in surprise and started to laugh.
After a moment Timmy joined in.
Ivy came upon them like that and put her hands on her hips. "What is so funny?"
Timmy gasped out, "We were just talking about why Julian can get women and I can't."
Ivy didn't crack a smile.
"Whatever. I'm hungry. When's dinner?"
Timmy pointed at the water. "Whenever you catch it, clean it, and cook it."
"WHAT?" Ivy screeched, "I'm not touching any fish!"
Luis stood up. "It's OK. I'll do it. Maybe it'll keep my mind off...other stuff."
He walked off down the beach and Ivy watched him.
Timmy saw her lick her lips like a hunter stalking her prey.
"Don't even think about it, Ivy. He's with Sheridan."
Ivy made a point of looking around her.
"Sheridan? Where? I don't see her!"
At Timmy's look she said, "I just want to have a little fun. Now that Sam is gone I'm lonley. And it looks like Luis could use a little 'cheering up' himself."
"Restrain yourself."
"I don't want to. I have plans for Luis." Ivy narrowed her eyes at Timmy. "And don't even think of getting in my way!"
Timmy has sent out a plea to the fans...Vote Ivy off! Who knows what she'd do if she were alone with Luis! So, who will it be? Ivy, Timmy, or Luis?
Timmy grinned with satisfaction. The fans had bought his plea and Ivy was gone.
Tabitha would be so proud!
Now, to get rid of Luis so he could ask the question he's always wanted to know.
Timmy watched Luis cook the fish and thought of the perfect way to get rid of him.
He was too small to do any serious damage personally but a little poison could go a long way.
He snuck off into the woods to pick the poisonous berries Tabitha had pointed out to him earlier.
Luis sat by the fire lost in thought.
There has to be a way to show Sheridan that she misunderstood me.
The time away from her had only made him realize that how much he needed her in his life. He thought back to the first day she had returned to Harmony and smashed into his car. Her long legs stepping out of the car, her face set in disbelief when he told her she was under arrest, and his strange feeling of happiness when he found out she would be working with him at the youth Center. Has it really only been a year? But what a year! We have gotten to know each other better at the Youth Center, then in New Mexico. We had recognized our mutual attraction and gone out on a few dates. I can't beleive she thought I'd accept a bribe from julian to go train with the FBI. She actually cried with relief when she found out I wasn't interested in the Crane power! And that kiss on the wharf...her warm lips on mine, her sweet taste...we fit perfectly. Like we were made for each other. Of course, everything weent downhill from there, but even when we were fighting, I admired her spark. Sheridan is a fighter even if she needs some help along the way.
Luis smiled. Not just anyones help. My help.
He thought about the times he had saved her life starting when he saved her from drowning in New Mexico, then from hypothermia by warming her naked body with his own. He saved her on New Years Eve and again on Valentines Day from falling through the ice. There were numerous times in Paris, and plenty more since they had returned to Harmony. And each time, he acknowledged to himself, he had been so scared that he might lose her.
And then there was the time they had spent on this island. They had been- dare he say it- falling in love. Lost in his memories, he didn't notice Timmy slip up behind him until he spoke.
"Luis, are you OK?"
He jerked back to reality. "Yeah, fine. Just thinking about what my question will be- if I'm still here."
"So, what is it?"
"Well, I thought I'd ask-"
WE INTERRUPT THIS PROGRAM FOR A BREAKING STORY...ELIAN GONZALEZ HAS JUST TAKEN A BITE OF HIS VERY FIRST BIG MAC. WE NOW RETURN YOU TO OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAM..."
"Wow. That's a good question, Luis."
"So was yours, Timmy."
"Thanks. So, how about some dinner?"
They ate in silence, both thinking about their own plans. When the meal was over Timmy handed Luis the berries he had found.
"These are for dessert."
"Great! Don't you want any?"
Timmy backed away. "Uh...nah. I ate a lot while I was picking them."
Luis shrugged and popped a few in his mouth.
Timmy grinned and went to wash his hands in the water. The fish smell could attract all sorts of animals!
Luis grimaced at the sour taste of the berries. He tossed the rest into the bushes but the ones he'd already eaten started to affect him.
The stomach pains grew worse and worse until he could barely breathe.
He figured out what had happened and cursed the doll. Luckily, in police training they taught him what to do in these situations. Well, similar situations.
He lurched to the bushes and forced himself to throw up. It wasn't pretty but he knew he had to do it. He'd do anything to be the last one on the island so he could make it up to Sheridan. So thinking, he pulled himself up and walked to where Timmy was silently congragulating himself.
He picked Timmy up, strode to the ocean, and heaved him in.
Timmy surfaced, sputtering "Luis! Don't leave me here!"
Luis called out, "Swim to Harmony, you beastly doll!"
"But...but it's too far!"
