A Christmas To Remember *Short Complete*

OKDeanna's Passions Fan Fiction Forum > Luis & Sheridan Stories > A Christmas To Remember Short Complete
	<< Prev Topic \| Next Topic >>

Subject: A Christmas To Remember *Short Complete*
Posted By: OKDeanna - ezOP
Posts: 319
Posted At: (8/23/03 6:39 am)
Reply

A Christmas To Remember

Written by:

Deanna
(OKDeanna)

Email: asjfan@cox.net

Christmas Eve 2001

Complete Short Story

My Christmas Wish Came True
Cause I Am Once Again With You
I Am Wrapped Within Your Arms
Safe From Danger and From Harm

With her palm pressed up against the weathered glass and her heart lodged in her throat, Diana drew in a sharp breath. The longer her eyes stayed on the couple locked in a passionate embrace, the more intense the pain in her chest grew.

She felt the first tear fall and instinctively realized she'd never experienced a pain that reached so deep. It totally consumed her body. Her mind. But mostly, mostly it consumed her heart. Shattered it, actually.

She'd spent the last few days, wondering what it would be like to see him again. To feel his strong arms wrapped around her. His eyes traveling over her face in wonder and love, before he finally descended his head and kissed her. Kissed her even more intently, more deeply, than he'd done in the dreams that haunted her sleep.

She'd dreamed of him more times than she could count. But in her dreams, she never imagined finding the love of her life locked in a kiss with…another woman.

She closed her eyes against the pain that flooded her body then slowly opened them again. Still somehow wanting it to be a mistake yet knowing in her heart it wasn't. And the proof that it wasn't was standing on the other side of the glass. Lips locked. Arms entwined around each other.

"Diana?" A soft voice called out from behind her. She could hear the sadness in his voice and knew even before she turned around that it would also be in his eyes.

"I guess my memory is more faulty than I realized." She whispered, reaching up and using the back of her soft, white glove to wipe away the silent tears climbing down her cheeks. "How else would you explain his being alive and…and obviously happy with someone else?"

Brian looked past her into the front window of The Book Café. He drew in a sharp breath then slowly, almost too slowly, returned his gaze to her face.
He seemed to be searching for something to say. Something, she suspected, to try and ease the pain she knew was written on her face. Present in her eyes.
But she doubted words that even existed. If by some miracle they did though, she was almost positive they wouldn't work. Nothing anyone could say would erase the dull, numbing ache currently making its way through her bloodstream, seeping into her bones. Completely eradicating all the warmth she'd felt upon seeing him again.

"Maybe it isn't what it looks like." Brian suggested, his dark eyes once again swinging back to the couple behind her. "Maybe…maybe there is a good explanation for what we just saw."

She shook her head then let out a humorless laugh. "I don't think I need an explanation for what I just saw. Obviously, I didn't mean as much to him as he meant to me or…or else we've been apart an awfully long time. Either way, he doesn't seem to be missing me and…and I think it might be best if we leave before he sees me. I'm not at all sure I could handle talking with him right now."

She couldn't even handle to look at him right now, she thought straightening her spine and taking a step forward, trying to put as much distance between her and the couple inside the café as possible. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd really like to go back to the hotel now."

Brian nodded then cast one more look into the window before muttering something under his breath. She barely caught the words he whispered, but they still somehow managed to steal every bit of air from her lungs. "What…what did you just say?"

"I said damn him." Brian stared at her for a second and when she didn't respond he sighed. "I can't believe he would do this to you. He's a bastard, Diana. You deserver better."

"No." She said, shaking her head and searching his eyes. "That isn't what you said. I heard you. You called him by a name, Brian. You called him, Luis."

The moment the name rolled off her tongue, an image popped into her mind. An image of him leaning over her. Telling her he loved her. Telling her he would spend the rest of his life loving her.

Then she saw herself. Leaning up to place a kiss against his lips. And then…and then she heard his soft-spoken, heartfelt whisper…

I love you, Sheridan. I love you with all of my heart.

She froze then quickly whirled around and sought out the owner of the voice. The second her eyes landed on him, and she saw the stricken look on his face, and the uncomfortable way in which he stood, she knew she'd somehow misconstrued the moment she'd just witnessed.