Luis laughed. "Then get your friend Flipper to help you."
Timmy didn't bother to remind him that who he thought was Flipper was actually a shark. He doubted Luis would care.
Did you notice I made fun of NBC. So, who will get to ask the final question? Luis or Timmy....
Luis stood in the sand wearing a tuxedo and stared at the sky. Sunset was approaching and the colors were magnificient. Thank goodness the fans had chosen him to ask the question! There was no doubt in his mind what the question was going to be, nor was he anxious about asking it. He was anxious about the answer, though.
He rubbed his hands together nervously and his stomach turned over as he realized that it was almost time. He took a last deep breath and nodded his head to signal he was ready.
Everyone slowly began to appear on the island and surrounded Luis.
Charity, Ethan, Miguel, Theresa, Pilar, Julian, Gwen, Ivy, Hank, Sam, Grace, Kay, Jessica, T.C., Eve, Whitney, Chad, Simone, Sheridan, Timmy, and Tabitha materialized to form the circle.
Finally, the circle was complete and Luis searched the familiar faces, seeking the only one he truly wanted to see.
He found it and his entire face lit up in a smile.
Luis slowly began to walk toward her.
Sheridan couldn't meet Luis's gaze and stared at the sand in front of her.
What am I doing here? Haven't I suffered enough humiliation?
She could feel all eyes on her and she sighed unhappily.
I know they know. What a fool I've been! What was I thinking telling Luis how much I care for him?
A pair of black shiny shoes came into her line of vision. Surprised, her eyes traveled slowly up- past the crisp tuxedo pants that fit him to perfection, past the trim waist and muscular chest, past the broad shoulders that had taken so much on in it's lifetime, to the face that held warmth and hope.
Sheridan's breath caught as she looked at him and her heart began to pound..
He is so handsome! What is he doing in a tux? I love him so much! Why oh why couldn't he want me? What's going on? These thoughts ran through her head in the space of a moment. Luis reached out his hand to her.
Sheridan quickly looked around her in confusion. Everyone was smiling at her and Theresa nodded at her to take his hand. Sheridan put her hand in his and he drew her into the middle of the circle.
Sheridan remembered the last time they had been together and she looked away in embarrassment. He put a finger under her chin and brought her eyes up to meet his. Luis saw the pain reflected there and winced. He hoped by the time he was finished that pain would be replaced by something else.
Never taking his eyes off hers Luis put his hands on Sheridan's shoulders and ran them slowly down her bare arms until their fingers were linked. He cleared his throat and began.
"Sheridan, there are a lot of questions I'd like to know the answers to. But none of them, none of them are as important as the one I'm going to ask you."
Sheridan licked her lips nervously and Luis found himself breathing faster.
"I want- no- I need you to know that you matter. Sheridan, you matter so much to me! When we first met I thought you were this stuck up Crane heiress with nothing more on her mind than where to go shopping next."
He saw Sheridan getting angry and he hurried on.
"But when we worked together at the Youth Center it was obvious you cared about the kids, and they cared about you. You always surprise me. Just when I thought I knew you, you prove me wrong. Again and again. You can dance the tango, throw darts, iceskate, and clean out a poison bite. You have the most generous nature I've ever known. You give your money and more importantly, your heart to the people who need it the most. Including me."
When Sheridan started to look away he cupped her face in his palms.
"No. I want you to watch me when I say this. I love you, Sheridan Crane. I love you with all my soul."
Sheridan couldn't believe what she was hearing. Luis was saying all these beautiful things- about her! But how could he when...
"You said you didn't love me!"
Luis shook his head. "I said I couldn't say the words. And I couldn't. But that doesn't mean I didn't feel it." He willed her to understand. "The word 'love' has always brought such pain. I was scared to admit that I loved you. So I didn't tell you. But when I saw you hurting- and knowing I was the cause- I couldn't bear it."
Sheridan turned away from him.
"I'm sorry, Sheridan" Luis said softly from behind her. "I'm so sorry. I was an idiot. You're my heart. You always will be. I should have told you then." His voice was filled with despair when he said, "Please don't leave me again."
Sheridan turned to face him and he saw she was crying. Not with pain but with joy. A spark of hope flared deep in his soul. "Luis, I couldn't leave you! Oh, I love you so much!"
Before she could move, he dropped to one knee. "Sheridan, will you marry me?"
Sheridan pressed a hand to her heart and Luis smiled at her lovingly.
"I want to share my life with you. I want to spend my days and nights with you by my side. I want you to have my children and I want to give you everything you've always wanted."
Sheridan smiled back at him. "Oh, Luis, you just did," she whispered.
Everyone cheered when they finally stepped into eachother's arms.
Thanks to everyone who participated!!!! We couldn't have done it without you. Hope you enjoyed it.