The brunette appeared to be telling him something. Something he obviously didn't want to hear. He kept shaking his head from side to side. Almost as if he didn't completely comprehend anything the woman was saying.

She drew in a breath as the woman suddenly reached out a hand to touch his right forearm then slowly let it back out again when he jumped back before she could. He didn't want her to touch him. "He called me, Sheridan. I remember him calling me, Sheridan."

As she continued to watch the man she loved, and finally realized he hadn't wanted to kiss the woman that had been in his arms, tears of joy began to pool in her eyes.

He still loved her. She knew he did. Even through the thick glass of the window and despite the chilly winter breeze that continued to travel around her, she could feel the warmth of his love. It surrounded her. Enveloped her.

She smiled then let out a gleeful laugh. "He still loves me, Brian. I know he does. I can feel it."

* * * * *

Luis didn't know what the hell was wrong with him. How on earth could he have dreamed he was kissing Sheridan but really have only been kissing Beth?

He glanced up, eyeing the mistletoe that had been responsible for the incident. His stomach churned, knotted. How could something so small cause him to hurt so much?

Shaking his head for the second time in less than a minute, he lowered his head and met the blue eyes of his former girlfriend. "Beth, I…I'm sorry. I…I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I know, Luis." She replied, her blue eyes showing understanding while trying to hide the hurt he could still see reflected in them. "I understand. Really. I shouldn't have kissed you in the first place. It was stupid and… I really should have known better. Even if you were standing under the mistletoe."

He nodded then reached up and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, trying to work out the tension that was currently making its way through his muscles. "Let's just forget it, okay?"

This time it was Beth's turn to nod. She turned away before he could capture her eyes to make sure she really understood where he was coming from and he had the distinct feeling she did it on purpose. Most likely so he wouldn't see the tears shimmering in her eyes. He sighed. "Beth -"

"It's okay, Luis." She whispered, her back still to him. "It was a mistake and we should forget. We should forget the whole thing."

He frowned at her choice of words. Not to mention her tone of voice. She sounded so defeated. So sad and…and heartbroken.

Had he missed something? Could Beth still be carrying a torch for him? After all this time? He really hoped that wasn't the case, but her reactions were certainly leading him to think so.

Which meant his telling her that he had thought he was kissing Sheridan was definitely not the brightest move he'd ever made. Even if it was true. "I didn't mean to hurt you, Beth. I…I'm sorry."

"Don't." She said, her voice so soft he almost missed her words entirely. "Don't do that. Don't apologize for telling me the truth."

She turned suddenly and the sight of her tears immediately had him stepping forward. At the same time, she took a step back, causing him to freeze where he stood. "I still love you, Luis. I never stopped. I should have told you that before, but I didn't. For that, I'm sorry. I let you think I thought of you as only a friend and that isn't true. Hasn't been true for a very long time."

"Beth -"

"No." She whispered, her voice dropping even lower. "You don't have to say anything. In fact, I really wish you wouldn't. I know you still love Sheridan. That you will always love her, whether she is here or not. I also know that what you and I had is…is in the past. I let myself believe that you still had feelings for me, but you don't. Not the kind I want you to have anyway."

He took another step forward, but stopped when she raised her hand and shook her head. "Please don't. It will only make it worse. Make it hurt more than it already does."

She shook her head again then slowly scooted out from between him and the table that rested behind her, coming to a stop beside his left arm. "I think you should go now, Luis. The longer you stay, the worse I'm going to feel about what just happened."

When he began to turn to face her, she lowered her lids and whispered, "Please. Just go now. For me."

She didn't wait for him to respond. She merely turned on her heel and walked through the swinging door that led to her office. He didn't like leaving things the way they were, but he knew she was right. It was better if he left. The longer he stayed the worse they were both going to feel. Then again, he wasn't sure he could feel any worse than he already did.

Shaking his head again, he turned and walked toward the front door of the café. When he reached the other side of it, he breathed a heavy sigh then bounded down the steps that led toward the parking lot.

With his head lowered, filled with self-accusing thoughts, he failed to see he wasn't alone and ended up bumping into someone. His hands instinctively shot out to help steady the person, but when he lifted his head a second later, he wondered if it wasn't him that really needed help.

Psychiatric help to be more precise.

But even as he told himself he was just imagining her in his arms, he still found himself choking out her name…"Sh…Sheridan?"

* * * * *

Staring into the eyes of the man she loved, feeling his hands as they gently, but firmly gripped her forearms, did something inside her. Caused a wealth of emotion to flood her senses and a million vivid, fast moving images to flood her brain.

She saw them dancing. Laughing Kissing. Making Love. Arguing. Ice-skating.

And then she saw them standing in a gazebo. Dozens and dozens of rose petals all around them. Him down on one knee. Placing a beautiful, antique ring onto her finger.

His grandmother's ring, she thought smiling as she slowly reached up to lay her hand against his cheek. She drew it back before it actually connected with his skin though.

Because that's when the image inside her head changed. Changed to one of him in bed with another woman.

She gasped at the pain that shot through her system then froze as the scene changed again. To one she didn't fully understand. One in which there wasn't just one man she loved, but two. And they both had the same face. The face of the man standing in front of her now.

Except they weren't the same, she thought furrowing her brow as more images flashed in her mind, they were different. One was wearing a mask. Hired by her father and brother to make her think it had been Luis in bed with that woman. Oh god, how could they do such a thing? How could they -

"Sheridan?"

The moment he said her name again, a flash of brilliant, white light burst out from behind her lids, causing her knees to weaken in their ability to hold her.

If the man in front of her hadn't still had a good grip on her arms, she was sure she would have fallen. She crashed into his chest as it was.

She shivered as more images flooded her brain, her thoughts. Bermuda. The boat. The bomb. Oh god, the explosion.

She felt Luis' hold around her tighten and looked up to meet his dark, shock filled eyes. "I remember, Luis, I remember everything."

* * * * *

Luis sucked in a deep breath then searched the eyes of the woman he loved. The woman he thought was dead.

He swallowed hard and tried to comprehend the fact that she was really in his arms. That she was alive. That he wasn't dreaming this time. That she was here. With him. In his arms. "Sh…Sheridan, I…I don't understand. How is this-"

"Brian," She suddenly blurted out. "He found me. He saved my life. He's the one that pulled me out of the ocean after our boat exploded."

Brian? Wasn't that the name of the guy from the island? The guy bringing Beth's boat back to…"Oh my god! You're the woman that was on the island. You're Diana?!"

She nodded and he watched, heart pounding against his ribs, as her face broke out into yet another beautiful, wide smile. A smile that had haunted his dreams every night for the last four months. "But my real name is Sheridan Crane. And if I'm not mistaken, I'm the fiancé of Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald. That's you."

He felt his head go through the motions of a nod, but he was too confused and numb to focus on the reason why he'd just nodded. "You're alive. You're…my god, you're alive!"

Tightening his arms around her waist, the truth suddenly flooding his brain, he laughed and began to turn them around in a circle. When he finally stopped spinning, he pulled back and searched her eyes. "Do you know how many times I wished for this? How many times I dreamed you were alive, only to wake up, and find out a dream was all it had been? I thought I was losing my mind. But I wasn't. You are alive. You're alive and you…you came back to me."

"I'll always come back to you." She whispered, tears cascading down her cheeks. "I love you, Luis. I love you with all of my heart."

The last of his doubts faded away as one of her tears fell against his hand. He smiled then slowly lifted his right hand to her cheek and gently wiped away her tears. "I love you too, Sheridan. More than life itself. When I thought I lost you…it was like I died right along with you. I wished for this. I prayed for this. I asked God to grant me another Christmas miracle. And here you are. Just in time for Christmas."

She laughed then lifted her own hand to his cheek and whispered softly, "Merry Christmas, Luis."

Drawing in another breath, he briefly closed his eyes and when he opened then again and saw that she was still there, he smiled. "Merry Christmas, Sheridan, and…and welcome home."

THE END

<< Prev Topic | Next Topic >>

Replies

Email This To a Friend
Topic Control Image

Topic Commands

Click to receive email notification of replies

Click to stop receiving email notification of replies